Ever wish you could just start over? With a TV show, that is? Time Warner Cable, part of Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), plans a new service to improve users' TV-watching experience -- while encouraging their continued attention to TV advertisements.

Later this year, Time Warner will team with General Electric's (NYSE:GE) NBC network to offer some NBC shows to viewers with a "Start Over" feature. Viewers who tune in to a show after it has begun can restart it from the beginning, catching up on what they've missed. However, unlike TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) and other digital video recorder services, "Start Over" won't let users fast-forward through commercials.

NBC makes up more hot entertainment property than you might think, including cable's USA, Bravo, and the SciFi Channel. However, only a select number of shows will have the "Start Over" feature.

It's no secret that many cable providers have sought to duplicate the features offered by Stock Advisor pick TiVo. Time Warner Cable's move is a different spin on the same idea, since it preserves advertisers' ability to reach viewers. After all, if someone turns on the TV at 15 or 30 minutes past the hour, they missed not only half the show, but also half the ads.

"Start Over" is an interesting feature that underlines the industry's current dilemmas regarding DVR technology and advertisers' demands. Still, it seems to me that the digital recording capabilities of TiVo and cable providers like Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and DirecTV (NYSE:DTV) are the more compelling technological advances, as is Apple's recent experiment in selling commercial-free downloads of a few hit TV shows.

Given its tough competition, Time Warner Cable could use some interesting technology to add to its service. However, I think that DVRs' more flexible time-shifting and ad-skipping abilities will continue to resonate best with TV viewers.

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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.