There is no feedback loop to make manufacturers turn back the clock, the only choice is to make it suck less.
In my particular lounge room sits a relic of a time long gone, a 15-year-old plasma TV that is dumb as a box of hammers, and thankfully so. As the years go by, I am increasingly grateful that this piece of technology continues to kick on. Of course at some stage, I will need to trudge into the increasingly awful world of smart TVs, but the longer that takes the better. In recent weeks, TV makers have upped the annoyance and intrusion factor in their so-called smart devices. Vizio announced it had started a beta with Fox in the US to insert ads during the credits of a show in an effort to push users onto the broadcaster’s streaming service. «Jump ads give participating programmers and brands the ability to present an interactive overlay at the conclusion of linear TV programs, directing viewers into a supporting app on Vizio’s operating system to continue their viewing experience,» Vizio said. «The Jump Ads will prompt viewers to continue watching additional episodes of the program or catch up on past episodes on the Fox Now App… this allows viewers to seamlessly extend their viewing experience with a single click of a button, enhancing the smart TV experience for both viewers and content providers alike.» Vizio said ad buyers can control at what point the ads appear, how often they do, and which app the ad points to — and as we’ve learnt after some years at the nexus of advertising and technology, there is no way this seemingly helpful pointer to users will be extended to promote anything, at any time, anywhere in a broadcast. I’d suggest asking, «Why stop at one ad?», but I really don’t want to give marketers any ideas.
