[ramatsu]

It seems that maybe Tivo has cut a deal with broadcasters to not have Skip bypass the network programming commercials at the end of a commercial break. It used to jump to the beginning of the show after the break, but now seems to jump to the promos about other shows that often fall right before the program resumes.

I’ve been noticing this for a few weeks, anyone else seeing it?

 

[jay_man2]

Yes, but I’m also seeing that the skip function is hosed up and doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it skips but stops in the wrong place, other times it doesn’t skip. Frustrating.

 

[Pokemon_Dad]

This has been discussed in great detail in several other threads. TiVo has switched from manual to automated commercial skip indexing, which seems to perform even worse than the already imperfect open source comskip software used by most competitors. Both are easily confused by the logo watermarks on show promo ads, for example. I've posted details including screen shots of how this works here: New TiVo Commercial Skip

 

[ramatsu]

This has been discussed in great detail in several other threads. TiVo has switched from manual to automated commercial skip indexing, which seems to perform even worse than the already imperfect open source comskip software used by most competitors. Both are easily confused by the logo watermarks on show promo ads, for example. I've posted details including screen shots of how this works here: New TiVo Commercial Skip

Thanks, I did a search for "skip" before posting but there were a zillion results without relevant ones at the top. Sorry for the branching.

So I wasn't aware of the automated timestamping, or that competitors were offering a similar feature. This seems like such an easy mechanical Turk operation, with the inexpensive labor being in ideal time zones for overnight encoding. If they opened up their file format, I wonder if some entrepreneur in India or China would offer an accurate one on the open market to tivo and their competitors.

With cord cutting being the trend and cable subscribers probably aging out, I'm just grateful every year that Tivo manages to stay in business, but I miss the accurate commercial skipping.

 

[Kurs0010]

It seems that maybe Tivo has cut a deal with broadcasters to not have Skip bypass the network programming commercials at the end of a commercial break. It used to jump to the beginning of the show after the break, but now seems to jump to the promos about other shows that often fall right before the program resumes.

I've been noticing this for a few weeks, anyone else seeing it?

Yes! It's so annoying. I usually have to press the 30 sec button at least once after it "skips". And it's always a promo for their own network show

 

[NorthAlabama]

what's amazing? "smart resume" with comcast x1 behaves like tivo skip used to behave...

 

[WVZR1]

what's amazing? "smart resume" with comcast x1 behaves like tivo skip used to behave...

I might actually try that. I've only used the Xfinity box to do 'motorsports' and an occasional 'other' but if all major networks utilize the Xfinity 'com-skip' maybe to just do the most recent series/episodes and delete them after a watch and the TiVo becomes an 'archive' of sorts until they either fix or quit! The Xfinity 'smart resume' is available how soon after a recording?

Would that eliminate the Sunday night CBS - NFL created issues when a game goes long?

I have a CW recent that actually 'skips' to a 'network' ad before resume but that's tolerable and at least you can 'watch' the graphic and anticipate.

**What it actually does is advance to the correct location but then 'jumps back' to the ad if I watch closely the graphic bar! If there weren't an ad then it would be correct.

 

[NorthAlabama]

I might actually try that. I've only used the Xfinity box to do 'motorsports' and an occasional 'other' but if all major networks are covered utilize Xfinity maybe to just do the most recent series/episodes and delete them after a watch and the TiVo becomes an 'archive' of sorts until they either fix or quit! The Xfinity 'smart resume' is available how soon after a recording?

Would that eliminate the Sunday night CBS - NFL created issues when a game goes long?

wish i could help, but i haven't used the x1 enough to answer fully as to the time it appears or which shows/networks - so far i've noticed cbs and nbc shows (of course).

as far as overruns, i haven't noticed any differences with x1 vs. tivo, or gracenote vs. rovi - cbs still dictates the schedule, so that binds the service providers, but you can pad on x1 just like tivo.

 

[Pokemon_Dad]

Thanks, I did a search for "skip" before posting but there were a zillion results without relevant ones at the top. Sorry for the branching.

So I wasn't aware of the automated timestamping, or that competitors were offering a similar feature. This seems like such an easy mechanical Turk operation, with the inexpensive labor being in ideal time zones for overnight encoding. If they opened up their file format, I wonder if some entrepreneur in India or China would offer an accurate one on the open market to tivo and their competitors.

With cord cutting being the trend and cable subscribers probably aging out, I'm just grateful every year that Tivo manages to stay in business, but I miss the accurate commercial skipping.

Offshoring never saves as much money as people think, and it's never easy to manage. Also they used to only index a limited number of shows manually, while automated skip indexing can process every single show. Still, the manual indexing was of consistently higher quality, and the choice to go with software is kind of lame because this puts TiVo in the category of competing with tiny software companies like Channels DVR, which has only a few developers.

 

[WVZR1]

what's amazing? "smart resume" with comcast x1 behaves like tivo skip used to behave...

I've used the X1 now for 10 days to record the same as what I do on TiVo. The 'Smart Resume' does extremely well. If I didn't own a TiVo Roamio now I believe I could do very well with just the X1 box and my ATV for streaming. For CBS I subscribe Paramount+ through Apple but it's also on my X1. It's a very easy maneuver from a CBS 'recording' to the same Series and FREE to me using the X1 vs changing input to the ATV. I don't know that I'd pay the 4.99$ for 'commercial free' Peacock but it's something to consider. I'm in a rural area that's Comcast only for quality Internet and people struggle for OTA unless using 30'+ towers so it's Comcast or the 'Satellite Guys' for TV.

I've a Bolt+ that I've been working towards installing in a Phillips HDR212 TiVo cabinet and I'll likely either sell the components, keep the Roamio 8TB I have or part with it and finish the Bolt+ HDR212 project. A 'winter' to decide I believe.

User @DeltaOne is somewhat 'local' to me and I believe he relies heavily on an XG1V4 also, @Phil T seems to be a XG1V4 user primarily on his 'main' display.

How many others?

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

Also they used to only index a limited number of shows manually, while automated skip indexing can process every single show.

...although now that they've gone to automated, there are FEWER shows being processed. And it takes longer for Skip to show up.

 

[Pokemon_Dad]

...although now that they've gone to automated, there are FEWER shows being processed. And it takes longer for Skip to show up.

Really? That is sad. One must wonder what they were thinking, or if they thought this through at all. Laying off all the manual indexers before the automation software is able to compete with Channels DVR and every other competitor out there? This makes no sense, unless you're only looking at very short-term cost savings. Maybe the company is in more trouble than we know. Or maybe the Xperi execs are just squeezing the last drops of blood out of their DVR business before giving up on it completely.

 

[WVZR1]

...although now that they've gone to automated, there are FEWER shows being processed. And it takes longer for Skip to show up.

That is the advantage of the Comcast/Xfinity 'project' - seems very reliable and 'no wait'! The only 'nuisance' is the 4 button press of the 'advance >'. In the Xfinity Community though there's a year old + thread of complainers. I haven't entered the conversation and have only visited it a couple times. Maybe they're users of the 'FLEX' or whatever the lesser Xfinity TV.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

Laying off all the manual indexers before the automation software is able to compete with Channels DVR and every other competitor out there?

I suspect you might have the cause and effect reversed. Skip Mode was suffering before they made the switch. It has been theorized that they lost Skip Monkeys during the pandemic (they don't seem to have been paid very well, and might have found better jobs or just quit and stayed home), and that the switch to auto was forced by that. And if it wasn't something that was planned in advance, that would explain why they've had such difficulty implementing it.

 

[Pokemon_Dad]

if it wasn't something that was planned in advance, that would explain why they've had such difficulty implementing it.

I hope you're right, for their sake. I've already moved on to another platform for the most part, but I still wish TiVo best of luck in recovering from this and all their other troubles some day.

 

[JackStraw]

So far I have seen this issue on both the Blacklist on NBC and AMC Fear The Walking Dead show.

 

[oscarfish]

For some strange reason, I've had it in my head (total assumption) that the Skip Monkey tasks could be done remotely (like from home). To further assume, that would imply that the pandemic wouldn't negatively effect that work getting done. Sounds like I was wrong about that.

It's too bad this can't be crowd sourced.

 

[Rob Helmerichs]

For some strange reason, I've had it in my heard (total assumption) that the Skip Monkey tasks could be done remotely (like from home). To further assume, that would imply that the pandemic wouldn't negatively effect that work getting done. Sounds like I was wrong about that.

It's too bad this can't be crowd sourced.

I vaguely recall Skip once being adversely affected by severe winter storms in North Carolina, or wherever Skip Monkey Central was, suggesting that they had to "go to the office" to do their jobs...

 

[WVZR1]

It's too bad this can't be crowd sourced.

Like 'shopping' on the 'Left Coast'?

 

[cwoody222]

I vaguely recall Skip once being adversely affected by severe winter storms in North Carolina, or wherever Skip Monkey Central was, suggesting that they had to "go to the office" to do their jobs...

During the storm they may have not been set up to work from home. Since they were not expecting the need to.

But for the extended period of the pandemic they may have made arrangements.

I've never assumed TiVo "lost" the Monkeys and had to come up with an alternative. My assumption was that Xperi simply chose to automate, either to save money or expand the capabilities (or so they hoped) or both.