Roku is exploring ways to show consumers ads on its TVs even when they are not using its streaming platform: The company has been looking into injecting ads into the video feeds of third-party devices connected to its TVs, according to a recent patent filing.

This way, when an owner of a Roku TV takes a short break from playing a game on their Xbox, or streaming something on an Apple TV device connected to the TV set, Roku would use that break to show ads. Roku engineers have even explored ways to figure out what the consumer is doing with their TV-connected device in order to display relevant advertising.

  • m-p{3}@lemmy.ca
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    7 months ago

    Any company trying to use the HDMI-CEC protocol in such a subversive manner should lose their license to the HDMI standard IMO.

        • tal@lemmy.today
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          7 months ago

          I’m sure that a DisplayPort device in a chain can also inject video, but I have to admit that I would kind of like to not have two competing video standards, and my impression is that DisplayPort tends to lead HDMI technically, so…

          • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            DisplayPort: We have

            • Higher maximum resolution.
            • Better support for higher refresh rates.
            • Multi-stream transport so you can use a single display cable for multiple monitors.

            HDMI: Oh yeah? Well, we have

            • Royalties.
            • Specifications hidden behind contracts.
            • An emphasis on implementing DRM technology that makes it hard to use a capture card.

            Fuck HDMI.

  • RunningInRVA@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Imagine being the guy working on this and how much you hate yourself anytime somebody asks you what you are working on.

    • Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz
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      6 months ago

      I recall watching a defcon speech given by someone who used to make malware. He opened the speech by apologizing and saying that he knows that he will burn in hell.

  • FritzGman@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Oh please don’t misunderstand my post. I’m in total agreement that this bullshit can’t go unchallenged and that posting about it is necessary and good. It’s just that, like public comment town halls, all the complaining in the world does not affect change.

    Instead, I meant to imply that more needs to be done and in a way that people who have already paid can use to fight against them.

    Like encouraging all Roku TV owners (and eventually all Smart TV owners) to contact their local, state and federal representatives to demand they enact consumer protection laws against post purchase forced software changes to functionality of the product (aside from security patches) or forced acceptance of ‘terms of service’ that essentially take away your right to your preferred method of recourse.

    I mean, the idea that we buy something for the features and capabilities it gives us just to have it changed at the whim of a corporate moneymaking scheme is insane. Even moreso when policy changes mean you accept something you don’t want to or lose what you paid for (i.e. Roku’s forced arbitration acceptance that would otherwise brick the TV).

    It’s fine to vent frustrations but in the long run, jailbreaking and looking to buy something different doesn’t resolve the root problem. Greed overcoming consumer protection in the name of shareholder interest (most of which are corporate C level douches).

    Sorry if I wasn’t clear with my opinion but my posts usually are already too long before they even start. lol

  • qwertyqwertyqwerty@lemmy.one
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    7 months ago

    Is there an anti-ad community on Lemmy? Or another non-Lemmy place to work through blocking/avoiding this bullshit? I’m so fed up with the advertisement industry. I don’t want ads on my devices. I don’t want ads in my operating systems. I don’t want ads in my content. I don’t want ads in the sky. I don’t want ads in the ocean. I don’t want to be forced to see or hear ads while putting gas in my car.

    I really can’t emphasize how much I am willing to go through to rid my life completely of advertisements.

      • frostysauce@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Perfect. Then people can avoid ads at that gas station by going to another gas station with ads!

    • yuriy@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      If the gas pumps have those unlabeled buttons around a screen, try pressing all of em. The pumps around here (nebraska) will mute the audio when you press one of the buttons, it just isn’t labeled. I’ve taken to writing “mute” on the magic-button with a sharpie whenever I pump my gas.

  • Moose@moose.best
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    7 months ago

    If a consumer watches something on their Apple TV and then presses the pause button, a Roku TV set could use either audio or video-based content recognition technologies (known in the industry as ACR) to identify what’s being watched, match the current scene to a database and extract relevant information to pair an ad with it.

    Wow somehow their idea is even worse than I imagined, glad I don’t own a Roku now.

    • Mango@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Yeah way to fuck 80% of the purpose of pausing. This is basically malware.

  • freebee@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    Imagine a world where talented engineers would put their minds to work for solving big problems instead of … I’m not sure wtf this is.

  • andyburke@fedia.io
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    7 months ago

    Used to recommend Roku to others. I will never buy anything from them or recommend them to anyone again.

    Someday maybe boards will figure out that “business” people have no idea what they are doing.

  • Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    "People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

    You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

    Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

    You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs."

    – Banksy

  • InvaderDJ@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    If Roku actually does this I would definitely never use them again. Completely asinine behavior. Especially because most people aren’t even using stand alone boxes with their smart TVs.

  • acr515@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Is there some open-source replacement for Roku? All I really use it for is a portal to my streaming services that’s easy to navigate with a remote. I’ve noticed my Roku become increasingly more overrun with ads ever since I started using it 4-5 years ago to my dismay, and it’s obviously not stopping any time soon. I’m vaguely aware of Plex but I have no clue where to start with setting it up or if it would even meet my needs

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    7 months ago

    This way, when an owner of a Roku TV takes a short break from playing a game on their Xbox, or streaming something on an Apple TV device connected to the TV set, Roku would use that break to show ads.

    But what if I want to have ads playing while I’m playing XBox? Can the Roku analyze the image, identify 3d surfaces in the game I’m playing, and plaster ads on them so that they look integrated with the game?