Forum Discussion

willir64's avatar
willir64
Streaming Star
9 months ago

Backdrops App from the Home Screen

Backdrops App is just another way for Roku to advertise to you. They make it appear as a feature a add-on but what is really happening is they are using AI to scan your photos and find products so they can sale the information to advertisers and marketing firms to try to sell you stuff that you don't want or need. The CEO has vowed several times to increase the revenue of Roku despite to costumer wishes even if that means acting like cable tv. Roku needs to stop the madness and remove backdrop from everyone lists and allow us to have what we want for tv. BTW Google five stick works well on Roku tv.

4 Replies

  • letstv's avatar
    letstv
    Newbie
    9 months ago

    I'm curious.  What is the point of backdrops vs screensavers?  Are you going to eventually get rid of screensavers?  Seems like competing concepts and confusing to Roku users.

    • willir64's avatar
      willir64
      Streaming Star
      9 months ago

      Here is the reason for replacing screen savers vs. Backdrop. The screen savers are a set you program pictures that can or cannot be change. Backdrop is controlled by a company in this case Roku and Google. This program will start out great your pictures and things you want to see. However, it is a marketing tool and you'll soon see ad's from products the scan with AI and google searches. Then Roku will be offering a subscription service to not show ads. Now I am sick of all these ads and for the same **bleep** that I don't want to begin with. because if I wanted it I would buy it. Example: I drop a channel two years ago because I wasn't watching it. I still don't want it. Yet I get about 50 ads a day for that channel and show from that channel but I am now annoyed enough from it that even if they offered it for free for life I wouldn't get it.

  • optikhog's avatar
    optikhog
    Roku Guru
    9 months ago

    How, exactly, is "AI" scanning the pictures Roku provides as part of the Backdrops app to advertise to me?  Will it think that I must like mountain gear or something?

    Please provide details on your findings as well as the "AI" technology being used per your claim.

    • willir64's avatar
      willir64
      Streaming Star
      9 months ago

      AI photo scanning has been proven in other platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, Twitch and google. Because of the user agreement you consent for them to scan the photo's for content. That content includes possible marketing material.