undefined | Better HN

0 pointsdylan6045y ago0 comments

How do you think manufactures can afford to sell these large screens at such cheap prices. They continue to make money off of you long after the initial sale. I'm surprised they just don't give them away (except it would probably raise too many questions).

Your digital cable boxes have been doing this for even longer.

0 comments

superhuzza5y ago

>How do you think manufactures can afford to sell these large screens at such cheap prices.

TV prices have been falling for decades[1], long before manufacturers could truly benefit from the data provided by smart TVs. So other factors are probably much more important - such as cheaper materials, automated production, economies of scale etc.

Also, ad revenue wouldn't explain why "stupid" computer monitor prices have also fallen greatly during the same time period.

[1] https://u.osu.edu/zagorsky.1/2014/05/18/why-are-television-s...

megablast5y ago

They aren't getting much back from selling the data. Maybe $20 off.

dylan604OP5y ago

And that is based on what data? BigCorps tend to not continue doing something if it's not going to bring them much return.

Fezzik5y ago

Somewhat tangential, but Facebook’s average revenue per user was less than $9 in 2019. I can’t imagine TV manufacturers can eek out nearly that much revenue from the data they collect. Especially considering that almost everyone is streaming or using cable and all of that data is going to Hulu/Netflix/Cable providers and then passed on to advertisers anyway.

1 more reply

nl5y ago

> How do you think manufactures can afford to sell these large screens at such cheap prices.

Screens are actually that cheap. Take a look at the monitor size/resolution price curve (for non-gaming monitors) and you'll see TVs fit perfectly on it.

Here's a random 55 inch LG panel available on Alibaba. $145 each for a minimum order of 15. That was just the first I found - I'm sure you can get cheaper (especially in bulk!)

Things like high refresh rate, GSync etc add to the cost of the monitor.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/LG-full-color-FHD-mod...

godzillabrennus5y ago

Yup.

I bought a 75” 4K TV with HDR for $750 recently. I paid that much for my first 15” LCD computer monitor.

If I connect it to the internet I know it’s spying on me.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse