Author Topic: Question about the GSN PDFs (Read 8202 times)

SRIV94 · « **on:** February 04, 2009, 11:37:13 AM »

On quite a number of shows in the PDF files (primarily FF and MG), there's a "TM" designation next to the episode number. Anybody have any idea what that means?

Also, apparently with the Rafferty CS run now completed on the weekends, GSN has cycled back to the 1978 Perry eps (episode 3 slated to air this Saturday). One other note--this coming Monday (2/9/09) is Sammy Davis Jr.'s CS walk-on.

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2009, 04:22:45 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'207520\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 11:37 AM\']
On quite a number of shows in the PDF files (primarily FF and MG), there's a "TM" designation next to the episode number. Anybody have any idea what that means?
[/quote]

It's the compression mechanism (I want to refer to it as "Time Machine"; the name would explain the TM designation) by which GSN speeds up portions of some episodes. If you pay close attention, the openings of many episodes of Dawson Feud, Match Game, Weakest Link, and a few other shows, plus occasionally a gameplay element within them, play at a greater speed than normal. The overall net effect winds up being an extra 15-30 seconds per episode for an extra commercial spot or promo, without having to further edit gameplay.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2009, 05:30:14 PM »

Makes sense. Thanks, Seth.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2009, 06:09:22 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'207572\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 05:30 PM\']
Makes sense. Thanks, Seth.[/quote]
Seems an odd thing, though, to promote to the fans.

"You know that speed-up thing you guys hate so much? Here are the specific shows where you can be sure to catch it!"

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2009, 06:16:30 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'207579\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 06:09 PM\']
Seems an odd thing, though, to promote to the fans.

"You know that speed-up thing you guys hate so much? Here are the specific shows where you can be sure to catch it!"
[/quote]

Within GSN's numbering system for Dawson Feud, for example: there's both an 82-175 and an 82-175 TM. The former is without time compression, the latter is with it. If the documentation doesn't differentiate, then the former episode gets pulled come airtime, and you've suddenly oversold an ad break as you have :15 to :30 less ad time available. As these files look like nothing more than a print run from GSN's internal programming system in easily digestible PDF format, the end result is that we see the same number they see.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2009, 06:20:22 PM »

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'207580\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 06:16 PM\']Within GSN's numbering system for Dawson Feud, for example: there's both an 82-175 and an 82-175 TM. The former is without time compression, the latter is with it. If the documentation doesn't differentiate, then the former episode gets pulled come airtime, and you've suddenly oversold an ad break. And as these files look like nothing more than a print run from GSN's programming system in easily digestible PDF format, the end result is that we see the same number they see.[/quote]
A perfect explanation of a scenario that completely escaped me. Thanks!

clemon79 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2009, 08:25:42 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'207581\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 03:20 PM\']
A perfect explanation of a scenario that completely escaped me. Thanks![/quote]
And honestly, we have to go back to that pimple-on-the-ass thing that we talk about whenever someone complains about GSN programming to the masses and not the geeks. Who notices time compression? The geeks. The masses, at best, smack the side of their TV and wonder why it's playing shows faster. So who cares if this information, that only the geeks recognize anyhow, is transparent to the public?

mmb5 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 05, 2009, 10:55:14 AM »

[quote name=\'Seth Thrasher\' post=\'207580\' date=\'Feb 4 2009, 06:16 PM\']
Within GSN's numbering system for Dawson Feud, for example: there's both an 82-175 and an 82-175 TM. The former is without time compression, the latter is with it. If the documentation doesn't differentiate, then the former episode gets pulled come airtime, and you've suddenly oversold an ad break as you have :15 to :30 less ad time available. As these files look like nothing more than a print run from GSN's internal programming system in easily digestible PDF format, the end result is that we see the same number they see.
[/quote]
This PDF is also sent to us (former TV Guide still waiting on an new name) for entry into our scheduling database. I'm sure this thrills the person who handles the scheduling for GSN because it means yet another thing that doesn't allow it to automatically link to an already entered program.

And are we sure it's just :15 or :30 per show. To me, it seems like at least a minute or two. If you're recording and saving something off of GSN and then taking the commercials out, I notice you have a nice tidy 20 minute program. If the original source was probably 24, I can't imagine the credits and fee plugs amounted to 3 whole minutes.

--Mike

Chelsea Thrasher · « **Reply #8 on:** February 05, 2009, 12:04:11 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'207630\' date=\'Feb 5 2009, 10:55 AM\']
And are we sure it's just :15 or :30 per show. To me, it seems like at least a minute or two. If you're recording and saving something off of GSN and then taking the commercials out, I notice you have a nice tidy 20 minute program. If the original source was probably 24, I can't imagine the credits and fee plugs amounted to 3 whole minutes.
[/quote]
Let's see: GSN removes nearly all in-episode plugs and non-gameplay-elements, some episodes have jumpy cuts into actual program materials, and nearly all episodes immediately go into a promotional split-screen the second the episode ends, with the airing as a whole cutting off approximately 30% into the ending sequence, usually somewhere around the next-to-last fee plug. (exception: LMAD, which nearly always does full credits due to Monty's side deals.)

Add all the edited out elements and extraneous stuff and a 23:00-24:00 can quickly get down to the 20:30-21:00 range, which is where most of GSN's stuff times out to. Clipping the credits during the fee plug segment in particular knocks off a decent sized block of time - particularly on episodes which had long credit rolls due to running short.

Casey Buck · « **Reply #9 on:** February 05, 2009, 01:10:55 PM »

I'm sure we've asked this question before when GSN started their speed-up practice, but: Why don't they spread out that 15 or 30 seconds throughout the entire show, instead of running portions of the show at warp speed?

WhammyPower · « **Reply #10 on:** February 05, 2009, 01:28:56 PM »

If they did the entire show at the warp speed (which I once calculated to be approximately 1.1x normal), it would save them 2 minutes on a 24 minute show. So, it's possible they're gaining a solid minute of ad time.

clemon79 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 05, 2009, 04:11:01 PM »

[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' post=\'207646\' date=\'Feb 5 2009, 10:28 AM\']
If they did the entire show at the warp speed (which I once calculated to be approximately 1.1x normal), it would save them 2 minutes on a 24 minute show. So, it's possible they're gaining a solid minute of ad time.
[/quote]
Considering how sloppily they're doing it, I would totally entertain that they're being greedy. At the station I worked at, we pulled out one frame per second. Over the course of a half-hour this got you an extra minute, and you didn't notice anything amiss.

TimK2003 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 10, 2009, 08:33:10 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'207656\' date=\'Feb 5 2009, 05:11 PM\']
[quote name=\'WhammyPower\' post=\'207646\' date=\'Feb 5 2009, 10:28 AM\']
If they did the entire show at the warp speed (which I once calculated to be approximately 1.1x normal), it would save them 2 minutes on a 24 minute show. So, it's possible they're gaining a solid minute of ad time.
[/quote]
Considering how sloppily they're doing it, I would totally entertain that they're being greedy. At the station I worked at, we pulled out one frame per second. Over the course of a half-hour this got you an extra minute, and you didn't notice anything amiss.
[/quote]

The reason why it looks so sloppy is that GSN just loves to warp at various speeds when there is a theme or music bed playing in the background. Heaven forbid if they only warped during music-less conversations within the show which makes up, oh...80-95% of any given episode.

clemon79 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 10, 2009, 09:00:17 PM »

[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'207930\' date=\'Feb 10 2009, 05:33 PM\']
The reason why it looks so sloppy is that GSN just loves to warp at various speeds when there is a theme or music bed playing in the background. Heaven forbid if they only warped during music-less conversations within the show which makes up, oh...80-95% of any given episode.[/quote]
No, the reason it looks so sloppy is because they're not compressing uniformly. If they did the one-frame-per-second thing I mentioned above, nobody would know the difference.

(It's also possible that the :45 they would get back from a 22:30 program (assuming you're not compressing ad time as well) using that method isn't enough for them, in which case they are being greedy *and* sloppy.)

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2009, 09:12:19 PM »

If somebody could find a way to compress the commercials.....