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Member Since: 2/2006Last Seen: 2/13/2006

Marketplace: Theater owners consider silencing phones

News Type: Event — Seeded on Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:04 PM EST
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What is curious to me is that those collected at the theather owners' big conference cite cell phone usage as possibly one reason people are not coming out to see movies like they have in the past few years.

I realize this is just a sample of one, my own opinion, but if I was enjoying movie going my entire life would people like me suddenly stop going, in large enough numbers to be statistically significant, and just wait around until the DVD came out? Absolutely not and it's a false statement to make about why the box office has been in a slide. To pick cell phone usage, and then make a case as to why cell jamming technology is a neccessity, is akin to blaming teenagers for the problem and proposing ways to keep them out. It just doesn't make sense.

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{"commentId":64013,"authorDomain":"FrankM"}
FrankM

You can blame the teenagers!

Theater owners agreed to 'card' young people going to R-rated movies, so the content of movies got watered down to meet PG-13 standards, allowing the largest possible number of patrons to attend the movies.

{"commentId":64013,"threadId":"1300","contentId":"135803","authorDomain":"FrankM"}
    Reply#1 - Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:26 PM EST
    {"commentId":64368,"authorDomain":"kikaiju"}
    kikaiju

    Solving rude behavior with a physical barrier is not a fix and it's not going to get people to come back to the movies.

    If they want active jamming, they're going to need a LOT of money to get this passed (buying lobbyists and congress critters and FCC board members is expensive) and they'll have to come up with technology that doesn't interfere with cellphones operating in the business next door or the road or parking lot outside.

    Right now, outside of the military and government, nobody legally has active phone jamming in the US. It's totally against the law. But laws can be changed. Queue K-Street!

    Passive jamming might work but it's not going to be perfect or cheap. And it's rude. And not selective. How dare they interfere with licenced 2-way radios.

    And the whole thing goes to court when the first person dies because they couldn't summon EMTs because the phones no longer work, and of course, there are no more payphones.

    And good luck to them first time a movie theater needs the fire department or police. First responders need to talk to each other from time to time. Comes in handy when the place is burning down or been robbed. Oh well.

    {"commentId":64368,"threadId":"1300","contentId":"135803","authorDomain":"kikaiju"}
      Reply#2 - Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:34 AM EST
      {"commentId":64726,"authorDomain":"raleighnole"}
      RaleighNole

      The problem besides not being able to call emergency personnel is people like myself who are on call 24x7 but are smart enough to turn their phones/pagers to vibrate. If they block cell signals, I'll never be able to go see another movie in the theatre again. And, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's in this position.

      {"commentId":64726,"threadId":"1300","contentId":"135803","authorDomain":"raleighnole"}
        Reply#3 - Fri Mar 17, 2006 12:41 PM EST
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