第九十五期杂志——为什么新买的智能电视这么便宜？

Cresarea

There’s a simple reason why your new smart TV was so affordable: It’s collecting and selling your data
为什么新买的智能电视这么便宜？很简单，它在收集和贩卖你的个人数据

Ben Gilbert 
本·吉尔伯特

Jan 12, 2019, 8:00 AM
2019年1月12日8：00

                               
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Photo: REUTERS/Jeff Haynes Did you get a 4K/HDR capable TV this past holiday, perhaps on sale? Millions of Americans did.
照片来源：路透社/杰夫·海恩斯 刚过去的假期里，你是否买了一台打折的4K/HDR电视？反正成千上万的美国人买了。

• The vast majority of televisions available today are “smart” TVs, with internet connections, ad placement, and streaming services built in.
• 如今市面上大部分电视机都是所谓的“智能”电视，可联网、有广告植入以及内置流媒体服务。
• Despite the added functionality, TV prices are lower than ever – especially from companies like TCL and Vizio, which specialize in low-cost, high-tech smart TVs.
• 尽管功能有所增加，电视机的价格却比以往更加便宜了。尤其是产自罗格朗（TCL）和瑞轩（Vizio）这些公司的，他们专做低成本、高科技的智能电视。
• There’s a simple reason that smart TV prices are so low: some TV makers collect user data and sell it to third-parties, which can offset the cost.
• 为何智能电视价格如此低廉，原因很简单：有些电视机制造商会收集用户数据再转卖给第三方，以此来抵消成本。
  

Massive TVs with razor-thin frames, brilliant image quality, and streaming services built-in are more affordable than ever thanks to companies like Vizio and TCL.
现在很多电视机都有超大超薄的屏幕、高质量图像、内置流媒体服务，而且价格要比以前便宜多了，而这一切多亏了瑞轩（Vizio）和罗格朗（TCL）这些公司。
If you want a 65-inch 4K smart TV with HDR capability, one can be purchased for below $500 – a surprisingly low price for such a massive piece of technology, nonetheless one that’s likely to live in your home for years before you upgrade.
如果你想买一台65英寸的4K+HDR电视机，只需要花500美元都不到——这么低的价格买这样一台高科技的超大电视，可是能在家用很多年才需要换新。
But that low price comes with a caveat most people don’t realize: Some manufacturers collect data about users, then sell that data to third-parties. That data can include what type of shows you watch, which ads you watch, your approximate location, and more.
但这样的低价背后却是有但书的，而这一点大多数人都没有意识到：有些制造商会收集用户数据再卖给第三方，这些数据包括你看过哪种类型的电视节目、广告、你的大致位置和其他更多信息等等。

                               
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Photo: The Roku TV interface on TCL’s smart TVs comes with a prominent ad placement on the home screen.sourceTCL/Roku
图片来源：罗格朗（TCL）智能电视的罗库（Roku）盒子界面，主屏幕上广告植入突出。来源TCL/Roku

A recent interview on The Verge’s podcast with Vizio CTO Bill Baxter did a great job illuminating exactly how this works.
美国The Verge的播客最近采访了瑞轩（Vizio）的首席技术官比尔·巴克斯特，阐释了电视制造商是如何利用用户数据的。
“This is a cutthroat industry. It’s a 6% margin industry,” Baxter said. “The greater strategy is I really don’t need to make money off of the TV. I need to cover my cost.”
“这是一个竞争激烈的行业，一个有6%毛利率的行业，” 巴克斯特说，“里面更妙的是我实际上不需要靠卖电视赚钱，我只需要抵消我的成本。”
More specifically, companies like Vizio don’t need to make money from every TV they sell。
更确切地说，瑞轩（Vizio）这类公司并不需要靠他们所卖的电视机赚钱.
Smart TVs can be sold at or near cost to consumers – which is great for consumers – because Vizio is able to monetize those TVs through data collection, advertising, and selling direct-to-consumer entertainment (movies, etc.) – which is less great for consumers.
智能电视以接近或等于成本的价格卖给顾客，这对消费者来讲固然很好。但是瑞轩（Vizio）可以通过所售机器来收集数据、投放广告、向消费者直售娱乐服务（电影之类的），这听起来就不那么友好了。
Or, as Baxter put it: “It’s not just about data collection. It’s about post-purchase monetization of the TV.”
或者，正如巴克斯特所说的：“我们要做的不仅仅是收集数据，我们还要通过客户在电视上的售后消费来盈利。”
And there are a few different ways to monetize those TVs post-purchase.
而电视上的售后消费也有几条盈利渠道。

                               
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Foto: On TCL’s Roku TVs, users can opt out of the full scope of ad tracking. How much you’re able to block yourself from data tracking varies by TV manufacturer.sourceRoku/TCL
图片：在罗格朗（TCL）的罗库（Roku）盒子上，用户可选择退出广告跟踪范围。能多大程度上阻止你的数据被跟踪取决于你用的电视制造商。来源：Roku/TCL

“You sell some movies, you sell some TV shows, you sell some ads, you know. It’s not really that different than The Verge website,” he said.
“你可以卖电影，可以卖电视节目，可以卖广告，对吧。这和The Verge网站并没有什么实质上的差别。”他说。
It’s those additional forms of revenue that helps make the large, beautiful smart TVs from companies like Vizio and TCL so affordable.
正是这些附加的营利形式，才使瑞轩（Vizio）和罗格朗（TCL）这类公司能廉价出售那些外形漂亮、体型巨大的智能电视。
Without that revenue stream, Baxter said, consumers would be paying more upfront cost. “We’d collect a little bit more margin at retail to offset it.”
巴斯克特说，要是不通过这种渠道营利，消费者支付的就不仅仅是那样一笔小数目了。“我们得在零售时盈利更多才能抵消成本。”

原文链接：https://www.businessinsider.nl/s ... ional=true&r=US

翻译by Walker
校对by Susie
终校 by 何以
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翻译仅供学习交流，严禁任何商业用途

penz

吃一惊，原来这样