04/20/24
September 23, 2003
Last week, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King watched an NFL game from the stands for the first time in 20 years, learning what a chore it is to slog through endless TV timeouts: "three minutes of downtime after a punt, then three minutes of downtime five minutes later after another punt ... four times a quarter. ... they were absolute killers." (Via the recently mocked King Kaufman)
SF: My buddy has a DVR and will only watch (US) football starting an hour or so after kickoff. His system (Ultimate TV) has a skip forward 30 seconds button and he claims this is precisely the right amount between plays plus, of course, almost all commercial breaks are multiples of 30 seconds in length. Tivo, sadly, does not have this feature (though there is a hack to enable it) and anyway, it makes things too jittery for me. But you might want to look into it.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:30 AM on September 23, 2003
I watch football with a Tivo also, but I only skip commercials. You miss too much when you don't listen to the between-play chatter.
posted by rcade at 11:38 AM on September 23, 2003
Yes, i really should get a TIVO or ReplayTV or whatever they are called...
posted by StarFucker at 01:49 PM on September 23, 2003
being a lifelong baseball fan I'm used to a sloow game but after being in the stands for my one and only NFL game (a 9ers game) a few years back, I was amazed at how painfully slow the action was. It seemed as if there were TV timeouts every other play - really killed the crowd's momentum.
posted by JohnSFO at 04:00 PM on September 23, 2003
Hockey games are not far behind... Nothing stupider than being at a hockey game and wondering why everyone is just standing around on the ice for 2-3 minutes while they go to commercial... Fecking ridiculous...
posted by StarFucker at 04:49 PM on September 23, 2003
rcade, agreed! He can drive me nuts with that shit, especially if we're watching at my house and he doesn't control the remote.
posted by billsaysthis at 06:07 PM on September 23, 2003
starfucker: i'm sure you have heard testimonials from rabid tivo users before, but really it's the best gadget i've ever purchased. the tivo completely changed my viewing habits. i actually watch a little less tv now, but enjoy it far more. especially sports.
posted by lescour at 06:26 PM on September 23, 2003
Tivo rules. Seriously. If there was a fire at my apartment...
posted by 86 at 07:35 AM on September 24, 2003
Anything that eliminates commercials/advertising is the best invention of the 20/21st century...
posted by StarFucker at 08:28 AM on September 24, 2003
The Tivo problem, for which the industry is already trying to find solutions, is that allowing the ads to be cut out means that advertisers will not be happy paying the freight. And other than HBO/PPV, the advertisers have been the main source of financing our viewing habits even for basic cable nets. So then the question becomes "Who will pay?"
posted by billsaysthis at 11:35 AM on September 24, 2003
Who cares...less tv the better...
posted by StarFucker at 11:36 AM on September 24, 2003
They'll make us pay with product placements and by chopping up the screen to offer ads along the top or bottom. Or they'll buy Tivo and deliver Godfather-style ads we can't refuse. I have no doubt the advertising industry will find a way to remain hardwired into our brains.
posted by rcade at 06:05 AM on September 25, 2003
If you've ever watched a rugby match on TV, they have a product logo placed on the field, like the "first and ten" line that is currently on football. It's not the worst thing that I've ever seen, and if that can speed up the game, bully for us. College football has got to be the most painfully boring to watch when it is televised. It just goes to show what you can get people watch if they're really drunk.
posted by GoDizzGo at 07:35 AM on September 25, 2003
If you've ever watched a rugby match on TV, they have a product logo placed on the field, like the "first and ten" line that is currently on football. I have also seen this on some football broadcasts here, primarily on CBS, advertising for AOL. Personally, I have no real issue with commercials (as long as they don't keep repeating the same ones over and over...which they invariably do). It gives the viewer a chance to go do something (bathroom, drink, etc.) without missing anything.
posted by bcb2k2 at 08:06 AM on September 25, 2003
It just goes to show what you can get people watch if they're really drunk. When you're drunk, who cares... It gives the viewer a chance to go do something (bathroom, drink, etc.) without missing anything. Also gives you a chance to rip your freakin' hair out everytime you see another commercial about freakin' cell phones or collect calls...good lord!!!
posted by StarFucker at 08:29 AM on September 25, 2003
This is why i can't watch baseball, basketball or football on tv either! How can a game that has 15 minute quarters last over 3 fucking hours?! Give me a good ol' soccer game...45 minutes of pure action, a 15 minute halftime and then another 45 minutes of uninterrupted action... Thank you very much.