Philips’ force-feed ad app
p2p news view / p2pnet: To paraphrase Micheal Corleone in ‘The Godfather III’: “Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in.”
From the humble VHS recorder to time-shifting DVR’s and DVD recorders to file sharing, one thing is abundantly clear: Most people don’t want to watch commercials.
These technologies have put the consumer in control of what, when, how, and where they watch their favorite programs and the ironically, they were given to us by the very same people who want to take that control away from us.
Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) recently applied for a US patent that will prevent consumers from changing the TV channel when a commercial comes on and force viewers to watch it against their will.
Gearlog, Yahoo News and PC Mag are reporting this stupid move by Philips, pointing out all the negative aspects.
First, there was the so-called ‘V-chip’ for lazy parents who automatically censor their family’s TV viewing habits and don’t take the time to know or care about what their children watch, when they should be aware so they can discuss certain issues with them instead of blindly shielding them from reality because the government tells them to do so.
If their children weren’t allowed to watch TV so late at night, they wouldn’t have to worry. Take the TV out of their bedrooms, and problem solved.
And it’s t same thing with censorship and spy programs for the computer, like ‘Net Nanny’ and others. Be aware of what the children are doing on the computer at all times. Don’t just censor them. Remember Romeo and Juliet? It’ll only make them seek out ways to circumvent the censorship.
Philips’ new technology is a type of censorship, too. Now we have the ability to control our TV’s and recorders, we might be forced to sit and stare at stupid, mindless advertisements during programs.
When the news broke about Philips’ ppatent application, they hastily put out a press statement.
Inventors from Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) filed a patent application, as yet not granted, that enables watching a television movie without advertising. However, some people do want to see the ads. So, we developed a system where the viewer can choose, at the beginning of a movie, to either watch the movie without ads, or watch the movie with ads. It is up to the viewer to take this decision, and up to the broadcaster to offer the various services.
Philips never had the intention to force viewers to watch ads against their will and does not use this technology in any current Philips products, nor do we have any plans to do so
Although they claim they have no plans to use it in their own products, nothing will stop them from selling the technology to SONY, Tivo, Panasonic, and local and national cable and satellite companies..
Accrding to Yahoo News, this means it would be "implemented on a program-by-program basis. Devices that could carry the technology would be a television or a set-top-box."
But of course, Philips and other concerned parties aren’t so mean to their customers who pay their salaries. No one is forced to watch the ads. The customer would be allowed to pay their service provider for the right to be able to switch channels during commercials.
Isn’t that nice of them to allow us to pay for the right to do something we’ve had the right to do since the first TV commercial flickered on our screens?
In the statement, Philips acknowledges, "some people do want to see the ads." Oh. Not "all people," and not even "most people". Just "some people".
Good. Then let "some people" pay for the right to watch the commercials and leave "most people" alone to do what they want and already have the right to do.
catflap - p2pnet
April 28th, 2006 at 9:33 pm
>The customer would be allowed to pay their service provider for the right to be able to switch channels during commercials.<
THIS is what Yahoo does RIGHT NOW in “Yahoo Music” within the Yahoo Messenger service. So they need to STFU on the subject since they are such hypocrites!!!
It’s a REEEEAAAL PAIN in the ass to have to endure that kind of indoctrination!!!
April 28th, 2006 at 9:53 pm
All the more reason to go look for hacked content on p2p networks. They don’t see it, ’cause they’re stupid, but they push you that way with every bit of crap like this they come up with.
April 29th, 2006 at 12:37 am
This technology is already in use on some channels on Dish Network. The advertisement is in the form of pop-up ads that occur during programming. While watchin Star Trek, I have had to endure a number of character popping up on the lower part of scenes. These popup were advertising othe programs carried by the channel. As a result, I no longer watch the channel on which this occurs.
When broadband Internet comes to my area, I will no longer pay for the channel on which this practice occurs. Currently, I am forced to pay for this channel due to the fact that this channel is included in the programming package I subscribe to and the fact that no broadband is available in my area for me to download entertainment at a reasonable speed.
Maybe people should call their satellite or cable provider’s toll free number to complain whever they see this type of pop-up ad. If enough people do this, then the provider will be forced to drop the channel or cause the channel to clean up its act.
April 29th, 2006 at 3:33 am
When I pay full price for a DVD, why do I have to endure the previews? Sometimes, one of the buttons on the remote will skip to the menu; sometimes the fast-forward-at-20x trick works. Usually the copyright warning is totally un-skippable, and occasionally, even the previews seem to be, too.
It was a bad move, deliberately including a way to disable functions, in the DVD spec. Ask a content producer if they’d like to take power away from the user, and chances are, they’ll say “love to”.
April 29th, 2006 at 8:06 am
FANTASTIC!
This will mean there only has to be ONE hack to disable it instead of dozens for every other company’s implemtation of the same concept.
April 29th, 2006 at 9:47 am
how will you hack your tv set or a set-top box from your cable or satellite company?
think!
April 29th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
How will they stop me getting up and making a cup of tea during the commercial? What next, patent on a device that ties you to the chair and forces your eyes open? Device that detects if you have left the room and charges your credit card?
Seems like a good way to get people to give up watching the TV, go outside and get a real life of their own where real things happen, instead of watching someone else’s fictional life where fictional things happen.
April 29th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
Of course since ripping the dvd and burning a copy (with the right software) solves the problem. So why buy the dvd at all. Rent, rip, burn. No wonder they want to make talking about such programs feederal crimes.
May 2nd, 2006 at 3:20 am
Patents were conceived to promote inventions that helped the people reduce work, makes things less costly or last longer or easier to use, or to improve health, etc. It was for the benefit of the people.
Something has gone awfully wrong if patents are allowd to hurt people, make life less bearable or increase costs. Patentes are ten working backwards.
Ideas that do not benefit the people and are then pushed to the consumer by monopolies or government rules should be not given patent status. Maybe the patent laws are wrong, like the jack ass copyright ones.
Bad ideas that will naturally fail in the free market have no place in the market. Force-feed ads is one of those ideas.
Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas.com
May 4th, 2006 at 12:57 am
Its not that hard to do. trust me with cable boxes all you need is a router sniffing packets and actively finding the packet for forced adds then just block the packet/
May 7th, 2006 at 5:12 pm
“Most people don’t want to watch commercials.”
A true staaement.
As consumers are shoved about by the cartels that want to control everything, the more attractive socialism becomes.
Forcing commercials so as to increase consumerism of unnecessary goods, services and loans is senseless and only makes the people poorer and shareholders richer.
A little more and the people will want to socialize all media organizations.
This Philips gadgest is a stupid move by the capitalists.