You really aren't going to believe this....

[Mohegan]

Source

Philips device could force TV viewers to watch ads

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.

--Click the source if you want to read the full thing.

Honestly when I read this, I had to check the date to make sure it wasn't an April Fools joke. I really dunno how to respond to that one, all I can say is it's a good way to force people to download TV episodes rather than watch them on channels that run commercials in the middle.

[Sonia]

I just read that article, and I'm just about as suprised as you are. As for that being put into effect, I really do hope that will not be the case. In addition to that, I don't like the idea of not having the freedom to change the channel at certain times, that just sounds aggrivating.

[Trebuchet]

Sorry, I rather stick with my Emerson TV

EDIT: Besides, people would hack/mod the remotes/TV so they could switch channels anytime they wanted.

[rad]

That will never ever make it to the market, unless of course phillips wants to kill all of it's business and give it to competitors. Yeah, I pay for the DVR service in my house and that thing isn't coming anywhere near the equipment or services that I spent my hard earned money on. I can think of a better place where they should put that thing...

[somerandomguy]

[Bruno]

I agree with Rad, who would buy such a thing? If Philips starts selling mean televisions to us, we start buying Sony!

[Mohegan]

The problem is, it wouldn't just be in the TVs is would be in the companies set-top boxes which means it doesn't matter what TV you own, philips or sony.

Of course, you could always turn the TV off for a couple minutes

[somerandomguy]

BLASHPHEMER!

[Johan]

Well this will only make people look for alternatives... illegal or not. People will look for more freedom not less, that's just a natural evolution.

[Mohegan]

I suppose one possibility, would be to record it to a CD/DVD then you can edit out all the ads on a PC before watching it.

You can have freedom of speech, but you can't force me to listen.

[DayLight]

This is just another assult on humanity's freedom. True, it is not a big deal, but it fits in the scope of assults on freedoms. People need to fight things like this, in order to make a point. WE WILL NOT STAND FOR YOU(governments and corporations)TAKING AWAY OUR FREEDOMS!

It is my belief that this invention is a corporate assult on freedom, to maximize the brainwashing ads that are pushed down out throat on a daily basis. Almost everywhere you look, there are ads. I am seeing one right now(ld4all store). Corporations are using advertising and product placement to influence what we think we need, and to control our way of life so that they gain more money. We think we need these things, and work to gain them, thus not only serving the corporate world by buying things, but by serving them with labor, and helping the economy that they bet on in the form of stocks and bonds.

Right here and now, I propose a boycott on Phillips products should this ever hit the market. Anyone with me?

[Johan]

Haha actually my first thought after reading was "goodbye Philips you lost a customer" (and I have bought quite a lot of stuff from Philips in the past). Problem is these kind of things happen with so many big companies! Remember the Sony CD technology that installs spyware on your computer?

Anyway, these kind of tricks to control consumers are totally unrealistic because to succeed they will eventually have to forbid the internet. If people can choose between an expensive CD that installs spyware on their PC or a nice clean (and free) high quality mp3 what do you think many if not most will choose? And the same is true for movies en television. Companies will just have to find a way to convince us to buy their stuff again so they better adapt to new realities.

Soon we will even have P2P television where you can watch TV channels from everywhere in the world. They tried to stop that Cyburski guy with his p2p program but eventually it will just happen simply because it's technologically possible. And commercial digital TV with al its funny restrictions will get hit - in my country you can't even record programs when you have a digital tv subscription, that's not progress that's going back to the pre VHS seventies!

[DayLight]

I realize things like this Phillips program will not work, but to just sit by and let them do this is just like saying, "yes, Mr. Corporate, you can control us!"

[Linko_16]

If anyone does this, competitors will get tons of business when they advertise themselves as "the TV service that isn't a total, blood-sucking prick."

[saeghwin]

If we're lucky, maybe Philips was just trying to get to the patent before anyone else and save us from ever having to deal with such evil by not allowing companies to infringe.