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TiVo, PVRs Not Making A Splash
Sudderth writes "Too expensive? Too complicated? Lack of support from the TV industry (which depends on the commercials that TiVo users fast-forward through)? Newsweek has an excellent article on why personal video recorders like TiVo and ReplayTV, which have been embraced by tech-heads, are being ignored by almost everyone else."
"In the meantime, the technology keeps evolving. EchoStar Communications, which runs the countrywide DISH network, has its own version of the DVR. It combines satellite TV with TiVo's search features"
Wow! Combining satellite TV with TiVo like features! That sounds like some kind of a Satellite and TiVo combo! Wouldn't it be great if TiVo made these! And what if they had two tuners so you could record to shows at once!
(for those of you who don't get it: DirecTV with TiVo has been out for over one and a half years, and dual tuners have been working for 4 or 5 months now)
" Indeed, models of TiVo now cost from $299 to $599,"
I paid $200 ($300 with a $100 rebate) for two DirecTV with TiVos, a 2x4 multiswitch, and a dual LNB dish. DirecTivos are selling for as little as $49 (http://directv.tivo.com), as little as $79 for existing DirecTV subscribers.
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BTW, this article was discussed on the AVS TiVo forum quite a few days ago (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb)
Which is exactly why TiVo exists.
You don't need to know how to set a clock, rewind a video tape, or choose SP, LP, or ELP... all you need to use a PVR is have adequate competency at operating a remote control.
As long as you know the first letter or two of shows that you want to record, showtimes be damned (and you don't even really need that, it just makes searching the list a bit quicker). The only real problem with TiVo UI is that there isn't (or at least wasn't, in early models) a button on the unit to locate the remote.
My current setup includes an Athlon 1.4 hooked to a digital cable receiver and another Athlon 1.4 system hooked to a DSS satellite receiver.
And why is this so cool? Choice,.. that's why. I can watch these recorded files anywhere. I can choose their final resting format as well. MPEG1, no problem. MPEG2,.. no problem. VCD,.. coming right up. Divx file,.. got that too. All this and the commerials get removed in the process.
The flexibility of the recording format is nearly eclipsed by the ease of use the custom web interface offers. I am free to manage the queue of TV shows from any computer anywhere.
So for those reasons,.. You'll probably never see a Tivo in my house.
--Aaron
Tivo is really easy to set up. All you need to know is your zipcode and who your program provider is (satellite provider, cable company, antenna, etc.) Tivo then dials into headquarters, sets it clock, and downloads the channel lineup and schedule.
After that, you simply tell Tivo the name of the show you want to watch. Then you tell Tivo to record it. That's it. That's really all it takes. You don't need to know what day or time the show is on. Hell, I don't even know what time any of my shows are on anymore because I don't care. All I know is that each week, a new episode shows up, and I'll watch it when I want to.
The biggest difficulty is getting people to understand that Tivo is like a VCR - you have to either leave your TV on channel 3/4, or use an auxillary video input. However, if they've used a VCR or DVD player to watch movies, using Tivo isn't much of a jump.
As for why aren't they more popular, I'd have to say price is a major factor. Tivo costs $2-300 and requires a subscription fee, or a one time fee of $250. ReplayTV starts at $700. These things aren't going to be considered "cheap" to the average consumer.
I won't buy a TIVO because I don't need yet another friggin' company recording every last thing I do. It's sickening.
They don't record every last thing I do. They don't know where I sit on my couch, or if my kittens like to curl up next to me or on the back of the sofa. It doesn't record what I eat when I watch TV, how many lights I have on, or if my hair is pulled back or loose.
It keeps track of what I watch, sure...But I opted out of them actually acquiring the data from my box. The packet sniffer I ran during a daily call actually told me that it wasn't sending them my viewing habits once I opted out. Although, it was kind of nice for them to know that I liked MST3K and Babylon 5...And hopefully they would have used it to have Scifi keep them on the air.
So...I'm wondering what you're complaining about.
As someone living in a technology-deprived land, I weep everytime I hear about the Tivo. Are there any plans at all for it to work in regions besides the US and UK? I can't imagine it would take much to get it working in Australia, just the phone setup or whatever it needs to get program info.
:\
Oh well...maybe we'll get it 5 years or so
Actually, the video quality of TiVo in it's "normal" quality is pretty bad. Very visible compression artifacts. My cheap VCR kicks its ass. To get decent quality, you have to crank TiVo up to a setting that eats up disk space quickly.
You completely and utterly do not understand. One week with a TiVo, and you will. You want a TiVo for all the reasons you said you didn't want one. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.
I watch more TV now that I did before, because the TiVo has always got something interesting for me to watch. I spend no time channel surfing anymore. None at all. The TiVo does it for me.
Edith Keeler Must Die
No - you cannot. Tivo has removed this functionality.
If you're not paying the subscription fee, all you can do is pause live tv, or watch stuff that has been previously recorded. You CANNOT record anything new.
Trust me --- my Tivo subscription got screwed up last week so I experienced it first hand.
I know that's what scares me off from the TiVo, and yes I know that you can buy it without it.
Actually, you don't buy a tivo "with" or "without" it. You buy a TiVo. Then you get it home and you either use it like a regular VCR with a huge amount of space (without subscription), or you fork over a measily $10 a month to have the program guide info downloaded daily, which is what really enables TiVo to do all kinds of cool stuff.
But it's expensive without it
No, TiVo's are the same price whether you activate your service or not.
and they don't go out of their way to advertise that you can get it without the subscription.
So you're scared to buy something because they don't advertise it a certain way?
PVR makers: READ MY LIPS I DON'T WANT A FREAKING SUBSCRIPTION. Shoot your marketing "genuises" who think that lock-in is the way to big $$$$ and just give me a basic unit.
It's not "lock-in," it's called a SERVICE. For $10 a month, you are paying TiVo to provide all the correct channel guide info for your cable system, and to allow you to download it from their servers. They also have a lifetime subscription, which is like $200 something dollars.
TiVo has to make money. They aren't making it on the machines. With your way of thinking, they should just charge $200 more for the machine, and not have any per-month fees. What's the difference? Just buy a TiVo and buy the lifetime service.
And for those that are going to chime-in and say, my [non-TiVo] PVR doesn't charge a subscription fee! Well guess what -- they are going to make money in "other ways." I'll leave that to your imagination, but trust me, they aren't making much off the boxes... so what do you think they're going to do? Hmmmm...
I'll pay $10 a month for my TiVo, thanks.
"And like that
Finally, you often are required to subscribe to the satellite service for a year for the better deals on DirectTiVo's.
personal attacks hurt, especially when deserved
Basically, TiVo looks at how you rate certain shows, from a score of -4 to 4. Based on what types of shows you rate highest it will record similar shows it "thinks" you would like. So if you watch Space Ghost and South Park and *rate* them high, it would probably go out and record some more adultish cartoons like some stuff on cartoon network, simpsons, and the family guy. Not all perhaps, but I listed a couple to give you a general idea. Note, that I emphasize rate. The smart feature is based upon the ratings you give not the shows you choose to record.
I do not think that it correlates the different categories you rate highly. So if you watch Space Ghost, and your brother watches "I Love Lucy" and you both rate them highly, it would probably just go out and record some more shows of both categories, not necessarily trying to find some Space Ghost/I Love Lucy hybrid (scary thought). Hope this helps.