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General Motors Receives Patent To Sell ‘Geoboxed’ Radio Presets At Auction

Bongwater

Bongwater

"Thus, if one were to be out on the road listening to NPR, the preset could switch abruptly from the sleepy sounds of “Morning Edition,” to the “wacky” antics of Scumdog McTatertot and the Mötley Breakfäst Crüe once the motorist entered the winning bidder’s geo-fence. Another scenario could have McDonald’s hijack your navigation settings when you were looking for Starbucks for breakfast....."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...nt-to-sell-geoboxed-radio-presets-at-auction/

I don't know about you, but if my car did that, I would be so PISSED....
 
It would have an on/off option. (not like the obnoxious audio ads that run on this site). GM may hold the patent, and never use it, or modify it to do other things.

However GM will probably enter into talks with the big groups. Think about it, if a group ran one format (such as CHR) and the music was synched, the tuner would only need to change presets for local identification, and geo-targeted ads for the next station.
 
GM has a long history of sleazy corporate behavior. This is just the latest, assuming the article's description is accurate.

Now, if they had a radio that would switch me from one station broadcasting Morning Edition to another as I passed out of range of the first, that might be worth something. Same if it switched from one station with a given format to another.
 
If GM ever implements this despicable technology I will be in-line to create the very first entertainment replacement for GM cars biz.
 
Bongwater said:
"Thus, if one were to be out on the road listening to NPR, the preset could switch abruptly from the sleepy sounds of “Morning Edition,” to the “wacky” antics of Scumdog McTatertot and the Mötley Breakfäst Crüe once the motorist entered the winning bidder’s geo-fence. Another scenario could have McDonald’s hijack your navigation settings when you were looking for Starbucks for breakfast....."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...nt-to-sell-geoboxed-radio-presets-at-auction/

I don't know about you, but if my car did that, I would be so PISSED....
Click to expand...

This is about presets, not a system like RDS that dynamically can change you from one station to another.

All the patent seems to do is change the preset buttons to a different array of stations if you move to a different area... on vacation, while traveling for work, etc. It does not put the stations "into your ears" but just changes the array of stations selected by the buttons depending on where you are. It is apparently overridden by user intervention. In other words, if you buy a car in Miami and the presets are already defined, you can reset any one at the touch of an icon or button. But when you drive to Orlando, you will find all the buttons have changed to a grouping of Orlando area stations.
 
Ha! Never use the pre-sets. The radio, if on, is always tuned to the same station. Hint: it's the only HD-2 that plays the Oldies in my market.

I'd never guy anything by GM anyway.
 
The 800 lb. gorilla in the room David is this level of tech allows the highest bidding radio conglomerate to preset your radio on THEIR stations when you're entering their coverage area. That's the problem. No one likes people messing with their radio presets (having teenybopper daughters, I have no other choice when I'm behind the wheel. But most other people would go straight through the roof.)

It's one thing if you're driving somebody you don't really know somewhere and they begin messing with the radio presets. You can say "Hey buddy, lay off the radio". Or even kick them out. And rightfully so - it's rude and inconsiderate. But when the radio itself does it by winning the right to do it by some big radio conglomerate, something YOU did NOT ask for on your end, what recourse do you have? Since some big radio conglomerate won the right by highest $$$ bid, it's not like GM is going to tell you upfront how to shut it off - they have to deliver as promised to the winner on their end. You'll have to either fight it out on the phone with somebody in Bangalore. Or Google up some YouTube hack video that shows you how to get around it.

I don't see how this is ever going to work.
 
Let's not panic. ;-) It's only at the patent stage at the moment. It's possible GM has this in mind for the rental car market where it would actually make sense. They might include it in all receivers but only implement it when a car is added to a rental fleet.
 
wadio said:
Let's not panic. ;-) It's only at the patent stage at the moment. It's possible GM has this in mind for the rental car market where it would actually make sense. They might include it in all receivers but only implement it when a car is added to a rental fleet.
Click to expand...

Maybe not panic, but some level of emotional arousal is needed before GM thinks they can get away with it. If they think they can, they will try.

Also consider, if people buy GM cars and weird stuff happens with their terrestrial pre-sets, they will start listening to Internet streams, music services or precorded audio.
 
wadio said:
I think that's the future at some point with or without autocratic presets.
Click to expand...

You're right. Traditional broadcasters are in denial if they think the current digital rules are here to stay. Sooner or later, the market will speak. And in favor of what's more convenient to THEM and not the traditional broadcasters or the music industry. That's just how it is.

It's going to mean some real paradigm shifts in radio and the music industry and maybe a LOT of sacrifices they weren't prepared for. But the "magic hand" of the free market also has a magic middle finger too.
 
I could see some advantages to this if it is done correctly, like automatically changing to another station a national network like K-LOVE or NPR, or automatically finding a similar format when a station fades out. But I also think it should be set up to where if a car owner doesn't want that option they can turn it off.
 
I fail to see the big deal. If I purchase a TV and hook it to my antenna, I do a scan of all the channels within range with those becoming my choices. If I want the TV to scan for PSIP programming information to select or eliminate certain stations, I can sometimes do that too. Ultimately I select the ones I want to keep and those I don't. Is it really that big of a deal if my radio automatically populates itself with a bunch of stations when I drive the car off the lot? Nope!

Sure sounds like drama and imaginary conspiracy theories for nothing.
 
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Oscar Madison said:
GM has a long history of sleazy corporate behavior. This is just the latest, assuming the article's description is accurate.

Now, if they had a radio that would switch me from one station broadcasting Morning Edition to another as I passed out of range of the first, that might be worth something.
Click to expand...
True, but I'd be afraid it would send me to something that was appoximately the same, and there might not be anything.

Contrary to what some people believe, adult standards and adult contemporary are not the same thing. Classic hits and oldies are not the same either. And if we're talking about AM and FM, there might not be anything that fits what I want anyway if I'm going a long distance.
 
Kelly A said:
I fail to see the big deal. If I purchase a TV and hook it to my antenna, I do a scan of all the channels within range with those becoming my choices. If I want the TV to scan for PSIP programming information to select or eliminate certain stations, I can sometimes do that too. Ultimately I select the ones I want to keep and those I don't. Is it really that big of a deal if my radio automatically populates itself with a bunch of stations when I drive the car off the lot? Nope!

Sure sounds like drama and imaginary conspiracy theories for nothing.
Click to expand...

The GM thing sounds a lot more complicated than a TV scan where all receivable stations are made available on the set. The car has a limited number of presets, and which stations make it to a preset is determined by an auction. Your choices therefore are determined by the highest bidders.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/9037475.html
 
But (say it together now..) you can CHANGE them. Do you take a rental car back and complain if the someone before you saved their favorite stations?
 
But people are (spell it out...) L-A-Z-Y.

What GM serves up will be the default just like the blinking time display on an old VCR.
 
The first time I tried the buttons in my parents' car, I didn't realize you could set them. I thought they always went to where they went to.
 
Pioneer has had a "best six stations" function for years. It scans the dial and programs the strongest six signals into the presets. The difference with GM sounds like somebody decides what stations to program - not necessarily the strongest six. With my luck - it would be idiot talk, slob sports, Spanish language, hip-hop "butt" songs, country, and all Kardashian news all the time. This technology would be wonderful if it allowed the user to select the formats that THEY want - not the stations that pay to be on presets. Of course with oldies and oldies listeners being declared "obsolete", smooth jazz being determined unpopular, Christian rock "sinful", classical not popular enough, etc - I doubt that the function would ever program presets for me. Back to satellite -----
 
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