Meet Telly. A 4K, high-res 55-inch theater display with smart software, an integrated sound bar, and even a camera for video calling. It will cost you $0.
Sound too good to be true? Well, that slim second screen below the sound bar? That one will be showing you ads. Always. And forever.
Turn off the second screen, or try to block the ads, and Telly will bill you $500 for the setup.
It’s a fascinating yet somewhat cynical business model, enticing people with a sleek, free flat screen, but bludgeoning them with constant advertising just below their content. Not only that, by signing up, Telly is able to track what you watch, how you watch it, and possibly monitor your actions, unless you switch the camera off.
Created by Pluto TV founder Ilya Pozin, the idea is pretty clever, and we imagine there are thousands of people that wouldn’t mind a home theater upgrade, even if it meant selling their personal data and always having a screen advertising to them.
Does the concept intrigue you or turn you off?
Check out Telly for more information. Via TheVerge:
Watching a sports game? The Telly will showcase sport stats and scores, along with highly relevant advertising that you’ve trained it to show you.