# DVRs and program start/end times?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 2, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981 "2011-09-02T17:33:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981/1 "2011-09-02T17:33:53Z")

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Anyone know why it is that cable networks and/or broadcast networks seem to be so sloppy when it comes to starting and ending their programs on time?

It seems to me that time synchronization should be a pretty trivial thing, in this age of computerized and automated processes. I’d imagine that even with some slop, you could be within a couple of seconds of the same time.

I’m getting kind of tired of missing the last 30-45 seconds of TV shows, or recording the last 10 seconds of some other show before what I want to see comes on.

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**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981/2 "2011-09-02T19:26:49Z")

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They’re not being sloppy. It’s deliberate, and it’s to make you want to watch the shows live (rather than record them and watch them later).

Note that it’s the networks that have commercials that do this. They know that if you record their shows and watch them later you’ll probably zap past the commercials, and that makes their shows less enticing for their customers. (For the networks-with-commercials, you are not the customer. You are the product. The advertiser is the customer. The shows are just the means to deliver the product.)

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981/3 "2011-09-02T20:42:08Z")

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If you have a Tivo it will allow you to add extra recording time at the beginning or end of a show.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981/4 "2011-09-02T21:35:00Z")

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i manually add a few minutes before the start and after the end when i set my machine to record.

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dvrs-and-program-start-end-times/594981/5 "2011-09-02T21:45:34Z")

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> [@control-z](#):
>
> If you have a Tivo it will allow you to add extra recording time at the beginning or end of a show.

As does the Comcast DVR which we use; we routinely add one minute at both ends of a recording, for this very reason.