# Great things to watch with a DVR **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731 "2017-10-13T13:20:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/21 "2017-10-17T13:19:38Z")
Recent Tivos have two features which make speed viewing a breeze - SkipMode and QuickMode. SkipMode skips past an entire block of commercials with a button press. QuickMode plays a show 30% faster than normal with pitch adjustment so that the sound is normal instead of sounding like Alvin and the Chipmunks. There’s also a button to skip ahead 30 seconds. Jeopardy has about 14 minutes of actual game content. I can watch it in 10 minutes. Tivo is also good for watching football. The 30-second skip exactly matches the amount of time between plays in most cases. I can watch games in about 30 minutes. It could be shorter but sometimes I listen to the commentary between plays if something interesting happened. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/22 "2017-10-17T14:55:52Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I love that show, but I rarely care about the pre-taped “getting to know the dancers” or “let’s see some of the rehearsal” stuff. For that matter, I usually don’t care about the judges’ comments, either. I like being able to skip all of that and just watch the performances… I came here to say exactly the same thing about The Voice. The judges are the worst. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/23 "2017-10-17T15:48:32Z")
I did a survey recently about a talent show. They really, really wanted to know a bunch of things about current and potential judges. Judges? Doesn’t everybody just skip over that stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/24 "2017-10-17T16:32:56Z")
When my wife watched Glee she skipped the songs. I thought that the songs were the whole point of the thing, but less time watching that crap the better so I was happy that she was skipping _something_. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/25 "2017-10-17T18:23:22Z")
I like to DVR The Simpsons and other animated shows because they often have background jokes that flash by quickly. My Name is Earl was a live action show that did that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/26 "2017-10-17T21:01:56Z")
Anything that feels the need to recap what happened just before the commercial break. Lookin’ at you, “Face Off”. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/27 "2017-10-17T22:44:27Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > EVERYTHING is better when watched with a DVR! I have a hard time watching anything live anymore. This, simply because I never want to see another ad ever again.\* There are especially long ad breaks on Sportsnet shows like _Tim and Sid_ and _Prime Time with Bob McCown_. I watch a lot of footy and hockey, so it’s nice to have to the option if I feel like skipping pre-game shit, along with intermissions and half-time. Like someone mentioned there’s some PBS Newshour segments I’ll skip, like the “Brief But Spectacular” bio segment at the end of most newshours, or I’ll hit the 30-second-skip button over the stock market readings. Not much of a DVR “library”: (heh - new thread topic?) a couple key John Oliver epi’s, three presidential debates, a couple Kroll Shows, a _Machu Piccu Decoded_ doc, and the _Jay and Dan_ re-launch show from two months ago. > [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > Recent Tivos have two features which make speed viewing a breeze - SkipMode and QuickMode. SkipMode skips past an entire block of commercials with a button press. QuickMode plays a show 30% faster than normal with pitch adjustment so that the sound is normal instead of sounding like Alvin and the Chipmunks. huh. cool. \*ok maybe if I spot what looks like a new Old Spice ad as I’m fast-forwarding. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/28 "2017-10-19T20:24:24Z")
Much as I love baseball, I admit it can be tedious to watch on TV (on some networks more than others), especially during the playoffs when the pace slows _way_ down. I start watching about an hour late. I triple-speed FF through commercial breaks and single-speed FF between every batter. I usually catch up to real time right at about the end of the game. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/29 "2017-10-20T02:01:31Z")
Any live sports. Football I start about 45 min after game starts and I’m live by the last few minutes of the game. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731/30 "2017-10-20T20:04:43Z")
I watch MMA fights. One fight should take 17 minutes if it goes the full time allotment so that is how the event is scheduled. But if there is a 1st round KO or tapout, they pad that time with background stories, previous fights, analysis, etc. A 3 hour event can be watched in less than an hour thanks to DVR. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-things-to-watch-with-a-dvr/798731.md?page=1)