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Thousands and Thousands of Hours of PVR TV

Posted by timothy on from the no-prior-restraint dept.

Thomas Hawk writes "Cory Doctorow is posting over at Boing Boing about some technology that he apparently saw this weekend at London's Open Tech conference. According to Cory, this new technology from Promise TV takes the form of a home-built PVR with lots of high-capacity hard drives and claims to be able to record every show on every channel being recorded in the UK for an entire month. 'Why program a TiVo to get certain shows for you when you can record every single show on the air, all at once, and then use recommendations, search, a grid, or any other means you care to name to figure out which of those thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of programming you want to watch.' The company seems somewhat cryptic with a simple website that appears to be collecting your email addresses for an announcement in August. "

12 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Places Pinky Against Lip by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2, Funny

    I won't buy it until it can record...

    ONE
    MILLION
    HOURS!

    MWHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

    Where are the frickin sharks with laser beams?

    --
    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  2. A month later by jcayer · · Score: 5, Funny

    and there is still nothing to watch on TV!

  3. You just need one hardcore nerd per block... by jarich · · Score: 3, Funny
    With one hardcore nerd (yes, that's YOU) recording ~everything~ that's aired, you have a killer app. You can now buy your own T1 and resell internet ~and~ TV service to your neighbors!

    Before you trot out all your legal objections, just let me say that you now have a legitimate reason to talk with the cute girl three doors over you've never met.

    ;)

    --
    Agile Artisans
    1. Re:You just need one hardcore nerd per block... by Scott+Swezey · · Score: 1, Funny

      Before you trot out all your legal objections, just let me say that you now have a legitimate reason to talk with the cute girl three doors over you've ever met.

      Got my vote

      --
      Scott Swezey
    2. Re:You just need one hardcore nerd per block... by swarsron · · Score: 2, Funny
      Before you trot out all your legal objections, just let me say that you now have a legitimate reason to talk with the cute girl three doors over you've never met.
      yeah, nothing impresses cute girls more than "i have EVERY SINGLE tv show aired last month and if you come with me i'll show you my t1". got tons of girls with this line
    3. Re:You just need one hardcore nerd per block... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Only on /. would this get modded insightful.

  4. Channel Hopping by SimilarityEngine · · Score: 4, Funny

    "...use recommendations, search, a grid, or any other means you care to name to figure out which of those thousands and thousands and thousands of hours of programming you want to watch..."

    Those poor channel-hoppers, who can't watch a programme for more than 10 minutes without wondering what else might be on, will now have all the material from the past to choose from aswell. Lucky them!

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  5. Why stop there? by rustbear · · Score: 5, Funny

    Their next product: a home-built device that downloads the entire Internet for you to browse at your leisure...

    1. Re:Why stop there? by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 2, Funny
      Someone did just that! Then they went and shared it. Check it out...

      http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html#c ached

  6. Re:Timing by _Shorty-dammit · · Score: 1, Funny

    you can't have a dupe posting without an original posting, so naturally when August rolls around in a few days we'll be able to point to today...that's why not.

  7. Re:Ummm... by mrRay720 · · Score: 2, Funny

    > > Unless you count freeview we have 5 channels. Yep, 5.

    > And if you only count 60% of those 5 you end up with 3. Sure, just 3. That's 40% down on your bizarre subset of the channels available for free.

    And if you don't count those 3, we have no TV.

    MY GOD, WE HAVE NO TV! Who will watch the tellytubbies now?

  8. Strange Setting for this Device by lbmouse · · Score: 2, Funny

    Of all the amazing and wonderful things I saw this weekend at London's OpenTech conference, none came close to the stupendous Promise TV box.

    Of all the amazing and wonderful things I see while visiting London, none come close to sucking as bad as British TV. Why would I want to record an entire month of that garbage? *ducks*