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Did you recently purchase a Sony, Sharp, TCL, or Phillips TV and get urged to turn on the Samba Interactive TV feature which promises to recommend other viewing opportunities by "cleverly recognizing onscreen content?" It looks that Samba is doing a bit more than just helping a brother out in finding cool stuff to watch. It seems that if activated, Samba can basically identify everything you watch, and even video games that you are playing on the TV. Remember, if its free, you are the product.
Check out the video.
Once enabled, Samba TV can track nearly everything that appears on the TV on a second-by-second basis, essentially reading pixels to identify network shows and ads, as well as programs on Netflix and HBO and even video games played on the TV. Samba TV has even offered advertisers the ability to base their targeting on whether people watch conservative or liberal media outlets and which party’s presidential debate they watched.
The big draw for advertisers — which have included Citi and JetBlue in the past, and now Expedia — is that Samba TV can also identify other devices in the home that share the TV’s internet connection.
Check out the video.
Once enabled, Samba TV can track nearly everything that appears on the TV on a second-by-second basis, essentially reading pixels to identify network shows and ads, as well as programs on Netflix and HBO and even video games played on the TV. Samba TV has even offered advertisers the ability to base their targeting on whether people watch conservative or liberal media outlets and which party’s presidential debate they watched.
The big draw for advertisers — which have included Citi and JetBlue in the past, and now Expedia — is that Samba TV can also identify other devices in the home that share the TV’s internet connection.