Roku-Enabled TVs Will Soon 'Listen' To Programs You're Watching To Suggest Streaming Content (variety.com) 52
Roku-enabled TVs will be receiving a new OS update that will listen to what show or movie you're watching via your cable or satellite set-top or over-the-air antenna, in order to suggest internet-streaming content. "Compatible TVs will use automatic content recognition (ACR) technology to identify the content and then suggest additional viewing options available on via streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or Vudu," reports Variety. From the report: It may seem vaguely Big Brother-ish, but Roku is being careful about ensuring consumer privacy: Users will be required to enable the feature via an opt-in prompt. In addition, the "More Ways to Watch" feature can be turned off at any time (although Roku says viewing information collected prior to the feature being turned off will not be deleted). For now, the "More Ways to Watch" feature is available only in the U.S., and only for Roku-enabled television sets available from Best Buy's Insignia, Sharp, Hisense and TCL. It will be coming first to conventional HDTV models first, followed by support for 4K Roku TV models later this summer.
Oh Boy! (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure glad I own a stupid TV.
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I call it my smarter TV and my smarter phone. If you have to ask why, you aren't so smart. ;)
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Another reason to dump my Roku (Score:1)
Getting weary of the poor performance and half ass app builds. Maybe I'll just delete all the apps except for PLEX. At least PLEX porformance is somewhat decent.
There must be a market for dumb TVs (Score:1)
I need to investigate the availability of acquiring stock of dumb TVs for retail sale. There has to be a business model here that can work. The threat to our privacy and security is huge.
http://www.freestateproject.org/
Re: There must be a market for dumb TVs (Score:3)
my crazy uncle was kinda-sorta right (Score:2)
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Repeat after me:
How many people do you have to get to repeat it until it actually becomes true?
Roku (Score:4, Interesting)
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That's why I use a ball-gag on your mom.
Well, well, well (Score:1)
In Soviet-America, TV listens to you!!!
Opt-in (Score:2)
Roku is being careful about ensuring consumer privacy: Users will be required to enable the feature via an opt-in prompt.
Seriously, is nobody else concerned about the privacy implications with always on microphones connected to the internet?
The summary states that the feature is opt-in. Are you concerned about a software defect causing the feature to turn on by itself? Or are you concerned about "required to enable" meaning "this device will cease to function until enabled"?
Let's be realistic (Score:2)
Roku only wants to know what you watch away from it's box to know what advertisements to send to you.
What an "interesting" development (Score:2)
Roku-Enabled TVs Will Soon 'Listen'
Not sure what the scare quotes are for... that is pretty much exactly what it's doing.
Device ownership (Score:2, Informative)
It pisses me off that I paid for this device and then it spies on me without my permission so the manufacturer can make more money. What's missing from a lot of the modern world is a concept of device ownership. I paid for my cell phone/laptop/etc. and I damned well want to control what it does and does not do. And I want it working for me, not some advertiser.
The tragic thing is: I NEVER NEVER NEVER buy the shit that behavioral ads think I want. It's all a waste of time and effort for them.
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fyi opt-in = needs your permission.
Are they going to require a CC to activate your TV (Score:2)
Like Roku units?
Re:Are they going to require a CC to activate your (Score:4, Insightful)
CAPTTCHA: Keyhole [wikipedia.org]
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I use Paypal and then after I pass that, I deactivate the Paypal authorization. Once deactivated, that link cannot be used to charge your account anymore. The only way to reactivate it is create a new link which requires logging into your paypal account again.
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I used a prepaid VISA rebate card that had 5 cents left on it to activate mine. I agree its irritating though.
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I didn't buy the device for the fact I had to register it, luckily I read that on the reviews before I bought it. WTF is that? How come they don't say that at purchase time, oh yah their sales would tank as most people would say WTF?
Where should I get my brain mush from (Score:2)
Roku now records my viewing habits
All the ISPs record my browsing history and soon will sell it
Satellite with a disconnected set top box looks like my only option to watch awful television with no fear of being judged.
Roku is being careful about ensuring consumer (Score:4, Interesting)
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nice way to change the actual quote:
"but Roku is being careful about ensuring consumer privacy: Users will be required to enable the feature via an opt-in prompt."
that's a : not a . makes a big difference when what you are complaining about is actually opt-in by default.
This industry is trying hard to flip me (Score:2)
So.. in the past I have advocated in favor of "smart TVs" because even if you don't use the features, they're basically "free" (as in beer). Some processing power is already going to be there anyway, and it's not like the chips are expensive. The price of Raspberry Pi should give you a good idea of the most it could possibly cost, and even that is a pretty pessimistic estimate.
But that position was based on the assumption that "utterly and completely worthless to me" was the lower bound of what the user wou
Why does Roku even still exist? (Score:2)
Roku should either be dead, or adopting Android TV. It's obnoxious to have yet another incompatible, proprietary platform out there. Just like Nokia finally came into the Android fold, so should Roku. Their software leaves much to be desired.
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Roku was the first platform, and is currently the biggest. so maybe you meant andriod should be adopting Roku?