An annoying & growing observation.

by modelman Fri Apr 20, 2018 4:59 pm

Boy, am I getting 'picky' as I grow older, but this one is really bugging me!!

Anyone noticed that for quite a while now various TV adverts carry a couple of rows of 'legal' text at the bottom of the screen. Now, it this era of HD
& UHD screens, why oh why is this text in a real crappy resolution, barely readable.

I'm of the opinion that its a legality that they don't really want to broadcast, so they make it difficult to read, but 'it is there'.

Even if I WAS interested in the product, this alone would put me off from purchasing.

OR, should I 'get a life' & stop watching too much TV???? ( & stop looking at adverts ) hugegrins

by -mojo- Fri Apr 20, 2018 6:56 pm

Get yourself a PVR and then you never have to watch the adverts!

by Guest Fri Apr 20, 2018 7:56 pm

The fact is adverts work, otherwise they wouldn't be aired. Companies and agencies do run various analysis routines to be sure, just recently a number of companies have stopped social media campaigns because they are not effective.

Some of those subtitles are there because the ASA have insisted clarifications are needed which do not "fit" the campaign. The advertiser would rather you didn't read them, payday loans companies were somewhat unhappy that they had to show APR values their products carry.

What is really the point of the drink aware subtitles for alcoholic drinks? Or the gambling one, those people that have problems are not going to be influenced by a little bit of text on screen. Do people really need to be told keep detergent pods away from children?

by modelman Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:31 pm

One, I DO have PVRs.

Two, I know advertising works, that's not the complaint, its that bloody stupid
unreadable text, why bother if it can't be read.

by rgermain Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:34 pm

-mojo- wrote:Get yourself a PVR and then you never have to watch the adverts!

Do these PVR's stop recording adverts or do you have to fast forward? I have been looking for a suitable recorder to take away with us and watch TV we have recorded during the winter.

Have you any preference to which make is a good buy please?

Cheers
-----------
Richard

by willy eckerslike Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:39 pm

Modelman wrote: why bother if it can't be read.

CYA

by -mojo- Fri Apr 20, 2018 10:14 pm

rgermain wrote:
Do these PVR's stop recording adverts or do you have to fast forward?...
Have you any preference to which make is a good buy please?

It used to be relatively easy, but commercial channels have got a ~lot~ smarter at making advert auto-detection hard, by mixing in previews of other programmes, and adding "sponsored by" messages with different timings, so none of the techniques I've looked at are reliable. But when I want to watch a programme, I just hit Pause, go and make a cup of tea, and then by the time I've come back there is enough "slack" that I can just jump forward through the adverts as they turn up.

I do pretty much the same with the news, so that I can fast-forward when they have coverage of politicians ~~lying~~ speaking.

I can't recommend any products, as I don't take a TV away, and my home setup is based on MythTV (where you have a central media server with multiple tuners, and a number of remote playback "frontends" around the house). It's a free, Linux-based system and it's not actually very easy to set up!

by Gromit Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:20 am

-mojo- wrote:
. . . commercial channels have got a ~lot~ smarter at making advert auto-detection hard, by mixing in previews of other programmes, and adding "sponsored by" messages with different timings,

The Tony Robinson programme on Great Cathedrals hits a new low in this respect.

Not because Tony Robinson is an irritating little pillock (with which I'm certain lots of others will disagree smile!

) but at the end of each segment, with hardly a pause for breath, he himself launches into an advert for holidays in the region that particular broadcast is coming from.

It takes several seconds even to realise it's not part of the programme, but using Mojo's technique it's not much trouble to pause and fast forward after making a cuppa, or pre-record and do the same.

Damned annoying though, and almost immoral in the insidious and intrusive way the ads are forced down our throats.

by rgermain Sat Apr 21, 2018 1:46 pm

-mojo- wrote:
rgermain wrote:
Do these PVR's stop recording adverts or do you have to fast forward?...
Have you any preference to which make is a good buy please?

It used to be relatively easy, but commercial channels have got a ~lot~ smarter at making advert auto-detection hard, by mixing in previews of other programmes, and adding "sponsored by" messages with different timings, so none of the techniques I've looked at are reliable. But when I want to watch a programme, I just hit Pause, go and make a cup of tea, and then by the time I've come back there is enough "slack" that I can just jump forward through the adverts as they turn up.

I do pretty much the same with the news, so that I can fast-forward when they have coverage of politicians ~~lying~~ speaking.

I can't recommend any products, as I don't take a TV away, and my home setup is based on MythTV (where you have a central media server with multiple tuners, and a number of remote playback "frontends" around the house). It's a free, Linux-based system and it's not actually very easy to set up!

Thank you for your help.
------------------
Richard

An annoying & growing observation.

An annoying & growing observation.

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