Roku TVs could one day show ads as soon as you pause playing a game on a connected Xbox, or stop a stream on an Apple TV.

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.

  • @Phen@lemmy.eco.brEnglish
    -23•7 months ago

    I don’t know. If done well this could be a much better option than pausing whatever you’re watching to show an ad.

    If youtube showed ads on the corner of the screen while you’re browsing around searching for something to watch, it would be a much better platform than what it is today and it would probably make more money too. If Netflix did this they would triple their revenue.

    • @untorquer@lemmy.worldEnglish
      29•7 months ago

      1. you’ve described youtube in 2008 and it was a much better platform.

      2. the issue isn’t what time to show ads, or where. It’s the furthering invasion of marketing into private spaces and lack of apparent concern for end-user consent. There are security concerns when devices can hijack eachother. This technology is likely to rely on some means of detecting idle time, like comparing consecutive frames as the article states, so you try reading a long text on screen in an RPG, and then you’re local kroger brand ad plays.

    • @subtext@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27•7 months ago

      The problem with this philosophy is that it’s basically how ads started on the internet and now we’re here.

      Oh it’s just a small, non-intrusive side bar ad, thats okay… oh it’s just ads on both sides… oh it’s just an additional ad on top and on the bottom… oh it’s just an easily dismissed pop up ad… oh it’s just a short video to watch before I’m allowed to see the site… repeat ad nauseam (no pun intended)

      • @Drusenija@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5•7 months ago

        I quoted this a week or two ago for something else on here, and someone responded along the lines of you know they’d be trying to up that %, and they were 100% right.