Over the past few months, I feel like I live in a cyberpunk movie. Every night, when I was ready to put it down, I reached for the TV I got for free. When I press the power button, a 55-inch screen lights up, but the monitor below is also smaller. The widget fills the auxiliary screen next to the rotating ad, which you can’t ignore.
I heard some news before I could even navigate to the Netflix app. “Hello, good friend!” A smiling woman appeared on the screen in a gray dress, her brown hair neatly forming gentle waves. It is the host of TV’s built-in news show, and it uses actress Alison Fiori’s AI similarity to convey today’s hot stories in the loop.
This is the future of television. According to TVa company that offers free TV in exchange for the privilege of constantly touting advertising on your face. It places ads in a 10-inch wide “smart” display that sits under the built-in soundbar and runs the entire length of the TV. The screen remains always – when you watch shows, movies, YouTube videos and play video games. Even if you turn off the TV with the power button of the remote control, the auxiliary screen still illuminates. It will only turn off if the power button is pressed for three seconds.
Even though I tried to adjust the lower display, video ads and mobile widgets caught my eye. In addition to displaying dates, time and current weather conditions, it shows ongoing headlines in news quotes, stock prices, and even news reports links with entertainment outlets such as Fox Newsyou can click and read on the top screen. You can delete or add widgets, but there is no way to get rid of the ads on the right to refresh frequently. Below TV Terms of Serviceyou can’t mask the display. Even if you tried it, it is not practical as you need auxiliary screens to navigate to different applications and control inputs. There are some settings you can use to reduce the brightness of the secondary display backlight, but I found that reducing it to “0” is not much different.
Some ads displayed on the bottom screen prompt you to scan the QR code, or a prompt will be displayed to press the button on the remote to move it to the top monitor for more information. These ads usually appear as videos, which can attract your eyes from more videos on the screen to the screen. The video ads have no sound, but Telly still displays small subtitles, which is hard to read if you are far from the TV. I saw a series of ads on the small screen, such as some ads from the Sunglasses Hut and the Old Navy, as well as location-specific ads from nearby crematoriums and car dealerships. Whatever I’m looking at, I’ve seen these – Is it 90-day fiancé,,,,, Carêmeor Law and Order Replay. The ads are scrolling all the time.
To keep the TV, you Must agree Use the device as the main TV in your home, constantly connect it to the Internet, and watch it regularly. If the company finds you violated these rules, Telly will ask you to refund your TV (a $500 fee if you don’t send a call back). I’m not sure how TVs strictly track their use. Once, I left the TV and unplugged it for three weeks, left home without receiving a warning from Telly.
“We are not doing a short-term tilt in micromanagement here, but making sure the station continues to be appropriate,” Telly’s chief strategy officer Dallas Lawrence told him. edge. “And if it’s no longer the right game, we’ll pick it up for free.”
When my TV first arrived, FedEx’s delivery driver was amazed at its size. But when I say it’s free TV, he immediately becomes suspicious. Just a few minutes after pushing it into my driveway, he returned to my door after doing some research on his phone and said he heard that TV might collect my data. I said, “I know, it’s basically part of the deal.”
When I finally took the TV out of the huge box, dragged it to my stands and turned it on, I realized that the screen was completely broken. I had to repackage the whole process instead of taking longer to use it and I was disappointed with it. In addition to physical labor, the reward process is also very simple. I emailed Telly, filled out the return form, and my new TV was on the way.
Once I actually use the TV, I found that the image quality on Telly’s 4K HDR display is good, although some low-light scenes may appear grainy. The six-drive soundbar has excellent audio and the TV has a customizable RGB backlight. Telly runs a custom version of Android that uses only a few apps you might recognize, such as Spotify and Zoom, so you need to use the included Google TV Dongle to access Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, and other streaming apps.
Every time you turn on the TV, the TV defaults to Telly’s home screen. Here you’ll find the cute Telly Tever News segment that resets it every time you turn off the TV or stay away from the home screen – meaning you have to hear all the same news reports in the same order. Fiori often introduces celebrity news, shows the latest trailers, and shares relaxing viral videos like a dog showing how a piglet uses a dog.
Lawrence confirms edge The TV show is “specially used for this role”. He added: “We worked closely with Allison to shape the experience, blending her presence on screen with cutting-edge AI technology.” During my time on TV, I found a secondary host, which seemed to be the AI similarity of a comedian named Vinny Fasline, appearing on a virus column around the internet or highlighting it in trivial matters.
Between these segments, Telly displays a series of ads that you can easily mute by pressing the “A” button on Telly Remote. The combination of ads is not always relevant or fresh – I have watched three same ads in Spanish (I wouldn’t say) in a row.
The TV also comes with a built-in camera with a privacy shutter and a microphone. The company’s terms of service state that it “may collect information about the audio and video content you watch, the channels you view, and the duration of the session you watch” and detects “the actual presence of you and anyone else using the TV at any given time.” It’s not entirely comforting, and I find my viewing habits, conversations and even lenses with built-in cameras somehow directly in front of Telly’s staff.
When you choose an app that uses it, such as Zoom, Telly opens the privacy shutter only on the camera. While trying the built-in video conferencing app, I found that Telly’s camera might be as good as the webcam on my 2020 MacBook Air, which means it’s a bit grainy, but not noticeable. However, I hardly tested Telly’s microphone. It cuts off shortly after I start testing. When I try again later, Telly’s microphone just buzzed.
In addition to holding meetings, you can also use Zoom Set up a viewing party Use with someone on other devices, whether it’s another TV, smartphone or laptop. You can use this feature to watch a show or movie on the upper screen while viewing video feeds from your friends or family members on the secondary display. It’s neat, but checking the zoom makes me realize how clumsy it is to navigate between Telly’s dual screens. It took me several minutes (and a lot of button pounding) to select the “Out Call” button on the opposite display. Oh, and when you’re in the meeting, Telly still displays ads on the bottom screen.
Telly also uses its camera for preloading fitness apps, called GOFA, which uses Xbox Kinect-style motion tracking as well as a set of random games during workouts, such as Fluffy bird and Wheel of Destiny. Some games, like whack-a MooreWhen it appears on your screen, use the TV’s camera to shoot in a storm. Most of these games are old-fashioned, but I don’t mind them As a big Kinect fan of the day.
Another interesting use case for auxiliary display is when using live music streaming apps, which allows it to act as a playbar, allowing you to continue using the upper display. Unfortunately, you can’t do the same with the Spotify app because after linking the account and starting to play music, it takes up the entire home screen.
All of these features show a huge idea for Telly’s future and I commend the company for trying differently from the typical TV experience. What’s great is that you get a completely free TV with a bunch of features out of the box, like soundbar, RGB lighting and a camera. But the continuous advertising and software barriers made me realize: TV is worth the effort.
