Roku TVs may soon have the ability to show you ads while your games are paused
A newly discovered Roku patent suggests the streaming company is exploring ways to display ads on its smart TVs during idle times. This includes when a game has been paused for a period of time. THE patentspotted by the technical newsletter Low passindicates that Roku TVs are currently unable to display ads through third-party devices […]
A newly discovered Roku patent suggests the streaming company is exploring ways to display ads on its smart TVs during idle times. This includes when a game has been paused for a period of time.
THE patentspotted by the technical newsletter Low passindicates that Roku TVs are currently unable to display ads through third-party devices connected to the TV via HDMI.
The technology in question seeks to solve this problem by looking for extended pauses in the audio/visual output (for example when your games are paused for a period of time) so as not to interrupt the actual game. This wouldn’t be much different from the way Xbox consoles display achievement splash screens when your system has been idle for a while.
As it stands, Roku TVs – and indeed its line of streaming sticks – can only display ads natively through its screensaver feature. Currently, Roku OS (the Roku TV operating system) is inactive when one of its smart TVs displays the HDMI output of a third-party device like a PS5, Xbox series X, or Nintendo Switch. The patent (still pending) seeks a way around this problem.
Rotten
If the patent is greenlit and Roku TVs start implementing the feature, it’s trying to make it clear that it will look to display only relevant ads. That said, this is clearly a fairly volatile technology if implemented poorly. There is a good chance that this advertising system will not work as expected.
Imagine an ad flashing on your screen during a long, engaging cutscene. Or the one that loses you that final round during a Tekken 8 ranked online session. It doesn’t specify how long it takes for an ad to be displayed. This may take a few minutes or even less.
If this patented advertising system doesn’t work as expected, it’s easy to see regular gamers (or even people who primarily watch content via streaming services) warning others not to buy Roku smart TVs. And even if it works, many users will undoubtedly find the ads displayed on idle games quite intrusive.
That being said, there is no guarantee that Roku will implement this technology if the patent moves forward. Even companies like Sony and Nintendo file patents for certain technologies and systems that never really come to fruition. If you own a Roku TV, this probably isn’t something you’ll have to worry about anytime soon.
