Originally published November 27 2005
Time Warner and NBC to offer "Start Over" feature
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The "Start Over" feature lets viewers restart a show after it has started, but users won't be able to fast-forward through commercials. Select shows from USA, Bravo and the Sci-Fi channel will have the feature.
Ever wish you could just start over?
Time Warner Cable, part of Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), plans a new service to improve users' TV-watching experience -- while encouraging their continued attention to TV advertisements.
Later this year, Time Warner will team with General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC network to offer some NBC shows to viewers with a "Start Over" feature.
Viewers who tune in to a show after it has begun can restart it from the beginning, catching up on what they've missed.
However, unlike TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) and other digital video recorder services, "Start Over" won't let users fast-forward through commercials.
NBC makes up more hot entertainment property than you might think, including cable's USA, Bravo, and the SciFi Channel.
However, only a select number of shows will have the "Start Over" feature.
Time Warner Cable's move is a different spin on the same idea, since it preserves advertisers' ability to reach viewers.
"Start Over" is an interesting feature that underlines the industry's current dilemmas regarding DVR technology and advertisers' demands.
Still, it seems to me that the digital recording capabilities of TiVo and cable providers like Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) are the more compelling technological advances, as is Apple's recent experiment in selling commercial-free downloads of a few hit TV shows.
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