The issue is of course that people have been skipping ads ever since the VCR came out - it was just not as convenient and easy as with TIVO-like devices. In fact, even before that people have always had the option to get up and out of the room during ads/mute the volume manually or the most common thing among males(!) - channel surf.
You are right Neil that it is showing that just like the Napster parallel, the TV industry has to wake up and take advantage of the demand for a real video-on-demand type of TV service. The advertisers will just have to move to targeted google-ads and the like! And yes, we probably will have to start paying to watch shows or some other model in the longer term. As Craig says, the Public is getting sick of low-quality ads and endless un-reality rubbish shows. (well I'm sick of it anyway!) ;-) For my part, the important part is: - being able to digitally record just the programs you want no matter what time of the day or night they are on - have the recorded shows only a double-click away - be able to pause and/or re-wind live TV if the phone rings/nature calls/cooking tea etc - as well as being able to skip thru ads Since getting our digital PVR and now our EyeTV (thanks Daniel!) we have found ourselves watching less TV - not more (usually!). We only watch the interesting and useful shows we selected days/weeks in advance and then turn the box off so we don't spend all our time sitting in front of the box like zombies watching an endless stream of rubbish. The EyeTV is half-way there - It does all the above, but here in Australia we have been missing the link to a scheduling service (like TitanTV in the US and Europe) that precisely keeps track of start and finish times of shows as well as allowing simple point and click scheduling. It also doesn't allow the automatic and total elimination of ads as promised by ICE. Personally I don't mind still having to skip thru ads in 15 or 30 second jumps rather than totally eliminating them. We still find ourselves halting and replaying if we notice an interesting ad. -Mart -------------------------------------- Martin Hill mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] homepages: http://mart.ozmac.com Mb: 0417-967-969 hm: (08)9314-5242 > From: Neil Houghton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 10:16:16 +0800 > To: WAMUG Mailing List <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: TIVO-like service for Australia at last! > > on 29/07/04 09:48, Martin Hill at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Well, it looks like this service might finally provide the sorts of benefits >> that TIVO provides in the USA but for only $2 per week or so. So the >> question for us Mac users is can we get Elgato to integrate ICE into their >> EyeTV Mac digital TV product? What do you reckon Daniel? >> > Hmmm, > > If it's as effective as it claims, advertisers will start looking for better > ways to spend their advertising dollars so what might that mean? > > TV companies with less advertising revenue buying cheaper programs to > maintain profits - wouldn't bode well for program quality (there again > program quality & ratings don't seem to be necessarily related). > > Advertisers concentrating more on product placement within the actual > programs - hate to think how far that might go. > > More sponsored programs where the products are pushed by the program > (think backyard blitz type programs where all the products & suppliers are > pushed more). > > Don't get me wrong, it sounds like a good idea & I'd love to screen out ads > - I just wonder what the long term outcome will be. > > Anyway, I'm probably straying off-topic here - apologies. > > > Cheers > > > Neil > -- > Neil R. Houghton > Albany, Western Australia > Tel: +61 8 9841 6063 > Fax: +61 8 9841 6137 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Unsubscribe - <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > WAMUG is powered by Stalker CommuniGatePro > >
