How to Use the HDTV Commercial Skip Feature

HDTV receivers such as TiVo have a feature that allows you to skip past commercials on recorded shows. Of course, you can always fast forward through them just as you do on a VCR, but the commercial skip feature makes the process much more accurate. It's a simple process that requires just a few pushes of a button. Once its set, you can use it as long as the power source from your remote is uninterrupted.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

For TiVo

1. Turn on your TV and HDTV TiVo device. Select a recorded show and push the "Play" button.

2. While the show is playing, press the "Select" button, then the "Play" button, then the "Select" button again, then the number "3" followed by the number "0," then the "Select" button a final time. The TiVo should emit a series of three beeps.

3. The "Skip To" button has now been set to 30-second intervals instead of skipping all the way to the end. Whenever you push it, it will skip 30 seconds ahead. To return it to its original format, simply repeat the steps.

For DirecTV

4. Turn on your TV and DirecTV DVR.

5. Press the "Menu" button on the remote, Maneuver the cursor to the "Search for Shows" bar and press it, then press the "Keyword" bar.

6. Instead of typing in a keyword, type "30SKIP" exactly as it appears here. There should be no spaces between the number and the letters. Then push "Continue." You're now set and can return to the broadcast from the current menu without taking any further steps.

7. Play a recorded show and press the "Skip To" button. It will advance the show forward by 30 seconds.

For Dish Network

8. Turn on the TV and the Dish Network receiver.

9. Play a pre-recorded show.

10. When the commercials begin, press the yellow button just above and to the right of the "Pause" button, labeled "Skip Fwd." It will automatically advance the show 30 seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• Because commercial breaks vary in length, it's prudent to set your remote to advance 30 seconds at a time. You'll need to push it four to eight times to skip past a single commercial break. Skipping commercials doesn't work when you're watching a program live. You receive the signals almost as soon as the station broadcasts them, and to date, HDTV receivers cannot fast forward into the future. To get around this, press the "Pause" button as soon as the show starts, then do something else for 10 or 15 minutes. When you're ready, hit "Play" again. The time buffer should let you fast forward through the commercials easily.
• These instructions run for the three most popular HDTV devices. Households without an HD DVR will not be able to fast forward past the commercials in this manner, and if you have a device from another company you will need to apply different steps to skip the commercials.