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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.
Networks hoping video on demand will save them from DVR woes
We've all gloated in delight from mashing the fast forward button through ExtenZe ads on DVRed shows, but according to CBS's chief research officer David Poltrack in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, networks and advertisers hope VOD will soon put the brakes on our hell-raising remotes. Sure, the actual impact of DVRs on advertising may still be unclear -- remember Oliver Wyman found 85 percent of DVR owners skip 3/4 of commercials in recorded shows, while Duke researchers found 95 percent of TV is watched live -- making the devices a non-issue. The way Poltrack sees it though, more prevalent VOD will "give the consumer the ability to watch shows any way they want to, and to do so in a way that is much more advertiser-friendly." He also mentions the potential cost-saving benefits for consumers, who may not need to cough up monthly DVR fees in the future just to view The Jersey Shore whenevs. As support, he cites convenient CBS research showing that 90 percent of consumers would be willing to deal with commercials in exchange for $10 in cable bill savings. But what do you say Engadget research subjects? Would you sacrifice the joy of the commercial skip if VOD had everything you could possibly want to watch? Let us know in comments below.
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.
Commercial skipping via ShowAnalyzer coming to WTV files in May
If you're like us then you've been playing with the various Windows 7 Betas. Although we really like the direction Microsoft is headed with it, some of our favorite features keep us from making the switch from Vista Media Center full time. We'd say the number one feature that keeps us living in the past is automatic commercial skipping, but earlier tonight we heard some great news. The guys at the Entertainment 2.0 podcast had the author of one of the best commercial scanning utilities on, ShowAnalyzer, and was full of useful information. The most notable part was that he's been working on supporting wtv for some time, and actually expects to have it working by May -- yes, next month. This isn't the only feature we're still waiting for though, but it sure is a big one and we're glad to know it should be ready about the same time 7 gets its first release candidate.
