Install your digital video recorder (DVR) by hooking it up to the cable box. Familiarize yourself with the recorder, and use the remote control to adjust settings and functions. Use the guide button to select channels and find shows. Select the option of recording a program while you watch something else. Try recording several programs at once.
Use the remote control to find your guide panel screen, and select a program that you have recorded. Press "Play" and begin watching the program. Wait for the start of the first commercial break and press the fast-forward button. Try fast-forwarding in 30- or 60- second increments to skip commercial breaks.
Eliminate commercials from live programs you watch by using the DVR to pre-record. Begin recording your program. Wait a few minutes. Press "Rewind" on the remote control to go back to the beginning of the program. Watch the program, and use the fast-forward function to skip commercial breaks. Remember that you cannot fast-forward into the future, so you'll be watching with a slight delay.
Select your guide panel to see what you have recorded. Check the available memory in your DVR, and erase programs that you no longer need. Keep enough memory available for nonstop commercial-free television.