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OpenTV Like TiVo on Steroids
Davis Freeberg writes "Davis Freeberg and Thomas Hawk recently interviewed OpenTV about some of the more progressive programming that they are offering to viewers outside of North America. Specifically, they have created a PVR that allows users to not only choose from 4 - 8 video angles, but even more importantly consumers can choose what audio feed they would prefer. Recently they miked up some drunk hooligans during a rugby match in Austrailia and cable customers could choose which commentator they prefered.
Of course this functionality doesn't come without a cost. In exchange for interactive games, karaoke and multiple HDTV streams, they collect data on the viewing habits of their users and then digitally insert 30 second ads based upon the demographics of their customers. While I'm not sure if this is good or bad, I do believe that this will be the future of television advertising. While we haven't seen this type of a privacy policy introduced in the U.S. yet, I'm sure that the PVR industry has taken notice of the willingness of Aussies to give up privacy rights for the ability to time shift televison.
"
The term smacks of something unwholesome...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Is the drunken Australian hooligan audio feed available for all TV shows?
This has potential, but I think the "open" in the name is a misnomer...
I'm not opposed to personalized advertising. I don't see what the fuss is about really. Who cares if an advertising company has on record my TV viewing preferences?
Maybe it would stop me from receiving tampon and ED commercials.
I, for one, welcome our multiple view angle personal video recording demographically focused overlords.
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If I'm subscribing to their service, they already know what I'm watching because they're pushing it through the wire!
I see no harm in using that data to show ads that are relevant to the genre of programming I'm watching. To me, it seems better to advertise athletic gear and sports drinks during a football game than tampons and depends undergarments.
Context sensitive advertising seems to be the way to go as long as its not overly intrusive. They have a right to make money after all and if people aren't willing to pay with their dollars, then they'll have to pay with their eyeballs.
Privacy or not, just don't buy the stuff advertised. It's not like anyone is forcing you to buy anything, right?
And here's a thought. Do "they" have the right to discriminate their commercial advertisements based on the individual they are broadcasting to? Could that be unfair because someone else is getting different television programming than you are, yet you are paying for the same service?
Something is definitely going to have to be done with television advertising as PVR's continue to gain popularity. I've had my PVR now for about a year and I almost never watch commercials since I rarely watch live television. Since PVR's have not yet reached critical mass, I don't know that it is a current issue but it soon will be.
I think we've already started to see a lot more product placement than we used to in current programs. If you watch a single episode of American Idol (if you do, I'm sorry) you will have seen the Coke glasses prominently displayed in front of each judge, and carefully sat back down so that the logo is always perfect aligned to the camera. It's one small example, but I think we'll see it taken to extremes soon.
I think the best example of cramming advertising down user's throats and avoiding the PVR problems is with sporting events. By nature, they're not susceptible to the problems of PVR since most viewers would prefer to watch them live instead of delayed, although the product placement in the stadiums is fantastic. With all of the billboards and the camera panning around during downtime, a lot of local businesses get their name out there. It will be interesting to see if a shift to product placement ousts these local businesses and we see more national companies bidding the price up on stadium billboards.
Just my $0.02.
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It would probably sell here in the U.S. too, So many mindless sheep have to buy the latest and greatest equipment.
I would shift all commercials towards the morning/early day when I don't watch TV.
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As TiVo becomes available only as a standalone unit as users migrate towards High Defention we will see the end of TiVo as a hardware platform and the beginning of TiVo as a patent licensing agency.
OpenTV is the NDS based system which powers the Sky+ system which our US Cousins (Brit here!) will shortly be being sold now that Mr. Murdoch has taken control of DirecTV. Sky in the UK were the marketing partner of TiVo and used the experience and knowledge gained to help develop the OpenTV platform to create Sky+ - shortly after they abandonned the TiVo exercise and left it to die.
I myself prefer TiVo over Sky+ since I have a lifetime subscription and TiVo offers much greater flexibility but I can see the time coming where TiVo are forced to offer their patents to NDS and Sky+ and its Italian, Australian and American derivatives starts to offer the same ease of use and intelligence that I have had for the last 6 years.
Matt Thompson - Actuality - Insert product here.
I have no problem with a service colleting my demographic information, as long as I understand and agree on how they use it, without any bull crap like "Terms of service may change without notice".
Using my demographics to give me more ads for computers, sci-fi shows, and other things that match my interest is a better use of my time than commercials for Massingil's latest lemon-scented douche.
Using my demongraphic information to increase my car insurance rates, on the other hand, would not make me happy.
Just a question regarding the multiple angles thing. Is this really going to get used? I mean, DVDs have had this feature since day one. I've only ever seen one disc that actually used the feature, and it was some pr0n movie. And I gotta tell you, watching people shuffle around the background during the filming of a pr0n shoot, though funny, doesn't make for a better viewing experience. Let's also not forget about the increased production costs to do this for more, umm, legitimate shows/movies. Sports are about the only thing this is good for, both from viewer and production points of view (har har).
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
As for PVR innovation, US is ion the dead end. Tell me ONE single innovative thing that has been innovated in the DVR business in the last 2 years. MPAA has scared the DVR companies into turning their DVRs into nothing but fancy digital VCRs.
What are my justifications for this comment of mine, you say? Alright. Remember Replay TV? They introduced the Commercial Advance; This technology was one which would AUTOMATICALLY detect commercial breaks for you & skip them, AUTOMATICALLY!! No more lame 30-second skip 'easter egg' of TiVo. They had Internet Video Sharing. They had absolutely best home networking for DVRs. These were the innovations which were really revolutionary in the DVR biz. Then MPAA sued the pants off Replay TV & forced them into bankuruptcy.
For all the TiVo fans out there, compare the features of Replay TV & TiVo. See. MPAA has killed innovation in the industry. Nobody wants to innovate something new in the DVR industry. Thats the reason all the DVR offerings from cable/sat providers as well as pioneers Replay & TiVo have basically stopped doing any substantial innovation.
Sad.
Read the foxtel privacy agreement. It is an opt-out type system which is made worse as you must write them to even find out who they are giving your personal information to.
You must opt out of their direct-marketing and their "related business partners".
They are not only obtaining the right to feed you 30 second commercials they are obtaining the right to pass off your information to any company they deem to designate as "partner" or otherwise.
This is probably a never ending chain as each of their "partners" has their own privacy policies which could open you to even more unrelated companies.
I wouldn't be surprised if your information ends up on a spam list because of "partner" associations.
Two words
No thankyou.
http://www.foxtel.com.au/Privacy.htm
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
TiVo on steriods would be gobs of hours, enhanced sorting and archiving functions, multiple tuners, and lots of stuff the end users want.
Thisis more like TiVo after an experiment went wrong and it was mutated by gamma radiation before it killed all the scientists and escaped from the lab. I mean, look at the focus - straight from the source,
our real customers, in most cases are network operators, in the context of deals between network operators and programmers or advertisers we can certainly provide services, but we're clear who the primary customer is.
They admit they don't really give a rats ass about the people with the remote, except how they can serve their eyeballs up as a product for their "real customers". That said, in a perfect world, the multiple audio options would be nice for certain programming like football. Being able to choose your commentators would be a welcome change. Anyone who has suffered through a national College FB feed where the commentators are clearly against your team (Brent Mussberger calling any Virginia Tech game, for example) or any game where the commentator just annoys the hell out of you (John Madden for football, Dick Vitale for basketball) would realize the value in this feature. Multiple camera angles would be minimally useful, unless I could get multiple feeds of the same game, and had enough screen to watch them all.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
If there was any way to get rid of Joe Buck or Tim McCarver during Fox National MLB games, I'd pay probably 8 billion dollars for it. "Brandon Arroyo is going for the Red Sox tommorow.."
Um, have you ever viewed a Disney DVD? Commercial free, my ass!
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
Most people posting here don't seem to realise why broadcasting select ads based on your viewing habits is an invasion of privacy.
The ads that are shown on your TV will reflect who you are, and what you watch when you are alone in the privacy of your own home. That might not be the image you want your friends or family to see when they come over to see a football match.
Taking it to the extreme; If you watch a lot of porn when you are alone, having the TV show you ads for the newest adult movies when your girfriend uses your TV might *not* be desirable.
(The above is of course a hyperbole - advertising adult movies is probably illegal almost everywhere)
"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots." -George H.W. Bush
You cannot give up a right. That's what makes it a right. Rights are inherent, innate, inborn, and inseperable. They can be suppressed, ignored, and trampled on, but not given up. Only priviledges can be given up or traded away.
The Aussies are not giving up their privacy rights. They are giving up their privacy. They can reclaim their rights any time they have the courage to do so (I speak for my fellow Americans, as well). Unfortunately, privacy like virginity is not so easily reclaimed.
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First, I should point out, I am Australian.
That said, the choices when it comes to PVRs in Australia is horrible.
Choice? What choice? The first real one the Australian public has seen is 'Foxtel IQ' which was released early this year. This happens to also be the device they mention in this article.
Ask an Australian last year what a PVR was, and they would have no idea. Hell, ask them this year, and they probably still have no idea (even after Foxtel's fairly large advertising campagines).
Some of us, didn't take this entire situation sitting down, and stated importing TiVos. Thus, OzTiVo was born. For the first time, it allowed Australians experience a true PVR. although, few people then, and even now, actually know about it.
The Foxtel IQ box fails when put up against an imported TiVo in every way, except one: It can record two shows at once. Other then that, it's all bad. The sad fact is, the general public has no idea how badly they are being ripped off. It will cost you $500 for 'Foxtel IQ', which Foxtel remains ownership of, if you disconnect, they take the box back.
Their versions of 'season passes' has many problems, and often doesn't work - They have nothing like 'wish lists', they don't have TV guide data for the vast majority of free-to-air stations and it's full of copy-protection among other rubbish. Not to mention the bad UI...
I feel bad knowing how good a TiVo is, and how many people still continue to buy Foxtel IQ. It is *not* good.
Give me a TiVo any day.
Please show me only "G or PG rated" commercials (at least while my kids are watching) regardless of the program that I am watching).
It is erroneous to assume that because somebody likes sports, that automatically means they would, as Jeff Foxworthy puts it, "like a beer and to see something naked".
Rafael Palmeiro
Of course, the TV executives didn't get the hint.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
What if we look at this from a different angle (uhh no pun intended there) In this scenario advertisements are being picked according to your viewing habits....what about being interested in a product that has nothing to do with your viewing habits? As much as everyone says they hate commercials, there are tons of products out there that if i hadnt seen some random commercial for it, i never would have sought it out on my own. I for one like commercials...i also like the ability to skip the ones that dont pertain to me...but id like to keep them random, not have them tailored to me, i might miss some great product or never here about some great service or business if the content provider doesnt think that i should see it...
Don't ya hate it when the correct spelling of your favorite screen name is taken?
I can finally see the naked chick whose back is always to the camera.
I though I was already reading the drunken Australian hooligan feed by default?
If not - I WANT A REFUND!
Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
Although OpenTV does make the most widely used (and arguably the best current) STB middleware operating system their new PVR 2.0 extension is failng to make headway against NDS's earlier and more widely adopted XTV software and this article manages to obscure that fact magnificently.
OpenTV middleware is indeed used in both the SKY (UK) and Foxtel (Australia) PVRs. TFA states "While OpenTV provides different levels of functionally[sic] to each operator, I was most impressed by OpenTV's 2.0 PVR that is currently available to Foxtel subscribers in Australia." OpenTV PVR 2.0 is available to Foxtel subscribers, should Foxtel decide to go out and buy it from OpenTV, integrate it into their IQ PVRs and throw out NDS's XTV - not likely at this point, but the way it's put in this article makes OpenTV sound as though it is in full control.
From TFA : "Their 2.0 PVR allows viewers to not only choose amoung 4 -8 camera angles on select programming, but even more exciting they are able to choose from 4 - 6 audio streams as well." This functionality is not PVR dependent and is offered by standard STBs at Foxtel. Switching audio stream sources is trivial and is routinely offered on rugby matches in the antipodes even when video switching is not.
From TFA : "The 2.0 PVR supports HDTV, live stats, interactive weather reports, karaoke & even interactive gaming for their customers." Once again these are not PVR specific features - they've just been lumped in as things that most any STB can do to make "OpenTV's PVR" sound good.
Seriously, posting articles of this low level of useful fact but high level of undigested marketing speak (not to mention the spelling mistakes) is a pointer to a whole new area of bullshit that we have to detect. Would we have accepted this kind of misinformation from Microsoft if they'd claimed that the release of Windows 3 with support for hard disk drives (or somesuch) showed that Microsoft owned the market for all cmputers with hard drives?
STBs provided by broadcasters will always be different beasts to the open PVR platforms that Slashdotters know and love, and they include an absolute requirement for a level of DRM that would not be tolerated in discussions of PC platforms. That said, these devices offer a degree of utility in our homes that is difficult to obtain in other ways and they will be important to our gadget-centric lives. If we act to understand how they work then we can push for, for example, APIs which enable fair use without impinging broadcaster's needs.
Articles like TFA are as empty of utility as OpenTV's glossy foyer other than to point out the need for us to be on guard against vendor hype.
I think the idea is that if they show you enough "erectile dysfunction" ads, you might just start to worry about it. And once you start worrying, you might need their products.