Walmart to buy TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion in move to grow its ad business::Walmart touted the ability to grow its ad business through a Vizio TV platform that allows users to watch free ad-supported content.

  • @ikapoz
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    353 months ago

    Why wouldn’t we include a server call on every button press? We need usage data to optimize the experience!

    • @[email protected]
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      3 months ago

      I wouldn’t expect it’s because there’s a server call - I’m sure the developers are smart enough to have all the analytics and tracking be async in the background.

      Instead it’s likely because these days every aspect of the TV is implemented in software running on the TV’s CPU. With pre-smart devices, changing inputs would just activate some discreet on-board electronics to switch the signal over with no latency. Now you have to wait for the processor to get around to it, and it’s probably busy loading up a bunch of app launchers and other crap you don’t need, and doing some fancy whoosh-in animations, all of which is just getting in the way of what you actually want.