[mythtv-users] Replacing Commercials with Private Commercials

[Brian Wood]

On Monday 19 April 2010 08:43:12 am Jorge Fernandez wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Im looking for a way to replace regular commercials on tv with my own
> commercials. I have seen this down in bank and it shouldn't be to hard
>  since MythTV already detects commercials. I have a client that has a TV in
>  there waiting room and is usually stationed to CNN what the client wants
>  to do is play commercial he would make to the people in the waiting room.
> 
> Any Ideas.

There are potential legal issues. Technically if you show CNN or any other 
program in public (I assume a "waiting room" is public) you are supposed to 
show the network's commercials.

Actually any public showing requires a commercial agreement with your cable 
company or satellite provider, but if the venue is private enough to escape 
their notice you'd probably get away with it, assuming your client's customers 
are not Time Warner executives.

There are "local availabilities", which is what the cable companies use to 
insert their own material. The network "covers" those slots with material that 
isn't guaranteed by them to air ("per inquiry" spots or promos), so you won't 
have dead air. These are available for running your own material.

So if someone here has a suggestion on how to modify the commercial skip 
feature to play a file, it could probably be done, legal matters aside. I'm 
only pointing out the legal issues to make sure you're aware of them, what you 
choose to do is your affair.