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TiVo to add banner ads when fast forwarding

November 17, 2004 at 09:40 AM
TiVo logo

Eh. TiVo is now going to be showing banner ads while your fast forwarding. PVRblog makes it sound like it'll only be if you're fast forwarding through commercials, but I think I may have just read that wrong.

The idea bothers me ethically and on principle, but I really doubt I'll actually mind it too much. As long as the ads aren't obtrusive and I can still see what I'm fast forwarding through, I'll be okay with it. I often use my TiVo to accelerate my sports viewing of less critical games. For instance, I'll watch a regular season Braves game at double speed. I get to see the game, but it doesn't take all freaking day. Would the ads get in my way while I'm doing this?

This alone isn't that bad, but it's just another sign that TiVo is too willing to appease the TV networks and the MPAA. They already let them mess with TiVoToGo and making it more difficult to skip commercials.

Update: New details from PVRblog from an offical with TiVo. The ones that stood out to me: The ads will only be during commercials, the ads will only be tied to the commercials you're skipping, and they won't be full screen. That info calms my concerns at least a little bit.

Posted in Entertainment & Web/Tech

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