Posted on 04/20/2006 6:26:51 AM PDT by Xenophobic Alien
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- 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 said 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.
The pending patent, published on March 30, said the feature would be implemented on a program-by-program basis. Devices that could carry the technology would be a television or a set-top-box.
Philips acknowledged, however, that the anti-channel changing technology might not sit well with consumers and suggested in its patent filing that consumers be allowed to avoid the feature if they paid broadcasters a fee.
On Wednesday, company officials issued a statement that noted the technology also enables the opposite: allowing viewers to watch television without advertising. The intention was never to force viewers to watch ads against their will, the company said of the technology.
"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," the company stated. "It is up to the viewer to take this decision, and up to the broadcaster to offer the various services."
The company also said it had no plans to use the technology in any of its products.
Philips wanted to provide the technology and seek the patent only as part of the broader developments within the industry, Philips spokesman Andre Manning said.
Viewers are going to have to choose, do you want to watch shows for free, or not watch ads, you can't do both.
My guess is that many people will choose not to watch at all.
"Do not try to adjust your set. WE control the horizontal. WE control the vertical. Now sit back down and listen to this important message about panty shields!"
I just change the channel when commercials come on or get up and do something else for a few minutes. Obviously no one HAS to ever watch commercials.
It seems we are getting more and more reasons to consider that it's the People that are supposed to have the power and that it is our duty to oppose tyranny by any means possible. Any bets on which party would think the proposition is fine? On the flip side, any bets on which party would oppose it with words, but roll over and let it happen anyway?
There's nothing worth Tivo-ing anyway.
Of course they can just be more creative so that people will actually want to watch the commercials, like they do during the Super Bowl.
IMO the response will be overwhelming, given all the other media options nowadays. Any network that tries this will see their ratings plummet.
The future of advertising is to digitally incorporate it into shows - not to force people to watch ads.
10,294 channels, and still there's nothing on.
Actually there are some commercials better than many of the shows these days.
I do think that this is a stupid idea, but the reality is that if we dion't have advertising on TV, we'd better be ready to shell out $500 per month for cable. It's just the reality, we pay for what we see by watching the commercials.
'Cept college football and the occasional World Cup game. If I miss a game I can catch highlights later, or read about it on the 'net. No biggie.
I thought that was the philosophy behind cable when it first came onto the scene. Sure, they told us, you pay to watch TV but there's no commericals.
What is even more ridiculous is the fact that we already do pay for cable that is loaded with commercials....this is what really ticks me off.
You got that right. Only now we're PAYING for 'nothing'. . .
I guess Philips doesn't like selling TVs very much. Who would buy a TV from Philips that does this versus one from say, Pioneer, that doesn't?
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