Comcast puts cameras inside boxes to watch TV watchers!

[Vrex]

In a scene straight out of 1984, Comcast said it will begin placing actual cameras in DVR units to track data for who is watching the digital television.
This statement is so farfetched I almost don't believe it, but it came out of the mouth of Gerard Kunkel, the senior vice president of user experience for Comcast. At the Digital Living Room conference he said that Comcast is already experimenting embedding cameras into DVR boxes that actually watch the television watchers. Big Brother, anyone?
Story here: http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006673.html

[Faustus]

Man to bad my PPV selections will make it obvious they may not want to look in on me.

[stiltman]

The newteevee.com article "Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You" portrayed some assumptions that require correction and clarification. I want to be clear that in no way are we exploring any camera devices that would monitor customer behavior.

To gather information for this article, the blogger picked up on a conversation between Gerard Kunkel and another person at a recent conference. They were discussing the various input devices offered by a variety of vendors that Comcast is reviewing.

The camera-based gesture recognition device is in no way designed to - or capable of - monitoring your living room. These technologies are designed to allow simple navigation on a television set just as the Wii remote uses a camera to manage its much heralded gesture-based interactivity.

We are constantly exploring new technologies that better serve our customers. The goal is simple - a better user experience that allows the consumer to get ever increasing value out of their Comcast products.

As with any new technology, we carefully consider the consumer benefits. In fact, we do an enormous amount of consumer testing in advance of making a product decision such as this. We're confident that a new technology like gesture-based navigation will be fully explored with consumers to understand the product's feature benefits - and of course, the value to the consumer.

Jenni Moyer
Comcast


JenniMoyerMarch 21, 200810:22 AM PT

Jenni Moyer is senior director of public relations for Comcast Cable and a member of the board of directors for the Cable Television Public Affairs Association.

[Faustus]

Yet another take the story and run without checking it.

[Noahtuck]

Just the Title of this thread implies & screams BULL$H!T!!!!!!!!

Talk about invasion of privacy, doing something like that would have to be SOOOOOOOOO illegal!!!!!!

Lawsuit's abrewin' !!!!!!!

That's what happens when you have some clueless dipshit writing blogs

[lordsmurf]

Bloggers are not journalists, and PC World is a tabloid in recent years. It deserves less respect than used toilet paper.

[disturbed1]

As far fetched as the story is. Considering it was Comcast, it was half believable. I wouldn't put anything past a company that stoops as low as they do. From hidden caps on the internet, hidden and then flat out lie about packet shaping, blocking ports, and delivering what they call HD at standard def quality and bitrates............ is this really that far off from something they would do?

[Conquest10]

delivering what they call HD at standard def quality and bitrates

You don't know what you're talking about. I think you mean DirecTV.

[disturbed1]

delivering what they call HD at standard def quality and bitrates

You don't know what you're talking about. I think you mean DirecTV.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1008271

Actually, Comcast is worse

[hudsonf]

My wife told me the bedroom tv whistled at her when she got undressed the other night; And I called her a liar. Darn you Comcast!