Apple patent lets users switch away from broadcast commercials automatically

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  • Reply 21 of 44
    MacPromacpro Posts: 19,873member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Is this stripping out the commercials or an active options by users to skip past an ad, much like on YouTube et al. where after x-many seconds you can choose to continue watching the ad to jump to the content.

    I'd like to see a system like this be used creatively, where you can opt in to watch a certain number commercials and with certain types selected, this for a reduced rate for your subscription. So could pay more for none, less for a few and so on. Free would be you had no choice. White lists and blacklists being possible at the same time would be nice in setting up your selections. The key being able to focus on that you will put up with. I'd also want to be able to include political ads in the black list! I'd like to take this even further ideally being able to use meta data to add or block shows as well as ads. So you could for example have it pick up on shows containing references to Apple products or shows with tall, slim brunettes with ... sorry mind wandering.
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  • Reply 22 of 44


    It would be cool if Pandora integrated into music.app and you could choose "radio" like on Mac and then use Pandora but when commercials came on, it switched to onboard content that matched the genre/artist you were listening to.

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  • Reply 23 of 44

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    Is this stripping out the commercials or an active options by users to skip past an ad, much like on YouTube et al. where after x-many seconds you can choose to continue watching the ad to jump to the content.




    I'd like to see a system like this be used creatively, where you can opt in to watch a certain number commercials and with certain types selected, this for a reduced rate for your subscription. So could pay more for none, less for a few and so on. Free would be you had no choice. White lists and blacklists being possible at the same time would be nice in setting up your selections. The key being able to focus on that you will put up with. I'd also want to be able to include political ads in the black list! I'd like to take this even further ideally being able to use meta data to add or block shows as well as ads. So you could for example have it pick up on shows containing references to Apple products or shows with tall, slim brunettes with ... sorry mind wandering.


     


    ...and even opt to show things like all commercials in the last week for Alaska Cruises...  Commercials on demand!  Seriously I can see the ad agencies/creaters calling up commercials only -- of their ads and their competitors.


     


    ...There was this attractive, buxom, long-haired brunette doing commentary on some show last evening -- beautiful eyes and smile.   She wore a yellow dress that had a large black and silver zipper on the bodice... like for a wet suit   I couldn't take my eyes (or mind) off that zipper -- and the possibilities that lay therein...   It was the sexiest thing that I've seen in a long time!

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  • Reply 24 of 44


    I've seen a man walk on the moon. I saw the Berlin Wall come down, but I never thought I would see something as great as this. Please let it happen.

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  • Reply 25 of 44
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Just don't block ones like this.

    [VIDEO] [/VIDEO]
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  • Reply 26 of 44
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,769member


     


    edit

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  • Reply 27 of 44


    The thought of being able to automatically switch away from viagra/cialis commercials while watching the Nightly News with my family during dinner time is very appealing!!

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  • Reply 28 of 44
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,769member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


     


    ...and even opt to show things like all commercials in the last week for Alaska Cruises...  Commercials on demand!  Seriously I can see the ad agencies/creaters calling up commercials only -- of their ads and their competitors.


     


    ...There was this attractive, buxom, long-haired brunette doing commentary on some show last evening -- beautiful eyes and smile.   She wore a yellow dress that had a large black and silver zipper on the bodice... like for a wet suit   I couldn't take my eyes (or mind) off that zipper -- and the possibilities that lay therein...   It was the sexiest thing that I've seen in a long time!



    Now you're talking about tracking viewership by individual households tied to their demographics. A lot of forum members have stated that tracking of users to allow placement of targeted ads isn't acceptable to them, some even going so far as to claim it intrudes on our liberties. If the feelings stated here are typical I don't know that Apple users in general would accept being tracked and identified for specific advertising even if it was Apple behind it.

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  • Reply 29 of 44

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post



    Just don't block ones like this.





     


    Or any of the Isenbeck beer commercials... I'll leave the ecstasy of discovery up to you...

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  • Reply 30 of 44
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    The regular network programming is so terrible, I often switch channels to find a well produced advertisement once the scheduled program comes back on. For some reason there are a lot more creative and intelligent people working in advertising than there are in prime time TV programming. I love to watch those compilations of the year's best TV ads. Sadly, many ads suck as much as the TV shows they rare inserted into. image

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  • Reply 31 of 44
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Content Providers are NOT going to like this.


     


    If this is what Steve Jobs meant when he says he cracked TV, I'm all for it, though.



    perhaps we'll never know what the "true" meaning of "Cracked" was in SJ's mind, but I would guess it had more to do with the UI than anything else.

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  • Reply 32 of 44
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

    quote deleted, just referencing the article.


    So, after skimming the article, my thought...I'm not sure but this just sounds like "PiP". not replacing commercials.  Sounds like you can just queue up your own "local" content to play over the commericals, but the live stream is still in the background.  The diagram kind of hints that a way to monitor the live buffered stream is there somewhere in sight will watching local content.  So to me it just sounds like Apple's version of PiP just adding your own content in the mix.


     


    It also sounds like to me...any predictions that Apple will be doing a DVR is dead in the water.  By the vary nature of this patent (if true and used in any future Apple STB) would mean they will be eliminating the need for play/pause TV by inserting user's content in-between commercial breaks.


     


    That all being said, so few Apple's patents ever really see the light-of-day in any future product.  And if they do it will be years before we see it...and it will be quite a bit different that how the patent showed it.  (e.g. the original multi-touch interface patent).

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  • Reply 33 of 44
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Or any of the Isenbeck beer commercials... I'll leave the ecstasy of discovery up to you...

    Yes those will do as well.
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  • Reply 34 of 44
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Crowley View Post


    This is pretty naughty if they ever do anything with it.


     


    I'm no fan of adverts, but it's a valid business model and I don't like that Apple is trying to undermine it.  Offer an alternative, but don't be a jerk in other people's gardens; that's the Google way.



    its a valid business model if you don't take advantage of it.  Lost are the days when if you paid money for Cable or Satellite, you did't have commercials.  That was the biggest draw and what justified paying a gob of money for it.  Now you're paying for the "privilege" of viewing the content that the Cable company pays to license out for viewing from a much larger media conglomerate, supplemented by commercial funding and view subscription.  To me, that's just plain highway robbery.

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  • Reply 35 of 44
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    Now, if Apple made a device, like a TV set, with this capability, It could receive the commercials and, optionally play them, or not.

    It would be under control of the user. But, the content distributors (broadcast, cable, Internet) could be included in an arrangement where the user paid a fee or subscription to play the content commercial-free.

    I think that this would conform to the legalities, support the current advertising model, and support a new non-advertising model.

    There could even be a new hybrid business model, If sufficient metadata is available -- the user could automatically play some commercials (local) and skip others (meow-mix).

    Playing of commercials could be monitored and feedback given to the content distributors. The user could opt to play the most popular commercials about things that are of current interest to him, e.g. a new car.

    If Apple could deliver this capability to the TV set, it would be of interest both the user and content distributors.

    Finally, let's not forget that some of the best content on the TV... Is some of the commercials.


    The most annoying issue I see with this kind of "option" is that you still have to endure a 2+ minute break in the programming every 5 minutes.  Which to me, that sucks and I'd rather have a DVR and watch my shows commercial free.  I never watch TV live anymore except for the news and occasionally sports.


     


    It's a sad reality now that TV show writers/directors are now producing shows with commercial breaks in mind now.  Have you ever tried to watch an episode of, or example, "Lost" commercial free?  It's actually quite strange not to have the commercials in the episodes because the writing and soundtracks are edited for those breaks.


     


    Additionally it's pretty sad to pay upwards of 75$ per average seat at a live sporting event when you have to endure the "TV Time-outs" for commercials.  Especially at a Hockey game where the action just comes to a screeching halt for @^%@#^%@ commercial breaks.


     


    Sorry that's a bit off topic.

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  • Reply 36 of 44
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,386member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Content Providers are NOT going to like this.


     


    If this is what Steve Jobs meant when he says he cracked TV, I'm all for it, though.



    The only thing that comes to mind is how can they eliminate commercials during the broadcast?  If the content has been recorded, that should be easy, but during a broadcast?  What would be displayed instead?  A black screen with no audio?


     


    Personally, watching TV programs and having to pay for what was normally free seems kind of strange.  Most TV shows, I wouldn't pay for.  Unfortunately, they have to have ads to pay for the shows.  


     


    I almost wouldn't mind watching TV that is all pre-recorded on a DVR and just watch the programs when I feel like it.  But some shows, like news related, it's better to watch real time, as long as it isn't a rebroadcast like much of these stations are showing.

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  • Reply 37 of 44
    pt123pt123 Posts: 696member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by geoadm View Post



    Wonder if google are going to patent the opposite




    I think someone already has a patent that prevents skipping commercials.

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  • Reply 38 of 44
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    Is this stripping out the commercials or an active options by users to skip past an ad, much like on YouTube et al. where after x-many seconds you can choose to continue watching the ad to jump to the content.




    I believe this was Dish stripping out the commercials.

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  • Reply 39 of 44
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post


    perhaps we'll never know what the "true" meaning of "Cracked" was in SJ's mind, but I would guess it had more to do with the UI than anything else.



     


    And how do we know if Steve's version of "cracked' is good?  I mean since Steve's death he's basically been turned into this god like figure that could do no wrong.  And anytime Apple does something someone doesn't like we get the 'Steve would never have..." posts.

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  • Reply 40 of 44
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    And WE will get to decide what commercials live and what commercials die (seriously, a rating system).


     


    Like this one. Hey, look! Samsung is copying Apple by releasing absolutely terrible commercials!


     


    image



     


    This commercial is far more terrible than anything Apple has made.  I mean it has James Franco in it.  How much more terrible can anything get?  

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