Google Glass gets UK cinema ban

If you were planning to get some of that £1,000 you’ve spend on Google Glass back by some sneaky pirate filming at the flicks, think again as British cinemas have banned the Google glasses.

According to a recent report, UK Cinemas are worried that wearers could use Google Glass to record the latest blockbuster movies.

Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, said:

Customers will be requested not to wear these into cinema auditoriums, whether the film is playing or not.

A similar thing happened in the US with a number of movie theaters deciding to ban Google Glass, although there is not the same sort of blanket ban as there seems to be applied in the UK.

Google’s statement reads:

We recommend any cinemas concerned about Glass to treat the device as they treat similar devices like mobile phones: simply ask wearers to turn it off before the film starts. Broadly speaking, we also think it’s best to have direct and first-hand experience with Glass before creating policies around it. The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it’s activated makes it a fairly lousy device for recording things secretly.

So far the largest cinema chain to ban Glass is Vue and, as you probably worked out from the quote by Phil Clapp, the Cinema Exhibitor’s Association trade group has also banned them.

The thing is that, at the moment, Google Glass can record at 720p quality for about 45-minutes before the battery gives out. On top of that Glass has a light which turns on when its recording video. Not the best for covert piracy then. It is a fair point that people are still allowed to bring in their smartphones which not only last longer but can probably film at a better resolution, not to mention record better audio.

With Google Glass being so new in the UK, I wonder what other venues will decide to ban the device, at the moment in theaters you are not allowed to use cameras or smartphones during the show, this could also possibly become another venue in the UK where the Google Glass devices are banned.

Next stop… live music venues? I should think Glass will already be banned from schools and colleges as well as gyms and swimming areas… aren’t they?

Check out my hands-on review of the Google high tech specs.