jablock

If you don't appreciate being "blasted" in the face by frantically flipping TV ad images, you might be interested in this project. It provides an alternate scene that the viewer may switch to during commercials and other promotions. Most modern TVs can act as a PC monitor. The viewer may easily switch to it using a remote control. This project uses a Raspberry Pi processor to present an alternate scene (audio and video) for the viewer to switch to during commercial breaks. It presents an accurate clock face (xclock) so the viewer may determine when to switch back to the TV program. It also produces a continuously running sound track. Commercial breaks are surprisingly repeatable in length. In-program breaks usually last 2.5 minutes; programs usually begin precisely on the hour or half hour. With some practice most commercials may be avoided. This project is implemented using a Bash script. It uses open source utility programs to perform its operations. Read the README file for details.