by Jason Snell
Startup wants to enable ‘pay per person’ home viewing
The Palo Alto startup Xcinex announced a streaming box with an interesting twist—it’s got a built-in camera designed to notice how many people are in a room watching the television:
In an interview with Deadline, Xcinex [CEO Founder Cihan Fuat] Atkin waved away questions about the potentially problematic nature of a device invading private homes to scan people sitting in front of the TV. Consumers have increasingly pushed back on the idea of being monitored by smart TVs, laptop cameras and connected speakers, with companies in some cases facing regulatory or legal repercussion.
“I wouldn’t say ‘monitored,’” he said. “I would say ‘head count.’ It doesn’t do facial recognition. It just makes sure that the number of people in the room matches the number of tickets.”
Good luck with that.