TiVo Buys Six New Patents From IBM

Thomas Hawk writes "TiVo reported in an 8-K filing today that on March 31, 2005 they purchased six new patents from IBM. The patents purchased reportedly have to do with audience research and measurement, integration of television signals with internet access, automatic rescheduling of recordings, content screening, enhanced program information search and electronic program guide interface enhancements. For those of you privacy advocates out there you will love Patent No. 5,872,588: Method and apparatus for monitoring audio-visual materials presented to a subscriber. " The link has very little additional information.

Comments

Confused

[Travelsonic]

The patents purchased reportedly have to do with audience research and measurement, integration of television signals with internet access, automatic rescheduling of recordings, content screening, enhanced program information search and electronic program guide interface enhancements. For those of you privacy advocates out there you will love Patent No. 5,872,588: Method and apparatus for monitoring audio-visual materials presented to a subscriber. "

This all slipped by me like water, so now they control a method of how people reciecve and view content online/on TV?

Some more information...

[TripMaster Monkey]

The link has very little additional information

No kidding. In the interest of promoting more discussion, here's the abstract from patent #5,872,588:

Method and apparatus for monitoring audio-visual materials presented to a subscriber

Abstract

A method and apparatus for content coding of Audio-Visual materials is presented. The content coding can then be decoded by a home station where the content coding is collected and processed. The content codes are utilized by the subscribers home station to collect information on the subscribers selection of AVM streams and record information on which AVMs have been presented to the subscriber. An audio-video material distribution system is described for supplying AVM streams to home station via a local distribution network. The home stations decode the content coding from the AVM streams and collect the encoded content codes. The collected content codes are then sent to collection centers for processing. The encoded information may also utilized to provide management of an upstream channel between the home stations and the video distribution node.

Re:Some more information...

[MindStalker]

I know a guy who used to work at Neilsons and this was one of him primary jobs. Working with broadcasters to get them to put codes in their programs to indicate show information/timing and where commerical breaks occur. Neilson wanted it for its automated ratings system, the broadcasters didn't want to put it in and were worried about assistig commerical skip technology. Shrugs.

Close ... but not quite

[stinerman]

The link has very little additional information.

Well its the submitter's blog. I was about to call a Roland Piquepaille on this, but there aren't any ads on the site.

I don't need to give you any steenking subject!

[Anonymous Coward]

Here you go!

More info here

[MarkGriz]

There's more info on the 8K filing here

oh please

[Lord_Dweomer]

"For those of you privacy advocates out there you will love Patent No. 5,872,588: Method and apparatus for monitoring audio-visual materials presented to a subscriber."

Oh please. Privacy advocates nothing. I am as big of a privacy nut as the rest of you, but I'm also in the advertising industry so I know that in order for tv to work the way it does today, this patent is important. You see, the main reason you have "free" television is because advertisers are willing to shell out MAJOR dollars for air time. Now, if you were spending that much money, wouldn't you want some way to know your ad ran when they said it would? And keep in mind that you typically don't buy ad space for a SPECIFIC time, but rather a "time-slot". This patent is clearly related to how networks track the running of ads so they can give assurance to advertisers that they were getting what they paid for.

Now, if they had technology to monitor audio and video OUTSIDE THE TV (ie. watching what you the viewer do and listening to what you say), that would be a different thing, although I'm sure Neilson would find many people willing to be monitored like that in exchange for big bucks.

Hey, I should patent that idea.