Imagine a time before the VCR, when TV-watchers had no choice but to sit through commercials. Enter Time Warner Cable. The company soon will offer customers a free recording feature for their
televisions -- one that will not allow them to zap through the commercials.
The service, called Look Back, will let cable customers watch certain shows later on that they missed, just
the way a digital video recorder does, but without an extra monthly fee. The fast-forwarding function will be turned off, however, and consumers will be limited to watching programs later on during
the day they are shown, anytime before midnight.
The service will be something of a test case both for consumers, who will have to weigh how much control they need over their television
viewing and how much they are willing to pay for it, and advertising executives, who refused to pay for commercials shown during time-shifted viewing in the past, fearing most spots were skipped.
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