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Time Warner Cable Patents Method For Disabling Fast-Forward Function On DVRs

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-skip-for-you dept.

antdude writes in with a story about a patent that won't have DVR users skipping for joy. "Time Warner Cable has won a U.S. patent for a method for disabling fast-forward and other trick mode functions on digital video recorders. The patent, which lists Time Warner Cable principal architect Charles Hasek as the inventor, details how the nation's second largest cable MSO may be able prevent viewers from skipping TV commercials contained in programs stored on physical DVRs it deploys in subscriber homes, network-based DVRs and even recording devices subscribers purchase at retail outlets."

1 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Patent good in this case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    For those who don't want to read technical details it can be summarized like this: Time Warner patents yet another "Method to create disincentives to honest buyers and drive people into piracy"

    I'm sure it will be a great sucess and useful as yet another argument why pirates kill their business.

    How is that fucking Insightful? I came here to get info on exactly HOW they plan on altering their video stream to do this, and all I find is a pile of "Down with The Man" posts moderated at +5 Insightful.

    This place has really gone to shit.