The new personal video recorders are set to allow viewers to download entire series of a favourite TV show without any ads at all. The current products on the market make it easy for viewers to zap out advertising, but do not remove them entirely.
Trials of PVRs in the US show that 88% of advertising went unwatched. Paramount, the US studio, is reported to be taking legal action against the first manufacturer to sell the new machines in the US.
In interviews, Geoff Russell, director of media affairs at UK advertising body the IPA, said: "If people were to take to the new technology, and I think this is unlikely, it could destroy commercial television in its current format."
However, Russell added: "What you have to remember is a lot of people think commercial breaks are quite entertaining -- they like watching the advertising."
The first machine to come out, SONICblue Replay TV 4500, will cost $1,370 (£895) and allows users to playback shows with or without commercials. It records 320 hours of television. Paramount is suing because the manufacturer refuses to hand over figures showing how many users of SONICblue skip ad breaks.
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