The ABC online catch-up streaming service already works this way. They now offer their own viewer software, or you can still choose to use Flash Player, and they prevent fast forward. The thing is, if you are only interrupted maybe 4 times during the show, and each time for just 30 seconds, who would object to watching the ads? This is what I don't understand about broadcasting and advertizing. People are now being subjected to almost 5 minutes of ads for each ad break. Why is it so hard to understand that no one will put up with that? They'll either skip the ads or fast forward, if given those options, or they will pick up a book, go grab something to eat, or visit the lieu, if not given fast forward options. Or worse, they'll pick up the phone and lose interest in the show altogether. It seems obvious to me that the revenue potential of an ad should depend on more than just how long it is and the time slot. An advertizer should pay less if his ad is diluted by a long barrage of other ads. That sort of formula is the only way to make the current scheme self-regulating, and you don't need any special technology gizmos to make it work. In economics, a similar effect is expressed by the Laffer Curve, as I've suggested in the past. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve If the tax rate is set too high, the actual revenue to the govt goes down. Too many ads should similarly mean less revenue to broadcasters. Bert ---------------------------------------------------- http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?class=countries&subclass=0&id=2421 ABC and Cox to trial on-demand services US television network ABC is to test a range of interactive and on-demand technologies with cable operator Cox Communications this autumn. Under a strategic partnership, Disney-owned ABC's media player will appear on Cox's web site, marking ABC's first syndicated media player deal. The duo will also test technology which inserts advertising into Cox's video-on-demand service, targeting viewers by postcode. Episodes from hit ABC shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives will appear on the free-to-view on-demand service, but significantly, Cox will disable the fast-forward feature, thereby forcing subscribers to watch ads. The trial will begin in Orange County, California, and then be rolled out to other Cox markets. Lovelace Consulting 10.05.2007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.