In this era of easy ad skipping with TiVo-like video recorders, could television viewers one day be forced to watch commercials with a system that prevents channel switching?
Yes, according to Royal Philips Electronics. A patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says researchers of the Netherland-based consumer electronics company have created a technology that could let broadcasters freeze a channel during a commercial, so viewers wouldn’t be able to avoid it.
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If this isn’t a method of policeware I am not sure what is.
i highly doubt somthing like this can ever take hold. no one will want to buy a TV that wont change channels when you want it to
Even if cable/satellite companies made it so you have to use this device there’s nothing stopping me from getting up and going to the kitchen for something to drink to the bathroom to take a leak or to the computer to check the email. It’s a worthless idea.
its even stupidier then just not being able to change the channel it wont go threw because you cant watch what you want when you want too your locked into one channel. if they lock you so you cant change during commericials they can lock you in so you dont watch another station.
i dont really think it will ever pass and if it looks like it will we just need to call the ACLU and they will fix it….. actually the EFF I meant.
yEH..i’ll rush right out and buy that thing…..RIGHT! lol…whatever. WHat a dumb idea…whoever paid for that patent got robbed.
Bummer if you were watching the porn channel & your mum comes in.
it’s going to happen. people complain about gasoline also and you see where it’s at.
it aint going to work because the day they start forcing us to watch commercials is the day we stop watching tv altogether.
i would favor subliminal product placement for example the movie hackers remember the computer that the the person acid burn used it was the powerbook wallstreet version (i think) i do know it was an apple product.
remember the logo on her shirt it was suzuki motorcycle logo.
those placements are subliminal because they did not say it was product placement
Well I stopped watching TV a long time ago anyway I only watch bittorrent downloaded TV shows anyway and this will just make more people do that. Also did they think about if you just wanted to channel surf? Every time you get to a commercial you can’t switch until it gets done? Yeah right.
the fact is no one would buy these. so it wouldn’t be something ‘optional’ for us as the consumers to purchase it’d be forced. the cable or satellite company would give you boxes w/ this new technology and discontinue support for the old boxes.
but the fact is the first company to do that is the first to get boycotted. no satellite/cable company would do this because it’s just fuckin suicidie. if the corps got together they could all agree to make the switch but like others have said we’d just stop watching tv.
Not only is it suicide for the cable companies it would go to court! Forcing someone to watch a commercial is FAR DIFFERENT than just making a commercial and hoping people would watch it! The lawyers will LOVE this!
instead of inventing new ways to piss us off with comercials they need to invent a new way to show them that doesnt irritate us. maybe some scrolling text on the bottom of the screen like c-span or somthing… but ads. hell if you broadcasted commercails only durring the shows like that you could add an extra show per hour! i think alot of ppl would watch a station that allowed you to get more done in less time with tv watching
@Signa
Ive already have a fix for scrolling ads! Its as simple as a strip of ducktape.
TV ads are as bad as adware. There full of braincell wasting crap. Most of them offend me bacause dirrected @ the mentaly retarded.
I just want to kick the fuck out of that dell “dude” to this very day. Ill never have gieco insurance.Step on that little grean terd already!’
If I see a ad I wont buy the product its actualy not that hard to do. If im forced to watch ads Ill find someones that will accomodate my tivo up there ass…
Not being able to edit sucks ass!
Whoever invented this piece of shit deserves a bullet in the back of the head.