Philips hates consumers

[Sandman]

http://tinyurl.com/ostqn

Check out the patent:

An apparatus (270) and method is disclosed for preventing a viewer from switching from a channel when an advertisement is being displayed on the channel. The apparatus (270) and method comprises an advertisement controller (270) in a video playback device (150) that (1) prevents a viewer of a direct (non-recorded) broadcast from switching channels when an advertisement is displayed, and (2) prevents a viewer of a recorded program from fast forwarding the recorded program in order to skip past advertisements that were recorded with the program. A viewer may either watch the advertisements or pay a fee in order to be able to change channels or fast forward when the advertisements are being displayed.

[Dowding]

Since commercial TV is driven by... err... commercials it does seem like biting the hand that feeds to bypass them, annoying though they may be.

[ChickenHawk]

Yep, those numbskulls are shaking in their shoes now that Tivo and DVR are mainstream.  I myself don't even watch commercials anymore and I know I'm not alone.  The networks are starting to get a little nervous.

We must enjoy it while it lasts.  It won't be long before they'll find some way to take it away from us.  Just like the stupid stuff you have to watch when you put in a DVD.  Drives me crazy that I can't fast forward through the warnings and other junk that they make us watch.

[Skuzzy]

On many of the DVD's, pressing the 'Menu' button will skip right over them to the main menu of the disk.  Many publishers are dropping forcing you to watch previews due to the high number of complaints.

One question:  Who would pay for a device which forces you to watch commercials or pay a fee to skip them?

[Dowding]

Or why not pay a license fee like in the UK and have something like the BBC? No commercials, no problem.

[LePaul]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
On many of the DVD's, pressing the 'Menu' button will skip right over them to the main menu of the disk.  Many publishers are dropping forcing you to watch previews due to the high number of complaints.

One question:  Who would pay for a device which forces you to watch commercials or pay a fee to skip them?

Not only that, my old DVD player's menu button couldnt bypass them.  Last GE I ever buy for my living room!  Bought a new Sony DVD player over the weekend, once previews start trying to play, hit Menu and there ya go.  

Now if you could just can the fancy-dancy menu animations msot movies have.

[eagl]

You guys are missing the opportunity here.  The patent is missing the critical third or fourth consumer option.  They list watching the commercial or paying extra for the ability to switch channels, but they don't list turning off the tv or not buying it in the first place.  Someone needs to patent THOSE options, and then sue phillips for infringement every time someone doesn't buy a phillips device.

[Skuzzy]

ROFL!  Good one eagl.

[Mini D]

This is actually a good thing. If phillips has a patent on it, nobody that makes hardware I'd actually buy are going to be able to impliment it.

In all fairness, you did have to believe (in the back of your mind) that something like TIVO would drive them to this? Removing commercials from broadcast television was going to cause some kind of issues.

Off topic: I heard a rumor that Disney is going to start releasing their programming for free download with the understanding that there is a commercial at the beginning of it. That, to me, seems like the direction things will be moving to completely void/invalidate anti-piracy arguments of any kind.

[Pei]

One cold just as well ask why I would hardware with DRM built into it. Of course that little restriction has been helpfully protected by the Government..

[eskimo2]

The future of advertising:

[J_A_B]

People have been able to change the channel during commercials since the dawn of TV.  Why is it suddenly a problem now?  Runaway corporate greed, that's why.


The networks broadcast over public airwaves.  They have no right to tell you when you can and cannot change the channel.  CATV is another matter of course.


J_A_B

[SOB]

Originally posted by LePaul
Not only that, my old DVD player's menu button couldnt bypass them.  Last GE I ever buy for my living room!  Bought a new Sony DVD player over the weekend, once previews start trying to play, hit Menu and there ya go.  

Now if you could just can the fancy-dancy menu animations msot movies have.

LOL, you bought an AV device from GE...sounds like you got what you paid for.

For the animated menus, hit the Next Chapter button.  That works with most of 'em.

[lazs2]

when I was in england I watched some BBC.... our commercials are better than that crap.   People actualy pay the government for that?

lazs

[capt. apathy]

if they are going to 'lock you in' for the commercials, then the commercials would have to have some sort of identifying signal sent with them to activate the lock.  right?

seems like it would be a very short matter of time before someone figured a way to use that signal to tell the TIVO unit to not record the commercials with the rest of the show.