Comcast's Creepy Experiment Puts Cams Inside DVRs to Watch You
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?
Comcast is shilling this as a type of customization features. The camera would be capable of recognizing specific individuals and therefore loading a user's favorite channels and on the other hand block certain content as well. Stop the schtick, Comcast. Nobody, and I mean nobody would ever voluntarily allow you to place a camera in a household, for any purpose. It's a shame that I can already imagine the headlines when Comcast does this involuntarily.
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Anyone remember the TV show Max Headroom? They had an episode that predicted this move. Hilarious!
it's nothing that a little piece of black tape won't 'fix'
but indeed it is creepy... and offers up all kinds of privacy concerns.
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
Max headroom was visionary indeed.
But this is going way to far. I think Comcast will be sued over this wonderful piece of technology. They already track all of a household's viewing habits so I don't see any possible benefit for the consumer.
Jenni, are you nuts? Comcast is already secretly and illegally blocking internet access for its 'unlimited' service. You think we're going to buy that line of BS you just laughingly spit out?
A while after Comcast forces this feature down our throats, it will be revealed that the system does a lot more than promised, or someone at CC inappropriately used it to spy on a couple in a romantic position on a couch, etc, etc.
This type of technology cannot be trusted in Comcast's hands, and you know it.
Get FIOS internet and TV until Verizon pulls this crap, too, people. Comcast deserves to go out of business.
-JT
Jenni, are you nuts? Comcast is already secretly and illegally blocking internet access for its 'unlimited' service. You think we're going to buy that line of BS you just laughingly spit out?
A while after Comcast forces this feature down our throats, it will be revealed that the system does a lot more than promised, or someone at CC inappropriately used it to spy on a couple in a romantic position on a couch, etc, etc.
This type of technology cannot be trusted in Comcast's hands, and you know it.
Get FIOS internet and TV until Verizon pulls this crap, too, people. Comcast deserves to go out of business.
-JT
Yes - I agree with all of the PC Readers Above - NINTENDO Wii technology is evil!
Seriously - this is not exactly a tech savvy bunch! Gesture recognition is the future - lets get rid of the mouse already!
The camera in my WII is not able to identify me. It identifies the motion of the remote in my hand. I still have to put in information to tell it who I am when I use it. How is this camera in the DVR going to recognize individuals? There is more to this Jenni-Cam than she's letting on. Also, what would happen if Uncle Sam asked for assistance from Comcast in its anti-terrorism efforts?
Ahh, the Jenni-Cam. Those were the days.
That was a revolutionary idea at the time (which unfortunately spawned a Jenny Cam which was pure porn).
This will be interesting to follow - I am eyeing those two lighted eyeballs staring at me right now from the Comcast box ...
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