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Will Microsoft Dis-Kinect Freeloading TV Viewers?
theodp writes "Just when you think the cable TV viewing experience couldn't get any worse, GeekWire reports on the Microsoft Xbox Incubation team's patent-pending Consumer Detector, which uses cameras and sensors like those in the Xbox 360 Kinect controller to monitor, count and in some cases identify the people in a room watching television, movies and other content. Should the number of viewers detected exceed the limits of a particular content license, the system would halt playback unless additional viewing rights were purchased."
Over the camera should solve the problem.
I am enthusiastic about Microsoft's apparent desire to increase illegal copying.
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Or do it the other way around: count the number of people present and facing the screen during commercials. Refuse to show the program if the number of viewers exceed that of the break.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
Well, between the ads and other crap Microsoft has been injecting into my XBox lately ... it might be time to log it out of my network and leave it disconnected. Ads in video games is starting to piss me off, and the on-line functionality isn't something I need to make use of.
And the idea of actually licensing based on how many people are in the room has been a goal of the content industry for quite a while. But I sure as hell don't plan on facilitating them.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
The best way to keep this technology out of your homes is to refuse to purchase it.
I can see why this won't work.
I'm just surprised Sony didn't come up with it first.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
Whenever we're not using it, the Kinect will be turned around to face some porn!
More than just the annoyance of a device interrupting my media, I am really feeling creeped out that something we purchased is being used as a "law enforcement" tool against us. Like a sensor in our cars that automatically phones the police when excessive speed is detected. (Woohoo! First car analogy!)
...guess I'll have to move out of my hall of mirrors. "You are licensed for two viewers...we show 185 currently watching this program."
next?
auto pause when nobody is watching.
Note: advertisements can not be skipped, advertisements are mandatory.
You do not want to fight your customers!
Typical dual use technology
Multinational megacorp : 1984 is closer every year, lets monitor and track and dehumanize, all to protect us from terrorists and "Its For The Children(tm)" and we'll purchase govt legislators to legislate our profits into perpetuity and damn the peons, some citizens like corporations are more equal than other citizens like meatbags
Open source mythtv implementation : webcam detects wife entering the room, automatic hands off instant channel change from "Naughty Cheerleaders Car Wash 2012" to "CSPAN". I'm actually kinda surprised no one has implemented this yet. With all the video processing being done in VDPAU the CPU needs something to do to keep warm in the winter, and webcams are cheap, and prototype open source cam monitoring software already exists so ...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
With the caveat that the customers are the advertisers, and the people who watch are just there to keep the seats warm and bump the Nielsen ratings.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
What if they start building the Kinect technology directly into cable boxes, or televisions?
I write software patents for a living. (I didn't write this one.) Let me describe how the patent drafting process goes.
A client comes to me with a simple invention - we'd like to do (A), (B), and (C) to achieve result (X). I talk to them at length about what (ABC) is, and what critically sets (ABC) apart from every similar example. I ask questions about how each of (A), (B), and (C) could be varied; what other elements (D), (E), and/or (F) could be added; and whether (ABC) could also be used for results (Y) or (Z).
And when I write up the patent application, EVERYTHING goes in there. (ABC) is described as the base invention, but all of the other material about (D), (E), (F), (X), (Y), and (Z) is also included as optional extensions or uses of (ABC).
Now, here's the critical thing: I haven't fully considered whether (D) is a desirable feature, or whether (Y) is a desirable result. My client doesn't even know, or says, "we don't really intend to implement (D) or do (X)." None of that is relevant. All that matters is: They are all logical, valid extensions of (ABC), so, typically, they all go in. Anything that could make the basic technique more valuable, appear more useful, or might more fully distinguish (ABC) over known techniques is helpful to add to the specification.
I read this patent the same way. The basic invention is: "Use a camera to count and identify people interacting with a device." Now, you can't just stop there - you haven't said what that information might be used for, and the patent office typically rejects applications that look like, "The technique is: Generate some data." So the patent discloses several uses of that information. That doesn't mean that Microsoft has any interest in using that technique - only that it's logically achievable from the basic techniques.
Look, we all agree that technology is neutral, right? For example, DRM has been *used* for lots of obnoxious purposes (including limiting fair-use rights), but the basic technology of DRM is neither good nor bad - it just is. The same principle applies here.
Computer over. Virus = very yes.
Why would anyone buy a device that does this and gives no benefit to the user?
My marketing guess is it'll be slid in with something psuedo-appealing.
Like a sorta-interactive exercise TV show where trainers try to motivate real world viewers to do stupid exercises while watching live and the least effective/motivational physical trainer as reported by kinect is voted out each week. Frankly I'd rather watch the pr0n equivalent version. Some vaguely gladiatorial combat thing with the viewers holding thumbs up or thumbs down might be cool. Or again, the pr0n version, literal thumbs up or thumbs down for "amihotornot" interactive TV show.
I don't have enough kinect experience to know if it can detect money shots and thumbs up/down and all that.
Regardless, it'll be something "cool" like that which also coincidentally has the turbo-mega-ultra-i-e-cloud-DRM feature. Not just "surprise, here's something that sucks, hope ya like it" although microsoft gets away with it at almost every software release so maybe, maybe...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
next?
auto pause when nobody is watching.
Note: advertisements can not be skipped, advertisements are mandatory.
You do not want to fight your customers!
At last! A legitimate use for my RealDoll.
She can watch the ads while I take a bathroom break.
It's always no.
In other words, Betteridge's law of headlines describes trolling by the writer or publisher rather than a commenter.
One reason Netflix can't offer a premium service with "the good stuff" (and by this I'm guessing you mean popular movies as soon as they hit DVD and TV shows a day or so after they air) is because of the content owners. The content owners think giving content to Netflix means killing DVD sales or driving people away from paying for TV. They see Netflix as an impending apocalypse to be driven away by any means necessary.
They're more than willing to toss some scraps Netflix's way, but they won't release the popular movies without Netflix giving them serious cash. As in "the amount we'd make if everyone who could possibly watch this bought the DVD instead" cash. Nevermind that not everyone on Netflix will even watch their movies and not everyone who watches it would have bought the DVD. They see Netflix as "lost sales" when it is really "found money."
So Netflix can't offer that stuff until the content owners free it up and the content owners won't free it up over unfounded fears that Netflix will kill their sacred DVD sales.
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
Well, not exactly. (Disclaimer: I actually work for a cable company..) But, a venue's foot traffic and business type does factor in to what they are charged.
In the case of a hotel, they are typically paying a fairly low rate for the programming compared to a normal "residential" subscriber. Also, there are sometimes extra perks the cable company throws in to the hotel's package: for example, the cable company may maintain the on-site infrastructure for the hotel, even providing the hotel with their own barker channel. Similarly, many apartment complexes (the ones that advertise "free cable!") have a similar arrangement.. we're not charging the property the $40 per subscriber that the basic cable package normally costs. We might charge a 50-unit property $500-1000, throw in a free cable modem or two (or some phone services) for the manager and/or the office, and call it even. We may even give the property a "kickback" or commission if they upsell the resident to a higher package.
However, if you are a restaurant or a bar, get ready to open your checkbook. Especially if you want the extended sports tiers.
It's also worth noting that some premium services aren't available to "commercial" (hotels are often considered "residential" for these purposes) customers for any price. I believe one of the movie channels (I don't recall which one) has a prohibition against commercial subs.
Make sure that you show the appropriate level of enthusiasm during the Two Minutes Hate friend citizen.
Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
if it were not literally true, in this case.
+1, Genteelism of the day.
I remember that some years ago, somebody came up with another brilliant idea: Have the TV sets locked on to a particular channel when the ads are shown, and ignore anything the user does with the remote control. Return control to the user only after the ads are finished.
And to top it off, the new "feature" included an "upgraded" service, where the user will pay extra to have the channel lock removed. Patented ransomware.
What they did not take into account, is that people who were unknowingly buying such a thing were going to return them to the store in droves, declaring the units defective.
This move simply smacks of desperation from M$ after their blah launch of Win8 and the Surface tablet (plus the obligatory Apple and Google tablet launches around the same time)
Somebody patent couches with periscopes so people can watch from behind them. And mannequins with webcams in their eyes which re-broadcast the program over the local wifi. This will be a goldmine!
Meh... on the other hand, screw it. Just take a picture of one dude on a couch, print it on a card, and then sell it with a little bracket which dangles it right in front of the Kinect's eye.
There's probably a remotely installed firmware update to fix that limitation. In the world of electronics and software it is more common for "limitations" to be intentionally designed rather than being physical limitations. For example, even ten years ago I worked for a company that built GPS receiver circuit boards. Customers could pay more money and get more features, but they were shipped the exact same board as the basic model. The only difference was that jumpers were installed for each of the additional "options" to activate sections of the circuit board. If customers only knew they could save hundreds of dollars by jumpering their own boards. And that's a hardware example. Adjustments to firmware are even easier, limited more by the ingenuity of the developer than physical limitations.
Nah, then they would be unable to conume content later and lose revenue.
Now, mandatory contacts that they can control, and cause them to go dark, they would eat that up. ( sort of like the no camreas in a theater stuff being worked on.. but at an eye level )
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Indeed. If you do not own a car, you don't need to buy car insurance. For the most part, leasing counts as 'owning'. Renting(IE the registration isn't in your name) is generally handled as a rider on the rental agreement - for like $10 they give you insurance.
It gets even more complicated - you can own a car, and as long as it never touches a public street you can leave it unregistered and uninsured, and drive it without a license; while drunk. I just wouldn't suggest getting into an accident with it, because the liability would remain.
I don't read AC A human right
Bonus: If the picture is sitting on top of the subwoofer, it might fool any "lack of motion" detector algorithm as well.