TV broadcasters are using a new technology to
trim the length of programmes without removing scenes, making room for extra ad spots. The patented technology uses a process called "microediting", in which duplicate frames are removed and the audio is compressed in synchronisation.
This process can reduce programme length by 30 seconds per half hour, giving
an extra lucrative ad spot. Some networks have even been applying it to "live"
sports broadcasts, running them through a buffer.
(They can claim a patent for that? It seems like a rather obvious process;
both the frame deletion and the audio doctoring.)