- Three local third-year computer science students managed
to develop a software that allows television viewers to record commercial-free
shows and mutes the sound during ad time, newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported
Tuesday.
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- "We were looking for a project for a school assignment
that would also be practical and help the public," said Tal Sharasta,
one of the developers. "Then we realized that just as we start flipping
channels the moment there is a commercial break, the entire nation does
the same."
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- This realization led to the innovative idea, namely creating
a software that can spot commercials and circumvent them.
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- Looking for an investor
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- The software developed by the students works by spotting
the TV station's logo, which disappears once a commercial break starts.
This allows the device to mute the sound once a show goes into a commercial
break, and turn it on again once the show resumes.
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- The software can also be used through the Internet, so
viewers can control the way they record their favorite shows even while
at the office.
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- The developers, however, are still grappling with one
problem - teaching the software to recognize promos for other shows and
block them out, too.
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- Meanwhile, the software passed all the tests successfully
and was presented to school officials a week ago. Now, the students hope
to find an investor that would help them turn the patent to a commercial
product to be offered in stores.
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- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3098644,00.html
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- Comment
From Tom Gordon
6-16-5
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- Obviously hope springs eternal. At our house, we've learned
that the best way to eliminate all these TV Ads is to turn the nonsense
off. Clearly these kids have too many resources if they are using a logo
insertion recognition algorthym to spot this menace to mankind.
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- Before you invest in this scheme, why not go for the
audio anomolies themselves? In Ads, the audio typically pegs the meter,
ofting a clear starting point in the 'muting' process. The cadence of the
track itself will doubtless offer additional 'clues,' ie.: music/voice
ratio, s/n ratio.
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- The processor must sample your (active) program material
periodically, and record a set of average levels. These are then compared
to the (new) offending audio track. When the original track returns, it
auto restores the signal. This process is so simple that it could easily
be incorporated into every new digital TV. But, as to the liklihood of
this ever happening...?
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- While we are dreaming, what about a simple to impliment
after-market solution, just for the new multimedia PC's? Here's a real
opportunity for some clever entrapaneur. {Plus you get the added benefit
of falling under the mob-media consortium's radar.} Why not offer it as
a computer 'game'? You program your 'mute' button to 'flag' the really
horrible Ads, then randomly insert your own favorite audio tracks, like
"Weird AL Yankovic," or say, "Requiem for the End of Time?"
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- -2¢ Tom Gordon
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