Some studios use BD-LIVE since 2009 for data collection (even in the last few years)

[HDTV1080P]

Just about everything built in to a TV or connected to a modern TV records ones viewing preferences and channels or programs watched in a private database from the content provider. This is nothing new and was available in the late 1980’s with some analog cable boxes with a RF return path. In the old days in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the wireless IR remote-control sensor could be turned off on addressable analog cable boxes unless an additional $3 a month was paid to have the IR remote control sensor turned on. In the early 21st Century around the year 2002+ when all cable companies went 100% digital QAM, the real time RF return path reported what channels and programs were watched in real time (sometimes IP cable boxes are now used instead of 100% QAM). Starting with small satellite systems in the 1990’s the return path was landline phones that called a toll-free number twice a month to report the boxes’ location using ANI technology and which PPV programs were watched (later around the year 2007 a RJ45 Internet return path was added to new satellite receivers). Starting in the year 2007 100% of all streaming is two-way communication with a private database being kept of the programming being watched and at what time they are watched. While most ATSC 1.0 over the air tuners do not have a return path, the ones that do have the return path, use either internet wired RJ45 ethernet, or WI-FI, or sometimes legacy RJ11 landline phone jack.

In 2006 through 2008 all ethernet RJ45 jacks on Blu-ray players were for firmware updates only. But starting in the year 2009 the BD-LIVE feature launched on 2009 Blu-ray players and many 2010 Blu-ray players had profile 2.0 BD-LIVE feature that made the RJ45 ethernet jack having some very nice Internet features with Blu-ray interactive apps. So, from 2010+ almost all Blu-ray players and in 2016+ all 4K Blu-ray players have the BD-LIVE feature that added neat interactive online features for some movies. But starting in the year 2009 some studios that made Blu-ray discs started to use city and state location detection from ones Internet IP address and also data collection methods for various viewing preferences. So, some Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and 4K Blu-ray titles could be monitored, and for a rental disc, the studio would know how many times the movie was played in a different Blu-ray player and the location of that Blu-ray player (but only down to the city and state level versus cable TV, and satellite TV know the actual complete address of where the boxes are located).

Recently when renting or purchasing 4K Blu-ray discs and 2K Blu-ray discs in the last few years from Sony, on many Sony titles the first screen that is launched on a Blu-ray player that is connected to the Internet, is a screen from Sony asking the user if they want to accept or decline data collection of their viewing habits and IP location of where they are in order to offer better Sony services in the future. That is a paraphrase since the actual Sony language is several paragraphs long. While in someways it is nice that Sony has a accept or decline message when a 4K Blu-ray disc or 2K Blu-ray disc is loaded, at the same time many consumers do not like that Sony message popping up as soon as the disc is launched on many Sony movies in the last few years. In someways I wish Sony would not have that message popping up as soon as a 4K Blu-ray disc or 2K Blu-ray disc is inserted. Some other studios most likely have similar BD-LIVE data collection features since 2009+ but do not notify the customer about the private database being kept of what movies are being watched and at what time and what IP location. So basically just about everything is being monitored when the TV is on. Some Smart TV’s take things to the next level and have real time data collection with the RJ45 ethernet jack and WI-FI connection. Some brands and models of TV’s have a feature in the menu to turn off data collection (but the streaming provider always collects data on their stream server no matter what option is turned off or on).