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There are almost no tv manufacturers offering consumer TVs without the ability to connect to the internet to collect metrics, display ads, and run “apps” like N
by mattnewton 5y ago
There are almost no tv manufacturers offering consumer TVs without the ability to connect to the internet to collect metrics, display ads, and run “apps” like Netflix. I don’t doubt it’s because the upsell is profitable and regular consumers would choose the TV with smart features over a similarly priced TV without, but it’s also possible no one has decided to compete on the “our TV is $40 cheaper, comes with a rebate for a roku you were going to buy anyways, and also we can’t push ads to you through it”
- kelnos 5y agoI would expect the smart TV is "cheaper" for the manufacturer to make; likely they get money from Netflix (etc.) for including their apps by default on the TV, and I'm sure they get recurring revenue from selling the data they get from the spyware on the TV. I'm sure that extra money more than makes up for the cost of the extra hardware in there to make it all work.
- fsckboy 5y agoisn't it going to be "our TV costs $40 more, but..."?
- mattnewton 5y agoYou’re probably right, the ad space and metrics might be worth the component cost, r&d and then some. Slap some apps on it to justify it to the consumer and sell it cheaper.
- AussieWog93 5y agoI can tell you for sure that pre-pandemic you could get AllWinner SOCs capable of 1080P 60Hz for around $2.50/pc. The 4K ones seem to be around $7/pc, still peanuts. From memory, Netflix pays around $10 to have a dedicated button on the remote, so even if the manufacturer didn't play any ads they'd still be in the black.