Sometimes, because other times it just jumps, you can control it in the paused state. Skip forward does one frame and skip back does about 2 seconds. These instead of the usual 30 sec forward and 10 sec back. From pause you can use fast forward at 1/16 then 1/4 speed and backward at 1x in jumps. Yes, these skips do clear the time bar or most of it.

Often after several skips or slow operations it will jump 3 sec or more or to the beginning, a real pain.

My CW station's HD OTA is now messed up with the herky-jerky on Smallville and can only be played at about 1x forward. Faster just mutes the sound and backward restarts.
-Ken