PrimeSense is the new winner for the best new product vote idea at CableLabs’ Innovation Showcase.  Their tech allows them to detect how many people are watching TV at any given time.

…the vendor’s tech lets digital devices see a 3-D view of the world. In other words, that cable set-top box will know whether 3 people are sitting on the sofa watching TV and how many are adults vs children. It all happens via a chip that resides in a camera that plugs into the STB. The images look more like something from thermal imaging.

Do we really need television and video services knowing this information?  This technology only services the television and video industries, not the consumer.  It will, undoubtedly, be touted as a resource for determining just how popular a show is.  That way, the television producers can have a more accurate count of how many people really like a show.  However, it will, eventually, be turned into a profit making machine.

Your family will sit down to watch the pay-per-view movie you just ordered.  Suddenly, the television screen will inform you that you have only purchases one pay-per-view ticket to watch the movie, but there are five people sitting in your living room.  Pay for the additional four people or no movie.

If you have a DVR, much of your data is already tracked.  It timestamps when you fast forward or rewind, how often a task is performed, and how often you flipped channels.  PrimeSense is adding another layer of detail about you by being able to see exactly who is doing the flipping and who’s fast forwarding through the commercials.

PrimeSense is marketing their technology for benign uses, such as motion control for exercise or changing the channel on a TV without a remote.  However, it is the future use of spying on customers that has people worried, especially when their cable providers are very interested in the technology.