Photo courtesy of unsplash.com
In a 2019 article, USA Today reported that the average cost of a 50-inch TV had fallen by about $250 since 2013, nearly halving the average cost in six years. What caused such a large drop in a relatively short time?
Computer hardware is constantly improving. This means that the components in a modern TV are cheaper and more powerful than the hardware inside a TV from 2013. This has enabled TV manufacturers to build more functions into their products, evolving televisions from a device that merely displays what it receives from a DVD player, or another connected device, into a full computer, comparable to a smartphone. TVs of this new era are referred to as “Smart TVs.”
Many Smart TVs run an operating system called Android TV, which is similar to the Android operating system running on many phones. This means that the easiest way to tell the difference between a TV and a Smart TV is the latter’s internet connectivity. This allows many apps and games available on phones to also be available on TVs. Smart TVs also usually come with built-in microphones and cameras, allowing users to operate them by voice or even make video calls straight from the TV.
When technology improves, so complexity increases. The added internet functionality means that manufacturers can now make money constantly throughout the lifespan of the device. Formerly, a TV manufacturer would make money at the time of sale, then have to wait a couple years before making money from the same customer.
“I don’t really need to make money off of the TV. I need to cover my cost,” Bill Baxter, chief technology officer of the TV manufacturer Vizio, said in an interview on The Verge’s podcast.
This means that companies are able to sell their televisions closer to what it cost them to manufacture, meaning a cheaper cost to the consumer. To turn a profit, these manufacturers have instead started serving advertisements to TV owners and tracking usage data that is often then sold to advertisers. Vizio was fined over $2 million by the Federal Trade Commission for improperly disclosing what data they tracked.
Smart TVs are part of a growing trend of internet of things, allowing for digital devices to be interconnected with each other, home appliances and even lights and door locks. Some manufacturers advertise that a simple phrase spoken to the smart TV can turn lights on or off or show the feed from a security camera.
However, in November of 2019, an FBI field office reported that they not only had privacy concerns of Smart TVs but also security concerns, warning that an unsecured TV could be used by malicious individuals. They recommend that users familiarize themselves with their television model, paying special attention to options in the settings menu relating to the microphone, camera and general privacy settings. It is especially important to change some of the security settings away from the default, especially regarding passwords. The release also emphasizes the importance of keeping the device up to date, especially when the updates relate to security.
