Only thing I watch with any regularity is FOX News...and a local advertiser company runs really awful stuff on the cable here. Its hard to imagine an ad repeated without change for a full year (it seems like a year) is doing anyone any good.
That's just it - the Japanese developed a VCR that WAS automatic - you just set it to record a show and it would clip out the commercials automatically. They (industry lawyers) pressed to make it illegal to sell in the U.S. I remember reading an article that detailed the process. I'm thinking it was Popular Electronics or Popular Mechanics, I just don't remember... it was 12 - 15 years ago.
It was a neat idea, but went into great technical detail and I'm no video guru so 80% went right over my head. Someone probably has a circuit diagram and parts list for a generic "commercial clipper." I'll look around and see what I can dig up.
The only potential problem is that a lot of video related stuff requires an oscilloscope to set up properly and I no longer have one. My old Heathkit silly-scope died of neglect ten years ago (or more)... ha.