Imagine that they give you the possibility of getting a television for free , without any cost , and that it is a very advanced model that includes a sound bar and a second screen, would you accept? I am sure that more than one of our readers will have said yes, but wait, you still have to know an important “but”.
The rise of the Internet, and of social networks, has allowed the creation of new forms of monetization of products and content. In those cases in which we enjoy free services, what happens is that, normally, the user is the product, that is, the company makes money by showing them ads or using their data for commercial purposes.
In this case, we are talking about a product, in order to receive that free television, the user has to agree to see ads persistently on that second screen . The main screen of this television, which has been manufactured by the Telly brand, is 55 inches, has 4K resolution, supports HDR and offers the same experience that we would have with an equivalent traditional Smart TV. the sound bar represents a clear added value, and the second screen is dedicated to displaying ads.
If you think that this does not make sense, the truth is that you are wrong. Several studies confirm that many people see a second device (a second screen) while they are watching television, a reality that Telly is trying to take advantage of in a rather clever way, because that second screen will be divided into two parts, one that shows widgets with useful information for the user, and another where the ads appear.
At certain times, Telly will also use both screens to display ads, but it will do so in a non-intrusive way, since it will be limited to those moments when we are not seeing anything on the main screen. This means that if we are watching a movie, for example, no type of advertising will appear on the main screen to interrupt us.
This television comes with the Telly OS operating system, but it also includes an external device with Android TV that we can connect via HDMI. At the top it also has an integrated camera that has a privacy shutter and a microphone , which allows us to use it even to make video calls. Interesting, no doubt.
The cost of this television, including the sound bar and the second screen, would be around $1,000 . Telly expects to supply a first print run of 500,000 units this year, and will give users the ability to opt out of data collection, but in which case they will have to pay $500 to keep the TV.
The truth is that it seems to me a quite interesting proposal. I personally would be willing to accept it, since in the end I am perfectly capable of focusing on the main screen and that advertising would not bother me at all. Regarding data collection, this is something we have been tolerating for years without receiving anything significant in return so I think the story tells itself.