 get involved with–and that’s with using a DVR. If it’s a must see show, they’ll buy the DVDs at the end of the season. There’s a lot of TV-time scheduling that goes on, lots of things in people’s queue’s.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Mr. Gorman
I know the topic of DVR,and how the Nielsen index is supposed to be inaccurate have been discussed to exhaustion in these blogs.But I´m one of the folks with a genuine desire to learn that you mentioned just now.Would the fact that this study was published by MAGNA be good for shows like PD and Chuck,in danger of being cancelled?
Thank you
November 6th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Caio, our conclusion is that other than press releases for the networks the DVR numbers are not currently meaningful when it comes to the decision making process for renewals.
We’re very interested in the trends of DVR usage because it signals a sea change in the way the networks will make money. As the DVR population increases, sooner or later it will matter on a lot of levels, including renewals, etc. But for now, that does not seem to be the case.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Plus remember the “Fringe,” experiment shows that C+3 viewers watch the commercials when they’re only 60 seconds long.
That may come into play.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Thanks for posting this information! I’m extremely interested, mainly because I’m tiering the heck out of my busy TV dance card.
Frank J above has a really good point – my general rule of thumb is that I save my favorite shows for last…I might even decide to skip that episode because I know it’ll be on the set that I’ll inevitably buy next year.
Ironically, the ones that I watch within those first three days are actually the “easily disposable” ones, the ones I don’t really care if I miss.
As far as watching the commercials, it’s true, the only time I don’t FF, is during Fringe, when it takes longer to find the remote, FF, Rewind (because you’ve forgotten it’s only 60 secs) and hit play, than it does to just let the commercial pod play out.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Nick, what the Fringe experiment showed is that more people watch the commercials LIVE. With the 30 second skip button, Fringe is the easiest show to skip commercials with because with the exception of the weird 70 second breaks, the 60 and 90 tell you exactly how many times to push the button!
For the unwashed masses who won’t program their remotes, I can see where the shorter commercials are perhaps not worth the effort, but the success of the Fringe experiment doesn’t currently link to DVR viewing.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Robert, that’s weird. I was certain they tracked commercial viewing with the new boxes. So they know if a DVR show was watching the commercials or not.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I thought the Fringe experiment you’re referring to was FOX conducting those earlier focus groups in advance of the actual airing of the show, to determine *how* they were going to air it.
Unless you’re saying that the experiment is currently happening now?
November 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Nick, Nielsen can measure commercial viewing. What I’m saying is, whatever happens on the DVR side isn’t that important — it’s that the delta between live Fringe viewing and live commercial viewing during Fringe is almost zero.
Joy, I’m pretty sure he’s talking about there being less commercials and much shorter breaks.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Robert, that is what I’m looking at C3 ratings. Fringe does better on C3 than SD3.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
of course, I didn’t say that nobody who watches via DVR watches commercials. I’m just suggesting that if the difference was only the bump via DVR viewing, Fringe would already be airing 3 minute commercial breaks. What’s important is the live viewers are watching.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Robert, sorry but the important thing is the C3 viewing. It’s how commercial prices are being set this year. I still find your metrics to be a good sign of how shows are doing. A few do better with the C3 list than your metrics would indicate but for the most part your system is rather good and close to what different networks use.
The only thing I know they do that you don’t is “nightly,” internal ratings. I know you know that the night matters though. It’s how shows on your list like Numb3rs stick around despite their ratings on the overall index.
FRINGE is very interesting because it appears people with DVRs aren’t skipping the commercials as much as they do with other programs.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Nick, sorry, but *ALMOST* all of Fringe’s C+3 commerical viewing comes via the live viewing. Not ALL of it, but ALMOST all of it. You can’t convince me otherwise, even with data. If you feel that you can convince me of this with data, please do e-mail me the data.
That said, I agree that it *is* interesting even though I don’t think it’s especially meaningful today. one thing I believe it will likely result once more than half the homes have DVRs is even *more* commercial breaks, but breaks that are shorter in duration.Could someone with access to Matlab test the following? The question at hand is whether isequal always returns a "full" value, or can occasionally return a sparse, logical value. t = isequal (sparse(1), sparse(1)) issparse (t) t = isequal (sparse(1), 1) issparse (t) t = isequal (1, sparse(1)) issparse (t) t = all (sparse([1 1 1])) issparse (t) Thanks, RikFountain should have True Strike.

Fountaincamping sucks if you're on the losing team, and giving fountain True Strike wouldnt actually affect the actual gameplay, right? Thoughts?

(For people who dont know, True Strike makes auto attacks go through evasion)

Edit: People are worried that teams wont be able to dive fountain and get one or maybe two kills to seal a game, in which case i dont think fountain having True Strike matters. When you would want to do this, you want to get in 
and out quickly. Giving Fountain True Strike would only nerf people actually camping the Fountain for longer periods.  

Edit 2: This should not be so much about balancing the game, but more about making it a friendlier enviroment for newcomers.Review Summary: Hell's symphony.
Hailing from Washington D.C., Wythersake - a blackened symphonic death metal quartet - has finally released its full-length debut Antiquity. After forming in 2016, the group took its time experimenting with various styles and textures, resulting in five different singles between 2018 and 2020 with nary a physical release. Their patience has rewarded listeners handsomely though, as Antiquity feels less like the uncertain steps of a young band and more like a deliberate, calculated decision made by seasoned veterans. In blending the ferocity of metal's most extreme acts with sweeping melody and elegant piano - not to mention occasional mind-bending experimentation - Antiquity offers us a swirling metallic concoction that is every bit as irresistable as it is nightmarish.
 His versatility as a singer is also immediately on display, as he subtly shifts from guttural screams to more of a deep, booming, and authoritative singing. Antiquity makes a seamless transition from this introductory moment right into the meat of the record, commencing with the title track's barrage of percussion. At first it overwhelms us like a tidal wave - all drumming maniacal, unvaried, and machinegun-like - before a glisteningly clean thrash solo cuts a slit in the ceiling, allowing light to pour straight into a once jet black room. It's at this time that Wythersake also demonstrate their ability to organically grow and evolve moments within themselves, as the drumming takes on a more emphatic and purposeful role during the track's semi-melodic verses. Wythersake's constantly shifting dynamics aren't tied to any single moment, though, as 'The Advent' demonstrates with its dive into highly symphonic black metal, or in the way that the classical pianos really sparkle across the midsection of an otherwise befouled 'From a Serpent Spoken'. It's made clear from start to finish that Antiquity is always in search of the next little wrinkle in its sound, grasping for some little thing to stand out and drive its hook straight into your ear.
As the record pummels onward with unflinching cruelty and subtle beauty, it avoids many of the pitfalls that ensnare many novel metal acts. First of all, there aren't any cheesy choruses on Antiquity because the band always seems to be busy rounding a new corner. It's not the