Is NBC actually starting their shows earlier?

I think we'd all agree that ER has been starting a minute earlier for years. Even when it was listed on the schedule as starting at 9:00pm (CST).

As for these "new" start times, I'm finding some are not starting a full minute earlier but maybe about 15-30 seconds early. Last night's L & O, for example, definitely started before 9:00, but not a full minute. When my TiVo recording started at 9:00 the intro was close to being done. But fortunately, it did not cut out any of the program content itself. I had taped that minute just in case but didn't need it.

(BTW, I TiVo'd The OC and that recording ended exactly at 9:00 when my manual L & O recording started.)

So I think many of the shows are starting early but not by a full minute.

I think we'd all agree that NBC can go **** themselves.

das

Pics?



Can some of the minor problems (as mentioned by movielib) be attributed to DTV's system clock being off? I've seen a number of times on the regular receiver that, when I've set it to switch channels, it's off by as much as 30 seconds (based on actual time, not when the show starts). At other times it's bang on.

Since Tivo doesn't change channels unless it's recording two shows at the same time, I haven't had the opportunity to notice one way or the other. And the fact that it gives you advance warning of the channel change makes it almost impossible to check.

[Disclaimer: I've made the mistake before of not realizing that NBC and others deliberately schedule start and end times whilst their collective heads are up their collective arses. I'm speaking specifically of the DTV system time.]

Since the clock is set with the phone calls every day, I can't imagine its being off by more than a couple of seconds, if that (I have a standalone TiVo). Also, my TiVo is right under my digital cable box which I think is always virtually spot on for time and whenever I check the TiVo time against it the two are in sync.

I also have an atomic clock which I believes gets signals constantly to stay accurate. They all match exactly or very close to it whenever I have checked.

How can you folks without Tivo watch this channel?

Fear Factor 8:00 to 9:22?? WTF!?!

I don't unnerstand.

Well, except THIS week's Fear Factor, the culmination of weeks of Couples FF. Scheduled to end at 8:59, but actually ran to 9:01. Many in the TiVo forums missed the end, unless they also recorded Las Vegas afterward, or padded the show to run into the next hour.

And Apprentice seems to start so late (supposed to start at 8:4x) that I get a couple minutes of, what, Will and Grace or something. The actual new content (after end of prior show, credits of prior show, "previously on", opening credits, commercials, has started at least 9 minutes in to the scheduled time for the last 2 weeks.

So that's what happened.

I watch one NBC show, Scrubs. I check NBC's website every week to check what time it starts. This week, it said 9:30. I flipped NBC on at 9:25, and it had already started!

So, what should I do? Sit there and watch NBC all nigh.... ohhhh.

To quote the dearly departed das Monkey:
Tell NBC that they, and their schedule, "can go **** themselves".

Yeah, I remember that. That is old school. When did they stop doing that finally?

It seems like bad business to me. They are alienating a demographic who watch more TV than other groups by FAR. Their Shananigans don't really bother me because I have a 2 tuner DVR, but its enough to make me stop watching on principle.

I no longer watch anything on NBC on thursdays now that they bumped scrubs to tuesday.