🚀 go-pugleaf

John:
        I have a technique for blanking out the audio and 
video on commercials that works pretty well under the 
right circumstances if you have a VCR. Using the VCR 
remote control's INPUT SELECT button, where you select 
between normal tv, "simulcast" (where you see the picture 
but the audio is replaced with whatever you feed in the 
AUDIO IN connectors on the back of the VCR), or "line in" 
(where both the video and audio are coming from external 
sources connected up in the back of the vcr).
 
By flipping into this "line-in" mode, you can kill the 
video of a commercial, as well as the audio, via remote 
control if your vcr has one and supports that feature.
 
Starting immediately after the intro song of a program 
ends, I time how long the commercial break lasts. Usually 
it lasts around 2 to 2.5 minutes. With very few 
exceptions (however, I watch very little tv), every 
commercial break will last the same amount of time.
 
So! I have a little batch file on my PC that I have set 
up to automatically delay for the number of seconds I 
specify and to then beep when the countdown reaches 0. 
Another press of the INPUT SELECT button, and *poof* my 
program's back on again and I only had to suffer through 
maybe 3 seconds of commercials 8-)
 
Especially on non-broadcast (ie cable only) networks, 
where I'm PAYING them indirectly through my cable bill to 
watch a channel, it makes me really angry to have 
programming constantly interrupted by those insulting 
screams to "SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! BUY! BUY! BUY! BETTER 
HURRY! NOT MANY LEFT/SALE'S ALMOST OVER!!!!"
 
     Rich -> rmintz@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu