CES warning: watch for people turning off TV’s

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I’ve heard that a few people will be walking around CES’s main floor with devices that’ll turn off TVs. Imagine someone wearing a hat, with an IR emitter that can be turned on and off with a switch. All your TVs will go off and you won’t know why. My suggestion? If you’re a vendor preparing for CES today (like we are at PodTech) that you cover up your IR windows (they are the little windows on the front of monitors that receive remote control signals) with tape.

Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

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78 thoughts on “CES warning: watch for people turning off TV’s”

  3. Come on Robert, don’t be a spoil sport! Imagine a prankster walking around CES sending out IR signals from his hat, and none of the TVs turning off – he won’t know why.

    My suggestion to the pranksters? Remove the tape covering the IR windows. Those are the little sticky bits of paper you can see on the front of the TV.

    😉

    Like

  4. Come on Robert, don’t be a spoil sport! Imagine a prankster walking around CES sending out IR signals from his hat, and none of the TVs turning off – he won’t know why.

    My suggestion to the pranksters? Remove the tape covering the IR windows. Those are the little sticky bits of paper you can see on the front of the TV.

    😉

    Like

  19. I think you also have to be sure to pay your licensing fees for whatever content you are going to show on the TV (unless it is your own). Guys who show movies and TV programs get a visit from the motion picture industry guy who forces them to cough up some fee when at trade shows like this one.

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  20. I think you also have to be sure to pay your licensing fees for whatever content you are going to show on the TV (unless it is your own). Guys who show movies and TV programs get a visit from the motion picture industry guy who forces them to cough up some fee when at trade shows like this one.

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  21. John: if you have a remote demo, then you can easily turn it back on. But what these guys are hoping to do is darken the pyramids of plasma displays that often are up to 50 feet in the air.

    Andrew: yeah, but most of the plasma guys have their own videos.

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  22. John: if you have a remote demo, then you can easily turn it back on. But what these guys are hoping to do is darken the pyramids of plasma displays that often are up to 50 feet in the air.

    Andrew: yeah, but most of the plasma guys have their own videos.

    Like

  23. I do remember playing with my universal remote once in a bus a couple of years ago in india. I were traveling, some documentary was running with so much volume, I just couldn’t sleep and my nokia 6600 came in very handy (love my nokia) – yeah most of the symbian phones that have an IR can be converted to universal remote using software and bingo ur in control ….

    (and btb it did work out great in a TV Store too when the sales person was trying to get the remote 😛 ,
    if only that bewildered sales person was reading this post – he’ll know how exactly the TV went on and off)

    it should not be hard for ppl to play around as u mention. Vendors better be prepared …

    Like

  24. I do remember playing with my universal remote once in a bus a couple of years ago in india. I were traveling, some documentary was running with so much volume, I just couldn’t sleep and my nokia 6600 came in very handy (love my nokia) – yeah most of the symbian phones that have an IR can be converted to universal remote using software and bingo ur in control ….

    (and btb it did work out great in a TV Store too when the sales person was trying to get the remote 😛 ,
    if only that bewildered sales person was reading this post – he’ll know how exactly the TV went on and off)

    it should not be hard for ppl to play around as u mention. Vendors better be prepared …

    Like

  29. Why is there always a small percentage of people trying to screw most of us? People like that should be send to a far, far away island away from society.

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  30. Why is there always a small percentage of people trying to screw most of us? People like that should be send to a far, far away island away from society.

    Like

  31. The solution for the exhibitors is easy.

    Place a small piece of black gaffer tape over the infra red thingy on the tv sets.

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  32. The solution for the exhibitors is easy.

    Place a small piece of black gaffer tape over the infra red thingy on the tv sets.

    Like

  33. Pingback: Chris Leckness is a Geek - » Mobility Site Minute #2

  36. IR signals are visible with black and white video cameras – use one to spot the bright flickering light coming out of someones head then sue that person for damages (effort to switch TV’s back on / lost sales etc.)
    Those same devices also switch on TV’s, as the IR signal to switch a TV on is the same as to switch it off (hence why you only have a single “power” button on a remote) so get one yourself to be ready to switch them all back on again.
    Then take the kid out back and give him a good kicking 🙂

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  37. IR signals are visible with black and white video cameras – use one to spot the bright flickering light coming out of someones head then sue that person for damages (effort to switch TV’s back on / lost sales etc.)
    Those same devices also switch on TV’s, as the IR signal to switch a TV on is the same as to switch it off (hence why you only have a single “power” button on a remote) so get one yourself to be ready to switch them all back on again.
    Then take the kid out back and give him a good kicking 🙂

    Like

  38. “My suggestion to the pranksters? Remove the tape covering the IR windows. Those are the little sticky bits of paper you can see on the front of the TV.”

    Not to be confused with the tacky stuff one can often see ON the TV.

    Like

  39. “My suggestion to the pranksters? Remove the tape covering the IR windows. Those are the little sticky bits of paper you can see on the front of the TV.”

    Not to be confused with the tacky stuff one can often see ON the TV.

    Like

  52. A friend of mine got thrown out of a stereo shop once for standing waaaaaaaaay back from the wall of stereos and hitting Eject over and over. Half would open, half would close. It doesn’t take much to entertain that guy.

    I love Phil’s advice to sue for damages. Some kid playing a prank turns off your tv and your response is to sue him. Sweet, this is the kind of thing that gives corporations a bad name.

    Like

  53. A friend of mine got thrown out of a stereo shop once for standing waaaaaaaaay back from the wall of stereos and hitting Eject over and over. Half would open, half would close. It doesn’t take much to entertain that guy.

    I love Phil’s advice to sue for damages. Some kid playing a prank turns off your tv and your response is to sue him. Sweet, this is the kind of thing that gives corporations a bad name.

    Like

  54. I think this is pretty funny, actually. Their own technology turned against them. And the way to solve it is not with technology.

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  55. I think this is pretty funny, actually. Their own technology turned against them. And the way to solve it is not with technology.

    Like

  56. Benny, Scoble has a habit of not defining things that he blogs about… you’ll just have to live with it.

    Sometimes I feel like I’m an outcast because I live in Detroit and don’t know half the people or things that he mentions.

    Example, that dude who got married. It took me 2 weeks to realize he was the blaugh.com guy.

    Like

  57. Benny, Scoble has a habit of not defining things that he blogs about… you’ll just have to live with it.

    Sometimes I feel like I’m an outcast because I live in Detroit and don’t know half the people or things that he mentions.

    Example, that dude who got married. It took me 2 weeks to realize he was the blaugh.com guy.

    Like

  58. I would like one of these at home to use w/ my 8-year-old who would watch TV nonstop if I let her.

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  59. I would like one of these at home to use w/ my 8-year-old who would watch TV nonstop if I let her.

    Like

  60. Oh i dunno, watching some prat try to get money out of a teen could be funny…

    “Your honor he turned our TVs OFF OMGWTFKHAAAAAN!!!111″

    “Counselor, instead of suing him, you should be figuring out how you got a teen to turn a TV *off* at all. You could make millions from parents worldwide. In the meantime, grow up?”

    Like

  61. Oh i dunno, watching some prat try to get money out of a teen could be funny…

    “Your honor he turned our TVs OFF OMGWTFKHAAAAAN!!!111″

    “Counselor, instead of suing him, you should be figuring out how you got a teen to turn a TV *off* at all. You could make millions from parents worldwide. In the meantime, grow up?”

    Like

  64. The green-fascists turn entire new-road schemes off in UK, via decade-long protest-and-appeal delays until the finance is no longer available.

    They turned off Maplin new airport, then London Heathrow fourth runway, so fog (which slows traffic by at least half because of safe-spacing needs in non-visual conditions) recently meant days of delay for pre-Christmas passengers.

    It is imperative that one of you good-side-geeks invents a device to identify these walk-thru turning-off-TVs subversives, so that the invigilator can unobtrusively get close for a retaliatory zap of some hi-tech sort (of which I myself know nought).

    Cy Quick at mydigest.wordpress.com

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  65. The green-fascists turn entire new-road schemes off in UK, via decade-long protest-and-appeal delays until the finance is no longer available.

    They turned off Maplin new airport, then London Heathrow fourth runway, so fog (which slows traffic by at least half because of safe-spacing needs in non-visual conditions) recently meant days of delay for pre-Christmas passengers.

    It is imperative that one of you good-side-geeks invents a device to identify these walk-thru turning-off-TVs subversives, so that the invigilator can unobtrusively get close for a retaliatory zap of some hi-tech sort (of which I myself know nought).

    Cy Quick at mydigest.wordpress.com

    Like

  66. @33. Somehow I don’ think turning off devices at the CES conference rises to the level of disruption you describe at Maplin and Heathrow. Will it be annoying for the exhibitors? Clearly. Will it have a dramatic effect on travel or commerce? I think not.

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  67. @33. Somehow I don’ think turning off devices at the CES conference rises to the level of disruption you describe at Maplin and Heathrow. Will it be annoying for the exhibitors? Clearly. Will it have a dramatic effect on travel or commerce? I think not.

    Like

  68. You know, the International Spy Museum sells watches that act as remote controls that can turn off almost all TVs (and change volume, channel, and so on). If anybody wants to be a prankster I think they also sell the watches on amazon or ebay.

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  69. You know, the International Spy Museum sells watches that act as remote controls that can turn off almost all TVs (and change volume, channel, and so on). If anybody wants to be a prankster I think they also sell the watches on amazon or ebay.

    Like

  72. My TV actually went off this morning for no reason. I have Direct TV.. Could that be why it shut off? For a second I thought my Mom didn’t pay the bill lol.. But when I woke up it was working.. Eh, I dunno..

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  73. My TV actually went off this morning for no reason. I have Direct TV.. Could that be why it shut off? For a second I thought my Mom didn’t pay the bill lol.. But when I woke up it was working.. Eh, I dunno..

    Like

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  77. I’ve sat at Heathrow in a jam and not being from the UK none of the adverts beemed from all those TVs are even remotely relevant to me. In fact they probably aren’t of interest to about ooh lets say 99% of the people. What I’d do for a TV-B-Gone then. In fact I’m going to buy one. Not to use in a place where I choose to be like an electronic trade show or TV shop. But when I’m subjected to lame adverts at airpots, shops, the street, resurants, bars.

    Hell I’m not a green facist I just want some of my space back and the choice not to have it invaded by some marketing rubbish at me.

    Like

  78. I’ve sat at Heathrow in a jam and not being from the UK none of the adverts beemed from all those TVs are even remotely relevant to me. In fact they probably aren’t of interest to about ooh lets say 99% of the people. What I’d do for a TV-B-Gone then. In fact I’m going to buy one. Not to use in a place where I choose to be like an electronic trade show or TV shop. But when I’m subjected to lame adverts at airpots, shops, the street, resurants, bars.

    Hell I’m not a green facist I just want some of my space back and the choice not to have it invaded by some marketing rubbish at me.

    Like

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