Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones at DVinfo.net

Christopher Lefchik · March 15th, 2006, 11:50 AM

Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday.

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Richard Alvarez · March 15th, 2006, 11:54 AM

They'll never get it. The first time a physician misses a call, or a patient waiting for a transplant, or a parent whose child is in trouble tries to reach them.

Not a chance in hell it will fly.

Edward Slonaker · March 15th, 2006, 12:05 PM

It's amazing whatever we did BEFORE the @#$% things came into existence.... It's one of the (many) reasons why I don't go to theaters anymore.

Giroud Francois · March 15th, 2006, 12:26 PM

i got a small phone jammer that looks like a cell phone (except the dual antenna). very usefull when i need to shut off any disturbance around me.
I use it when shooting in place were many people stop to look what you are doing, an inevitably , some phone are ringing.
Nice for wedding too...
a bit expensive if you do not really use it often.
http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm

Keith Loh · March 15th, 2006, 12:33 PM

Personally I think a few deaths is worth the price of a decent movie watching experience.

Andrew Khalil · March 15th, 2006, 12:55 PM

hey Giroud, that device is pretty cool, but will it interfere with wireless mic systems as well? Looks like it would be useful on film set and areas where cell phones are irritating, but will I'm wondering what else it will interfere with.

Kevin Shaw · March 15th, 2006, 01:07 PM

This has been proposed before and will probably never get approved for reasons like those that Richard mentioned. Plus there are several reasons why theater attendance is going down, and jamming cell phones isn't likely to change that much. It costs less to buy a movie on DVD than two tickets to a theater now, and with the DVD we don't have to worry about parking or getting a good seat or sitting through half an hour of commercials or dealing with any number of irritations from other people. Plus as more and more of us buy HDTVs with surround-sound audio systems, we get almost as good a viewing experience as in all but the best theaters (and without the problems mentioned above). Bye bye movie theaters, it was fun while it lasted...

Christopher Lefchik · March 15th, 2006, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

They'll never get it. The first time a physician misses a call, or a patient waiting for a transplant, or a parent whose child is in trouble tries to reach them.

There's no guarantee of getting a cell phone signal everywhere you go, so putting so much trust in one for emergencies seems a bit flawed. What are people going to do when they are in a building that naturally blocks cell signals? Boyd mentioned the last time this issue surfaced that Philadelphia Orchestra's new concert hall appears to block cell signals due to its contruction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Alvarez

Not a chance in hell it will fly.

I'd be careful of making such an aboslute statement. They have a habit of coming back to bite. ;-)

Edward Slonaker · March 15th, 2006, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Shaw

It costs less to buy a movie on DVD than two tickets to a theater now, and with the DVD we don't have to worry about parking or getting a good seat or sitting through half an hour of commercials or dealing with any number of irritations from other people. Plus as more and more of us buy HDTVs with surround-sound audio systems, we get almost as good a viewing experience as in all but the best theaters (and without the problems mentioned above). Bye bye movie theaters, it was fun while it lasted...

And here are reasons 1-6 of the many why I don't go anymore. Plus, we live 30 miles away from the closest theater so, with gas prices going higher and higher.....

Jay Kavi · March 17th, 2006, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Loh

Personally I think a few deaths is worth the price of a decent movie watching experience.

Amen to that!

John Kang · March 17th, 2006, 12:05 PM

I still prefer to go to the movies, at least when a new movie that I want to watch comes out.

While the sound system and HDTV set at home is great for HOME entertainment, I still love watching a picture that is blown up to a large size.

If you were to watch 2001 A Space Odessy, would you say it's the same experience watching it on a big screen and a tv screen? Imax films as well. It's just a different experience.

Sure front projectors can display a larger screen for your home entertainment but it's still not as big as a movie theatre and if you want something like that, you could afford to buy a second home with the cost of the projector.

The movie experience is the result of an emotional bond between humans. You have people in a theatre laughing with you, crying with you, etc, etc...Why do you think that some of the scenes you thought were so hilarious on the big screen don't seem as funny when watched at home? Why do comedy shows on television included canned laughs?

I can handle the rude cell phone calls, the sticky floors, the crying babies, broken seats, the body odors, and annoying teenagers. Wait a minute, I'm trying to sell you guys on a good movie experience...

Yeah well, gotta go, got a dvd playing.

March 15th, 2006, 11:50 AM	#1
Christopher Lefchik Trustee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: US Posts: 1,152	Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday. Continue Reading

March 15th, 2006, 12:05 PM	#3
Edward Slonaker Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hell's 6 acres in S. Texas Posts: 203	It's amazing whatever we did BEFORE the @#$% things came into existence.... It's one of the (many) reasons why I don't go to theaters anymore. __________________ Edward Slonaker El Pilon Productions San Patricio, Texas www.elpilon.com

March 15th, 2006, 12:33 PM	#5
Keith Loh Air China Pilot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 2,389	Personally I think a few deaths is worth the price of a decent movie watching experience. __________________ -- Visit http://www.KeithLoh.com \| stuff about living in Vancouver \| My Flickr photo gallery

March 15th, 2006, 11:54 AM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	They'll never get it. The first time a physician misses a call, or a patient waiting for a transplant, or a parent whose child is in trouble tries to reach them. Not a chance in hell it will fly.

March 15th, 2006, 12:26 PM	#4
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	i got a small phone jammer that looks like a cell phone (except the dual antenna). very usefull when i need to shut off any disturbance around me. I use it when shooting in place were many people stop to look what you are doing, an inevitably , some phone are ringing. Nice for wedding too... a bit expensive if you do not really use it often. http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm

March 15th, 2006, 12:55 PM	#6
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	hey Giroud, that device is pretty cool, but will it interfere with wireless mic systems as well? Looks like it would be useful on film set and areas where cell phones are irritating, but will I'm wondering what else it will interfere with.

March 15th, 2006, 01:07 PM	#7
Kevin Shaw Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 2,488	This has been proposed before and will probably never get approved for reasons like those that Richard mentioned. Plus there are several reasons why theater attendance is going down, and jamming cell phones isn't likely to change that much. It costs less to buy a movie on DVD than two tickets to a theater now, and with the DVD we don't have to worry about parking or getting a good seat or sitting through half an hour of commercials or dealing with any number of irritations from other people. Plus as more and more of us buy HDTVs with surround-sound audio systems, we get almost as good a viewing experience as in all but the best theaters (and without the problems mentioned above). Bye bye movie theaters, it was fun while it lasted...

March 17th, 2006, 12:05 PM	#11
John Kang Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 219	I still prefer to go to the movies, at least when a new movie that I want to watch comes out. While the sound system and HDTV set at home is great for HOME entertainment, I still love watching a picture that is blown up to a large size. If you were to watch 2001 A Space Odessy, would you say it's the same experience watching it on a big screen and a tv screen? Imax films as well. It's just a different experience. Sure front projectors can display a larger screen for your home entertainment but it's still not as big as a movie theatre and if you want something like that, you could afford to buy a second home with the cost of the projector. The movie experience is the result of an emotional bond between humans. You have people in a theatre laughing with you, crying with you, etc, etc...Why do you think that some of the scenes you thought were so hilarious on the big screen don't seem as funny when watched at home? Why do comedy shows on television included canned laughs? I can handle the rude cell phone calls, the sticky floors, the crying babies, broken seats, the body odors, and annoying teenagers. Wait a minute, I'm trying to sell you guys on a good movie experience... Yeah well, gotta go, got a dvd playing.