TiVo Attempts to Save the Commercial
The State | 12/31/2004 | Bidding farewell to what will soon be obsolete
It's true. DVRs are addictive. Aside from being able to watch what I want when I want, I love to ability to squeeze an hour of television into 42 minutes by flying through the commercial breaks. When my family was visiting for Thanksgiving, my sister insisted on starting a live show on time. "Ever think of watching a show when it's actually on?" she asked. Heck no! I can watch a pre-recorded 30 minute sit-com at the beginning of the hour (in 20 minutes), then start the now 20 minute delayed program and finish up at the same time. I love being able to answer with a resounding "no" when asked "have you seen that commercial..."
Now TiVo is trying to get viewers like me back for advertisers.
In November, the company that first introduced consumers to digital video recorders � DVRs, which let viewers record hours of programs, pause live television and, yes, skip ads � announced that by March its customers will begin to see �logos� whenever they fast-forward past commercials. The logos would offer them various enticements, such as contest entries and freebies, if they will only stop to view the ad.
Get the full scoop on this and several other "soon to be obsolete" technologies here.
