Is FNC thwarting its viewers’ ability to skip ads and boring segments? Even though the author was able to fast forward through FNC HD programs, e.g., Fox & Friends and America’s News Headquarters, via the DirectTV DVR yesterday and today, he was unable to see the skipped material. I.e., when the “FF” button was pushed, the pic froze and the program began when “Play” was tapped: the intervening video was not displayed. The author has had no comparable problems with CNN HD.
If my personal anecdote is applicable to the new FNC HD experience of all its viewers (or even just its DirecTV ones), this viewer impediment does not bode well for the self-proclaimed “Fair and Balanced” network. It seems like an Orwellian machination not well suited to those who claim to hold high the principles of the Fourth Estate.
Rupert, Roger, are you hamstringing your viewers?
Tags: America's News Headquarters, CNN, CNN HD, DirecTV, FNC, FNC HD, Fox & Friends, Fox and Friends, Fox News, George Orwell, Orwellian, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch
Carpe Diem 
December 21, 2008 at 1:17 pm
While flipping through channels this morning I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Comcast added FNCHD to my channel lineup sometime during the past day or two. I had no trouble viewing the content during fast-forward or rewind.
I’m not a technician, so don’t put a whole lot of trust in this, but occasionally the DVRs seem to get bogged-down in data flow. This happened more often with the satellite service I once subscribed to, but also happens with cable sometimes. Just as you describe, sometimes I can’t view what I’m fast-forwarding through while other times it just won’t return to the beginning of the program. I’ve successfully corrected this by unplugging the DVR for 20 seconds… sort of a “hard reboot”, I suspect.
Yeah, technology can be irritating.
December 22, 2008 at 9:06 am
Thanks, Al. I’ve rebooted as you suggested. I’m hoping you’re right.