# Does anyone else see red splotches during Adult Swim broadcasts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099 "2003-11-13T21:00:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/1 "2003-11-13T21:00:59Z")
This probably isn’t a good sample, as I only watch Futurama and Family Guy, but at least once during each broadcast on Adult Swim I see bright red splotches that appear for about 5 seconds then disappear. They aren’t in any certain place on the screen - they appear, seem to intensify, then go away. I’ve never seen them on any of my other cable channels, but every night during Adult Swim they show up at random times during those two shows. Surely this isn’t some form of copy protection? Anybody else notice this? ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/2 "2003-11-13T21:53:41Z")
Cameos by Meatwad? I’ve never seem them during the Sunday night line-up (basically the only night I watch Adult Swim), but I’ll keep an watch out next week (when they muck up the Sunday line-up yet again…) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/3 "2003-11-13T22:44:13Z")
Are they blocky blotches or blobby blotches? Blocky would be almost certainly a digital artifact such as a bad connection or similar glitch in a satellite or digital cable hookup. Rounded, blobby shapes would be something else. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/4 "2003-11-13T22:47:21Z")
They’re more blocky than blobby, but not like what you get when a digital signal reaquires. I have expanded basic cable anyway, not digital, so if that’s it it’s on their end… ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/5 "2003-11-13T23:10:23Z")
I was seeing red blocky blobby blotches, so I lowered my dose slightly and they have gone away. The Nine-Headed Buddah still parachutes in from time to time, though. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/6 "2003-11-13T23:25:34Z")
How many times does he yell “Geronimo”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/7 "2003-11-14T00:54:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > **This probably isn’t a good sample, as I only watch Futurama and Family Guy** Even though I’ve seen all the episodes a million times, I’ve watched both of those shows on Adult Swim several times recently. I never noticed any dots on my DirecTV. It doesn’t seem like it would make much sense as a copy protection, either. All of the episodes of both series were capped when originally aired on Fox and have been floating around the Internet for years. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/8 "2003-11-14T16:25:23Z")
“Surely this isn’t some form of copy protection?” Actually there is a new copy protection that does this. Red Dot Copy Protection. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/9 "2003-11-14T16:41:29Z")
What is Adult Swim?? Sorry, I don’t watch a lot of TV…is this a channel or a show?? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/10 "2003-11-14T18:27:13Z")
It’s a “late night” run of shows on Comedy Central, kicking off with Futurama and Family Guy. ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/11 "2003-11-14T22:58:28Z")
It still sounds like digital compression glitches. Even if you don’t have digital cable, the satellite feeds are still digitally compressed. If enough of the data is lost, the unrecoverable parts of the signal can take on rather interesting geometric forms. The first time I saw one while under the effect of hallucinogens, I was more interested in the artifacts than the actual programming… The glitch color doesn’t have to be black, though that’s the only color I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/12 "2003-11-14T23:39:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*“Surely this isn’t some form of copy protection?” > > Actually there is a new copy protection that does this. Red Dot Copy Protection. \*\* …Which is used for new film prints and has absolutely nothing to do with television. ---
**Author:** ![Mearl\_Dox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Mearl\_Dox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mearl_Dox)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/13 "2003-11-14T23:45:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gotpasswords \* > \*\*It’s a “late night” run of shows on Comedy Central, kicking off with Futurama and Family Guy. \*\* You mean Cartoon Network, not Comedy Central. It’s a collection of cartoons aimed at older viewers, airing at night and after some warnings for unwary parents who might let their kids stay up extra-late. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-see-red-splotches-during-adult-swim-broadcasts/213099/14 "2003-11-19T21:05:16Z")
I myself have never seen the red splotches, but I’ll be on the lookout for them now.