The Fox Blocker

More a political statement than a real working product, a couple of lefty types are selling a filter called the Fox Blocker that is supposed to block all reception of the Fox News channel on your television. We're counting down the seconds until someone introduces a CNN Blocker (as of this writing CNNblocker.com is still available), but having actually been on Fox News a few times, we can completely understand someone wanting to take whatever steps necessary to prevent themselves from accidentally being exposed to us talking with Neil Cavuto about how and when the robots are going to wake up and turn against us (true story!).

[Thanks, nemik]

[dreampc @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Analog or digital?

I'd really like a Lifetime Movie Channel blocker.

[James Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Notch filters have been around for a while, typically they are used by your cable company to prevent you from getting their movie channel. When you pay they remove the notch filter. Usualy that filter is attached to the main split box outside your house and you could remove it if you had a ladder or the junction box was ground level and not padlocked :-)

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Excellent... I'll take three.

[Raoul Duke @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

well ya see the lefties are very tolerant...of people that share their views that is...

[Sam K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Make no mistake: Foxblocker is a functional device that blocks Fox "News" from your cable. This is factual and actual.
We don't wish to mislead consumers, unlike Fox "News".
We also notify FNC advertisors on your behalf that you object enough to block the very worst from your cable viewing.
And this liberal/conservative labelling is sooo very "Fox", isn't it? What Fox pushes isn't "conservative" by any conventional definition. Likewise, we don't fit the typical "liberal" image that Fox dupes are programmed to expect.

Opposition to lies makes us "liberal"? Go figger.

[Not that easy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

If only it were that easy. I stopped watching TV because even during the regular shows they have "news breaks" that are nothing more than ads for their sensationalist news shows. Radio's the same, where the local TV channels have started sensationalist ads. I guess they've driven away enough of us that they have to come chasing after us on the radio.

But it doesn't stop there. They have TVs in the malls, at the airports, and other places, mostly tuned to news stations that sensationalize stories for profit. If it only you could get away from it by blocking your own TV...

[Trae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

"Interesting...
Why do some people hate others opinion's so much that they go out of their way to avoid it. Whatever happened to broadining our minds by experiencing listening to opinions that differ from our own."

I believe the problem is on both sides. We have become and "ipod nation" where we all only listen to and hear what we want to. This causes problems because few of us know the truth.

[Leo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Wild. This thing was on an episode of "Boston Legal" on ABC. They never mentioned (directly) which channel it blocked... but they said it only targets the news station that claims it's "Fair and Balanced." How funny for ABC to hint at such a device... Nice move ABC... so strategic :-)

[wallinbl @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Re: #3 - Many who people support "free speech" spend a lot of their time trying to shut other people up. I find it amusing. People on the far side of the left tend to be this way.

[Dana Jordan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I think it would be funnier to have a device that somehow detected what channel you were tuned to (not sure how you could do that, but anyways...) Whenever you were tuned to Fox News, or CNN, or whatever, an audible alarm and flashing red "bullshit" sign could light up to alert the unsuspecting viewer.

[Mad Anthony @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I have a remote. It does the same thing, and it works on all channels.

Seriously, most TV's let you delete channels out of autoprogram, so that when you flip channels they don't show up.

Then again, I almost never watch live TV since I bought my RePlayTV.

[Sam K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

We've got the technology, but economics prevent us from offering them for less than $10.
We wen't with the "horse&buggy" technology that was affordable.

[andreas @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Uhm, forgive me if I'm wrong, but selling a product, that would let the user block a specific channel isn't the same as "trying to shut other people up". If anything, it's giving the VIEWERS another opportunity to shut up Fox. Another, less sensational way to go about it would of course be to not program that channel into your tv at all... but it's America, right? You HAVE to watch Fox, otherwise you're anti-patriotic and anti free speech? Pfff, Please.

[Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This isn't a trivial Wintel vs. Mac controversy. Fox News is the mouthpiece of the current GOP, the most heinous political party since the Nazis. Illegal invasions, torture, destruction of social security, politicisation of Terry Shiavo, you name it, this party's done it. Anyone who tries to cast this in the light of "why can't people respect other people's opinions" obviously hasn't been following the news or are too shallow to fully understand the scope of this matter.

[Eric Pobirs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

This contribution to free speech is as inane as the group called Democracy Now who mainly protest against the outbreak of democracy in other parts of the world.

[Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I wonder if this will work with DishNetwork or DirectTV? In one of our downtown offices, the lowly minions (mail clerks, cleaners, etc.) tend to turn to FoxNews on the TV in the lounge because that's all they seem to be able to fathom. I'm thinking of putting this little gadget on that tv.

[Trae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

"This contribution to free speech is as inane as the group called Democracy Now who mainly protest against the outbreak of democracy in other parts of the world."

I think they actually protest against killing people to reach democracy.

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I want a BBC blocker, so I don't have to pay for a licence.

[john @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

#9, let me get this right - The traditional conservative argument is that liberals pay TOO much attention of other opinions and therefore can't get anything done.

You can't argue with both positions, unless you're saying that liberals are intolerant of intolerance, which I think is true. The current Republican party on the other hand seems to only tolerate intolerance.

I wouldn't say the FoxBlocker is suppressing unfriendly viewpoints, but eliminated the hate-filled and content-free propaganda of the GOP.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

FWIW, Fox News hasn't had the scandal that left-leaning sources CNN(1), CBS(2), or the NY Times(3) has had...not even close:

1 CNN Chief News Execuitive Eason Jordon admitted there were "awful things" he didn't report on the Saddam Hussein regime because it would've limited CNN's access to the regime. Had the American public knew Saddam put women feet-first into chipper-shredders, the world's attention could have saved lives. Eason Jordon recently had to step down because of comments he made at a private function accusing US troops of purposefully firing on journalists. He denied his claims until a tape recording surfaced.

2 Rathergate. The CBS evening news crew tried to bring down a sitting President by using quite-obviously forged documents. Their response: "The documents are fake but accurate."

2 Good lord, where does one start. Let your research start with Jason Blair and go from there: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A27658-2003May7?language=printer

______________
"5. 2:40 PM ET by Sam K

Opposition to lies makes us "liberal"? Go figger.

No, the assumption that people are so dumb that they need your piece of junk makes you liberal.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

FWIW, Fox News hasn't had the scandal that left-leaning sources CNN(1), CBS(2), or the NY Times(3) has had...not even close:

1 CNN Chief News Execuitive Eason Jordon admitted there were "awful things" he didn't report on the Saddam Hussein regime because it would've limited CNN's access to the regime. Had the American public knew Saddam put women feet-first into chipper-shredders, the world's attention could have saved lives. Eason Jordon recently had to step down because of comments he made at a private function accusing US troops of purposefully firing on journalists. He denied his claims until a tape recording surfaced.

2 Rathergate. The CBS evening news crew tried to bring down a sitting President by using quite-obviously forged documents. Their response: "The documents are fake but accurate."

2 Good lord, where does one start. Let your research start with Jason Blair and go from there: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A27658-2003May7?language=printer

______________
"5. 2:40 PM ET by Sam K

Opposition to lies makes us "liberal"? Go figger.

No, the assumption that people are so dumb that they need your piece of junk makes you liberal.

[Andy Shafer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Well, Rick-

"the most heinous political party since the Nazis," and "obviously hasn't been following the news or are too shallow to fully understand the scope of this matter."

Actually, uh...I don't think I'm shallow, I think I fully understand the scope of the matter, I follow the news, and I don't think that Republicans are the most heinous political party since the Nazis.

Actually, you know what? Why did I post a response to the most heinous comment since Mein Kampf?

Well, sorry for your time. I'm just an idiot, I guess.

[Desert @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

If this really wanted to block neo-fascist news, then it would block ALL United States media and news sources.

Get a mind of your own neocons.

[Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

It's not about left wingers supressing free speech, it's about realizing that the power of Fox News to cloud minds, manipulate information, and preportedly report facts, is too strong...It's a national, pro republican voice box

That and they hate Canadians...and how can anyone hate Canadians?

[Buzzcut @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I love politics on engadget! So... fair and balanced?

Screw you, hippies. 4 more years!

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Posted Mar 26, 2005, 3:24 PM ET by Rick
Fox News is the mouthpiece of the current GOP, the most heinous political party since the Nazis. ...
______________

The left-wing Communist Khamer Rouge of Cambodia instituted a policy in the mid 1970s of "cleansing" anybody with more wealth than a farmer. They killed millions--it's immortalized in the books and movies as "The Killing Fields." After they had killed millions and were running out of people, they instructed the killers to go after anyone with a watch. When they had killed everyone that had a watch, they were instructed to go after anyone with a band of lighter skin around their wrists.

The Communist takeover of China by the Mao regime saw the institution of the "Great leap forward," where an estimated 15-40 million souls were liquidated.

This is barely scratching the surface on the political realities of this world. So when we consider your statement that the GOP is the most heinous party since the Nazis, the only logical conclusions are that you're either a liar or an idiot (or both).

[Dave Schroeder @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

You guys crack me up.

First of all people completely and utterly confuse op-ed shows and news. Do you have trouble telling the difference with the op-ed page of the New York Times or your local newspaper?

Examples of op-ed shows on FOX News are: Hannity and Colmes, The O'Reilly Factor, etc. Some financial shows, like Your World, have op-ed segments. I trust, or at least hope, everyone knows what opinion and editorial is here.

Examples of hard news shows on FOX News are: FOX & Friends, FOX News Live, FOX Report, and Special Report. I challenge anyone to find anything inaccurate or not factual that comes out of ANY FOX news or non-op-ed show. (And no, referring to "suicide bombers" as "homicide bombers" doesn't count. It gets tiring listening to you people repeat yourselves all the time.)

I feel sorry for people who can't tell the difference. And anyone who actually HAS an open mind, as opposed to the closed minds most of you have, you might be interested in:

http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm

which finds, in part

"Our results show a very significant liberal bias. All of the news outlets except Fox News Special Report received a score to the left of the average member of Congress. Moreover, by one of our measures all but three of these media outlets (Special Report, the Drudge Report, and ABCs World News Tonight) were closer to the average Democrat in Congress than to the median member of the House of Representatives. One of our measures found that the Drudge Report is the most centrist of all media outlets in our sample. Our other measure found that Fox News Special Report is the most centrist."

and

"Based on sentences as the level of observation (the results of which are listed in Table 8), the Drudge Report is the most centrist, Fox News Special Report is second, ABC World News Tonight is third, and CBS Evening is last.

Given that the conventional wisdom is that the Drudge Report and Fox News are conservative news outlets, this ordering might be surprising. Perhaps more surprising is the degree to which the mainstream press is liberal. The results of Table 8 show that the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, USA Today, and CBS Evening News are not only liberal, they are closer to the average Democrat in Congress (who has a score of 74.1) than they are to the median of the whole House (who has a score of 39.0). ...the New York Times is twice as far from the center as Fox News Special Report, to gain a balanced perspective, one would need to spend twice as much time watching Special Report as he or she spends reading the New York Times. ...Our results contrast strongly with the prior expectations of many others. It is easy to find quotes from prominent journalists and academics who claim that there is no systematic bias among media outlets in the U.S. ... The main conclusion of our paper is that our results simply reject such claims."

Of course, since this doesn't support your views, you'll just ignore and discount it and continue railing on FOX News as a propaganda mouthpiece of the evil, moneygrubbing, devil-incarnate Bush administration.

[Sy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Fox News is right-leaning as CNN is left-leaning. The only reason why Fox sticks out like a sored thumb is the public is so used to the left-leaning main stream media. Its funny how everyone complains about Fox News but they yet to have a major journalistic scandal ...unlike a lot of networks we know. Its odd that almost all of the scandals are related to being overtly bias against conservatives.

[Andy Shafer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

I'm a registered independent because I think getting locked in to either the democrap or repooplican party is wrong. Same with liberal versus conservative. They've both got their strong and weak points, and have both been wrong and right. To stay to one side or the other and say "we're always right" or "you're always wrong" is more stupid than Fox News or CNN.

[Trae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

The problem Dave is that people don't watch the Fox News Special REport. They get their "news" from the "facts and figures" that O'Reilly makes up.

[Not hate but jealousy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

"That and they hate Canadians...and how can anyone hate Canadians?"

They don't hate us, they're jealous of our freedom. :-P

[Dave Schroeder @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Trae: I understand what you're saying, but that's hardly a problem with FOX News. That can just as easily be said about opinion-based shows or content on any other network or the op-ed pages of the LA Times or the Guardian.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

30. Posted Mar 26, 2005, 4:33 PM ET by Trae
The problem Dave is that people don't watch the Fox News Special REport. They get their "news" from the "facts and figures" that O'Reilly makes up.

________________

That's their problem. If you wish, engage them and provide figures on how and why they are incorrect. Engage them in the arena of ideas and win if you're right.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why you are reluctant to do so--I wouldn't want to argue from the left as most of your tenants only reach logical closure with a heavy dose of emotional appeal. Once you get back to logic, and what the function of government is, (hint: it's not robbing Peter to pay Paul) liberalism just doesn't make sense.

[Trae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Oh I agree that this is a problem on all sides that people watch opinion based shows rather than the news. If you read what I said earlier about an "ipod nation" this is what I was trying to explain.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

". Posted Mar 26, 2005, 4:45 PM ET by Not hate but jealousy
"That and they hate Canadians...and how can anyone hate Canadians?"

They don't hate us, they're jealous of our freedom. :-P
___________

America is the quarterback and Canada is the homely, pudgy girl in the corner, mad at him because he won't ask her to dance.

[dealdetectives @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

theres no way this can work.

different cable companies broadcast fox news at different frequencies. a filtering device like this is made in advance and a filter on it is permanent. therefore if it filters out the fox news on a cable network that has fox news on channel 58, another cable network might have spiketv on 58 and when you hook up this device it would block spiketv.

its a stupid device, and it wont work. however no where on their site do they say it actually doesn't really work. this is what's called false advertising.

they also say "With every order placed, FOXBlocker.com will send an e-mail in your name to the TOP 10 advertisers at FOX News letting them know that yet another subscriber has opted out of FOX News. " thats just retarded. like advertisers care about how many people ordered these dumb non-working devices. they care about money and money comes from ratings. not non-functioning cable filters.

dumbest thing i've seen this month

[Trae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Jaime:

Some of care for people some of us don't Thats why we have the freedom to argue.

[bobster @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Interesting...
Why do some people hate others opinion's so much that they go out of their way to avoid it. Whatever happened to broadining our minds by experiencing listening to opinions that differ from our own.

[Sam K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Regarding the comment by "dealdetectives", I respectfully request to know just what the &^%&* "dealie" knows about it. His claim that we engage in "false advertising" (which is a term with a legal definition, btw) shows a lack of intellect, since the product is not exactly rocket science.
Suffice it to say,it can and does work.
If "dealdetective" has an informed opinion to express, I'd love to hear it.
As it is, all I'm hearing him/her say is "I'm too dumb to figure it out, so it can't be true". Must be watching too much Fox "News".

[Dolemite @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Posted Mar 26, 2005, 5:02 PM ET by Jamie
"America is the quarterback and Canada is the homely, pudgy girl in the corner, mad at him because he won't ask her to dance."

Right, 'cause we've got cooties. Wait, not cooties. What's it called. Oh, yeah. Universal Medicare, lower crime rate and a balanced government budget. But please, Jamie, save the last dance for us, won't you?

Oh yes... FOXNEWS blocker. I thought the living room was a free-speech zone?

[Oscar F. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Liberal media? Considering they are all owned by a few, conservative corporations, I fail to see how this is true.

http://www.liberalslant.com/mediaownership.htm
http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners.asp

[Joey Geraci @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Liberalism just doesn't make sense, that is the funniest thing I have heard since someone on here said that fox news has never had a scandal (OReilly calling that woman and sexually harrasing her comes to mind) or that it is fair and balanced. Anybody can find some report that is biased and says that somebody is fair when it is obvious to everybody with half a brain that Fox News is the mouthpiece of the GOP. The fact that somebody is trying to argue the opposite by pointing to some study by a conservative group is laughable.

I will tell you what doesn't make sense. The federal government taking control of an issue that is so obvious the husband's purview that every court that has viewed the matter has sided with him (I think over 20 differents judges have viewed the matter by now). And then our illustrious president decides to rush out to support his fellow Republicans, while he is known to have signed legislation into law in his home state that allowed the doctor to pull the plug AGAINST the families wishes, and with the families ability to pay factoring into the decision. RESPECT FOR LIFE my ass. Social Security, stem cells, right to choose, even going so far as him taking away the tax rebates that families have been getting for buying hybrid vehicles, intelligent design, everything the GOP stands for is what doesn't make sense. Liberalism is what makes sense, in useing both your heart and your head to make decisions and solve problems and actually caring about people rather than putting up a show.

[Samuel Lago @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Just go to the BBC website (ww.bbc.co.uk) its got all the best news, no US crap!

[JK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Well Sam K, go ahead and answer the question on everyone's mind.... How do you single out Fox on any given cable system? It's never the same across a city, much less the entire U.S.

Why don't you quit being a punk because someone makes an obvious complaint of B.S. against an suspiciously B.S.-sounding product, and instead supply us with a retort to those suggestions?

Until you do, I'm FULLY convinced your device won't work properly.

Or do you just block all channels and say "ok, Fox is blocked!" ?

[ben g @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

hasn't this "fox blocker" been out for like, over a year? why is it now making headlines *again* ?

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

". Posted Mar 26, 2005, 4:45 PM ET by Not hate but jealousy
"That and they hate Canadians...and how can anyone hate Canadians?"

They don't hate us, they're jealous of our freedom. :-P
___________

America is the quarterback and Canada is the homely, pudgy girl in the corner, mad at him because he won't ask her to dance.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

43. Posted Mar 26, 2005, 6:24 PM ET by Samuel Lago
Just go to the BBC website (ww.bbc.co.uk) its got all the best news, no US crap!
_____________________

You should be careful of the company you keep:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8529444%255E1702,00.html

BBC is a government source--like news sources in the 3rd world.

[das @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Oscar F, you may be interested in this, then:

http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/faculty/groseclose/Media.Bias.8.htm

Actually, I take that back: since it doesn't support your idea that the liberal bias in media is just a fantasy, you probably won't be interested in it.

[WTF happened!?!?!?! @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

When did the world turn into bizzarro world? Notice how the "conservatives" are now the pie-in-the-sky dreamers who take chances to spread freedom and individual liberty to the darkest corners of the world? And how the "liberals" are the reactionary roadblocks who want to preserve the status quo using realpolitik excuses, and want to block free expression of ideas and populist sentiments?

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM]

Please let us know when the ABC CBS and CNN blockers are out, so damn tired of having to skip past the whiney liberals.