And don't forget that both systems, while being satellite radios, are incompatible with each other, so if you buy one and its company goes belly up and the other survives, you will have to buy the other.
Actually, yes. Their contention is that even though you fast-forward, you are still seeing the content (albiet really fast.) ReplayTV's QuickSkip button is similar because you do see "bits" of the commercial between button presses.
The real issue is the "Commercial Skip" feature that actuall skips all commercials in the break. I'm not exactly sure the details, but basically, you go from program content to program content, completely skipping over the commercials. Funny thing is that this technology has been available on VCRs for years. It's just more convenient on a hard disk-based ReplayTV box.
Placement? Initially, but I don't think this is a long-term solution. For "national" brands, this might be OK, but what about "local" brands? (Car dealerships, local stores, etc.)
The problem with product placement is that they can become quickly outdated, and they are not necessarilly globally targeted.
Superimposed? Fine! Let the technology advance. A good alternative would be to have "superimposed product placement". Imagine filming a show like "Friends" and when Ross drinks a can of pop, he just uses a "generic" can. Then, depending on the market, a specific "brand" could be superimposed on the can. Maybe this type of technology isn't advanced enough, but remember what is the "Mother of Invention?"
"One of the lead researchers says that if Einstein's theory is not right, it will only need minor adjustments to account for changes in space-time, due to its deadly accurate precision."
Um, I don't think so. Activating it on the web is only half the process. You have to go through activation screens on the ReplayTV box itself, and it asks you if you agree to the terms of the service agreement. Besides, the Agreement specifically states:
"...by using the ReplayTV Service, you agree to all terms and conditions in this Agreement."
So in using the service, you are agreeing to be bound by its terms.
"...ReplayTV has the absolute right to immediatly suspend or terminate your account...if you...(c) infringe (or are alleged to infringe) upon the intellectual property rights of ReplayTV or any third party in your use in any way of the ReplayTV Service."
is that the consumer, who paid good money for this product, could end up with a boat anchor if any of the various network/industry organizations (fill in your favorite acronym here) decide that wee are infringing on their copyrights. I guess we agree to the terms, but it still seems pretty open-ended.
That's the problem with these types of devices--they are still way out of reach of most users pricewise. Granted, the articles don't mention price, but you can be sure that based on similar products available today, it will probably sell for between $1500 and $2500--way too high for the average user.
All I want is a wireless, tablet-sized device that will allow me to surf the web from anywhere in my house, wirelessly connecting to my LAN, and I would like to see it for below $1000. I don't need Windows XP, I won't be playing games or doing video production on this thing! I just want to surf the web!
This is a great victory for more than just Sonic Blue. This sets a precident that prevents manufacturers from being required to install monitoring software. That said, the issues of file sharing and commercial skipping are still open (for which litigation is no doubt forthcoming!)
By the way, the whole "file sharing" issue has often been misinterpreted. ReplayTV's file sharing is not an unlimited sharing tool like Napster was. You can only share a file with up to 15 other people, and once the recipient receive the file, they cannot share it further. Yes, itis file sharing, but it's been designed to be somewhat limited.
data is worth a great deal of money to the PVR manufacturers. The broadcast industry had every reason to expect that SonicBlue was collecting this information; and, if not, that they will in the future. It's disingenuous of SonicBlue to act as if collecting that information is something that they don't do and would never consider doing. Frankly, that would be a stupid business decision.
Just because something might be profitable (collecting data) doesn't necessarily mean it should be done. SonicBlue may have other motives (like not wanting to implicate themselves) but I commend them for sticking up for the consumers.
I hear some of the TiVo users saying that they tried the 30 second skip function, and they reverted back to high-speed FF. Why? because they get to see in high speed all the content. By skipping ahead 30 seconds, they are potentially missing content. But to me, that's the whole point. My viewing habits have significantly changed since purchasing a ReplayTV box. Probably only 10% of the TV I watch is live--everything else is either recorded or delayed! Why? Becaues I choose to not watch commercials.
OK, I admit that I have sometimes missed out on some things like seeing what are the latest movies opening in theaters, and yes, I do miss an announcement or two about some special show that will air, but that minor inconvenience far outweighs the fact that I am watching more quality TV, and I am watching what I want to watch, when I want to watch it. And just because you skip ahead 30 seconds doesn't mean that you miss everything. You see the content between button pushes, and if it looks interesting, I "Instant Replay" back a couple times to catch it.
Oh, and ReplayTV also has multi-speed FF with overshoot correction. Most neglect to say that...
You can... - Watch PBS. No ads, no pay (but you should donate money.)
They now show ads between shows.
- Get HBO. A few decent shows (but you have to pay.)
Probably the best choice for ad-free programming.
- Rent DVDs. Some good movies out there (but you have to pay.)
Getting close, but those who produce the DVDs can still lock out button functions. Some very poorly created DVDs FORCE you to watch trailers for other of their titles! I have only seen one or two of these, but it's a PAIN IN THE BUTT! They left the FF button active, but deactivated the menu, stop, and power button!)
I actually think this is a good idea, and I see no problem with this type of charge for this type of domain name given the target audience. Why? The big problem is that no one currently enforces the intent of the "big three".COM,.NET, and.ORG namespaces. Remember when you had to be a company to get a.dom? Or an ISP to get a.net? These namespaces have become nothing more than a free-for-all for sake of generating revenue. New namespaces like this if registration requirements are enforces could help relieve some of the current confusions in the "big three" TLD's. The key is to come up with namespaces that make sense while being attractive to the target audiences.
...I hope this isn't off-topic or a troll. I am truely not understanding the privacy issues here. I am a ReplayTV owner. I am not doing anything illegal. I watch TV. I record most shows on my ReplayTV box. I skip most commercials. My ReplayTV box is an older model that doesn't allow sharing or auto-commercial skip.
OK, that said, what does it matter if someone knows what I watch?
Please explain how does this affect me as a consumer?
Um, I don't think so. Let's be honest here...the demographic of the majority of the people who "abuse" the system are college-aged and younger people whose incomes are far lower than those who aren't "abusing" the system.
Why should I have to pay a portion of my income (that I use to legitimatly pay for CD's and DVD's) to support someone who wants a free ride?
It adds somewhat of a twist when Sonicblue is ordered to infringe on its user's privacy and not TiVo.
That's because SonicBlue's PVR, unlike unhacked TiVo models, allows for program sharing among users outside the house via the Internet, as well as auto-commercial skip.
Also note that the article specifies the "4000" series box which is the only box capable of sharing and auto-commercial skipping. I wonder if the "spying" will occur on other model boxes too?
So, has the court offered clear and convincing evidence, etc? If not -- and seeing how this is information that is not being gathered at the moment, then the court seems to be exceeding its authority here, and should issue wiretap or search warrants for each subscriber it wants SonicBlue to monitor.
It looks like SonicBlue is the one being required to provide the "clear and convincing evidence!"
Two key questions: does the unique identifier make it "personally identifiable" information?
The unique identifier itself does not make the data "personally identifiable", but when you "register" your ReplayTV box, you must provide name, address, phone number, etc. which is linked to the unique identifier. A simple join would yield "personal identifiable" data.
...ReplayTV users agreed to it in accepting their privacy policy:
SONICblue may disclose Personal or Anonymous Information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary or appropriate to conform to the law or comply with legal process served on SONICblue, to protect and defend the rights or property of SONICblue, the ReplayTV Service or our viewers, whether or not required to do so by law, or to protect the personal safety of our viewers or the public. SONICblue reserves the right to contact appropriate authorities and disclose Personal or Anonymous Information to them at its discretion when it appears that individuals using our products or services are engaged in activities that are illegal or violate the ReplayTV Service Terms of Service.
FYI, every ReplayTV box has a unique "serial number" that identifies the box. This is necessary for the ReplayTV servers to validate the box is "eligible" to receive channel guide data when it does its nightly dial-in.
Though this serial number is typically not associated with a specific person, if you have registered for the myreplaytv.com site to remotely control your ReplayTV from the web, then the serial number is associated with that account.
Per "ReplayPatrick", a ReplayTV employee, posted at the AVSforum...
"About the 4500's
There's been some confusion about the upcoming 4500-series ReplayTV's. I'll try and clear up some of the misperceptions:
The 4500 is basically a software update that 4000 users will also receive. The changes in the software are primarily related to the new service fee plus one new, yet to be announced, feature. 4500-series units and 4000-series will interoperate just fine. Of course, any 4000-series or earlier units will be exempt from the service fees. The 4500 is not a DVD-Combo product. The 4500 will be available in retail shortly.
There's not much more I can say at this point, but hopefully this will put some concerns to rest. __________________ Patrick Ellis Applications Engineer ReplayTV, Inc.
Slashdot Mirror
And don't forget that both systems, while being satellite radios, are incompatible with each other, so if you buy one and its company goes belly up and the other survives, you will have to buy the other.
Actually, yes. Their contention is that even though you fast-forward, you are still seeing the content (albiet really fast.) ReplayTV's QuickSkip button is similar because you do see "bits" of the commercial between button presses.
The real issue is the "Commercial Skip" feature that actuall skips all commercials in the break. I'm not exactly sure the details, but basically, you go from program content to program content, completely skipping over the commercials. Funny thing is that this technology has been available on VCRs for years. It's just more convenient on a hard disk-based ReplayTV box.
Placement? Initially, but I don't think this is a long-term solution. For "national" brands, this might be OK, but what about "local" brands? (Car dealerships, local stores, etc.)
The problem with product placement is that they can become quickly outdated, and they are not necessarilly globally targeted.
Superimposed? Fine! Let the technology advance. A good alternative would be to have "superimposed product placement". Imagine filming a show like "Friends" and when Ross drinks a can of pop, he just uses a "generic" can. Then, depending on the market, a specific "brand" could be superimposed on the can. Maybe this type of technology isn't advanced enough, but remember what is the "Mother of Invention?"
...obviously /.'ed, so I mirrored his site here...wait...ever mind.
...is still crappy content. When will the networks learn?
Who says the Universe is binary?!?
That's the problem with these types of devices--they are still way out of reach of most users pricewise. Granted, the articles don't mention price, but you can be sure that based on similar products available today, it will probably sell for between $1500 and $2500--way too high for the average user.
All I want is a wireless, tablet-sized device that will allow me to surf the web from anywhere in my house, wirelessly connecting to my LAN, and I would like to see it for below $1000. I don't need Windows XP, I won't be playing games or doing video production on this thing! I just want to surf the web!
This is a great victory for more than just Sonic Blue. This sets a precident that prevents manufacturers from being required to install monitoring software. That said, the issues of file sharing and commercial skipping are still open (for which litigation is no doubt forthcoming!)
By the way, the whole "file sharing" issue has often been misinterpreted. ReplayTV's file sharing is not an unlimited sharing tool like Napster was. You can only share a file with up to 15 other people, and once the recipient receive the file, they cannot share it further. Yes, itis file sharing, but it's been designed to be somewhat limited.
I hear some of the TiVo users saying that they tried the 30 second skip function, and they reverted back to high-speed FF. Why? because they get to see in high speed all the content. By skipping ahead 30 seconds, they are potentially missing content. But to me, that's the whole point. My viewing habits have significantly changed since purchasing a ReplayTV box. Probably only 10% of the TV I watch is live--everything else is either recorded or delayed! Why? Becaues I choose to not watch commercials.
OK, I admit that I have sometimes missed out on some things like seeing what are the latest movies opening in theaters, and yes, I do miss an announcement or two about some special show that will air, but that minor inconvenience far outweighs the fact that I am watching more quality TV, and I am watching what I want to watch, when I want to watch it. And just because you skip ahead 30 seconds doesn't mean that you miss everything. You see the content between button pushes, and if it looks interesting, I "Instant Replay" back a couple times to catch it.
Oh, and ReplayTV also has multi-speed FF with overshoot correction. Most neglect to say that...
Probably the best choice for ad-free programming.
Getting close, but those who produce the DVDs can still lock out button functions. Some very poorly created DVDs FORCE you to watch trailers for other of their titles! I have only seen one or two of these, but it's a PAIN IN THE BUTT! They left the FF button active, but deactivated the menu, stop, and power button!)
I actually think this is a good idea, and I see no problem with this type of charge for this type of domain name given the target audience. Why? The big problem is that no one currently enforces the intent of the "big three" .COM, .NET, and .ORG namespaces. Remember when you had to be a company to get a .dom? Or an ISP to get a .net? These namespaces have become nothing more than a free-for-all for sake of generating revenue. New namespaces like this if registration requirements are enforces could help relieve some of the current confusions in the "big three" TLD's. The key is to come up with namespaces that make sense while being attractive to the target audiences.
...prohibiting the sale of violent (ie: "R" rated) movies to minors?
Same concept, just a different medium.
Problem is that many places don't or won't enforce the rules.
...I hope this isn't off-topic or a troll. I am truely not understanding the privacy issues here. I am a ReplayTV owner. I am not doing anything illegal. I watch TV. I record most shows on my ReplayTV box. I skip most commercials. My ReplayTV box is an older model that doesn't allow sharing or auto-commercial skip.
OK, that said, what does it matter if someone knows what I watch?
Please explain how does this affect me as a consumer?
How does this affect me as a US Citizen?
Um, I don't think so. Let's be honest here...the demographic of the majority of the people who "abuse" the system are college-aged and younger people whose incomes are far lower than those who aren't "abusing" the system.
Why should I have to pay a portion of my income (that I use to legitimatly pay for CD's and DVD's) to support someone who wants a free ride?
Also note that the article specifies the "4000" series box which is the only box capable of sharing and auto-commercial skipping. I wonder if the "spying" will occur on other model boxes too?
The article states that they are.
FYI, every ReplayTV box has a unique "serial number" that identifies the box. This is necessary for the ReplayTV servers to validate the box is "eligible" to receive channel guide data when it does its nightly dial-in.
Though this serial number is typically not associated with a specific person, if you have registered for the myreplaytv.com site to remotely control your ReplayTV from the web, then the serial number is associated with that account.
...from the NFL if I watch the commercials but skip through the football game during the SuperBowl?