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Dish Network adds 'Auto Hop' commercial skipping feature to its Hopper DVRs
One of the main features when Dish Network unveiled its Hopper and Joey multiroom DVRs at CES was PrimeTime Anytime, a setting that archives three hours of network programming, every night on the four main stations for a week and now it's upping the ante by adding commercial skipping to the mix. While automated commercial skipping as an out of the box feature went out from most DVRs with ReplayTV, the new Auto Hop feature edits out the breaks from those PrimeTime AnyTime recordings starting at 1 AM that night. While it's still been possible on other platforms like Windows Media Center, Sage TV and MythTV with third-party add-ons (we can show you how on Media Center) this requires pushing just one button. So, assuming our glowing review and the knowledge that you'd never miss another primetime show wasn't enough to make the switch, is saving a few minutes watching those shows on DVR later pushing you towards the (potentially Mad Men-less) edge?
ShowAnalyzer developer is hard at work on v2.0
One of the most important pieces of our official Ben-o-vision toolkit should be getting an update soon, as ShowAnalyzer developer Jere Jones mentioned on his Android Buffet podcast that he's been busy for the last few months on v2.0. For those not already in the know, the software automatically detects commercials in your Windows Media Center recordings so they can be removed providing you with uninterrupted viewing pleasure -- we break down how to make it all work here. The Digital Media Zone speculates based on forum postings that there won't be a cross-platform version for OSX or Linux, but notes some are hoping to see the Schoolhouse app (or something similar) for adjusting commercial detection return in this version.
TiVo issues 30 for 30 interactive ad challenge to shift how brands buy advertising
The way TiVo sees things, advertisers shouldn't foolishly pay for ads no one is watching thanks to their DVRs, when they could use the same money to pay TiVo -- a DVR company -- for special ads DVR users are more likely to see. At least that's what we're getting from their recently announced 30 for 30 interactive ad challenge, which involves asking advertisers to move money from poorly performing prime-time 30-second TV spots and instead put it towards buying 30 days of ad exposure on TiVo. For those unfamiliar with TiVo's ad offerings, this exposure appears as clever advertisements shown in places such as the pause menu and home screen, or via special placements through fast-forward billboards and interactive tags that appear during regular commercials. While this may be bad news for TiVo's commercial-hating users who bought the device to avoid ads in the first place, depending on the trial's success, we're hoping TiVo could earn enough dough to drop the monthly subscription fee -- that is as long as VOD doesn't make the discussion moot. Sure the concept is crazy enough to make even Joseph Heller proud, but thankfully whatever happens, there's still HBO.
How to tweak ShowAnalyzer to 100 percent commercial detection accuracy
If you you've ever used any automatic commercial skipping technology you know that it isn't 100 percent accurate. We remember our old ReplayTV 4080 had a button on the remote just to disable the feature when it incorrectly identified part of our favorite show as a commercial. You'd hit it and then rewind, so while nothing was lost, some are so annoyed that they'd just assume skip them the old fashioned way. Well unlike the ReplayTV, when you use ShowAnalyzer to detect commercials on your HTPC, you can tweak your settings to 100% accuracy. Until recently this wasn't actually possible because while ShowAnalyzer has been tweakable for a while, one set of settings would fix one show, and make another worse. Well in the latest beta you can set rules that allows you to tweak the settings per channel or even per show. So while there is nothing automatic about gaining 100 percent accuracy, it is actually kind of fun to try. You can even share your specific settings with others, you know, to show everyone how smart you are.
How to automatically skip commercials in Windows 7 Media Center
Skipping commercials on a HTPC DVR has been around for a long long time, but it isn't always the easiest thing to setup. And even if you do get it working, there are so many options, it can take some time before you get it working the way you want it. So in the spirt of Windows 7 day, and the fact that the next major version of ShowAnalyzer is being released, we figured we'd write up a how to with a few tips and tricks of our own. We start by downloading and installing the main components; DVRMSToolBox, the DTB Media Center Add-in and ShowAnalyzer, and finish off with some troubleshooting for when things go wrong. So if you use Media Center, click through and never pick up the remote to skip a commercial again.
Automatic commercial skipping comes to Windows 7
When considering any software upgrade it is important to check and make sure all of your other software will work on the new platform; so as expected many have been holding out on testing Windows Media Center on Windows 7 full time because of their hatred of commercials. Thanks to plug-ins like DVRMStoolBox (DTB) automatically skipping commercials in Vista has been a reality for years, but when Microsoft introduced a new SDK and recorded TV format (WTV) in Windows 7, all the old plug-ins ceased to work. Well we're happy to be the ones to tell you that we've been fortunate enough to play with early release versions of DTB and Show Analyzer -- the software that actually finds the commercials -- and they work on Windows 7 perfectly. Once again we can skip commercials without even touching the remote -- and this includes recordings that are still in progress. The bad news is that we have no idea when these updates will be available for mass consumption, but judging by how well they seem to be working, we'd expect 'em sooner rather than later.
CE-Oh no he didn't! Part XI - ABC exec takes on DVRs
We know that as a network executive, ABC's President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw has a vested interest in the survival of the traditional 30-second commercial, but his recent assertion that consumers don't really care about the ad-skipping functionality of their DVRs strikes us as being way off the mark. Following ABC's latest rate-setting powwow with advertisers, or upfront, Shaw opined that he wasn't sure "the driving reason to get a DVR in the first place is just to skip commercials," and that the appeal of such devices "really is just a matter of convenience -- so you don't miss your favorite show." He even went so far as to say that he "would love it if the MSO's...would disable the fast-forward [button]" on their next generation of set-top boxes, suggesting that "people can understand in order to have convenience and on-demand, that you can't skip commercials." Once again, we follow the logic here -- commercials do help keep programs we enjoy on the air -- but instead of embittering folks by forcing them to sit through ads, maybe Shaw should encourage his advertising partners to follow KFC's lead and create spots that people actually want to watch. Remember, Mike, that'll you'll catch more flies with delicious honey than the sour vinegar you're currently trying to force down our throats.
