In case you needed another reason to rent/buy TV programs on DVD

[Jaimoe]

By 2009, the CRTC is lifting all restrictions on ads in Canada, allowing stations access to 2 extra minutes of commercial time per program. Not only will promos be likely a thing of the past, but program content will be cut by two minutes. Ever watched suspiciously choppy programs on Global recently?

One good thing for all HDTV owner: Analog TV has been ordered in North America to disappear by 2011.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

what do you mean by choppy?!?

and what promos are you referring to?

[Jaimoe]

what do you mean by choppy?!?

and what promos are you referring to?

Global already cuts content by adding an extra break in shows. Most commercial breaks have promos that promote their station's other programs. These will fall under the axe so stations can add more commercials, thus homegrown shows will not get promoted much anymore.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

aha, thanks for the clarification

[bradm]

I wonder why some station hasn't tried airing shows (or re-runs/syndicated shows) without more chopped out of them, and advertising the fact that they do. I can see an ad campaign for such a station ("See the shows as they were meant to be seen") helping to attract new viewers, with the revenue lost from having fewer commercials aired made up for by being able to charge higher rates.

Aloha,

Brad

[Jaimoe]

I wonder why some station hasn't tried airing shows (or re-runs/syndicated shows) without more chopped out of them, and advertising the fact that they do. I can see an ad campaign for such a station ("See the shows as they were meant to be seen") helping to attract new viewers, with the revenue lost from having fewer commercials aired made up for by being able to charge higher rates.

Aloha,

Brad

This had been done many times. Showcase and History have done and do this and Space made a big fuss out of airing the original Star Trek uncut - and they still do. I'm surprised you don't know about the Trek on Space.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

^ you forgot to add ", Poindexter"

[Jaimoe]

^ you forgot to add ", Poindexter"

I was thinking it should be Mr. Spock.

[Kanada Kev]

What you see now is way more advertising on your screen DURING programs. This drives me nuts. Not only is the station logo burned into on corner, but you get constant banners and crawls advertising other shows. They seem to get bigger and bigger. What blows me away, is that they will do this across the bottom of the screen, right when a movie/show has subtitles running and you can't see them ... d'uh!

[Davey Boy 2.0]

and i hate it when you're trying to figure out something in the credits then BOOM half the screen is taken up promoting another show and you can't see shit

i guess that's what the internets are for

[AD]

or when the credits go warp speed

[Kanada Kev]

Yup ... drives me nuts on Global. They've been killing the end of the Simpsons for years. That great episode that had the blind guy using med marijuana being busted at the end by Wiggums, etc. In the credits you got to hear Officers Lou and Eddie (obviously high) singing "Jammin'" by Bob Marley. You miss that when Global airs it

[Jaimoe]

Kev, the station logos are called bugs and the ads that scroll across the screen are called crawls. I don't like either one, but if viewers increasingly skip through commericals, then sometimes it's the only a station can effectively advertise their programs.

DB, that particular promotions effect is called a squeeze. I hate them.

[Jaimoe]

Global also squeezes in break after the opening credits of some shows, like King of the Hill.

Back to bugs. With the proliferation of channels, you can't blame a station for having a bug. There are over 900 channels to choose from on most digital set-ups.

[bouche]

Another reason for downloading torrents.

[Jaimoe]

Another reason for downloading torrents.

What's the source for the torrents? If they are taken from a TV station signal, then it's all the same.

[Alexis]

what's the deal with the analog cut off....in 2011 there will be no more regular old basic cable options...and i'll finally have to upgrade the TV my nana got with her ultramatic sleep set in 1987...that blows!

[Jaimoe]

what's the deal with the analog cut off....in 2011 there will be no more regular old basic cable options...and i'll finally have to upgrade the TV my nana got with her ultramatic sleep set in 1987...that blows!

Technology has upgraded so quickly in recent years that the axe on older formats was going to fall at some time.

[Rob Not Bob]

One thing that really annoyed me recently was a show (I forget which one) where part of the text was, IMSMR, in Spanish and they translated it using subtitles, but you couldn't read the subtitles because they put a banner over top of them. Luckily I understood enough spanish to get what was going on, but it mightily irked me.

[Jaimoe]

Nice signature RNB! I love Looney Tunes.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

aye caramba

[ollie]

Another reason for downloading torrents.

What's the source for the torrents? If they are taken from a TV station signal' date=' then it's all the same.[/quote']

Not when some nerd takes the time to cut out the commercials for you.

[Jaimoe]

Another reason for downloading torrents.

What's the source for the torrents? If they are taken from a TV station signal' date=' then it's all the same.[/quote']

Not when some nerd takes the time to cut out the commercials for you.

Then the content will still be chopped as well in the future, unless the torrents are taken from a DVD or network source.

[ollie]

what's the deal with the analog cut off....in 2011 there will be no more regular old basic cable options...and i'll finally have to upgrade the TV my nana got with her ultramatic sleep set in 1987...that blows!

You're old TV should be able to handle digital cable... it's the same input, it just has to go through a decoder box first. Digital is not the same as High Definition.

Having been on digital cable for the past few months though I don't see what the fuss is about. I actually get worse reception than analog on some stations. Ooh... interactive TV guide!

I stand to be corrected by Jaimoe's expertise, however.

[Jaimoe]

I think some analog stations like local cable will fold. You are correct Ollie. I got ahead of myself once again. You won't notice too much difference with digital vs analog on good old tube-oriented TV. However, I don't think we are that many years away from major networks like ABC switching to HD exclusively or other channels being offered only in HD. We see that now with the generally good HDNET.