Smell-O-Vision: The Gradual Slide into an Artificial World

Philosophy Forums Society, Government, and Economics
1

I don’t know if anyone has tried this yet, but Smell-O-Vision (it goes by another proprietary brand name) is currently being introduced in Australia and, while its a fun gimmick at this stage, I can’t help but feel a little uncomfortable with the direction we seem to be heading in. First an overview of the Smell-O-Vision:

For about AU$99 (US$79) you get a modem like box you place on your TV and, anything filmed with a camera that has a smell-o-vision sensor attached, picks up olfactory information (as well as sound and vision) and sends the digital signals to your set top box. The digital info then releases chemicals to produce the recorded smell. (You need to replace the chemical cartridge every so as you do with a printer). Apparently, reports are exceptional… one person could tell the brand of coffee someon on the tele was drinking via smell alone.

Anyway, some of the possibilities I’ve thought about are listed below; most are fun or funny but the implications for others can be quite disturbing.

THE GOOD (OR INTERESTING):
When watching beach scenes, you will be able to smell the sea air
Cooking programs will be able to present their cuisine more compellingly.
It would be fantastic for perfume adverts, food etc.
SOME DUBIOUS POSSIBILITIES:
Do we want to smell the cigarette an interviewee has by his/her side during an interview?
Kids shows will make great use of the novelty… like making rotten egg gas, and smelling competitions.
Subtle smells are going to pervade EVERY advert whether they’re selling scented products or not. For example, homes (in adverts) will be infused with air freshener smells, mild baked cookie smells, log fire smells, grass, open air, sea breezes etc to add another layer or seduction to whatever they’re selling.
SOME NOT SO GOOD POSSIBILITES: (or why I want a large MUTE button on my Smell-O-Vision)
Kids will be enticed to buy more sweet smelling junk food and candies/lollies because they will almost “taste” it – via smell.
Most “reality shows” like Big Brother… don’t sound olfactorily attractive, particularly when the camera goes into bathrooms and young guys bedrooms… phewwwwww!!
Romantic close up on an actor with obnoxious breath.
Sex scenes – this might suit some but I like to watch, not smell.
Scenes where the actors are running or jogging.
The accidental (silent) fart on live shows.
Animal / Zoo shows.
Football locker rooms after the game.
News programs of fires and death will take on a new depth particularly when covering things like Tsunamis and week-old rotting bodies.
OTHER USES
XXX videos – good tastes requires I leave the titles to your imagination
Street level adverts oozing chemical fragrances to directly advertise (eg food) or indirectly imbue their brands proprietary scent into your consciousness.
Pheromones that puff out from an advert of a near naked model draping herself over a car…. or perhaps pheromone scents inside a car to attract a particular market?
Until now, the olfactory zone, has been a relatively commercial-free zone. Smells can now be used to subtlety market products by subconsciously associating feelings and meanings with brand names. This isn’t crass, in-your-face neuro-conditioning (or brainwashing) a la Clockwork Orange, it’s more insidious because people won’t always know why this advert or brand gives them a warm homely feeling – but, bit by bit, subliminal conditioning will be happening. I can’t help think that we’re being ever so gently massaged and ever so sweetly manipulated into thinking and acting in ways that are artificial and don’t come from “real” experience.

My questions: Can you think of other examples of Smell-O-Vision? Are some of these possible uses a little too close to the visual subliminals banned in most countries? Is this scary or just a bit of fun (or both)?

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Yeah, I have a question: If I accidentally leave the TV on when I go to work, am I going to come home with my house reeking of beaches, rotten eggs, wet dogs, sex, and etc?

Edit: Ooh, another thing. How is this going to affect pets?

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I don’t know, but I guess the smells would have to evaporate very quickly as the scenes changes; there’s no use smelling the last scene’s morgue piece when it immediately cuts to the day after, at home?

As far as pets go, you’re right :smiley: I didn’t think of that. I imagine some pets will go ballistic when they smell another animal in their lounge room (heir territory)? Also I should imagine pet food suppliers are going to be squirting very suspect smells to sell their products too. Don’t be suprised if your dog picks up a can of his favourite food when shopping :smiley: It might have to do with the smells in the ad and on the product?

PS: Additionally, one can get distorted sound and vision from aerials and satellite feeds, so I would presume distorted smells too?

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LMAO @ that :laughing: Yeah dont think I’d install smell-O-vision at my place.

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I don't think smell can do that, though. Like, if you have an hour long scene that takes place in a morgue, and then it cuts to a beach, the air in your house is still going to be filled with morgue-stink. Smell works completely different than hearing or sight in that way.

I think Smell-o-vision is a cool idea for movie theatres- that’s a short, occaisional experience that could be cool once in a while. I can picture certain smells adding to the emotional content of a scene. I wouldn’t want it in my house, though.
Yes, I have two dogs, and if there was skunk stink or cat stink or whatever coming into the house, they’d be freaking out all the time. At the very least, I’d have to be cleaning nose-prints of the TV screen all the time, I’m sure.

6

I think the editor would simply edit out the smell as the scene is about to change. You wouldn’t need to smell a scent constantly from a morgue for instance, you only need a whiff at the start to provide the background atmosphere. Of course the sound people are doing this all the time – placing almost unperceivable sounds in the background to create mood.

Rounder, I did write up some pretty disgusting XXX titles but thought some would say it wasn’t philosophy :unamused: … and I wasn’t prepared to fight it out.

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Now really how can porn not have a home in philosophy? :stuck_out_tongue:

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:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: Unbelievable. I hit the last post and at the bottom was the google ad links block containing the following links: Body smells, Septic smells, Vaginal smells, and odor absorbers. Odor absorbers indeed! :laughing:

JT

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Will Smell-O-Vision Replace Television?
time.com/time/reports/v21/te … smell.html

I love that old Bugs Bunny cartoon…

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One of the big free-to-air networks here has bought the rights to Smell-O-Vision and is pushing it big time. The box tops are being sold and rented to get them into as many homes as possible.
Its obviously a gimmick to get people to watch their networks programs over the competitors and I’m sure it will work well – at least for the short term.
For instance, if two cooking or gardening shows are competing on different networks, which would you watch?
Or, if you’re creating an ad/product launch you want to stand out from the crowd, you might consider moving most of your ad dollars to a network with an added dimension?

There’s a new ad on TV where the cartoon dog farts and sends the characters flying thru the snow…. I’m not really keen on that popping up before dinner? But I’m sure they have thought this through.
Perhaps they will have warnings like: ”The following program is recommended for a mature audience. It contains graphic violence, course language and awful smells”