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ScreenCastMeadow
Two remote controls lying in a wooden tray on a metal surface.
Two remotes in a tray, which is where the input job usually ends upPhoto: Jessica Lewis on Pexels

Roles

Five jobs get done in a living room, and every product in this catalog is sold to do at least one of them. Sorting the catalog this way is what makes the doubling visible: three of these jobs are claimed by more than one category, and two are claimed by exactly one.

  • The picture

    The panel that light comes out of, and the signal path that feeds it.

    Claimed by one category

    • Smart TVs

    The picture

  • The apps

    The software layer that lists what can be watched and launches it.

    Claimed by two categories

    • Streaming Players & Displays
    • Smart TVs

    The apps

  • The sound

    Whatever moves air in the room while the picture is playing.

    Claimed by two categories

    • Sound Bars
    • Smart TVs

    The sound

  • The input

    The thing somebody picks up to make any of the rest of it do something.

    Claimed by four categories

    • Replacement Remotes
    • Streaming Players & Displays
    • Smart TVs
    • Sound Bars

    The input

  • The support

    Whatever keeps the television off the floor, and whoever decided it was strong enough.

    Claimed by one category

    • TV Wall Mounts

    The support