Paweł Koper
Imagine walking into a store and getting a modern, 55-inch 4K television with a powerful soundbar completely for free. You don’t pay a dime... neither now nor in installments. Sounds like an online scam? In the USA, this is a reality called Telly. However, recent reports are indicating that this “revolution” is just hitting a painful wall.
What is the Telly TV anyway? (We explain)
Telly is an unusual set consisting of a main 55-inch 4K LCD screen and a smaller display (Smart Screen) located below it. This lower panel is used for viewing the weather, sports scores, and – above all – displaying continuous advertisements. Between both screens is a powerful soundbar from Harman Kardon, ensuring sound much better than that of standard televisions. The device also features built-in LED backlighting on the back of the casing (similar effect to Ambilight but without dynamic backlighting) and two cameras that allow for motion gaming and fitness exercises, although many consider them to be a tool for surveilling household members. First impressions and unboxing can be seen on the YouTube channel of user "David Di Franco".
Numbers don't lie: "Free" is not enough
Although Telly promised that millions of units would reach homes, the reality described by the Lowpass services is brutal. So far, only 35,000 units have been delivered. That's a drop in the ocean of needs and a fraction of the promised 500 thousand.
Why don't people want free equipment? 3 main problems.
Surveillance: The device reports to the headquarters every few seconds about what you are doing in front of the screen.
Failures: According to the reports from flatpanelshd and hdtvtest, as many as one in ten Telly TVs (10%) reach the customer with a cracked screen.
Costs: The production of such a complex device (two screens + soundbar) is so expensive that the company cannot keep up with financing additional batches.
Would it pass in Europe?
In a country like ours, where hunting for bargains is almost a national sport, a free television sounds like a dream come true. However, Telly in Europe could end up on a pile faster than it appeared. The reason? Our almost allergic reaction to privacy violations and the European GDPR law that watches over us even in our slippers in front of the television. While we love saving money, we love our peace of mind even more. Imagine the Champions League final or the climactic moment of a Netflix series, and underneath... an aggressive banner flashing a diaper promotion. It's simply a recipe for madness, not relaxation.
However, the worst part is a certain 'catch' in the regulations – if you block the ads (e.g., by cutting off the internet), you must repay the company the value of the television, which is about 1000 dollars.
The case of Telly shows that free hardware has its dark side. It turns out that privacy and peace of mind are worth more than a few hundred bucks that we would have to spend on a regular TV at a store. The "TV for data" model is currently losing to the "pay and have peace" model. And it seems that nothing will change in this case.
Source: Lowpass, HDTVTest, FlatpanelsHD, YouTube @daviddifranco
