Sensor To Monitor TV Watchers Demoed At Cable Labs

An anonymous reader writes "Cable operators at the semi-annual CableLab's Innovation Showcase have informally voted as best new product a gizmo that can determine how many people are watching a TV. Developed by Israeli company PrimeSense, the product lets digital devices see a 3-D view of the world (the images look like something from thermal imaging). In other words, that cable set-top box will know whether three people are sitting on the sofa watching TV and how many are adults vs. children. Do we really need cable and/or video service operators knowing this? It all happens via a chip that resides in a camera that plugs into the set-top box."

Comments

Nielson boxes?

[Gudeldar]

Perhaps these are going to go in next generation Nielsen boxes so that Nielsen can give a more accurate count of viewers instead of just assuming 1 box = 1 viewer.

Re:Nielson boxes?

[CrimsonAvenger]

What, are you kidding! That's way too sensible! As the other posters have surmised its an evil plot such that the cable operator can watch everything you do from their Skull Island fortress of doom!!!!!

No, the other posters have surmised that if something can be abused by those in a position of power, it will be so abused, sooner or later.

Whether it is first used for a "sensible" purpose or no, sooner or later it will be used for a malicious purpose.

Re:Phone home

[PolyDwarf]

What would be the point if it *didn't* send the info to anyone?

Re:Limits?

[clang_jangle]

Any limits set initially may well change. This is just another reason to resort to bittorrent.

Re:duct tape

[RetroGeek]

And then the box detects its 'blind' and refuses to run your movie

At which point I return the box/tv set, yell at the salesperson, and behave badly.

This is like the Panasonic patent which blocks channel changing during commercials. Some *AA exec is wetting his pants, but the public WILL NOT put up with this.

This kind of intrusion is a revolution just waiting to happen, sheeple or not.

Re:Phone home

[xigxag]

The manufacturer's homepage seems to imply that the device could be used for gesture-controlled applications, such as changing the channel without a remote control.

In other words, something like Natal.

Or to rephrase that, what does this device do that Natal doesn't have the capability to do? And that being the case, shouldn't people be equally worried about Natal spying on its users?

Nietzsche

[Experiment 626]

Friedrich Nietzsche once said that if you stare into the abyss long enough the abyss stares back at you. Now staring at the TV can have the same effect.

Re:Limits?

[interkin3tic]

I suspect that would get defeated with the whole "I'll just watch it on netflix/DVD/bittorrent/whatever alternative there will be at the time." Maybe not for privacy's sake, but for "I'm not paying extra for when Jimmy comes over, fuck that."

I suspect the actual uses of the device would be for advertisers to get some feedback and makeup of their viewing audience. The blurb linked to suggests it can tell between kids and adults. That doesn't sound like a tech to limit the number of viewers, that sounds like a tech to see "okay, how many kids versus how many adults are watching right now? More kids? Awesome, McDonalds pays more to run happy meal ads than value meal ads."