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New Patent on TV Forces You to Watch Ads

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the forced-attention-spans dept.

WebHostingGuy writes "A patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says researchers of the Netherland-based consumer electronics company have created a technology that could let broadcasters freeze a channel during a commercial, so viewers wouldn't be able to avoid it. Philips acknowledged that this technology might not sit well with consumers and suggested in its patent filing that consumers be allowed to avoid the feature if they paid broadcasters a fee."

8 of 470 comments (clear)

  1. Mod Parent Up by Prototerm · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is a reference to the classic (and surprisingly good) and short-lived TV show Max Headroom, where televisions didn't have an "off" switch.

    Oh, I think it was "30 minutes into the future", wasn't it? Anybody out there whose memory wasn't shot off in the war?

    I guess disabling the off button will be the next patent from Phillips.

    --
    "My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." --Senator Carl Schurz (1872)
    1. Re:Mod Parent Up by Hatta · · Score: 2, Informative

      Oh, I think it was "30 minutes into the future", wasn't it? Anybody out there whose memory wasn't shot off in the war?

      It was "20 minutes into the future", and you can download the whole thing at DAP central. Make sure you read the FAQ, and don't piss off Queued.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  2. Re:I Already PAY a Fee by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Informative

    Originally, cable TV promised that you wouldn't even have commercials to begin with. The fact that you're still subscribing even though they are showing you commercials only proves that they can do whatever the fuck they want, and you'll bend over and take it!

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  3. Re:Either your money or your time, folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    One way or another, we have to pay.
    I know: I'm already paying for it. It's called a "cable bill" and it comes in once a month.

  4. So by Maximilio · · Score: 2, Informative

    My monthly cable bill is for what, exactly?

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    My book, podcast
  5. Re:Either your money or your time, folks by scuzzman · · Score: 2, Informative

    And those of us that pay cable bills? We're not already paying (what I feel is) too much for what we get?

  6. Re:Either your money or your time, folks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    I *do* pay. I pay Comcast every month for the right to have horribly annoying advertisements shoved down my throat, and I pay TiVo for the ability to skip them.

    I think that, just maybe, what you meant to say was "Both your money and your time, folks. And your first-born child, too."

  7. Re:they do force you to watch ads in your DVDs by somersault · · Score: 2, Informative

    I did notice that with my Toy Story 2 DVD years ago, I think I got around it by selecting the appropriate chapter in the menu (was watching on PC). You can also fast forward those commercials

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    which is totally what she said