Meta Is Building a Smart TV In VR (lowpass.cc) 19
Meta has officially launched Horizon TV, a virtual reality "smart TV" app for its Quest headsets. The app mirrors modern smart TV interfaces with deep-linked streaming apps and curated recommendations -- but it's still missing major players like Netflix and Disney+. From a report: Except Horizon TV isn't running on a TV or streaming stick, but on the company's Meta Quest headsets. Unveiled at Meta Connect last month, the app is a big part of Meta's push to attract older, less gaming-focused audiences to VR -- a push that also includes a partnership with James Cameron, and investments into sports, and other types of leanback entertainment content.
Re-creating the smart TV experience in virtual reality also represents a monetization opportunity for Meta, which has for some time now tried to figure out how to bring advertising to VR. However, the approach also means that Meta is inheriting some of the very problems smart TV platform operators have struggled with for a long time. And if consumers do warm up to watching more content with their headsets, they're bound to realize that even in VR, you can't escape the collateral damage of the streaming wars.
Re-creating the smart TV experience in virtual reality also represents a monetization opportunity for Meta, which has for some time now tried to figure out how to bring advertising to VR. However, the approach also means that Meta is inheriting some of the very problems smart TV platform operators have struggled with for a long time. And if consumers do warm up to watching more content with their headsets, they're bound to realize that even in VR, you can't escape the collateral damage of the streaming wars.
That is soooo innovative! (Score:2)
Not. Seriously. Hooking up some containers. How impressive.
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Dystopian is the word I'd use. They are working towards a future where you can live in a small box, wearing a VR headset.
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As long as it is just "can", I will gladly let the average idiot do that.
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Dystopian is the word I'd use. They are working towards a future where you can live in a small box, wearing a VR headset.
The techno-bro dream. Billions of people tethered in their harness, living artificial lives that require payment to the tech companies for every second. The future is bullshit.
VR so you can watch TV? (Score:2)
I think Zuck needs to bite the bullet like OpenAI's Altman did. AI and VR are the Ultimate PaaS(Porn as a Service) tools.
Once AI is doing porn, Zuck's VR and VR glasses have a killer product.
Zuck your VR glasses taking pictures of people in real life and OpenAI stripping them down and loading them into VR environments
Yea lots of monetization value here in AI and VR for everybody. What could go wrong.
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Nobody else on the internet has a TV, either. And BTW I just came back from the gym, and oh, I'm also a vegan.
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I don't have a TV in real life.
Somehow I doubt you're the target market for anything which is aimed at the general population.
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I don't have a TV in real life. Why would I watch a TV in VR.
Had a program for the CV1 that emulated a large movie screen in VR. It was sort of cool. People have weird ideas of putting on a HMD and watching little floating TV screens. It is more like sitting in a theater.
On the go if you had a portable HMD I can see people using this sort of gadget. The whole Facebook Smart TV ads thing is lame.
This might work out... (Score:2)
I could see having a "movie theater" app for the 3d headset. You put it on and bam! you are now sitting in a movie theater watching a big screen. Add your headphones and you've got surround sound. Someone might go for it.
Definitely not for me but I'm sure someone more into gadgets would be into this. I'd rather not wear a headset for any real amount of time. I'll just buy a larger monitor that up more of my field of view, though I haven't bothered with that either. I think I might be rocking a 24" monitor.
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Good idea, not new (Score:1)
Headsets are getting more comfortable and this is already such a popular activity that there's already a super light headset that's customized to your face shape for size and comfort and it was developed specifically for watching movies.
https://www.bigscreenvr.com/ [bigscreenvr.com]
I prefer watching stuff in my headset. (Score:3)
I bought a few of of those 20 dollar real time video encoders( hdmi and usb c based), just so I could stream my ROKU right into my Meta Quest 3, and other times my Steam Deck. I much prefer using the Q3 as a Steam Deck display.
It's nice to have a screen that can be as big as your wall, or an iMax depending on the app being viewed, and you can choose the environment.
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Such a technological breakthrough (Score:1)
Such a technological breakthrough. They can display things on a ... display
They are doing it wrong (Score:2)
* AI generated smart TV in VR
or
* smart TV in AI generated VR
or
* smart TV in VR displaying AI generated content
or, even more exciting (contains more AI acronyms)
* AI generated movie about a person entering VR to watch smart TV (potentially a movie about AI generated movie about a person
Meta late to the game again. (Score:1)
This is a very popular activity with many well developed stand alone apps, also virtual desktop has at least 3 virtual theaters, a few gaming desks, living rooms, and even a cozy first class cabin. Multiplayer watching tv is one of the most popular activities in vrchat.
I do not understand meta's strategy of watching startups and then copying them badly. Dude they're there to buy.
Well whatever the longer they waste time building pre-shitty apps the longer it'll be before they buy my favorite stuff and make
Video is the killer app. (Score:3)
It is lame though that Apple TV + does not work natively, even via browser or Remote Desktop. It used to. Amazon is the only major player that has an actual app where you can download for offline viewing. Though you can also upload videos you already own directly to the headset.
WALL-E (Score:2)