TiVo has begun notifying customers of a significant change to one of its longest-standing and most popular DVR features. Starting November 2, 2026, the current version of SkipMode that allows users to jump over commercial breaks with a single button press on the remote will no longer be available. The company is instead preparing to […]
Gather ‘round kids, time for a story. The year was 2003, and TiVo had defined the category of DVRs and instantly become indispensable. People loved that they could fast-forward through commercials, much to the chagrin of networks and advertisers.
But a new competitor entered the scene: ReplayTV, a product that did everything TiVo did with one major added benefit: it automatically detected and skipped commercials without having to press a button. It was glorious. So naturally, like all things which improve the life of a consumer, the powers-that-be took umbrage. Funded by TiVo lobbying, the FCC decided that not having to press a button on a remote was a bridge too far. ReplayTV was crushed by a heavy fine and ban, relegating them to the tech scrap heap. Thus TiVo maintained their position as market leader, despite having an inferior experience.
All this to say: fuck you TiVo, you wasted your brand clout and position by getting into bed with the same lawmakers who fomented your demise when the HD era was legislated to ban commercial-skipping mechanisms.
My mom watched Coronation Street. She wasn’t home when it was on because she had a job like so many other people.
We got this VCR that would record the show then erase the commercials because networks couldn’t resist playing ads louder so it would detects the volume increase and tag those as ad starts and finishes. When you went back to watch the show the ads would fast forward.
I have a copy of The Hunt For Red October that was taped in December off of HBO, and it’s got this ad before it for…you know those children’s games, it’s a plastic enclosure, you fill it with water, there are like little plastic rings or balls, and you like push a button to squirt water around the enclosure to move the rings around, it’s like if you explained the concept of Pinball to someone, and the only language you share in common is Klingon? I have a late 80’s early 90’s ad for that.
Gather ‘round kids, time for a story. The year was 2003, and TiVo had defined the category of DVRs and instantly become indispensable. People loved that they could fast-forward through commercials, much to the chagrin of networks and advertisers.
But a new competitor entered the scene: ReplayTV, a product that did everything TiVo did with one major added benefit: it automatically detected and skipped commercials without having to press a button. It was glorious. So naturally, like all things which improve the life of a consumer, the powers-that-be took umbrage. Funded by TiVo lobbying, the FCC decided that not having to press a button on a remote was a bridge too far. ReplayTV was crushed by a heavy fine and ban, relegating them to the tech scrap heap. Thus TiVo maintained their position as market leader, despite having an inferior experience.
All this to say: fuck you TiVo, you wasted your brand clout and position by getting into bed with the same lawmakers who fomented your demise when the HD era was legislated to ban commercial-skipping mechanisms.
My mom watched Coronation Street. She wasn’t home when it was on because she had a job like so many other people.
We got this VCR that would record the show then erase the commercials because networks couldn’t resist playing ads louder so it would detects the volume increase and tag those as ad starts and finishes. When you went back to watch the show the ads would fast forward.
Ironically, it’s those ephemeral local ads you were erasing that were worth saving and not the shows that are still available.
I have a copy of The Hunt For Red October that was taped in December off of HBO, and it’s got this ad before it for…you know those children’s games, it’s a plastic enclosure, you fill it with water, there are like little plastic rings or balls, and you like push a button to squirt water around the enclosure to move the rings around, it’s like if you explained the concept of Pinball to someone, and the only language you share in common is Klingon? I have a late 80’s early 90’s ad for that.
People are downvoting you, but I get it. My dad loved old time radio shows. And his favorite part was the old advertisements.
I still remember the local ads. We still had to watch ads on live tv. Just a few shows that were recorded got to be ad free.
The Captain made “famous” ads back in the 90s. https://youtu.be/-vEXqG54hCw