# Poll: Do you use 30-second skip?



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

30 second skip is apparently one of the favorite back door features of TiVo. I've never liked the 30 second skip. It never ends exactly where it's supposed to because of various commercial lengths, and I'm much more accurate stopping FF right where the show resumes. What about you? 

Vote and explain why or why not. Simple poll - yes or no...didn't find one like it in the past six months.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

30 second skip is a deal breaker for me. I have/had a dishnetwork 510 DVR before getting a TiVo and it had 30 second skip which I thought was great. When I first got TiVo I was ready to junk it because it didn't have the 30 second skip lucky I found out about it on this forum. Using TiVo's fast forward with its "bonce back" feature is like sticking me with a fork - extremely painful. 

Thanks,


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

I'd use it if I could I think but my Toshiba SD-H400 doesn't support the undocumented "feature".


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## jmoak (Jun 20, 2000)

30sec skip? I love it.
For me it always ends exactly where it's supposed to and it's much more accurate than stopping with FF. I can usually hit right where the show resumes.

I have had almost seven years of practice, so I should be good at it by now.


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## TiVo Mel (Jun 21, 2005)

I totally agree with Bierboy. I'm much more accurate with FF and stopping when I see the program return from commercial. I can practically stop the FF just as the show starts again. The 30-second skip appears to be hit-and-miss.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

I answered Yes. I use it all the time. We almost never use FF.

If you're watching Network TV, you can hit the 30 sec skip 4 times as soon as they go to commercial -- two minutes is assured, then let it play 1 or 2 seconds. If you still see commercials.. again, then again. At most you may have to back up 4 x 8 second back. Then you're on it. 

I hit most breaks within a few seconds with 4 quick then between 3-5 slow.

I've seen Heroes do a 4.5 minute break recently. Yup that's 9 total 30 sec skips. Others I've seen go over 5 min.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

The problem with 30 second skip is you still (usually) have to back up after using it - I never know whether to use one more skip in a series of ads until it's clear that it was one press too many. The skip back is something like 8 seconds so it takes while to find the beginning of the programming.

I get better results with 3XFF. With a bit of practice you learn just the right fraction of a second to wait before hitting play again, so thzat it skips right back to the beginning of the programming.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

BTW.. it's also MUCH easier to see the end of the commercials in the Series3 than in Series2. You can easily see the screen width go back to 16:9.


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## wbradney (Mar 4, 2003)

Enabled it once on an S2 and never really liked it. I can skip commercials of any length quite quickly and accurately with 3xFF. Crucially, it disables the default use of the ->| button (skipping in 15 min intervals), which I find much more useful than 30 sec skip.


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## SteelersFan (Sep 7, 2004)

I voted yes. I especially like it while watching a recorded football game. I watch a play then hit the 30-sec button and I'm taken right to the beginning of the next play.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

wbradney said:


> Enabled it once on an S2 and never really liked it. I can skip commercials of any length quite quickly and accurately with 3xFF. Crucially, it disables the default use of the ->| button (skipping in 15 min intervals), which I find much more useful than 30 sec skip.


I've found that I can still use ->| for a 15 min jump forward or back still w/30 second enabled.

You start FF or RW then ->| and it jumps your 15 forward or backward


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

I live for 30-sec skip..

'nuff said.

and it's more accurate in my mind the MCE 30-sec skip

Diane


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## jtlytle (May 17, 2005)

pdhenry said:


> I get better results with 3XFF. With a bit of practice you learn just the right fraction of a second to wait before hitting play again, so thzat it skips right back to the beginning of the programming.


+1 :up:


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## bentbiker (Apr 1, 2006)

It is 17 to 13 in favor of the 30 sec skip as I write this and I'm convinced that if any of the non-users ever gave it a real chance they'd discover it is much faster than the various FF speeds and because you get audio back after every punch, you know for sure whether it's still on a commercial. With FF it is totally visual and you can easily be fooled (prior to Series 3) . The reason a few people have said it is not accurate is that it is not exacly 30 seconds (28?) to allow a couple seconds to listen after each push and still hit the mark.

Used together with the 10 second backup, it is the best feature of TIVO, especially for sporting events -- perfect for a 20 second NBA timeout.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

bentbiker said:


> ... The reason a few people have said it is not accurate is that it is not exacly 30 seconds (28?) to allow a couple seconds to listen after each push and still hit the mark....


Actually the reason it's not accurate is because not all breaks are in exact 30-second increments. Local stations will pop in a promo, etc., and that's what messes it up (at least in our market).


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> It never ends exactly where it's supposed to because of various commercial lengths, and I'm much more accurate stopping FF right where the show resumes. What about you?


My sentiments exactly. Prefer the FF.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

bentbiker said:


> It is 17 to 13 in favor of the 30 sec skip as I write this and I'm convinced that if any of the non-users ever gave it a real chance they'd discover it is much faster than the various FF speeds and because you get audio back after every punch, you know for sure whether it's still on a commercial. With FF it is totally visual and you can easily be fooled (prior to Series 3) . The reason a few people have said it is not accurate is that it is not exacly 30 seconds (28?) to allow a couple seconds to listen after each push and still hit the mark.
> 
> Used together with the 10 second backup, it is the best feature of TIVO, especially for sporting events -- perfect for a 20 second NBA timeout.


I voted no for using it. I set it up and tried but just didn't like it. I have hitting the button 4, 5, 6 or so times to get through the commercials and like others reported to me it seemed to always be off. I also like control better so while fast forwarding I am in control. In addition I watch the commercials while fast forwarding to find new shows, find out about shows that may be on a special night and mess up my season passes, etc. If I do the 30 second skip trick I won't see those. With fastfowarding I have trained myself and actually hit the show at the right spot usually.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

For most (many?) programs you can watch for the TV rating in the upper lefthand corner of the screen. It appears at the beginning of the programming after the ad breaks for a few seconds - just long enough to catch it while 3XFFing.


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## LiveBlues (Oct 30, 2001)

I'ved used the 30 second skip for years now and much prefer it to FF. My wife, on the other hand prefers to use FF. To each their own.


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

Ditto. Please pass the dark meat. 

I am triple FF'r. My fingers know the instant to stop. Perfect sync to beginning.


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## tedbill (Feb 12, 2002)

Wow, I'm shocked this is even close. I love the 30 second skip. Between the 30 second skip and the replay button I can move through the commercials much faster than the 3x FF.


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## micmason (Nov 11, 2006)

:up: :up: :up: For 30 second skip.From the thumb of a video gamer,it was easy to master skip,rew(if needed)& play,quickly and effortlessly.The only timeI use FF is if I'm looking for a particular scene in a show or movie.


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## HomieG (Feb 17, 2003)

Use the 30-sec skip all the time. Our Comcast/Motorola 3412 DVR has a 7-second rewind button on the remote that seems to be just about perfect for those times that the 30-second skip goes just a little bit far over and into the programming we want to watch.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

I have it enabled but I honestly use FF more than the skip.

So if it was removed, it wouldn't kill me.


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## JacksTiVo (Jan 7, 2006)

I have been using the 30 second skip for several years. Most commercial breaks are about 3 minutes long. I just hit the button six times and the show resumes. If I overshoot, one or two hits of the 6 second return usually does the trick.

I have given the 30 second programing code to several friends and they can't thank me enough for enriching their TiVo experience.


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## TiVoEvan74 (Sep 11, 2004)

Use it all the time on both TiVos. It's so much better than having to watch the commercials even at high speed. I just don't need that garbage dumped into my synapses!


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

micmason said:


> :up: :up: :up: For 30 second skip.From the thumb of a video gamer,it was easy to master skip,rew(if needed)& play,quickly and effortlessly.The only timeI use FF is if I'm looking for a particular scene in a show or movie.


That may be the close to the core of it. When I am on my own, I am impatient for the 3Xff to get to where I want. Unlike the others in my household, I easily pick up finger twitch video game things. But I have to be focused for the timing and most of the time I have my eye on what the 4 kids are doing, and so it's just to much for my little brain to do finger gymnastics any more complicated that the triple FF. I suppose it would be different if I had more than 10 minutes at a stretch to watch stuff I am interested in.


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## hookbill (Dec 14, 2001)

I love 30 second skip and tick. One of the things I missed so much when I was saddled with the SA 8300.


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## retired_guy (Aug 27, 2004)

wbradney said:


> Enabled it once on an S2 and never really liked it. I can skip commercials of any length quite quickly and accurately with 3xFF. Crucially, it disables the default use of the ->| button (skipping in 15 min intervals), which I find much more useful than 30 sec skip.


I had the same experience when I tried it long ago. I found the FF much better and also use the 15 minute skip a lot.


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## aridon (Aug 31, 2006)

I love it. 30 second skip until the show comes back on and maybe hit a replay (6 second back) once or twice if you go to far. Faster for me than using regular FF. Besides I can still see the ads with FF


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## annenoe (Oct 19, 2003)

I love it - my husband HATES it. Go figure.

One of the things I really like about it is being able to "time" the commercials. I count the number of hits I need to get on with the show. It's very telling.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

aridon said:


> I love it. 30 second skip until the show comes back on and maybe hit a replay (6 second back) once or twice if you go to far. Faster for me than using regular FF. Besides I can still see the ads with FF


Too many button pushes. Using FFX2 I hit it twice then play...end of story


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## clam729 (Nov 28, 2004)

Same for me. The 30 sec. skip is a deal breaker. It goes, we go, as simple as that. For the shows that we watch it is as simple as 'click-click-click' and one 'click' of the wife button. Wife button ? You know, the 8 second rewind you use for when she won't shut up and you didn't hear what was going on.


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## hookbill (Dec 14, 2001)

annenoe said:


> I love it - my husband HATES it. Go figure.
> 
> One of the things I really like about it is being able to "time" the commercials. I count the number of hits I need to get on with the show. It's very telling.


You mean to say your husband lets you tough the remote? Simply does not happen in my house. 

Seriously my wife hasn't touched it since I got my Harmony 680 about a year ago. With the home theater and everything hooked up to it she just fines it a pia to deal with. The other day she was trying to pause a show and didn't realize I had it set on another device. She was totally frustrated.

I too enjoy seeing how many commercials get snuck in. 8 clicks is a full four minutes. Amazing.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Bump


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## monkeydust (Dec 12, 2004)

Nope. Tried it and didn't like it. I prefer using fast forward.


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## JohnBrowning (Jul 15, 2004)

I answered 'yes', but, a better answer would have been 'both'. I prefer the 3XFF and use it on my S2. On the S3 I use the 30 second because the 3XFF is too inconsistent.


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## Shawn95GT (Oct 7, 2005)

30 second skip addict(s) here. If we see 3+ seconds of commercial one or the other of us will say "bloop bloop bloop".

I often find myself overshooting but the 8 second reverse fixes that quick.

If you have the remote, commercials are your responsibility .


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I don't use it.

For it to work well, you have to be ready to pounce on the skip button as soon as the show goes to commercial. I usually don't have the remote in my hand. It may be by my side on the sofa or on the end table or coffee table or the floor. I'll have to see it and grab it. That takes time. By them, you're already off and you'll have to probably backup some. Also, you have to count on the commercial break being in exact 30 second increments. That isn't always the case.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

jsmeeker said:


> I don't use it.
> 
> For it to work well, you have to be ready to pounce on the skip button as soon as the show goes to commercial. I usually don't have the remote in my hand. It may be by my side on the sofa or on the end table or coffee table or the floor. I'll have to see it and grab it. That takes time. By them, you're already off and you'll have to probably backup some. Also, you have to count on the commercial break being in exact 30 second increments. That isn't always the case.


Agreed, Jeff, unlike most other men (apparently) I don't have my hand on my remote all the time.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Another 'no' vote here. Tried it back when I got my first TiVo and thought it was cool, but then discovered, like others, I'm much more accurate with 3xFF.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I guess it's all those video gamers. They like to mash buttons at precise moments in a precise sequence. Hell, I don't even always use the same number of fast forwards. Sometimes, I'll do two. Other times, maybe three. No real rhyme or reason.. It's just whatever I happen to do. 

That, or you have to be super anal about not seeing ANY bit of a TV commercial. Heck, I'll actually back up to see certain commercials or show promos.


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## Justin Thyme (Mar 29, 2005)

I am required to break for any commercials with pink in them, especially if there is an adorable animal theme.

Jeez jeff 36 fricking thousand posts. Maybe you need more kids. That will slow you down.


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## CrashHD (Nov 10, 2006)

SPS30S +1 :up:  
30 sec. skip rocks.
I don't see why anyone would dislike it. You can have it enabled and still FF3.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

CrashHD said:


> SPS30S +1 :up:
> 30 sec. skip rocks.
> I don't see why anyone would dislike it. You can have it enabled and still FF3.


I could. But if I never use it, it doesn't make sense to re-enable it every time the TiVo reboots due to a brief power hiccup.


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## skanter (May 28, 2003)

I've looked in the manual and see NOTHING about a 30 second skip!








(just kidding)  

Actually -- I LOVE 30-sec skip and far prefer it to FF. Using it and 7-sec back I can skip thru a commercial in the blink of an eye, and don't have to watch commercials at 60X speed looking for end, which gives me a headache.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Yes. Always. I hate having to sit and time it when FF'ing, so it's much easier to just press the Skip button a few times.


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## eksimba (Nov 18, 2002)

Used the 30sec skip for about a year when I first got the TiVo... After a system reset I decided to do it the built-in way and I've never gone back to the skip. FFx2 works so much better.


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

FF for commercials.

30s skip for football.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

I like to manually ff through things so that I can catch any interactive tags that might pop up. Then if I have time, I can follow the tag to the additional ad content, maybe request a brochure or further information. I know my actions are being tracked, and this is what I want. I want advertising to become more and more interactive, more relevant to my viewing habits. Instead of the shotgun approach with products of completely unknown appeal, I'd like TiVo to gather my interests based upon my interaction, and then suggest interactive advertising that I might be interested in.

Of course, this is a revenue stream for TiVo and that's a good thing. But it also brings the TiVo DVR into a role of enabling advertising to become smarter and get better results.

Think about it. If you could fill out a little profile of what your life and interests are like today, then I am sure advertisers would like to provide information in some areas with traction. Like I am in the process of building a new house. In the next few months, I'll need a water softener, a refridgerator, random other appliances, some furniture, TV's, landscaping, etc. Somebody else might be going off to college, looking for a car, or an apartment.

I guess what I am saying is that with interactive advertising from TiVo, I would not have to listen to John Mellencamp sing his Chevy Silverado song dozens of dozens of times a night during football games. I could get ads on refrigerators, and sales on washers and dryers, heck I might even be able to order product at that moment. What a concept!

It's not that TiVos and DVRs have killed advertising, well generic DVRs ARE killing advertising. TiVo could be a platform that helps advertisers reach an audience that actually WANTS to hear from them.

So, that's why I don't do the 30 second skip.


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## mick66 (Oct 15, 2004)

30 sec skip. I'd much rather skip commercials as much as possible than actually watch them whiz by.

Currently
Yes......105
No.........73


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## lordbah (Apr 19, 2003)

I use the 30 second skip always. Because it's instant. I was saddled with another DVR for a few days and their 30 second skip actually played in fast forward, meaning it played for a couple of seconds, and I was unhappy with that. Granted 60x should only be 1/2 second for each 30 seconds, it's still noticeable to me on a 3 or 4 minute break.


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## hongcho (Nov 26, 2003)

I guess only those people who uses 30-second skip leave additional messages. 

I have enabled it in the beginning. I don't use it and I don't miss it at all. I am quite happy with my FF stopping skills. 

Hong.


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## MighTiVo (Oct 26, 2000)

jsmeeker said:


> I could. But if I never use it, it doesn't make sense to re-enable it every time the TiVo reboots due to a brief power hiccup.


Egads, no UPS on your TiVo!


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## treadlove (Jul 15, 2003)

Kudos to the people using the 30 second skip for football. In addition, I use it for baseball too. Any at bat where the batter makes contact, the 30 second skip, used after the cessation of the play, will take you right to the first pitch of the next batter. Since baseball broadcasters are even worse than the ones on football, this can be a godsend.


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## skanter (May 28, 2003)

treadlove said:


> Kudos to the people using the 30 second skip for football. In addition, I use it for baseball too. Any at bat where the batter makes contact, the 30 second skip, used after the cessation of the play, will take you right to the first pitch of the next batter. Since baseball broadcasters are even worse than the ones on football, this can be a godsend.


...great for tennis matches, especially with servers who take too much time, like Rafael Nadal. He takes just about 30 seconds between serves -- eliminated with one click!


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## clam729 (Nov 28, 2004)

Shawn95GT said:


> "bloop bloop bloop".


QFT - and we thought we were the only ones that did this, too funny.


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## audiocrawford (Oct 19, 2005)

Yes.

I've become quite adept at hitting the 30-second skip button to get through the commercials, and then the instant replay button a couple of times to back up. It never takes me more than 3-5 seconds to do. I find the manual FF takes me much longer.

Sometimes I don't even do the replay to back up - is it really going to kill me to miss five seconds of Friends, or the bumpers for The View, LOL?

It works great for me. I actually like that I have to enter the code when my TiVo restarts - it's the only way I know a restart/update has occured, unless I've gotten a service update with a message in my box.

AC


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## audiocrawford (Oct 19, 2005)

skanter said:


> ...great for tennis matches, especially with servers who take too much time, like Rafael Nadal. He takes just about 30 seconds between serves -- eliminated with one click!


I also find it invaluable for a show like "Dancing With The Stars". I enjoy the actual dancing and the judging, but that's only about 30% of the program. I watched it live at someone's house half-way through the season and I thought I was going to chew my leg off out of boredom.

As a 90 minute show, it's very drawn and boring for me. As a 18-20 minute show, it's excellent. 

AC


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## T*i*V*o (Oct 8, 2006)

I finally figured out how to set my TiVo up for the 30 Sec. Skip and I love it!

I have a TiVo Series 2 with 80 hrs. Now, all I do is press the end button >I and it will skip 30 seconds each time I want to skip. I can sill watch the commericals if I see something interesting, like tidbits from upcoming shows.

http://bigmarv.net/how/tivo30secondskip.html

Fast forward works just like Fast forward


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## ping (Oct 3, 2005)

I tried it but didn't like it. It's FF,FF,FF ... wait ... FF for me (don't even need to move my thumb, since the 4th press of FF does the same as play, and I never need any skip back nonsense).


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## dagap (Dec 5, 2003)

I use 30SS, my wife does FF. Between you and me, she does it wrong.

I'm like "baloop baloop baloop baloop baloop baloop (wait), baloop (wait) baloop (wait)".

She's all "baloop baloop baloop (wait) baloop (wait)". And sometimes there's an extra baloop baloop (wait)."

As you can see, it's difficult to tolerate.


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## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

I do but my wife hates it.


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## NotVeryWitty (Oct 3, 2003)

ThreeSoFar said:


> FF for commercials.
> 30s skip for football.


Yep, same here.

I find 2xFF faster and simpler for getting through long commercial breaks. Plus, I have gotten good at pressing PLAY at just the right time for it to start playing at the right spot.

For football, I use 30-sec-skip in between plays because it's so much easier to just press the one button, plus I don't (usually) see a sneak-preview of the next play. Since time-shifting Sunday football games is the number one reason I have a Tivo, the 30-sec-skip is a required DVR feature for me.

My only gripe with 30-sec-skip is that the Tivo turns it off on a reboot. Why can't they save the state?


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

NotVeryWitty said:


> I find 2xFF faster and simpler for getting through long commercial breaks. Plus, I have gotten good at pressing PLAY at just the right time for it to start playing at the right spot.


I could almost see someone saying (and believing, heh) that they could get through commercials faster at 3FF. But 2FF? I find it very hard to believe, though admittedly I have not done timings myself either.

I just wham on the skip button a bunch of times, then 8 sec back one/a few times if necessary if I go too far. On average of course I'd be 4 seconds before the start of the show.. If I can tell it's that long, impatient me does go into 1FF mode for a fraction of a second. (and on my non-Tivo recorder when I use the same technique, I get sound at 1FF, so I definitely don't miss anything.)

I do think that I am getting through the commercials way faster with the 30 second skip, though the 30 second skip does seem to be slightly more reactive to my button presses on my S1s than on a friend's DirecTivo.

It just seems to take AGES when someone else is controlling the remote and tries to get through the commercial with 2FF.. (and no, it takes more time than when THEY use 30 sec skip too.. so it's not 100% "being occupied makes it seem shorter")


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## fritolayguy (Oct 31, 2002)

With 3 TIVO units, we have found that we are more accurate using second level of FF than we ever were with the 30 second skip. Purely personal choice....


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## rhuntington3 (May 1, 2001)

Nope.


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## Crrink (Sep 3, 2002)

I don't keep the remote in my hand, usually, but it really doesn't take very long to pick it up off the end table when the commercials begin. as others have said, 4 fast clicks of the 30 sec. skip, wait to see where you are, and react accordingly.

I haven't timed it so I don't know that it's faster than using 3xFF, but it certainly feels faster to me. I also pay less attention using 30 sec. skip than I do using FF - with the skip you can hit the button, wait and listen, with FF you have to scrutinize the video flying by so you know when to stop. 

For me, personally, it's just a lot less labor intensive to use the 30 sec. skip.


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## nirisahn (Nov 19, 2005)

I've used both, but prefer to not use the 30 second skip. Sometimes when I'm FF'ing thru the commercials something catches my eye and I rewind to find out what it is. That's how I first found out about 'Heroes'. Sometimes a movie preview will catch my eye. If I skipped thru commercials 30 seconds at a time, I wouldn't know if there was something I actually wanted to know about being advertised.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

I still see snippets of ads I want to see, even 30sec skipping through it.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Well, with 308 total votes so far, it's about 3-2 in favor of those using 30-second skip. After pouring through the posts here, I have activated it and will try it again. You never know; I may be converted!


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## cowboys2002 (Jun 15, 2001)

Using the ff at 2 arrows, press the play button when the screen changes to the program. Works for me 99.9% of the time


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## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

Everyone in the family, all four of us currently at home and the two kids living away from home, all use the 30-second skip more than 98% of the time and FF less 2% of the time.

It is absolutely necessary for watching NFL or College Football games.

I have used it almost exclusively since it was added over six years ago.

And all of the kids wouldn't use anything else.

Using FF requires that you watch the commercials in their entirely to know when to stop, and even if the commercials don't seem to register with your conscious brain, they register with your unconscious brain. 

IMHO you are watching the complete commercial when you FF, unknowingly, and that is SAD.


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## WhoAmI (Nov 11, 2006)

I use 30-sec skip and replay primarily -- I find it quicker to skip short gaps this way. Anything longer than four minutes starts to get annoying with 30-sec skip (too many button presses), so I also use FF sometimes.

Valid reasons not to use it: Some people I know hate the sound-effects and chaos of my navigation this way, which is why they use FF. Some people just don't want to memorize S-P-S-3-0-S (it is cumbersome). Sometimes I'd rather see what commercials were aired than skip them completely, so I use FF those times.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

tbeckner said:


> ...and even if the commercials don't seem to register with your conscious brain, they register with your unconscious brain.
> 
> IMHO you are watching the complete commercial when you FF, unknowingly, and that is SAD.


Can you say......BIG BROTHER?


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## ThreeSoFar (May 24, 2002)

tbeckner said:


> IMHO you are watching the complete commercial when you FF, unknowingly, and that is SAD.





Bierboy said:


> Can you say......BIG BROTHER?


Yes, that _is_ sad.


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## timmo (Apr 25, 2003)

YES! And I see someone else watches football the same way as I do - skipping along - I can watch an entire game in about 40 minutes.


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## mlehner (Dec 3, 2006)

I have a series 2 and have been using the fast forward. How do you use the 30 second skip? I dont see that oprion on my remote


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

During play back hit "Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select" ignore the bings after 3 and 0. If done correctly then you will hear multiple bings after hitting select. The advance button, the one that looks like this ->| will then skip ahead 30 seconds.


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## mlehner (Dec 3, 2006)

Thanks, that works great!


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## LtKernelPanic (Sep 22, 2003)

30 second skip all the way. Works great for boring or gross parts off shows too.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

30 second skip is faster than fast forwarding. 8 to 10 presses on the skip and 1 to 3 presses of the rewind are usually the most it takes. 10 button presses can be done very quickly once you get the hang of it. Fast Forwarding to me seems intolerably slow now that I've got the hang of the 30 second skip. 

If TiVo ever dropped the 30 second skip backdoor I'd probably be tempted to drop Tivo. It's a must have feature for me.


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## Uncle Briggs (Sep 11, 2004)

TiVo Mel said:


> I'm much more accurate with FF and stopping when I see the program return from commercial. The 30-second skip appears to be hit-and-miss.


That's the reason I stopped using the 30-sec. skip.


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## JacksTiVo (Jan 7, 2006)

*I just read an article from Forbes.com about how the advertisers are combating Ad skipping by DVR owners. Here is a partial quote from the article which should be of interest to those members who use the FF mode of skipping: 
"The ad agency for the Honda Fit came up with a five-second commercial that it tries to get networks to air at the end of a commercial break. That way, DVR users might catch the Honda commercial after fast-forwarding through advertisements--DVRs back up a few seconds before the TV program resumes, in order to make sure no part of it is skipped over."​To read the entire article go to:http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/01/ad...ch-media_cx_rr_1204tivo.html?partner=yahootix

American ingenuity invented TiVo (DVR's) and American ingenuity will attempt to find a way to make us view commercials. I am sure the subscribers to this Forum will find a way to "defeat" the five-second commercial. There is nothing like a challenge to bring the best Amercian ingenuity into the "battle" of commercial skipping.
Isn't this a great Country to live in!*


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## megazone (Mar 3, 2002)

30SS beats FF for me hands down. I can't stand using FF. I'm real good with 30SS and get through breaks faster than FF. I've noticed my friends tend to use 30SS too when I'm over their places.


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## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

SteelersFan said:


> I voted yes. I especially like it while watching a recorded football game. I watch a play then hit the 30-sec button and I'm taken right to the beginning of the next play.


Same here. It is great for watching football games.


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## Doit2it (Jan 3, 2006)

Tried it. Didn't find it useful. Prefer the front/end feature thou I don't use it too much either.


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## T*i*V*o (Oct 8, 2006)

Tried the 30 second skip for several weeks and when my computer had to be rebooted and turned back on......

I tried my 30 second skip and it did not work! You don't know how fast I looked for that code to set the 30 second skip. 

Once you start using the 30 second skip you do not want to quit. Yea, I do see some of the commercials and have to back on sometimes because of over estimating the number of commercials. The commercials are usually 4 or more, you just have to learn what the program you are watching. And guess estimate......Just how long is this commercial going to be? I am getting better on the length of the commercials.

I am a 30 second commercial skip person and proud of it!


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Well, I am finally a convert. When I created this poll, I was anti-30-second-skip. I am now converted and a preacher.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I love 30-second skip. Just punch it a bunch of times, and when you see your show, hit 8-second rewind once or twice. You don't have to see any commercials, or guess about when to hit play.


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