Philips device could force TV viewers to watch ads

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: April 20, 2006 8:40:30 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Philips device could force TV viewers to watch  
ads
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

Philips device could force TV viewers to watch ads

By Candace Lombardi
<http://news.com.com/Philips+device+could+force+TV+viewers+to+watch 
+ads/2100-1041_3-6062861.html>

Story last modified Wed Apr 19 13:34:08 PDT 2006

An invention from Royal Philips Electronics prevents TV viewers from  
switching the channel during commercials or fast-forwarding past  
commercials when watching DVR content.

Viewers would be released from the freeze only after paying a fee to  
the broadcaster. The freeze would be implemented on a program-by- 
program basis, giving viewers a choice at the start of each one.

According to a recently published patent, the apparatus could work  
inside a set-top box. It would use the standard Multimedia Home  
Platform to receive a first control signal and then respond by taking  
control of the TV. The MHP would also be capable of sending the  
payment information that would lift the freeze, as it does when  
authorizing pay-per-view content.

If implemented, the invention would have a significant impact on  
television culture.

Many TV viewers are accustomed to the habit of watching two programs  
at once by flipping back and forth between channels during  
commercials. Philips' own remote controls currently cater to this  
habit with a button that automatically flips back to the last-watched  
channel.

The proposed apparatus would also aggravate children who use DVRs to  
zip through commercials to maximize their weekly TV-watching limits,  
set by parents. Some DVR technology even lets viewers watch one  
channel while recording another.

So, why then, would a television manufacturer risk angering its  
consumer base? Philips says: Don't shoot the inventor.

With this technology, it was the company's intention to develop a new  
paradigm for the watching of on-demand television, not to force  
people to watch commercials, said Caroline Kamerbeek, communications  
director for Philips International.

[snip]

Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>



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