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Android TV Update Puts Home-Screen Ads On Multi-Thousand-Dollar Sony Smart TVs (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the no-thank-you dept.

Google is testing a new "Pilot Program" that puts a row of advertisements on the Android TV home screen. XDA Developers, which was the first to report the program, says: "We're currently seeing reports that it has shown up in Sony smart TVs, the Mi Box 3 from Xiaomi, NVIDIA Shield TV, and others." Ars Technica reports: The advertising is a "Sponsored Channel" part of the "Android TV Core Services" app that ships with all Android TV devices. A "Channel" in Android TV parlance means an entire row of thumbnails in the UI will be dedicated to "sponsored" content. Google provided XDA Developers with a statement saying that yes, this is on purpose, but for now it's a "pilot program."

Sony has tersely worded a support page detailing the "Sponsored channel," too. There's no mention here of it being a pilot program. Sony's page, titled "A sponsored channel has suddenly appeared on my TV Home menu," says, "This change is included in the latest Android TV Launcher app (Home app) update. The purpose is to help you discover new apps and contents for your TV." Sony goes on to say, "This channel is managed by Google" and "the Sponsored channel cannot be customized." Sony basically could replace the entire page with a "Deal with it" sunglasses gif, and it would send the same message.

27 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. suckers by binarybum · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Those of us that bought the original sony google TVs and were abandoned by both sony and google have never forgotten. Pretty sure none of us will buy Sony again - definitely not TVs at least.

    --
    ôó
    1. Re: suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm AC... but honestly I haven't purchased Sony shit since their rootkit crap in the mid 2000s. I may have inadvertently bought media they control (movies) but I guess that's less than $100 since that event. Sony is a garbage ethics corporation.

    2. Re: suckers by youngone · · Score: 2

      Yup. Me too. Never deal with Sony, their products are rubbish and their "support" is worse.

    3. Re:suckers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I would NEVER buy a smart TV anyway, they are a bad investment.
      With a dumb TV you can add what smarts you want, from a chrome cast to ATV through to a full blown computer.
      And these devices will receive software updates long after the SmartTv has been abandoned
      And you can upgrade or swap you preferred smarts as you want.

    4. Re:suckers by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm with you. I have a "dumb" monitor and feed it with a sub-$100 Rasberry Pi setup (since I only need 1080p because I'm old and feeble of sight). I can run Kodi (with illegal plug-ins) and thus access a raft of great stuff (including YouTube) and I have a Chromecast that lets me access Netflix.

      For the money, I bet a *much* better quality "dumb" screen than I'd get if I went the "Smart TV" way and if I don't like the smart side of things I can always change software at the flip of a micro-SD card. Who the hell would buy a smart TV????

    5. Re: suckers by Spamalope · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yes! I had tons of Sony home theater/stereo/high end CRT (artisan pro-printshop/photographer monitors) and other Sony stuff. Not one thing since, and it every time the competing brand has turned out to be a better choice. 80s/90s innovative Sony is long gone...

    6. Re: suckers by Woldscum · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I quit Sony after I got a Rootkit installed on my laptop just by playing a CD.

    7. Re: suckers by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

      I never liked them.

      [looks all smug and superior]

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    8. Re:suckers by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      I too use a Pi, but I also have a smart TV. The key is to have options so that if one goes sour you are not stuck with it.

      There are benefits to buying a proper TV over a dumb monitor too. TVs do a lot of image processing that monitors don't. Even with high quality content it helps to remove/hide artefacts and to improve things like motion resolution. Also they don't make plasma or OLED monitors, and there are not many monitors that go up to TV sizes (50+ inches). Most only have one or max 2 HDMI ports and no ARC support too.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. "Smart" TVs by nadass · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The TVs are no longer "smart" if they simply shovel Google adverts into your face like you're some kind of ad-hungry maggot. (For once I'm glad I have a dumb smart tv... aka, Panasonic.)

    1. Re:"Smart" TVs by Z80a · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's not very smart to have a computer connected to the internet inside your television that you can't actually control.

  3. All hail the almighty advertising dollar! /s by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why are people surprised that companies are NOT interesting in your time, space, and money? All they care about is selling you out in order to make a few bucks.

    Is Sony, etc. going to stop? No, all that will happen is that a few people will complain about how disrespectful this is and absolutely NOTHING will change. :-(

    Boycotting these companies won't stop this stupidity. Most people just don't care.

    I'm not sure what a good (or practical) solution is to get this to stop. While banning ads would solve the problem too many people just don't give a fuck about blatant (commercial) propaganda.

  4. “Trojan Horse” comes to mind by Sebby · · Score: 2

    The way this was sneaked in is alarming.

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    AC comments get piped to /dev/null
    1. Re:“Trojan Horse” comes to mind by Anonymice · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The whole point of "Smart" TVs is for natively streaming online media, quickly & easily, without the fuss of having to muck around with HDMI cables & external devices. And the concept of locally streaming via DLNA is very much limited to the realm of the geek/enthusiast, and that's very unlikely to ever change.

    2. Re:“Trojan Horse” comes to mind by EvilSS · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you use a TV with an OS made by an advertising company, can you really find it that surprising or audacious? People need to stop thinking of Google as a technology company and start thinking of them as what they really are: The world's biggest ad agency.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    3. Re:“Trojan Horse” comes to mind by Falconhell · · Score: 2

      I use an old Dell dual core desktop, to a Panasonic smart TV via hdmi. The TV never gets connected to the internet, the whole exercise took 1/2 an hour to setup, including OS install. No mucking around, just a once only setup, still going fine 4 years later.
      I will never allow my TVs to connect to the internet, exactly because they can pull this shit.

    4. Re:“Trojan Horse” comes to mind by omnichad · · Score: 2

      In this case, "mucking around with an external device" would be having to use the computer controls instead of a simplified remote control UI. This works only because you're in the "realm of the geek/enthusiast" as stated. That said, I don't have my TV connected and I use a Roku - which in a few years pays for itself vs the electricity cost of running an old desktop.

  5. Don't connect your TV to the internet. by Edward+Nardella · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is why you shouldn't connect your TV to the internet. In fact, you should generally avoid connecting things to the internet.

    --
    My sig doesn't address Anons, sigs aren't visible to them.
  6. Smart TVs are a dumb investment by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Informative

    1) Never EVER give your TV direct internet access
    2) If you want a “smart tv”, use an external box which serves content to the TV via HDMI
    3) See #1

    These devices aren’t supported more than two or three years anyway - if you give them internet access, you’re providing a nice easy way for bad guys into your home.

    Think of a smart tv as just another badly designed IoT device.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Smart TVs are a dumb investment by EvilSS · · Score: 2

      Not to disagree with your overall premise (I do agree with it), but in this case this also effects some of those boxes from your step #2. So even following this advice you could end up in the same boat in this case.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
  7. Smart TVs are dumb by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 2

    Your display might be good for 10 years. The "smart" part is going to be good for 2. Plugging a smart device into HDMI makes about 1000 times more sense.

    --
    Bruce Perens.
    1. Re:Smart TVs are dumb by innocent_white_lamb · · Score: 2

      My "tv" is a Commodore 1701 monitor that I got in 1984.

      So it's been running for 35 years now.

      --
      If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friend!
  8. Re:Skip smart TVs by aXis100 · · Score: 2

    Yeah, but you missed the part where the update also happened on the MiBox 3. The MiBox is "like a ROKU".

    I've been using one for the last 6 month and it's been great. I saw the update come through last week, though I havent seen the sponsored channel yet.

  9. "Help" whether you like ot not. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 2

    The purpose is to help you discover new apps and contents for your TV.

    What if I don't want help? What if I don't want to be forced to discover new apps and content?
    In any case, 99.9% will probably be crap and the other 0.1% I won't want anyway.

    Your sense of "improved experience" may not be mine.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  10. Dear Samsung by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've got a Samsung Smart TV, but it keeps trying to switch me to their online Korean channels. Everytime it starts, by default, its on their channels, trying to show me k-pop or some such. I got sick of it, unplugged it from the internet and use a TV box instead. The TV still switches to its default channels every-time, but they don't get the benefit of forcing me to watch the channels they control, instead it just shows an error message.

    It's not just the TV, Bixby! It pops up, to use it you have to agree to an invasive EULA, to turn it off, you have to start it up, agree to the invasive EULA, then it only turns the button off, not Bixby or the invasive snooping it does. That cost them a smartphone sale on the last upgrade.

    The TV shit will cost them a TV sale on the next upgrade of TVs.

    Dear Samsung, Fuck You.
    An ex-customer.

  11. This is why I hate smart TVs by mpercy · · Score: 2

    All I want from my TV is several fully capable HDMI ports and stunning display and a trivial way to switch between the inputs (heck my audio receiver probably will be handling that function anyway, so not so many HDMI inputs). Definitely no "smarts". Would likely live without speakers (sound provided by external receiver system) and tuner. I'll attach an AppleTV or Chromecast or even a laptop with my own selection of software when I want "smarts".

  12. Re:Android is a piece of shit! by Luckyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Android TV, not Android. It's a different OS.