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Adam Kalsey

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

News and Commentary

TV compession

8 Nov 2001

Apparently there is a device that TV stations can use to shorten a TV show and add an extra commercial without anyone noticing it. The device drops frames from a broadcast if they are identical to the one before or after it. By doing this, a 30-40 minute broadcast can ususally be shortened by 30 seconds without the viewer noticing.

Of course, if the broadcast is live and is also being broadcast over another station or the radio, the compressed broadcast will get out of sync with the live broadcast. That’s what happented in Pittsburg, when the images on the TV version of the Steelers game weren’t matching up with the radio announcer’s play-by-play. People noticed. [via TechDirt]

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