>Ouch. Not allowed to change channel during tv-ads?
Philips patent app would force you to watch commercials, both live and recorded: „Filed under: Home Entertainment In a move that would surely delight advertisers but enrage consumers, Philips is trying to patent a method for flagging digital TV content to not only prevent viewers from changing the channel during commercials in live broadcasts, but to actually lock out fast-forwarding capabilities during ads in recorded programs as well. Even worse, the patent specifically applies to the already widely-deployed Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) middleware system standard, meaning that many Europeans‘ current TVs would be susceptible to these Orwellian controls. Since the US version of this platform, OCAP, is largely based on the MHP architecture, it’s not a stretch to imagine such flagging being applied to American sets as well. Although we’re certain that a workaround would be developed if Philips‘ evil plan ever actually materializes, just the thought of our DVRs going impotent is enough to fill us with fear and trepidation.Update 1: Reader Paul B, who also happened to chair the group that wrote the MHP „
