[Bionic Manaus]

Acording to the IMDB the 30 minutes shows were *26* minutes long, back in the 1950's which is 8 minutes an hour of commercials towards todays *22* minutes an hour of commercials which ruined my watching TV series of the later shows. I don't have TV cable or satellite only DVD and VCR cassettes are my video sources forever. I will not put up with almost 3 times the amount of commercial time to make much more money than the TV series *cost* to broadcast, besides todays commercials cut up movies so bad; IMHO it doesn't even 'resemble' the movie you seen at the Movie Theater! I am sure in todays dollars TV broadcast were far more expensive to broadcast as 50+ years later. How many believe that so many minutes of commercials are a way out to buy no commercials at all during the movie on DVD? Wouldn't you rather see your series without the commercials anyway?



P.S. I Buy whole seasons of my favorite series so I am bothered to hear much louder commercials in my ears! I will continue to do in the future.

 

[Vlad_Dracule]

Exactly. This is why I refuse to pay for cable/sat programming (although I still get it, but thats another story ). The only thing I would consider paying for is commerical free HDTV.


Although I know it would be almost impossible to do, I personally think that the cable industry should adopt a shareware/adware system like many PC Programs. For example, if you pay for your programming there are no commercials but if you dont you get commercials.


I remember a while back someone was trying to get people to sign a petition to make all programming free because advertising money would easily keep the networks running, and it provides advertisers with a larger audience to market their products. Obviously nothing came of it, but heres hoping.

 

[David VP]

Where did you get the "22 minute" figure??


There's not quite *22* minutes of commercials per hour ..... only 18 to 19. An hour-long show lasts 41 minutes w/o the ads. (At least that's what it is for "The West Wing", the only hour-long show I ever watch commercially.)

 

[max99]

One word - TiVO. You will never have to watch a commercial again.

 

[Bionic Manaus]

I had thought that every 3 minutes of news on Peter Jennings led into over 5 minutes as my VCR cut it's 'pause' function after 5 minutes to avoid it's destruction on the recording function. You probably know that's a true statement, to be sure try it on your favorite series Record and then press pause as soon asthe program breaks and see if your pause doesn't stop and recording begins. That's one way I am sure David there are others, you can prove it to yourself by testing it yourself for own proof since this is what you are demanding.

 

[DiamondDave]

That's why when people ask me if I watched "60 minutes", I always say "You mean, 40 minutes?"

 

[sivartk]

the couple of shows I record (JAG and Tru Calling) are each about 43 minutes with the commercials edited out.


30 minute shows come about to about 22 minutes.


Cable TV movies with commercials, you may have 5-6 minute breaks so that they can stretch that 1h 25m movie to 2 hours

 

[HTCrazy]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the quality of what you're watching with even mediocre movies is such a step up from the spewing wretch that's called TV programing. Oddly enough HDTV content is also quite a bit elevated from the usual TV content. HDNet (and HDNet Movies) offers the best programming available anywhere IMO.

 

[Bionic Manaus]

Last TV series I recorded was Banacek seen on the Arts & Entertainment Channel, after I got the last Banacek edited out of commercials I told the cable company to come get their box. They never did show any disabled products in their commercials for the 3.5 million disabled people in the USA alone, have you ever seen a product for the disabled advertised? You think we are all broke, visit my apartment once I'll make any questions of money problems you might think we have dissapear very quickly!




P.S. I do not like commercial interuptions, I want and will have it my way period!

 

[TimV]

I cancelled my cable some time ago and really have not looked back. Not only is most of the programming unwatchable crap, as HTCrazy mentioned, but the endless gauntlet of commercials and ridiculous newscasts became more than I was willing to tolerate. I even tried HDTV for a while. It looked nicer, but it was still just nicer looking crap . Now, I only watch DVDs, most of which are movies, with the occasional TV series that I liked that has made it's way to the format.

 

[sivartk]

I have cable internet and I think the cable TV (basic analog 76 channels) is just a by product of the installation?


I too watch movies most of the time. Rent or borrow from friends (you know how many movies you can rent for $50-$70 a month (average cable cost)). More than I have time to watch.

 

[shakta]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bionic Manaus Last TV series I recorded was Banacek seen on the Arts & Entertainment Channel, after I got the last Banacek edited out of commercials I told the cable company to come get their box. They never did show any disabled products in their commercials for the 3.5 million disabled people in the USA alone, have you ever seen a product for the disabled advertised? You think we are all broke, visit my apartment once I'll make any questions of money problems you might think we have dissapear very quickly! P.S. I do not like commercial interuptions, I want and will have it my way period!

You know, that is a very good point. I have never seen a single add for a product aimed at disabled people. I am sure the reason as usual is money. The costs of commercials are so high, your product needs to appeal to a wide segment of the population for it to be worthwhile I would think.

 

[Bionic Manaus]

Quote:

Originally posted by shakta You know, that is a very good point. I have never seen a single add for a product aimed at disabled people. I am sure the reason as usual is money. The costs of commercials are so high, your product needs to appeal to a wide segment of the population for it to be worthwhile I would think.

I wonder if all the advertisers ever thought if they could include products for the higher count and getting higher, how much more money could they pull in besides what they are pulling in now? I have a $60,000 Home Theater plus a $5,500 Electric Scooter, but my Cobalt Blue #305 Electric Mobility 4.5 MPH Scooter is 4 years old time to get a faster one. You know where I seen the advertisement for this scooter, the internet of course I bought it off a online called Discount Scooter sales, located in state of Rhode Island. I don't avoid commerial advertisements I just look for ones that have products for my kind. By buying my scooter off DS I got mine for $3,038. All of the Home Theater except discs from Walmart have been bought or researched then bought from online companies.




I am always telling the disabled like me to buy computers and buy online, as long as they are authorized dealers there isn't that much of a problem to get work done accoding to the warranty, they would buy if they could go out and shop like able ambulating people do. I don't need commercials for stuff I don't need buy I just bought a paid off 2004 Buick Century and as moms car gave out I gave her my new car as her early birthday gift, instead of her forking out $900 bucks for yet another transmission. She turns 86 on Wed. the 21st, We are going in her Buick out to eat my treat.

We might stop off at Walmart and take a grand with me should I see more than just a few box sets.

 

[Larry Shilkoff]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bionic Manaus have you ever seen a product for the disabled advertised?

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

 

[Bionic Manaus]

Not funny at all

 

[Larry Shilkoff]

Sorry. I didn't write the commercial.

 

[egrady]

When I Love Lucy is shown now they either have to cut it or speed up to make it fit a "modern" thirty minute slot. "modern"= more time for commercials. I think the FCC regulated the amount of commercial advertising until 1986, now it's what the market will bear.


I have a real hard time watching football on TV anymore because games that lasted 150-165 minutes in the 1960's now take 210 minutes. If you want a real shocker, go to a high school game and then go to a pro game. The standing around waiting for the commercials to end at NFL games is truly a disgrace. The networks and the NFL could simply restrict the advertising, but why should they if viewers put up with it?


I simply stopped subjecting myself to the never ending commercials and began time shifting my viewing. But the nightmare has returned as I can't do it with HDTV broadcasts. When HDTV Tivo's show up I'll be first in line.

 

[Bionic Manaus]

Tuesday afternoon at Johns H.T. and I watched full Academy Standard OAR

of the 1951 remastered "The Day The Earth Stood Still" without no commercial interuption of any kind. Really nice not to have to have sometimes silly commercials on Commercial TV anymore. The commercails will make sure that having Home Theater is a must, to get away from interuption after interuption knocking your alpha concentration of the movie to their attention. Not ever again will I ask fro commercail TV I will see that DVD proliferates, letting the commercial purest s have their own infomercial one after the other all to themselves. Long live DVD and soon HD-DVD!

 

[rlindo]

Oh come on guys. I love commercials. Especially commercials for yeast infection products and other women issues when I am trying to eat dinner. Makes the meal oh so much more enjoyable.


Other than some specialty channels like discovery and TLC, tv is absolute crap with all this reality show garbage...and even those "good" channels are getting piss poor with alot of the same programming.

 

[[email protected]]

Re: 1st post

Exactly!!! Ever since I went to a 56" letterboxed DLP and DVI, I've stopped watching TV. Now I only watch DVDs. Also, I tend to agree with some of the discussion above and elsewhere on this thread: TV seemed better 60s- early 70s.

With new technology you can watch any classic , esoteric, foreign or US film anytime you want with a gorgeous picture. Are we lucky or what? Even with my "small" 56" screen I feel like I can be at the movies anytime at my house. Now...for a 7' screen and front projector...heaven!


Regards,

Mark