this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2024
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A patent application from the company spotted by Lowpass describes a system for displaying ads over any device connected over HDMI, a list that could include cable boxes, game consoles, DVD or Blu-ray players, PCs, or even other video streaming devices. Roku filed for the patent in August 2023 and it was published in November 2023, though it hasn't yet been granted.

The technology described would detect whether content was paused in multiple ways—if the video being displayed is static, if there's no audio being played, if a pause symbol is shown anywhere on screen, or if (on a TV with HDMI-CEC enabled) a pause signal has been received from some passthrough remote control. The system would analyze the paused image and use metadata "to identify one or more objects" in the video frame, transmit that identification information to a network, and receive and display a "relevant ad" over top of whatever the paused content is.

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[–] [email protected] 204 points 2 months ago (3 children)

tl;dr never buy anything Roku, ever again. Got it.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Roku has patented a way to ensure I don't buy their junk.

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[–] APassenger 26 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Yeah... I've been evaluating moving to Plex or Jellyfin.

Kinda getting done with a lot of this smart stuff. The Monopolies are flexing and I don't enjoy it.

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[–] [email protected] 169 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Good way to kill their product..

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

~~I can't imagine anyone that would leave the device plugged in after the first ad comes up. Pretty much anyone using such a device would also know how to unplug them. They clearly have other uses for that screen, so it's not a total loss to keep it unplugged till the user can switch to a different brand.~~

Ah it's a Roku TV entirely. Reminds me of the Samsung TV ads

Roku TV sets come with ads. Generally, these are restricted to Roku's home and menu screens, its screensavers, and its first-party video channels, and once you start playing video, the only ads you'll see are the ones from the service you're streaming from. That said, Roku TVs have shown ads atop live TV before.

Now, the company is apparently experimenting with ways to show ads over top of even more of the things you plug into your TV. A patent application from the company spotted by Lowpass describes a system for displaying ads [...]

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[–] Hobbes_Dent 131 points 2 months ago (7 children)

So we just ordered a new tv and just want the universe to know that Roku wasn’t even considered and this shit is why.

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[–] 9point6 119 points 2 months ago (7 children)

I'm glad they patented it so that any of the products I actually buy won't be able to do this

[–] RainfallSonata 34 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Parents can be licensed for use by other companies.

[–] spacemoss 51 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Autocorrect or comment on society?

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[–] [email protected] 88 points 2 months ago (8 children)

The amount of ewaste they will be producing when they push that update. Should be against some environmental laws.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Not what laws are for.

Is what guillotines are for.

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[–] unreasonabro 73 points 2 months ago

roku has patented a way to go fuck itself

[–] [email protected] 69 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Now, if only they would invent the exact opposite of this, I would buy it

I want zero ads. Ever.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (31 children)

They did! Its called a pihole plus ublock origin plus piracy.

You can't buy it, only the hardware, but the software is all free.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've just invented a way to never use a Roku product again, and I've chosen not to patent it.

The process is this:

  1. Don't buy anything from Roku anymore.
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[–] [email protected] 62 points 2 months ago

On this episode of Black Mirror....

[–] Snapz 55 points 2 months ago

I'm tired boss...

[–] NeoNachtwaechter 51 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My TV set is like a dumb monitor: HDMI in, colorful image out, basta.

Not even audio. And of course it does not get any internet connection. And I don't feed it any caviar.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 50 points 2 months ago (19 children)

Sounds like a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.
Imagine that you pay for an ad free streaming service through your roku, like HBO for example. And now you have ads streaming over it?
People will sue for a way to disable it over ad free paid content.
Also, this will lead to way more pirating. People are sick of advertisements.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 months ago

That’ll be why they just pushed a “agree to our new license with arbitrage or your tv is a brick” update

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

People who don't pirate already are fools.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The best way to prevent ads is to figure out every way in which they can be served in the future, and patenting every one.

And then do nothing with them.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Utility patents expire after 20 years (under US patent law; might have different rules somewhere else).

[–] aesthelete 23 points 2 months ago

Twenty years of sweet freedom from ads

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[–] EdibleFriend 48 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Hopefully this ends up something they never actually do like that sony patent for ads that only go away if you call out the name of the product.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 2 months ago (1 children)

if they patent this, it could be slightly good thing because it might prevent other companies from doing it

[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago (2 children)

That's some scummy shit...

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 months ago (3 children)

This is like Windows putting ads in the fucking startmenu....

[–] Giooschi 28 points 2 months ago (3 children)

More like Windows showing ads even when you boot Linux

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 2 months ago (3 children)

if the video being displayed is static

Imagine you're playing Skyrim and while reading one of the books your TV covers up the content with an ad! That would be infuriating!

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Roku filed for the patent in August 2023 and it was published in November 2023, though it hasn’t yet been granted

So they haven't patented shit.

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[–] Dupree878 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So I guess fuck people who use static images as screensavers

[–] twack 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I mean... Yes? I hate this idea and Roku will lose me as a customer over this, but yes they are specifically targeting screensavers. Idle time is ad time to these people.

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[–] FabledAepitaph 32 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Time to go back to books, fellas. This party is done.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 months ago (1 children)

also, check their privacy policy 💀

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[–] assembly 22 points 2 months ago (11 children)

Aight. So it’s time for me to start taking this seriously. Has anyone tried using like a GrapheneOS or LineageOS as a Roku or FireTV replacement? Is there anything like that which will support an experience with a regular remote control and have apps like Netflix and Hulu work?

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago

Please don't tell the idea to HP or they might get inspired.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Well, fuck, that's pretty gross.

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[–] teamevil 20 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Time to create an app that runs a moving pixel and or subsonic tone during pause to thwart these fuckers

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I'm waiting for Version 2.0 where they don't care about whether you're watching content or not and just randomly inject ads every 20 minutes.

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