Out in Front: February 1, 1996

Arthur D Little Enterprises (ADLE) has licensed its Commercial Advance technology to four major VCR manufacturers: Hitachi, Matsushita, Samsung, and Victor Company of Japan (JVC). ADLE introduced the technology, also called Commercial Free, in 1994 (see "Skip the commercials," EDN, Feb 3, 1994, pg 14). Commercial Advance lets VCRs skip commercials in recorded TV programs.

The license agreements come soon after Thomson Consumer Electronics made RCA and ProScan VCRs featuring the technology available to North American consumers. The signing brings to eight the number of VCR brands licensed to use Commercial Advance: GE, Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, ProScan, Quasar, RCA, and Samsung.

Commercial Advance analyzes TV broadcasts to identify and bypass commercials when a user plays the tape. A VCR integrates the technology without requiring any other equipment. It is almost entirely software-based, and several of the new licensees will implement the technology directly into the VCR’s main µP, allowing more models to incorporate the feature.
-- by Fran Granville

Arthur D Little Enterprises Inc, Cambridge, MA. (617) 498-5000