Back in May, a new startup emerged from stealth offering the prospect of a free 55-inch 4K television to avid gogglebox watchers. The catch? A second screen underneath feeding frequent adverts. Now Telly has started shipping the "free TV" to US households.
The main display is separated from the so-called Smart Screen by a six-driver "premium soundbar" from Harman Kardon. This second display can display widget-based news tickers, sports scores, weather updates and more as well as a regular supply of adverts.
There's a built-in TV tuner, plus folks can connect cable or satellite boxes over HDMI, and a 4K Android TV streaming stick is included too. Devices from Roku, Amazon and Apple are also supported. It appears that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are onboard too.
A webcam has also been cooked in for video chats with family and friends, there's an integrated motion sensor for interactive fitness applications, a microphone array enables voice control, and the custom operating platform comes with a bunch of games – "from arcade classics to immersive multiplayer experiences."
The whole shebang measures 63 inches (1.6 m) from corner to corner, and tips the scales at around 65 lb (29.5 kg).
And should you be thinking that the secondary screen can merely be powered off or disconnected, CEO and founder, Ilya Pozin, told The Verge last month that "if you try to degrade the TV experience, we have the ability to deactivate the television. If you somehow manage to do something to the bottom screen, you’re not going to be able to utilize the top screen. It’s a single processor running both screens, so if you mess with one, you mess with both."
With the start of the public beta program, Telly has revealed that advertising partnerships with Harman Kardon, LiveOne, Magnite, Microsoft and Spotify have been secured, and that Nielsen is to license user data "in order to collect and interpret first-of-its-kind viewership and ad effectiveness insights for both advertisers and TV programmers."
Though Telly hasn't revealed how many ad-supported dual-screen TVs are being sent out, the company did attract more than 250,000 sign-ups in the first week of registration. Plans call for 500,000 units to ship by the end of 2023, and "millions more" next year.
"We are thrilled to begin shipping what is by far the smartest television ever built to consumers," said Pozin. "The consumer and advertising community's response has been incredible. Our disruptive ad-supported business model makes the television completely free to consumers, but the most exciting thing about Telly is the technology that enables our dual-screen television to get better with every update. We can’t wait for consumers to see what a truly smart TV can do as we continue to surprise and delight Telly households for years to come."
If you like the thought of a free 4K television and don't mind being served up potentially distracting ads via the bottom screen, or sharing your viewer data directly with advertisers, reservations for future shipments are open now via the source link below.
Source: Telly
