A Tivo Experiment

[oznerol]

So I've always hated commericals, especially during shows like Lost - so I've decided to stop watching shows at the time they come on, and instead start watching them ~20 minutes late. So while watching Lost, for example, it goes live at 9PM, but I started watching at around 9:20. This allowed me to watch the entire show, commercial-free, and I finished at 10:15 or so.

My question is - I'm wondering if anyone has figured out the optimal time to start watching a TV show - both the half and full hour varieties - such that you finish as close to the show end as possible and never have to watch a commercial?

Ideally you would be fast forwarding past the final commerical break, only to go reach live TV when the commercials are ending.

It strikes me as an interesting experiment, and I'm sure someone has attempted it. Anyone with any insight?

 

[jmcoreymv]

Aren't most hour long shows ~ 42 minutes without commercials? So if you started at 18 minutes past the hour, you should be okay.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: ducci
So I've always hated commericals, especially during shows like Lost - so I've decided to stop watching shows at the time they come on, and instead start watching them ~20 minutes late. So while watching Lost, for example, it goes live at 9PM, but I started watching at around 9:20. This allowed me to watch the entire show, commercial-free, and I finished at 10:15 or so.

Wait... how did you start 20 minutes late, skip all the commercials, and then finish only 5 minutes short of an hour? You should have finished near 10.

 

[techs]

I have found that exactly 20 minutes is perfect. It gives me time to go to bathroom and also to replay a few seconds a couple of times to get something I missed.

 

[Kaido]

Yeah we do 10 or 20 minutes into it so that we can fast forward through the commercials. Good time to hit the bathroom and grab some snacks!

 

[jdini76]

15 - 20 mins depending on FF speed. Sometimes if you go too fast you over do it and then have to back up, so it can add some time.

I don't use Tivo, but there should be a 30 sec skip button or something like it.

 

[RossMAN]

15 minutes works perfectly for us.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: jdini76
15 - 20 mins depending on FF speed. Sometimes if you go too fast you over do it and then have to back up, so it can add some time.

I don't use Tivo, but there should be a 30 sec skip button or something like it.

There is, but it's hidden. By default the skip forward button goes all the way to the end. To enable the 30 second skip you have to press Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select while playing a video. Then the skip forward button will go foward 30 seconds. What I hate is the that function gets reset every damn time they do an update to the TiVo software. Pisses me off each time because I'll start watching a show and at the first commercial break I'll hit the skip button and suddenly be at the very end.

 

[DaveJ]

17 minutes on an hour show or around 35 minutes on a two hour block gets it timed just about perfect for me. Tivo rocks!

Dave

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: jdini76
15 - 20 mins depending on FF speed. Sometimes if you go too fast you over do it and then have to back up, so it can add some time.

I don't use Tivo, but there should be a 30 sec skip button or something like it.

There is a 30 second skip button.

Hit Select, Play Select, 3, 0, then Select on the remote. You'll hear three chimes.

The "Skip to End' button the remote becomes 30 second skip. It's the only way to fly.

 

[indamixx99]

ReplayTV's automatic commercial skip FTW! :thumbsup:

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: MrBond

Originally posted by: jdini76
15 - 20 mins depending on FF speed. Sometimes if you go too fast you over do it and then have to back up, so it can add some time.

I don't use Tivo, but there should be a 30 sec skip button or something like it.

There is a 30 second skip button.

Hit Select, Play Select, 3, 0, then Select on the remote. You'll hear three chimes.

The "Skip to End' button the remote becomes 30 second skip. It's the only way to fly.

NM

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: indamixx99
ReplayTV's automatic commercial skip FTW! :thumbsup:

I disconnected our ReplayTV 5040 last year, I miss it.