[riffraf]

Regardless of what people think of the ads popping up, I'm confused by the statements of many that "the pause function no longer works."


I believe that when I push my pause button, the program stops in its tracks, several moments later an advertisement appears (which goes away as soon as I press Exit) and that when I push pause again, or play, my program picks up from exactly where it left off. Which is all that one could ask for from a pause button...


Isn't that what everyone's does?

 

[The Robman]

Mr Riff Raf,

I think your post shows a complete lack of understanding of the plight of some of the members of this forum. What you fail to grasp is that some of the members here live in a part of the world where there is no advertizing of any sort, there are no weird diseases being sent thru the mail, there's no risk of a terrorist attack any time soon, in fact nothing bad of any sort happens at all. To these people knowing that there's an advertizement displaying on their TV screen while they're in the bathroom drives them crazy. Of course, they can't actually see the AD from the bathroom, but just knowing that it's there beconing them to buy the new Replay 4000 machine is a terrible intrusion to their otherwise tranquil existence. In fact, I think many of them would be looking for the Yellow Pages to find the number of a lawyer that specialized in this very topic right now, but they'd have to pause the current show to do that, and that would bring back the dreaded pause ads. I mean, what are they to do????


So, Mr. Riff Raf, I ask that you be a little more considerate of these poor folk next time, whadya say?

 

[Creech]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman Mr Riff Raf, I think your post shows a complete lack of understanding of the plight of some of the members of this forum. ... I mean, what are they to do???? So, Mr. Riff Raf, I ask that you be a little more considerate of these poor folk next time, whadya say?

Thanks for the giggle Rob. Your keen wit hit the nit picks on the noggin. However I never minded the coke pause ads either.


Matthew in CO.

 

[agmitch]

Mr The Robman, just because something is insignificant to you does not make it so to others. You apparently have some sort of Pavlovian (yellow drool?) response to pressing the Pause key? Or perhaps you are automatically transported out of the room when you press Pause? I have 3 kids and probably hit pause 30 - 40 times per day while I beat them. I generlly don't beat them in the bathroom, and I really don't need to see anything repeated 30 - 40 times per day.


Now, while I'm not going to perish the next time I see a pause ad, the irony that the most hyped feature of the 4000 is that it eliminates all ads but this one is not lost on me. Also, eliminating the ads is not the most important change that I would like made to the machines (enhanced VCR dump, show padding), but is the easiest to modify in a way that would make EVERYONE happy. Well, except for you I suppose, since you really seem attached to the ads...


bill

 

[The Robman]

Bill,

You're so funny, I'm not attached to the ads at all, in fact I'm about to re-program my PAUSE button to send the EXIT command after the PAUSE command to give me a 2 minute break instead of a 20 second break, but you are correct that I am failing to understand the depth of feeling that people such as yourself feel on this topic. Please help me and the rest of the people here who fails to understand your plight understand what it is about the ads that's causing you so much grief.


For example, if you pause TV to beat your kids, do you do this because you cannot watch TV and beat them at the same time, or do you do it because you don't want them to be able to watch TV while you beat them? Either way, if you are no longer watching TV, what do you care if there's an ad on the screen.


I don't like advertizing any more than the next guy, but I completely fail to see why this issue is causing a select few so much grief. From what I understand about the TiVo ads, you have to get past them in order to reach TiVo Central, now THAT would be annoying.

 

[BrettStah]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman From what I understand about the TiVo ads, you have to get past them in order to reach TiVo Central, now THAT would be annoying.

And just to clarify this (you just knew I would! ), these Tivo ads are extremely rare (just a handful in the past 11 months I've had a Tivo), and Tivo announced they will have a way to opt-out completely...

 

[riffraf]

My Dear Mr. Robman,


I think it is quite obvious why Bill does not want to beat his children while the advertising appears on screen.


He is quite aware of his own irrational fear of advertising, and is afraid that if his children see a pause screen ad while being beaten, they will associate their beatings with the advertisements. (Please refer to A Clockwork Orange for further proof of concept)


Thus, the cycle would be perpetuated, perhaps even exacerbated, as little Bills grew up not only fearful of pause screen ads, but perhaps becoming violent as well.


I choose to beat my daughter while Boy Meets World or Lizzy Maguire plays...


as always, I remain,


Riff

 

[Minnesotan]

At the risk of being skewered myself (by virtue of chiming in):


Why is it necessary to ridicule others for expressing their point of view?


Why is it impossible to empathize with others? Tons of folks have belabored this or that OTHER little annoyance in these forums - and often (though not always) indulged by patient acceptance by others.


EXAMPLE:

Many of you went agog when you got nightly false error messages saying the system phone numbers had changed, whereas I (personally) just accepted it as an oddity I had learned by then was harmless and I actually became (A) curious to see if it would go away on its own (which it did in several weeks) and (B) interested to finally have a way to tell what time my system had dialed in each night.


But now, when I expressed my own annoyance at the ads the other day and suggested the timeout was too quick, I was lampooned as someone who must necessarily use his ReplayTV in pause mode only rather than one who enjoys "motion pictures." (Thanks, Robman! And yet even still, I respect and appreciate you for all you do! But you and others really skewered me, and not one of you even answered my pointed question "would you actually object if the timeout value were lengthened, just to make it more palatable to others?")


Gents, I suggest: Allow others to offer constructive criticism. (I'm talking about those who actually offer it constructively - and not the ones who start the conversation with venom and bile over this or that little feature annoyance.) Live with the fact others will disagree. Use rational arguments and (even) kindness, or at least begrudging respect, when responding.


Thanks,

Jerry

 

[riker]

And again, to all:


If the ad itself bothers you that much, then always hit Stop instead of Pause and the problem is solved. Unless you consider the blue screen an ad too since it has the Replay logo on it. Then again, there is a logo on the front of the unit that CONSTANTLY advertises the Replay, so hell, hope you sanded that sucker smooth... And burned the box that it came in because, yep, that had an ad on it too. Oh, then there is the Replay ad on the remote control, that has to be painted over, and... oh darnit, you can't even READ this message because there are ads all over the top of the screen! Arrrgggh! Might be better just to move to a non-capitalist country...

 

[arjay]

Aren't PVR Forum posters by nature the cutting edge of the nitpicking world?


I'm just glad all PVR's (even VCR's) offer paws buttons. At least my animals don't care about the ads and learned how to pause on command real quick. (Now if I could only teach 'em how to set up a program to record!)

 

[The Robman]

Quote:

Originally posted by riffraf My Dear Mr. Robman, {snip} as always, I remain, Riff

LOL!!!!

 

[The Robman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnesotan (Thanks, Robman! And yet even still, I respect and appreciate you for all you do! But you and others really skewered me,

Oh come on, I hardly think that anything that I said could possibly count as you being "skewered". I mearly made reference to a previous conversation that we had had, which according to my memory of the occassion was treated humorously by both of us. (And for the record, I mean you no offence).


But, as for questions going unanswered, I'm still waiting for someone to tell me these ads matter so much. Could someone PLEASE tell me why you would pause a show unless you are about to leave the room or attend to something else, and if you are pausing the show so you can check out something on the screen, why doesn't the EXIT button suit your purposes.


The reason this subject is getting the reaction from the masses that it is, is two fold; Firstly, I think most of can think of much more important things to be getting upset about (especially in the current times), and secondly we fail to see whyit matters what's on the screen when you're not watching it.


How come you guys come to this forum, haven't you noticed that there's a great big banner ad at the top of the page, and you actually have to scroll past that ad to get to the contents of the page, so surely the banner ads on this forum are more instrusive than the ones on the pause screen.


Would I prefer that there weren't any ads, of course, but until they start interfering with my viewing of a show, I'm not going to get too upset about it.

 

[RandyL712]

I'm sorry, but anyone complaining about this either doesn't realize that EXIT gets rid of it (even though it says it right on the screen) or .. well that's the only sane rational reason.

 

[FreezeFrame]

He's just a sweet TTT .... Let's do the TW again...

 

[riker]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman How come you guys come to this forum, haven't you noticed that there's a great big banner ad at the top of the page, and you actually have to scroll past that ad to get to the contents of the page, so surely the banner ads on this forum are more instrusive than the ones on the pause screen.

Actually, you don't. The forum comes with it's own quickskip feature. Just click on the 'first new message' icon from the threads list instead of the thread title. It zips right past the ads and brings you directly to the first post Very nice feature.

 

[The Robman]

Quote:

Originally posted by FreezeFrame He's just a sweet TTT .... Let's do the TW again...

It's just an IR to the left, a QS to the right!

Let's do the TWA...

 

[asinshesq]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman It's just an IR to the left, a QS to the right! Let's do the TWA...

OK, Rob, you're obviously brighter than I am, so explain it for the rest of us dummies: why did freezeframe stick in a RHPS reference there? Is it just the fact that you have to step from pause to exit on the remote, or is there something subtler?

 

[The Robman]

Quote:

Originally posted by asinshesq OK, Rob, you're obviously brighter than I am, so explain it for the rest of us dummies: why did freezeframe stick in a RHPS reference there? Is it just the fact that you have to step from pause to exit on the remote, or is there something subtler?

Thou dust assume too much, I can't say for sure why FF put the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" quote in there, so you'll have to ask him. I was just playing along and the IR and QS bit just seemed to fit. Maybe he was calling all the whiners "sweet TTTs".

 

[asinshesq]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Robman ...Maybe he was calling all the whiners "sweet TTTs".

Makes sense to me; how about it, FF?

 

[agmitch]

The Robman has 6 posts in this forum, more than anyone else. I'm sure that none of us objects to the pause ads as much as he seems to object to our objection.


I don't like pause ads. I don't like terrorism. I don't like spinach. Apparently in this forum, those statements are assumed to contain the same emotion (or perhaps order matters?). I don't expect that pause ads will go away, I just don't like them. I don't have to like them. I don't want to hit EXIT, and I don't want to have to leave the room to avoid them. That doesn't mean that I will quit using the box, nor will it prevent me from buying another one (the lack of a "to-do" list might). I simply expressed an opinion.


I don't expect The Robman to have the same "depth of feeling" regarding the pause screens. I can't tell him that this issue "matters so much" because it doesn't. It matters about as much as my preference for Puffs over Kleenex (or is it the other way around?). I just wonder how long he will continue to object to my (and others') posts.


I have to admit that I lied about beating the kids - I beat them in the bathroom...


BTW, if not for the outcry of people offended by our objection to pause ads, these threads would die. But you guys keep coming back, demanding that we defend ourselves. Oh, and I don't like the banner ads at the top of the page either.


bill