We got a TV B Gone. We went down to Walmart, stood in the electronics section, and pressed the button. TVs started winking off on the enormous wall-o-TVs, randomly, one by one. It was wonderful.
Can't wait to try it out at the next restaurant we go to for a quiet evening.
Since I generally consider you to be fairly intelligent, and to think through your opinions, I'm curious why you think this device is appropriate to use.
When you turn off the TV's on display at a store (where they're on to demonstrate functionality) you force some employee who could be helping customers, maintaining stock, or something actually beneficial to the store or the people who shop there, to spend their time turning the TV's back on.
Also, are there so few restaurants where you live that you cannot simply select a restaurant that doesn't have televisions on when you want a "quiet evening" rather than deciding that your choice to turn the TV off is more valid than that of the operators of the restaurant?
Morydd, as for the first question, yes, it was just vandalism - a prank. It was amusing to watch them turn off. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks it's funny: http://xrl.us/bd7xr
As for the second question - well, to be completely blunt, there are no restaurants in our price range around here that lack TVs. In the Lexington area, restaurants without TVs are very uncommon, and they are, without any exceptions that I'm aware of, of the extremely expensive variety. And when we take the kids to a restaurant for dinner, as a family outing, it is HUGELY frustrating that they spend the entire evening staring at the TVs. It's hard enough to get them to eat, let alone spend quality time with us, in as distracting an environment as a restaurant, without having them stare glassy-eyed at the TVs.
As to whether my opinion about this is more valid than that of the operator of the restaurant - well, I'm the customer, paying for an experience and for a place to enjoy it, so, yes, my opinion is important. I tend to think that keeping customers happy is a fairly important consideration.
After watching the video at http://xrl.us/bd7xr I can't help but wonder why those vendors didn't just cover up the IR receiver on the TV with a simple piece of tape.
I know that I wouldn't trust the public if they used a remote to power off the demonstration displays/TV's even once. Of course, I suppose they didn't actually realize what was going on. But, TV B Gone has been around for a couple years. Surely, they know that and can (or should) take appropriate precautions.
I would probably do the same thing in a place of business (sorry Dr. B.). I would hook up the wired remote (they have them) and then disable the IR receiver so the public couldn't mess with the power.
The question of ethics and consumer rights is something else that I do not think it very clear.