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Roku wants to show you more ads. The company has filed a patent that would let it serve its TV users advertisements when they pause a show, movie, video game, or other content being displayed via an HDMI cable, according to a filing first reported by the Lowpass newsletter Thursday.This means that if the tech is implemented on Roku TVs, you could see ads anytime you pause something on an Apple TV device, Xbox, or PlayStation, for example. Two Roku inventors are credited with the new tech process, and the patent is currently pending at time of writing. The filing further claims that Roku will be able to detect what users are watching via their HDMI-connected devices, and will be able to serve ads that match the “context” of what’s being displayed.Roku is able to detect what users are doing via HDMI thanks to automatic content recognition (ACR) technology, where the first or more audio or video frames of the HDMI content is analyzed. Its tech will also be able to determine the device’s variable refresh rate so that ads will play at a rate that matches the TV, allowing them to look visually crisp and clear.Roku has retained its authority over its TVs when users pause media. The company doesn’t let apps like Netflix use their own screensavers, for one. And last year, Roku started selling off some of that screensaver space to advertisers, letting them toss ads into its “Roku City” screensaver or takeover users’ Roku home screens with themed promotional campaigns. Considering Roku claims that 85% of its subscribers watch their TVs’ screensavers, it’s likely the company will start pushing dedicated ads when users press pause, as well. Roku has already sold screensaver and background menu ads to high-profile buyers like the “Barbie” movie, Paramount, Walmart, and McDonald’s.
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Could Roku “pause ads” be avoided? While users can currently download some third-party screensavers to their Roku TVs via the device’s menu options, it’s unlikely a custom screensaver would be able to save you from a future onslaught of ads every time you pause your game or favorite show.
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