Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:3747 rec.video:4160
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!lemke
From: lemke@Apple.COM (Steve Lemke)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.video
Subject: Re: VCR comercial eliminator
Keywords: VCR
Message-ID: <16541@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 3 Sep 88 03:24:09 GMT
References: <257@ivucsb.UUCP> <16314@apple.Apple.COM> <898@amelia.nas.nasa.gov>
Reply-To: lemke@apple.com.UUCP (Steve Lemke)
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 27

In article <898@amelia.nas.nasa.gov> pew@ew07.nas.nasa.gov (John A. Pew) writes:
>It is even smart enough to know that most VCRs have a pause timeout, so
>it will--if it believes that it is still commercial time and after the timeout
>has been reached--take the VCR out of pause and then put it back into pause.

Well, it sounds like a really cool device, and I'm not saying I know what they
should've done, but it seems to me that VCRs have a pause timeout for a REASON!
Namely, if you leave it in pause long enough, it's not very good for that spot
of tape - the head happens to be spinning, you know, and holding the tape in
place isn't really a good idea.  That's why they shut it down if you don't.
Now, if you ask me, having the thing start again and then jump back to pause
just seems like it's going to make a longer area of the tape that is "burned
out".  Oh well...  I guess VCRs aren't really fast enough to stop and then
start up again (well, some are getting close, but most aren't).  Still, I know
many people who don't like pause mode at all because of what it does to the
tape.

Good to know that it takes care of programming and all, though. Does it change
channels for future programs, too?  Sounds like you also get a box that gives
what would otherwise be an old (or cheap) VCR much better programming abilities
than were in the original design.

			===== Steve Lemke =====
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All opinions are, of course, mine, and could never belong to anyone else!