Posted on 05/25/2012 2:29:21 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave
Fox has sued Dish Network over its new Auto Hop feature which automatically eliminates network commercials during recorded playback.
Update at 6:15 p.m. ET: Dish has filed suit against all four major networks, asking for a ruling that Auto Hop does not infringe any network copyright and that the satcaster is not in violation of its agreement with the networks. Also, NBC Universal filed a separate suit against Dish.
The Fox suit, which was filed in Los Angeles, says the Auto Hop feature is not authorized and violates the satcaster's license with Fox. The network adds that Auto Hop could destroy its business model because viewers would not see their commercials.
Auto Hop, which was added this month to Dish's new Hopper HD DVR, allows viewers to watch the playback of a network show without ever seeing the commercials. (Auto Hop works with the set-top's 'PrimeTime Anytime' network recordings. The Hopper automatically records all primetime shows on ABC, Fox, NBC and CBS.)
Unlike the Fast Forward button on a DVR, Auto Hop automatically removes the commercial without the viewer doing a thing.
NBC and Fox network executives last week blasted the Auto Hop, saying it was an "insult" and an "attack."
Wasn’t the point of paying for TV access so you wouldn’t be forced to endure commercials?
Did you ever notice many stations seem to be syncing commercials now?
Funny. The whole benefit of watching pre-recorded is to avoid commercials. I skip them any way.
If they are going to shove their damn commercials down our throats we need to pass a law so that they’ve got to put all of the commercials at the beginning or end of the show or movie, it would piss them off but hey then I can could watch more then two minutes of a movie without having to watch 5 minutes of commercials.< /s>
You're paying for the delivery, not the content. Well, if it is a cable channel, then you are also paying partly for the content, as the cable or dish provider must pay the channel owner a certain amount per subscriber. But for broadcast network channels, you're only paying for the delivery. Eyeballs viewing the commercials pays for the content.
Without ads, you'd pay much, much more. Look at the premium you must pay for HBO or Cinemax vs. ESPN.
The cure for TV is teevee...
http://www.binsearch.info/?max=250&g=alt.binaries.multimedia&a=teevee%404u.tv+%28teevee%29
It started that way, but, now Dish, Direct, Comcast and everyone ends up paying even for those channels. There have been many disputes over those payments where companies took all the broadcast network channels they own off one system or another until settled.
Fox should do like the sports events and paint CGI ads on the furniture or background.
It is not Dish’s fault that the broadcast companies of today are too stupid to realise what was obvious to broadcast companies in the 1920s.
How can anyone fail to notice, and it’s nothing new.
Channel surfing today is a waste of time all of them put their commercials on at the same time. When you channel surf you are just surfing the other channels commercials.
Don’t even try to say that isn’t a deliberate act.
Yes I do remember when they used to say with pay TV you wouldn’t be bothered with commercials. What a crock that was.
You are absolutely correct and thank you for the correction. Local television stations can either demand "must carry" or negotiate "retransmission consent" with local cable channels and dish providers.
I just got this Hopper whole-home DVR from Dish. So much better than cable! I love it, and the commercial-skipping is one major reason.
Cat’s out of the bag now! Amazing how people want to fight hand-to-hand combat with advertisers when the Internet death ray is already available.
The cable companies better step up and add a similar service. Oops did I just stumble on how that would roll out - fee for service?
I wonder if the Hopper works better than the same feature on my old ReplayTV. It worked most of the time, but occasionally skipped part of a show especially if the scene got dark and quiet for dramatic effect.
‘could destroy its business model’
I watch many things via Netflix, because I hate watching 20 minutes per hour of commercials. The same commercials. Over and over and over.
I also record (DVR+HD) many programs just so I can watch them later with the capability of fast forwarding through the commercials. The same commercials. Over and over and over.
True....BUT, the original broadcast goes out with the ads intact. It's the ability to skip them during recorded playbacks that seems to be the issue. How many folks record shows just to be able to avoid the ads? I can't see a huge number of people purposely recording shows to play them back at a later time with that as a specific goal - usually they record to either not miss it because they aren't there for the original broadcast ot to save it.
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