SF Signal: TiVo Will No Longer Skip Past Advertisers

TiVo Will No Longer Skip Past Advertisers

This LA Times mentions about an upcoming Tivo feature that displays ads when fast-forwarding through commercials. The ads offer "see more info" and "send me more info" options. Early customer reaction is miced. Some say it betrays the customers (Tivo is no longer "TV your way") and some say no big deal (FF still works and it helps Tivo stay afloat).

My first reaction is: what a bummer. One of the things I like most about Tivo is the compressed viewing time. I rarely watch live TV anymore. But realistically, I think this just may be no big deal. It may seem intrusive (and it is), but I still get the compressed viewing. Just as long as it doesn't take more buton presses to glide past the ads. I guess I'll wait and see.

[Link via PVRBlog]

Wha?!?!?! They're going to show ads while I'm fast forwarding past ads? Are they going to give me another set of buttons to fast forward past these new ads? Then, are they going to add additional ads to the ads that are being fast forwarded that are displayed while we're fasting forwarding past the original set of recorded ads?

Why doesn't Tivo just phucking disable the fast forward buttons altogether and turn it back to watching TV the old way!?!?! They can even change their slogan to "TiVo: TV the old idiotic way where the 'i' is for 'idiotic' and the 'o' stands for 'old'."

The TiVo head butt-munch...er...CEO (these days, one can't tell the differences between a CEO and a butt-munch, you know -- just look at that desktop computer company used to make calculators and no, i don't mean TI) should STFU and do what's right for the customers -- maybe then their stock won't keep languishing in the 5s...

Posted by Peter on Thursday November 18, 2004 at 4:02 PM

One of the comments here shows exactly the sort of reaction that bugs me. People not looking at whats actually described and jumping to extreme conclusions.

There will be no need to "fast forward" through the new ads, because all they are is banners that appear while you're fast forwarding. They are just an extension of the thumbs up icon you already see.

Thats it. Not worth anything like the hysteria that this particular bit of news has generated around the web.

Posted by Eoghann on Friday November 19, 2004 at 4:56 PM

See the PVRBlog for an interesting take on the use of FF. No wonder John knows every commerical.

As far as jumping to conclusions, that's about all the exercise most of us around here get...

Posted by JP on Saturday November 20, 2004 at 10:52 PM

Err..."miced"? Sounds serious!

I presume that the Tivo look alikes that people such as my satellite provider market have this "feature" already.

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Sunday November 21, 2004 at 9:34 PM