A new friendship has recently been forged between television networks and their former foe – Digital Video Recorders, or DVRs.

The Nielsen Company, a global media company and one of the lead suppliers of television ratings, released findings that said 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old watch commercials on their recorded programs.

Karen Gyimesi, senior director of media relations for Nielsen, acknowledged DVRs’ prominence as a media outlet in the U.S.

“DVRs are now in approximately 30 percent of American homes and this [percentage] is growing every quarter,” Gyimesi said in an e-mail interview.

However, the prevalence of DVRs in homes throughout the U.S. was once the cause of great concern to television networks. The thought that DVRs would eradicate audiences’ obligation to sit through commercials – television networks’ main source of revenue – was troubling to TV network executives.

They believed people were fast-forwarding through commercials, and the networks would not profit from the advertising revenue.

In 2001, many networks -including Viacom, Disney and NBC – banded together in a lawsuit against SonicBlue for copyright infringement. SonicBlue is the producer of ReplayTV, a DVR brand. The lawsuit later dropped.

Nielson’s findings illuminate the reverse – DVRs prompt more people to watch more TV, and thus, more advertising time is garnered.

David F. Poltrack, chief research officer for CBS, predicted a 1 percent increase from time-shifted programs over live programs. However, the actual increase was 7 to 12 percent.

Jesse Drew, associate professor and program director of technocultural studies at UC Davis, said network executives can now breathe easier over their abated dispute with DVR, but other media channels will show competition.

“It is important to realize that more media choices are eroding television audiences as a whole,” Drew said. “Many people are opting to spend their screen time on YouTube, Facebook and other more social, interactive types of media. These are more of a threat to the television networks than DVRs.”

Presently, television programs are holding their own against the Internet, with DVRs playing a substantial role. The Nielsen Company reported that Fox’s television show “House” became number one in commercials watched after finishing second in its live ratings to ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Within the following three days of its live show time, 6.53 million viewers watched “House” on DVR, bumping its ratings higher than those of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

In addition, NBC’s “The Office” garnered a 26 percent increase in commercials watched due to DVR playback, becoming a program that was one of the highest in ratings.

Gyimesi attributes the rise in television ratings to the simplicity of DVR.

“DVRs make it easy to record TV programming which enables people to sample more television,” said Gyimesi.

Shows such as “The Office” and “House” are general dramas that The Nielsen Company said account for one-third of all digitally recorded content. Other programs, such as news, sports and movies less frequently time-shifted.

Drew said that while audience demographics are complicated to understand, certain attributes make some programs much more likely to be digitally recorded than others.

“First of all, there are some shows that have ‘addicted’ audiences, so that it is imperative to watch each and every program without missing one,” Drew said. “Other shows people watch more flippantly, missing an episode doesn’t bother them so much.”

Although DVR usage is less common for college students than adults who are past college-age and American families, its presence is not non-existent. Drew points to this as a merit rather than a detriment.

“Being able to manage time effectively is an important part of being a student, so in general, time-shifting is a better idea if television is important to a student,” Drew said.

Hudson Lofchie, a sophomore sociology major, said he no longer watches television. He only watches the shows he has chosen to record on his DVR.

“It allows us to go to class and record a show instead of skipping class to watch the show,” Lofchie said.

KELLEY REES can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Whether there is life after death, reincarnation or a heaven above, the issue still remains of what to do with a deceased friend or family members’ Facebook profile.

In the modern age of social networking, this decision is a new concern. Facebook put a policy in place for deceased users.

Facebook policy communications director and UCD alumnus Barry Schnitt said for several years, there has been a policy that addresses this topic. In October, the site reminded users about memorializing a loved one’s page on the company blog, along with additional policy changes.

“We hear many stories of friends and family sharing remembrances and grief on Facebook,” Schnitt said in an e-mail interview. “It’s a great way for people who could not attend a funeral to participate, and for remembering to carry on long after a funeral.”

The blog entry directs users to a “deceased” page where they can give basic information, along with the relationship to the deceased and proof of death. This information keeps the profile sensitive to the deceased user’s death. There is the option to delete the entire profile or only certain parts – like contact and work information.

The recent change keeps these profiles off the “Suggestions” column, which is a new feature that suggests a friend request. Furthermore, only confirmed friends can look at a departed’s profile. A deceased member’s profile will not appear in search results.

Friends and families can request to have profiles removed altogether, Schnitt said.

Bereavement Services Manager at Yolo Hospice Robyn Burris said the memorialization policies and issues Facebook has begun to deal with are becoming more prevalent in the bereavement process.

“When [people] Google their loved one’s name, it comes up and it’s bizarre and weird,” Burris said. “I think it’s disturbing for people as they are processing their grief.”

Burris said the online presence of a deceased person’s life could trigger a reminder that their friend or relative is dead.

“There’s a discordance between, ‘I know they have died’ and when [you] look up their name they are still ‘active,'” Burris said. “It’s like they are still there.”

UC Davis senior human development major Kindra Henry has experienced this disconnect first-hand when her long-time friend and UCD student Randy Davis passed away last winter break. Davis was a senior exercise biology major.

“The new feature on the side [that says,] ‘Reconnect with [Randy Davis],’ came up quite a few times and that was a little bit of a dig,” Henry said. “That definitely struck a chord.”

Though there is a disconnect between reality and the Internet, Henry said overall, Facebook proved to be a great memorializing tool.

“I think it’s really nice to be able to look at [his] page and write down, ‘Hey, I miss you,'” she said. “It’s a nice place to communicate since not everyone prays.”

Henry said she was afraid at first that Facebook would remove Davis’ page if it were reported that he was deceased. Instead, she has seen the memorializing tool as a good way for people to remember who Davis was and all he had done in his life.

“I think it’s kind of nice that [a] person can live on in a way,” Henry said.

SASHA LEKACH can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

In the face of rising tuition costs for the winter quarter, UC Davis students can at least look forward to an unprecedented drop in electronics prices this season.

Electronics companies are gearing up for the holidays after a year’s worth of recessionary troubles, yielding record low prices on the eve of the largest commercial holiday in the western world.

The Wall Street Journal reported data from the sales research firm NPD Group that illustrates the drastic drops in prices for various consumer electronics this year compared to last year.

According to the NPD data, flat-panel TVs demonstrate the largest price disparity, having dropped from an average of $900 in Aug. 2008 to a significantly lower average of $630 in Aug. 2009. Windows Vista and XP-powered notebook prices have also taken a nosedive to low prices, down from an average price of $689 last year to $572 this year.

Even Walmart’s one-day Nov. 7 sale advertised a 46-inch Panasonic plasma HDTV that normally retails for $1,099.95 on Panasonic’s official online store but sold for the in-store price of $788.

Bryan Chair, sales manager of the Sacramento Best Buy on Arden Way, commented on products that have seen the deepest price cuts.

“The most substantial price drops we’ve seen have been in flat-panel TVs, game systems, notebooks and netbooks,” Chair said.

For one UC Davis student, game system price reductions are a definite attraction.

Senior microbiology major Jason Tien bought a Wii game console with the recent $50 decrease in price.

“I think the price drop put us over the edge because my sister wanted to buy a Wii Fit [game], so the extra $50 dollars we saved on the console were put toward the game,” Tien said.

For Davis movie-buffs, both Target and Best Buy offer Blu-ray disc players that run for approximately $150 rather than the standard $200 price point. Blu-ray movies have not budged from their status-quo $30, however, at least at Best Buy.

UC Davis students without access to a more expeditious means of transportation to travel to these larger electronics outlets will have a tougher time gaining access to the cut-rate prices: the downward sales trends have not impacted electronics prices at the campus bookstore or the local Radioshack.

“Our prices have been relatively stable,” said UC Davis bookstore employee Kristin Yang, a junior animal science major.

Andrew Forrest, a sales associate at the Radioshack on G Street, had a similar answer.

“I haven’t seen any price reductions,” said Forrest.

He said prices may decline as December comes closer.

Some believe price declines and temporary deals are an effort to clear stock for incoming shipments of new product, and electronics companies are slashing prices in panic over the threat of the flailing economy.

UC Davis assistant professor of management Ashwin Aravindakshan at the Graduate School of Management offered an explanation.

“I think it’s less to do with panic and more to capture the customer who is slowly starting to spend again,” Aravindakshan said in an email interview. “Due to lower demand in a recessionary economy, the prices are driven lower. As consumers are not buying, retailers are enticing them with incentives.”

Bo Ericsson, former Vice President of Marketing for storage-media company Sandisk Corporation, had views that converged with Aravindakshan’s, but also provided a different explanation.

“They have to produce low pricing to keep these factories generating revenue,” Ericsson said. “If you don’t produce anything in the factory, you run into negative financials. Corporations reduce pricing to keep the manufacturing plant full.”

Whatever the case, holiday shopping for electronics will be far less taxing to the wallet this year. For those who want even better deals, there may be another option yet. To negate the effects of rising tuition costs, many look to the near-religious celebration of Black Friday on Nov. 27, where nationwide consumer electronics clearances and pricing deals border on ethereal.

YARA ELMJOUIE can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Organizations are taking bigger steps in raising the chances of a match for those in need of bone marrow transplants (BMTs). Raising the availability of BMT donors has taken a route through the legal system.

In October, the Institute of Justice represented organizations like MoreMarrowDonors.org. Its lawsuit, Flynn vs. Holder, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, challenges the National Organ Transplant Act’s ban on compensation for bone marrow donors.

The ban prohibits compensating donors.

Jeff Rowes, the lead attorney, believes that some types of compensation would alleviate the pressures of a patient finding a match.

“This is important because it gives an extra incentive for people to sign the national registry and stay in touch,” Rowes said. “NOTA was enacted in 1984, so it is out-of-date with today’s medical standards.”

If the case prevails, MoreMarrowDonors.org will be allowed to compensate donors with a $3,000 scholarship for college students, housing allowance or gift to the donor’s favorite charity.

Rowes believes overturning the ban and allowing donors to be compensated, would be more practical for those who work, are in school or have a family.

A bone marrow transplant procedure replaces the sick patients’ stem cells with healthy stem cells. It is the best available cure for rare diseases such as leukemia and aplastic anemia. Medical science has been performing BMTs for the last 30 years, but not having sufficient resources for the procedure continues to be an issue.

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, there are three sources available to claim these stem cells from the donor: bone marrow, peripheral blood and cord blood. When a patient is unable to be saved by a sibling or relative, a stranger from the national registry is the only chance for a match. The number of successful matches will rise if the database of donors grows larger.

A 2001 MIT study said a donor has a 1 out of 20,000 chance of being a match with a stranger. Of the 3.5 million registered donors, 12.2 percent are Asian/Pacific Islanders, 8.8 percent are African-Americans and 2.6 percent are Hispanic. Although this study does not show the growth of the registry in the last eight years, it represents the need for donors among minorities.

Angela Kott, a resident in Cameron Park, experienced the difficulties of not finding a match. Three years ago, her son, Trevor Kott, was diagnosed with congenial acute myeloid leukemia the day after he was born. Her family was unable to find a match in time and Trevor passed away six months later. This tragedy inspired Angela Kott to get involved in raising awareness.

“My responsibility is to educate people, and make them more aware, to show how simple it is to register and act when called on,” Kott said. “Raising awareness will hopefully lessen the devastating conditions of a patient unable to find a match.”

Kott, who has helped recruit approximately 15,000 people to the national registry, also believes the obstacle of finding more matches is a result of how BMTs have been “Hollywoodized.”

“There is a misconception caused by the public’s lack of knowledge,” Kott said. “BMTs are usually portrayed to look painful and dangerous.”

Kott said that on one hand, compensation is not unreasonable since the donor makes a commitment that takes a lot of energy. Still, she would like to see a greater effort towards the removal of registration fees because medical coverage is already offered if a donor is declared a match.

“We don’t want people to start to sell off their stem cells for the wrong reasons,” Kott said. “Saving a stranger’s life should be enough of a reward.”

The Nolta Lab, part of the UC Davis Health System, specializes in stem cell research and examines the rare chance of finding a match.

Dr. Jan Nolta said that donors should not let fear drive them away and is confident in the field’s research. She said that bone marrow is a renewable resource in the human body, and as it replenishes, it is not the only alternative to stem cells obtained through the donor database.

Dr. Nolta believes that BMTs need more funding, but the best option would be to integrate cord blood banks across the nation. Umbilical cord blood is obtainable after birth, from the placenta, and contains stem cells that can be used in BMTs. Currently, most cord blood is not banked, goes to waste or is harvested by a private company.

On Nov. 17 and 18, Bloodsource will hold a blood and bone marrow drive at Freeborn Hall.

MICHAEL STEPANOV can be reached at city@theaggie.org.