Is anyone even going to bother with

[Concerned American]

I'm sorry, but you mean Netflix is CHARGING you to sit through commercials that are already paying them as well?

Not me, the kids. I don't have Netflix.

That is where I draw the line. Television was created fully financed by commercials paid to the network. Your "expense" was in sitting through viewing them. And that was based on about 8 minutes per hour. Now we get far less good programming and even more commercial breaks each lasting typically almost 6 minutes at a time.

LOL, an hour of network TV is 40 minutes. Fully a third of television time is commercials--sometimes more. Been that way since the 60s at least.

The advantage to live TV is that I can set my DVR up to record the program, then play it back later, skipping over the commercials.

Unless you have an antenna, you're paying for TV. Cable TV is pay TV. You can get close to free TV on some free streaming services with recording, but you're still paying for internet access. Antennae--with a DVR is the only way to get free TV and you still have to pay for the antennae. Meh, I learned long ago there is NO FREE LUNCH.

 

[toobfreak]

LOL, an hour of network TV is 40 minutes. Fully a third of television time is commercials--sometimes more. Been that way since the 60s at least.

Actually, TV programming in the 60s was 50-52 minutes. Note that when they re-air those old TV shows, they now have to cut a lot out of them to fit them into air time.

And as to that third time being commercials, I think it is often more than that. I've often thought of making charts timing and plotting all of the commercial time in various programming. They even synchronize programming so they all go to commercial break at the same time. The theory is that you won't wander off and start watching another channel. But there are always other channels worth watching not on commercial break.

They now have soft breaks and hard breaks, a hard break, the network HAS to go to commercial whether they are ready or not.

Unless you have an antenna,

You can get a good antenna for as little as $12. I get over 75 channels with just an antenna. And with better programming than I used to get with cable or satellite paying $150 a month.

Antennae--with a DVR is the only way to get free TV and you still have to pay for the antennae.

You also have to pay for the TV. I never watch commercials, I'm set up to get all the programming I need commercial free, but then, I'm sort of a videophile with a background in video and broadcast who saw this coming and began addressing the problem at least 15 years ago. I have my own Netflix--- literally, I call it Toobflix (actually with my real first name which is not Toob).

I beat the fuckers at their own game. Too bad I can't sell the technology, I'd be rich. I've even figured out how to beat commercials on the one (free) streaming service I've relented to allow into my life.

 

[leftwinger]

Actually, TV programming in the 60s was 50-52 minutes. Note that when they re-air those old TV shows, they now have to cut a lot out of them to fit them into air time.

And as to that third time being commercials, I think it is often more than that. I've often thought of making charts timing and plotting all of the commercial time in various programming. They even synchronize programming so they all go to commercial break at the same time. The theory is that you won't wander off and start watching another channel. But there are always other channels worth watching not on commercial break.

They now have soft breaks and hard breaks, a hard break, the network HAS to go to commercial whether they are ready or not.


You can get a good antenna for as little as $12. I get over 75 channels with just an antenna. And with better programming than I used to get with cable or satellite paying $150 a month.


You also have to pay for the TV. I never watch commercials, I'm set up to get all the programming I need commercial free, but then, I'm sort of a videophile with a background in video and broadcast who saw this coming and began addressing the problem at least 15 years ago. I have my own Netflix--- literally, I call it Toobflix (actually with my real first name which is not Toob).

I beat the fuckers at their own game. Too bad I can't sell the technology, I'd be rich. I've even figured out how to beat commercials on the one (free) streaming service I've relented to allow into my life.

I agree. Commercials are increased from maybe 1/3 back then to 50% now? It is Unwatchable.

Record it and skip or some on-demand (cable option replay old shows) you can skip fast forward.

I like Netflix to see international movies or shows commercial free. Someone else buys it? Not sure what it costs? $10 per month?

I got Prime for $10 I think? Same as above. NfL on thurs.

Antenna. ..yea lots of channels free. Fewer commercials by a lot too! But not live sports much but big games only.

$9 antenna just laying behind the TV no issue. The flatter you live the better to the transmitter.

Games on.

 

[Concerned American]

Actually, TV programming in the 60s was 50-52 minutes.

I disagree. I became aware of it watching cartoons in the afternoon in 1962. The neighbor was razzing me about watching 20 minutes of cartoons during a half hour. I started paying attention and sure enough, he was right. It has gotten worse than that on occasion.

 

[petro]

Whars' the gosh danged game?

Uh...im on Netflix. There is no NFL Vikings DET on? Betting sites say almost 1 quarter finished?

Huh? Did Obiden kill Netflix that much? WTH? Is it tape delayed to show 19,000 commercials?

I am getting the game locally on Fox 9 out of the Twin Cities.

 

[Concerned American]

I am getting the game locally on Fox 9 out of the Twin Cities.

When you live in the market, you get it on broadcast TV.

 

[leftwinger]

I am getting the game locally on Fox 9 out of the Twin Cities.

Yes I saw local markets would get the games. Even the poor locals can see it. But not poor in STL or CHI?

 

[petro]

Yes I saw local markets would get the games. Even the poor locals can see it. But not poor in STL or CHI?

Not ever sure of that reasoning.
Pro sports..."we wants fans more engaged".
Then they make it impossible to tune in.

Queens up now 13-7.

 

[toobfreak]

I agree. Commercials are incread from maybe 1/3 back the to 50% now? It is Unwatchable.

When I was a kid, commercials came every 15 minutes on the quarter-hour. And they were 2 to 2.5 minutes long. You had to run out of the room if you wanted to use the bathroom or make a sandwich then race back in time for the break to end. I remember my mother yelling to my father to hurry because the show was back on.

Last I checked, the average break now is about 5.5 minutes and there are more of them. They often run a whole ******* infomercial about something totally unrelated that you forget what the hell you were watching by the time the show is back on, and the commercials suck. Long, boring, dreadful, about death, disease, illness, or suing someone. And the worst offenders are the short special programming running 30 minutes. Like sport re-caps. Nothing but commercials with tiny slivers of programming slipped in. They often run 5 minutes of commercials, insert 30 seconds of programming, then go right back to more commercials.

Not sure what it costs? $10 per month?

So, you could buy an OTA broadcast antenna for the price of one month of Netflix.

Antenna. ..yea lots of channels free. Fewer commercials by a lot too! But not live sports much but big games only.

I usually get to watch no less than three NFL games a week and sometimes four, plus several hours of pre and post game related programming. I don't think I could take any more.

I started studying TV production in the 60s and in the 80s, passed on an offer to work as a TV station broadcast engineer, so, I know quite a bit about what they do, how stuff works and how they do it. We are being gamed. The floor fell out of the cable industry (cable originally came out for people in valleys, etc., with bad reception areas so they could get better reception, then they realized they could pipe special programming over the cable for a premium, and HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc., were invented), and now that high speed internet is fairly common to most areas, they are phasing the old cable system out and replacing it with streaming services.

They reel you in with 4K resolution, and now they use fiber instead of cable (some places still use cable, but cable is a bear with all kinds of electrical problems endemic to a cable sitting out in the sun and weather 24/7 breaking down plus bandwidth limitations.

Same deal with autos. They are designing cars now to control your life, track you and report you. They even intend to be able to locate you with your car and shut your car down remotely if you are wanted for late alimony or some other crime.

Just wait until they get all the bugs out of AI.

The baby boomer generation really was the best time to be born, we were born free at a time when America was its greatest, we lived through all of the greatest events from landing on the Moon to seeing the birth of the computer and other things, all at a time when the technologies really were free and not weaponized against us, but starting in the 1980s, it has been all shit downhill ever since. You could not pay me to be a kid growing up in today's world.

If you are less than 60 years old these days, your ass is grass. Folks younger than 60 might not even ever collect SSI.

 

[toobfreak]

I disagree. I became aware of it watching cartoons in the afternoon in 1962. The neighbor was razzing me about watching 20 minutes of cartoons during a half hour. I started paying attention and sure enough, he was right. It has gotten worse than that on occasion.

Well, maybe it varied from city to city or market to market, but I assure you, I grew up watching 2 minute commercials. There was a 2 minute commercial at the top of the hour between programs, one at 15 minutes then another 2 minute commercial prior to the programming epilogue followed by another 2 minute commercial half past between the end of that show (ending credits) and the new show.

Maybe we are just counting commercial time differently. I did a lot of video taping and editing in the 1980s and I used to ***** that commercials were running 2.5 minutes then because I had 7 or 9 head VCRs and holding the head for longer than 2.5 minutes on one piece of tape was hard on the heads.

 

[Concerned American]

If you are less than 60 years old these days, your ass is grass. Folks younger than 60 might not even ever collect SSI.

LOL, I remember my grandparents saying the same thing. You are a product of your environment. LOL, commercials are bad but nothing is worse than the commercials on the evening national news--one two minute news story--five minutes of commercials, rinse, repeat.

 

[leftwinger]

DET just giving a game away. GOFF coughing up footballs like a cat with hair balls. It couldn't be uglier. Whats' happened to them? Now they run the clock out while trailing? UGH.

Selfishly I need DET to score more for a bet also. So I'm mad already.

 

[Concerned American]

DET just giving a game away. GOFF coughing up footballs like a cat with hair balls. It couldn't be uglier.

Yup, I think the Vikings are paying Goff.

 

[toobfreak]

LOL, I remember my grandparents saying the same thing. You are a product of your environment.

Maybe, but SSI is in deeper water than ever. It could go bankrupt within 10 years unless Washington does something to fix it. Trump is talking about taking it private so that you collect interest on the money instead of some big insurance company.

If I were 55 or younger, I'd be real nervous, but perhaps what might save it is getting over the hump with all us baby boomers dying off.

 

[Concerned American]

If I were 55 or younger, I'd be real nervous, but perhaps what might save it is getting over the hump with all us baby boomers dying off.

I have been saying for 50 years that I would let SS keep all of my contributions if they would just let me out to invest my own money. It's still here. I've just gotten to the point that I'm not worried about it. Not worth the stress. People need to take what the gov't gives as long as it lasts---nothing lasts forever. You have to take care of yourself.

 

[Darkwind]

We've got it on Netflix.

I use IPTV. It gets Me about 20 streaming services.