Duncan wrote:
I had two VCRs hooked up to my TV, such that I could watch previous shows
while recording the current nite's shows, allowing me to FF over the
commercials. That, and I could rent movies and record them to the second
VCR while playing them from the first. Interactivity was pretty much
limited to that FF button -- and hitting back when I overshot a bit. Now,
I don't even own a TV (other than a tiny 2.5" TFT version, bought back in
the day..., that I have around somewhere, don't even know where...), as
I've grown to despise the lack of control one has over a TV program, and
the fact that the programmers must cater to their paying customers, the
advertisers, which in turn are happiest with the zombies easiest
programmed to buy their warez even when they are twice the cost or more of
the generic brand and even when they don't need them and can't really
afford them. Thus, there's actually a DIS-incentive to program for the
discerning intellect -- those that actually /like/ to think, and can't be
so easily programmed to buy expensive stuff they don't need.
A little off topic, but I'll be brief:
The ReplayTV brand DVR (or is it PVR these days) would automatically
skip over the commercials in pre-recorded shows. I say "would" because
this feature has been discontinued in the later models. The last ones
to have it were the 4000 and 4500 series models. I rather enjoy being
able to watch a typical thirty minute show in just over fifteen, knowing
that I'm sticking it to the advertising nazis at the same time.
It has happened on more than one occasion that people have been
discussing some bit of pop-culture that originated in an ubiquitous
commercial, and that I had no idea what they were talking about. There
have been blockbuster movies that came and went without my learning of
their existence until much later, if at all (I never saw Titanic, for
instance).
I'm not sure, but I believe one of the Linux based, home-brewed DVRs
like MythTV has an automatic commercial skip feature too.
You may be missing out on those few shows that are actually well
written. On the other hand, it is probably better for your health to
simply do without TV altogether.
I find it extremely entertaining that you (apparently) have Cox cable
internet, and yet you have no TV to speak of. More power to you.
--
"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate" - W. of O.
--
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