# Tivo sells out to advertisers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348 "2004-11-17T21:45:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/21 "2004-11-18T19:14:22Z")
[MythTV](http://www.mythtv.org), baby. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/22 "2004-11-18T19:24:55Z")
Just be glad they’re not showing “Blipverts.” Then you’d really have something to lose your head over. ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/23 "2004-11-18T19:46:55Z")
Try [ReplayTV](http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/replaytv/default.asp). I have both systems, and replay beats TiVO by eleventy million miles. The only problem is that it’s not as easily intergrated into DirecTV. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/24 "2004-11-18T19:55:06Z")
I use the 30-second skip. It is very cool. Don’t forget that Tivo can turn that off any time they want. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/25 "2004-11-18T20:55:15Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I think TiVO is controlled via software where Dish’s PVRs are essentially like VCRs. The 30-second bump is not like fast forwarding. You just jump 30 seconds ahead (or 10 seconds back). Bah, I have pre-programmed buttons for that on my Dish DVR. The same ones that skip ahead and back days on the program guide. ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/26 "2004-11-19T13:24:14Z")
I guess I am in the minority here but I don’t really have a problem with this. I usually fast forward through comercials at the second level. If I understand correctly in the ~15 seconds it takes to fast forward through 3 min worth of commercials I will see a couple of ads that are just pictures instead of the high speed ad, not a big deal to me at all. AFAIK commercials pay the majority of the costs for programming, if everybody skipped them (or a majority of people), then what would the consequenses be? Either less ‘free’ programs or programs with advertising buried in them. A DVD (that I paid for) that will not let me skip directly to the movie is much more of a concern to me. While I do have privacy concerns, if keeping track of what ads I look at means I see more ads for sports cars and tools and less ads for tampons and shampoo how is that a bad thing? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348/27 "2004-11-19T23:48:29Z")
> [@Anachronism](#): > > AFAIK commercials pay the majority of the costs for programming, if everybody skipped them (or a majority of people), then what would the consequenses be? Either less ‘free’ programs or programs with advertising buried in them. This has nothing to do with paying for programming. The networks won’t see a dime from this, AFAICT; it won’t mean shorter commercial breaks, more quality shows, or whatever. This is an arrangement between advertisers and TiVo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tivo-sells-out-to-advertisers/275348.md?page=1)