4 ms·

Advertising platform The Trade Desk is building its own smart TV OS

32 points by phantomathkg 2y ago

shiroiushi 2y ago
So basically it's Android but with extra non-Google advertising on top? Maybe it'll be popular with bottom-tier junk TV makers like RCA and other recycled brand names from ages past. I can't imagine why any decent TV maker would want this.
- teruakohatu 2y ago
  > Maybe it'll be popular with bottom-tier junk TV makers I think the bottom-tier brands offer much better value for money, if you ignore the spyware, and probably represent a large percentage of sales. In New Zealand I am sure one or more of these off-brand TVs were running Roku, but a quick google suggests they are now all Android.
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    Android is fine; it's what I use, and unlike the highest-end brands, it's a more open OS that allows you to load apps of your choice, including open-source YouTube clients like SmartTube. But I'm thinking the bottom-tier brands might switch to this AdwareOS because they'll get more money from users by having it. And even though it's supposed to be based on Android, I wouldn't be confident that it'll actually run Android apps.
    - teruakohatu 2y ago
      I could be wrong but I have always assumed the budget android tv distributions are crammed with spyware.
      - bombcar 2y ago
        Vizio at least lets you skip everything entirely - if you don’t accept the agreement it just becomes a dumb TV. Perfection.
  - RF_Savage 2y ago
    At one point in time some TCL TV's were sold below or at the cost of manufacture. All the profit came from advertising and selling user behavioral data.
    - shiroiushi 2y ago
      Sounds like Windows computers: if you check the prices of a laptop that has a Linux or no-OS option, it'll be more expensive than the same laptop pre-loaded with Windows, because the factory Windows install is loaded with pre-installed 3rd-party crapware. The crapware companies pay MS to include their crapware (which is usually just teaser software to get users to buy the real thing) in the base OS image, and MS pays the PC makers (or gives them a big discount) to include Windows by default. And of course, Windows itself now has built-in ads and spyware too, so MS gets money from users using it.
  - compsciphd 2y ago
    I'm not convinced that the bottom tier brands provide good value for the money. Their picture quality is generally very poor relative to the more expensive TVs. (i.e. a bottom tier brand tv vs a bottom tier samsung/LG TV might be competitive in terms of price/quality, but the jump in quality to the higher level TVs they make is huge relative. Also the bottom tier models are not well supported at all (i.e. security updates and the like). In the US the mid tier (i.e. upper end models from TCL/Hisense and the like) are where the real question of bang for the buck can be applied.
rahimnathwani 2y ago
TTD's CEO denied these rumours: https://live-adexchanger.pantheonsite.io/daily-news-roundup/thursday-12092024/ https://live-adexchanger.pantheonsite.io/daily-news-roundup/...
htrp 2y ago
Cutting roku out .... and trying to capture all the value for themselves
- BLKNSLVR 2y ago
  Leech ditches single large host in search of many smaller hosts.
stalfosknight 2y ago
I wouldn’t call customizing Android has building their own OS.
erremerre 2y ago
At the end we are really needing to have a big monitor and connect a tv decoder: https://www.iiyama-monitors.co.uk/products/large-format/digital-signage/le5041uhs-b1 https://www.iiyama-monitors.co.uk/products/large-format/digi...
- lloeki 2y ago
  Ah, digital signage: > With the built-in media player you can play your favourite music and show your most beautiful videos, photos and images directly on screen. > connect a tv decoder For home usage this one's pricier but definitely higher specced, and the dumbest you can get (just a plain monitor): https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23141765/lg-48gq900-oled-tv-gaming-monitor-pc https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23141765/lg-48gq900-oled-...
Animats 2y ago
Oh, joy. Another "TV OS" from an ad company. How about a "TV OS" that isn't from an advertising company? People might pay for that.
- fragmede 2y ago
  Would they? People don't pay for shit.
  - Animats 2y ago
    It would be a feature on the TV, probably.
    - fragmede 2y ago
      The long tail of the Internet theory says there's a market for it, but there are just so many sizes and the initial outlay is so expensive. I don't feel there's a big enough market for me to buy a bunch of TVs, reflashed them to not have adware, and then resell them.
      - kgdiem 2y ago
        What about an Apple TV-like set top box? Maybe an ASOP based replacement for Android TV ala graphine.
        izacus 2y ago
        You mean like taking a Chromecast and putting it into "Apps only mode"? :) It's a setting right there.
- jeroenhd 2y ago
  Putting Android TV into "basic TV" mode pretty much does that. Disable the internet connection for sure, but that's a cheaper option than going for those business display models that will charge you through the nose. Android TV itself is open source, and I've seen a few people running LineageOS on their TVs. Anyone can make a TV OS based on it and it comes with an SDK already, but nobody is incentivised to do it.
buubuubeebee 2y ago
[dead]
jccalhoun 2y ago
The same site is claiming Sonos is working with them to make their own tv box https://www.lowpass.cc/p/sonos-the-trade-desk-tv-streamer-os https://www.lowpass.cc/p/sonos-the-trade-desk-tv-streamer-os

32 points by phantomathkg 2y ago

So basically it's Android but with extra non-Google advertising on top? Maybe it'll be popular with bottom-tier junk TV makers like RCA and other recycled brand names from ages past. I can't imagine why any decent TV maker would want this.

teruakohatu 2y ago
> Maybe it'll be popular with bottom-tier junk TV makers I think the bottom-tier brands offer much better value for money, if you ignore the spyware, and probably represent a large percentage of sales. In New Zealand I am sure one or more of these off-brand TVs were running Roku, but a quick google suggests they are now all Android.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  Android is fine; it's what I use, and unlike the highest-end brands, it's a more open OS that allows you to load apps of your choice, including open-source YouTube clients like SmartTube. But I'm thinking the bottom-tier brands might switch to this AdwareOS because they'll get more money from users by having it. And even though it's supposed to be based on Android, I wouldn't be confident that it'll actually run Android apps.
  - teruakohatu 2y ago
    I could be wrong but I have always assumed the budget android tv distributions are crammed with spyware.
    - bombcar 2y ago
      Vizio at least lets you skip everything entirely - if you don’t accept the agreement it just becomes a dumb TV. Perfection.
- RF_Savage 2y ago
  At one point in time some TCL TV's were sold below or at the cost of manufacture. All the profit came from advertising and selling user behavioral data.
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    Sounds like Windows computers: if you check the prices of a laptop that has a Linux or no-OS option, it'll be more expensive than the same laptop pre-loaded with Windows, because the factory Windows install is loaded with pre-installed 3rd-party crapware. The crapware companies pay MS to include their crapware (which is usually just teaser software to get users to buy the real thing) in the base OS image, and MS pays the PC makers (or gives them a big discount) to include Windows by default. And of course, Windows itself now has built-in ads and spyware too, so MS gets money from users using it.
- compsciphd 2y ago
  I'm not convinced that the bottom tier brands provide good value for the money. Their picture quality is generally very poor relative to the more expensive TVs. (i.e. a bottom tier brand tv vs a bottom tier samsung/LG TV might be competitive in terms of price/quality, but the jump in quality to the higher level TVs they make is huge relative. Also the bottom tier models are not well supported at all (i.e. security updates and the like). In the US the mid tier (i.e. upper end models from TCL/Hisense and the like) are where the real question of bang for the buck can be applied.

rahimnathwani 2y ago

TTD's CEO denied these rumours: https://live-adexchanger.pantheonsite.io/daily-news-roundup/thursday-12092024/ https://live-adexchanger.pantheonsite.io/daily-news-roundup/...

htrp 2y ago

Cutting roku out .... and trying to capture all the value for themselves

BLKNSLVR 2y ago
Leech ditches single large host in search of many smaller hosts.

stalfosknight 2y ago

I wouldn’t call customizing Android has building their own OS.

erremerre 2y ago

At the end we are really needing to have a big monitor and connect a tv decoder: https://www.iiyama-monitors.co.uk/products/large-format/digital-signage/le5041uhs-b1 https://www.iiyama-monitors.co.uk/products/large-format/digi...

lloeki 2y ago
Ah, digital signage: > With the built-in media player you can play your favourite music and show your most beautiful videos, photos and images directly on screen. > connect a tv decoder For home usage this one's pricier but definitely higher specced, and the dumbest you can get (just a plain monitor): https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23141765/lg-48gq900-oled-tv-gaming-monitor-pc https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/25/23141765/lg-48gq900-oled-...

Animats 2y ago

Oh, joy. Another "TV OS" from an ad company. How about a "TV OS" that isn't from an advertising company? People might pay for that.

fragmede 2y ago
Would they? People don't pay for shit.
- Animats 2y ago
  It would be a feature on the TV, probably.
  - fragmede 2y ago
    The long tail of the Internet theory says there's a market for it, but there are just so many sizes and the initial outlay is so expensive. I don't feel there's a big enough market for me to buy a bunch of TVs, reflashed them to not have adware, and then resell them.
    - kgdiem 2y ago
      What about an Apple TV-like set top box? Maybe an ASOP based replacement for Android TV ala graphine.
      - izacus 2y ago
        You mean like taking a Chromecast and putting it into "Apps only mode"? :) It's a setting right there.
jeroenhd 2y ago
Putting Android TV into "basic TV" mode pretty much does that. Disable the internet connection for sure, but that's a cheaper option than going for those business display models that will charge you through the nose. Android TV itself is open source, and I've seen a few people running LineageOS on their TVs. Anyone can make a TV OS based on it and it comes with an SDK already, but nobody is incentivised to do it.

buubuubeebee 2y ago

[dead]

jccalhoun 2y ago

The same site is claiming Sonos is working with them to make their own tv box https://www.lowpass.cc/p/sonos-the-trade-desk-tv-streamer-os https://www.lowpass.cc/p/sonos-the-trade-desk-tv-streamer-os