I never get how this ever really bothers anyone?? People are always so concerned about companies collecting data to help advertisers taget customers... how is that bad again?? Everyone is always so concerned about personal privacy... if I could walk into a Best Buy and a chip I had embedded in my head transformed the store into only relevant products for me and hid all the crap I had no interest in, sign me up!!
What bothers me is Neilson not taking ratings data taken from Tivo and other PVR's more into account when reporting which shows are popular. You could argue that those numbers don't matter as much due to the very nature of PVR's and their commercial skipping abilities, but I think the increasing presence of in-show adverts as well as product placement are making any sort of viewership (online, torrent, or time-shifted) more and more relevant.
At least more relevant then a select few writing down in a diary their viewing habits, which have a nasty habit of being *nothing* like anyone's I know.Grey's Anatomy and Dancing with the Stars getting three times as many viewers as Chuck? Whatever.
Here, let me try and explain. Generally, customers accept this kind of intrusive, obnoxious corporate behavior when there is some sort of mutual benefit for both parties, i.e. the customer gets unusually cheap or free service or the ability to use the paid service with cheap third-party hardware (which costs substantially less), while the corporation gets cash flow to cover their overhead or enhance their product or something.
In this case, however, customers are ALREADY paying big bucks for the proprietary TiVO DVR, and then on top of that send even MORE cash to TiVO every month to keep that expensive DVR working with TiVO's proprietary listing service.
True, these loyal people can already get DVR listing subscription services for free from the competition (such as via TitanTV), but TIVO is able to charge so much for their hardware and then for again for their listings because of the thoughtfulness and sophistication of their built-in-in interface, which essentially takes standard listings data and organizes it intelligently with clever menus. Many people greatly enjoy this and gladly pay the money. And of course there are the others who are just bagged after acquiring the proprietary DVR on a brand whim without carefully considering all the other fees.
So TiVO gets two FAT streams of revenue –– cash from their overpriced DVRs, and cash from their overpriced listings service. This should be more than enough to cover what I see as their two costs, TiVO server administration and TiVO GUI development. All the rest --- all the the tens of millions they splurge on marketing, and all the riches and raw profit they sink into their executive pay and bonuses, to hell with it. The party's over, it's time they cut that down.
Therefore, I WILL NOT permit TIVO to profit on my private information and personal identity and viewing habits until one of the two following conditions have been met:
• TiVO allows me to buy a TiVO system then use it with third-party listings services
~OR~
• TiVO freely distributes their software, allows me to install it on ANY DVR I please, and thenceforth asks me subscribe to their monthly service (so the service is a ruse; I'm essentially just leasing their software), or sells the software outright with no additional fees.
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I never get how this ever really bothers anyone?? People are always so concerned about companies collecting data to help advertisers taget customers... how is that bad again?? Everyone is always so concerned about personal privacy... if I could walk into a Best Buy and a chip I had embedded in my head transformed the store into only relevant products for me and hid all the crap I had no interest in, sign me up!!
What bothers me is Neilson not taking ratings data taken from Tivo and other PVR's more into account when reporting which shows are popular. You could argue that those numbers don't matter as much due to the very nature of PVR's and their commercial skipping abilities, but I think the increasing presence of in-show adverts as well as product placement are making any sort of viewership (online, torrent, or time-shifted) more and more relevant.
At least more relevant then a select few writing down in a diary their viewing habits, which have a nasty habit of being *nothing* like anyone's I know.Grey's Anatomy and Dancing with the Stars getting three times as many viewers as Chuck? Whatever.
Here, let me try and explain. Generally, customers accept this kind of intrusive, obnoxious corporate behavior when there is some sort of mutual benefit for both parties, i.e. the customer gets unusually cheap or free service or the ability to use the paid service with cheap third-party hardware (which costs substantially less), while the corporation gets cash flow to cover their overhead or enhance their product or something.
In this case, however, customers are ALREADY paying big bucks for the proprietary TiVO DVR, and then on top of that send even MORE cash to TiVO every month to keep that expensive DVR working with TiVO's proprietary listing service.
True, these loyal people can already get DVR listing subscription services for free from the competition (such as via TitanTV), but TIVO is able to charge so much for their hardware and then for again for their listings because of the thoughtfulness and sophistication of their built-in-in interface, which essentially takes standard listings data and organizes it intelligently with clever menus. Many people greatly enjoy this and gladly pay the money. And of course there are the others who are just bagged after acquiring the proprietary DVR on a brand whim without carefully considering all the other fees.
So TiVO gets two FAT streams of revenue –– cash from their overpriced DVRs, and cash from their overpriced listings service. This should be more than enough to cover what I see as their two costs, TiVO server administration and TiVO GUI development. All the rest --- all the the tens of millions they splurge on marketing, and all the riches and raw profit they sink into their executive pay and bonuses, to hell with it. The party's over, it's time they cut that down.
Therefore, I WILL NOT permit TIVO to profit on my private information and personal identity and viewing habits until one of the two following conditions have been met:
• TiVO allows me to buy a TiVO system then use it with third-party listings services
~OR~
• TiVO freely distributes their software, allows me to install it on ANY DVR I please, and thenceforth asks me subscribe to their monthly service (so the service is a ruse; I'm essentially just leasing their software), or sells the software outright with no additional fees.