Replacing Your Tired Old DVR

An anonymous reader wrote to mention a C|Net article about a possible replacement for the DVR. Called RS-DVR, it allows customers to record shows on centrally located business-owned servers. From the article: "One uncertainty is reaction to Cablevision's service by programming networks, which have bristled at some of the cable industry's previous attempts to record shows on their systems before negotiating new broadcasting rights. Cablevision argues nothing will be recorded on its network unless the viewer orders it from the remote control--an important difference from other failed experiments. Earlier controversies had centered on Time Warner Cable's aborted Maestro service, which had proposed to automatically store programs on its network so viewers could order up just about any show that had been previously broadcasted." There are a number of possible media ownership issues here, I think. Personally, I'm happy having the shows right here on a hard drive in my home.

Comments

Very strange

[endrue]

I was looking for "Google" in that post and didn't see it anywhere!

- Andrew

Privacy

[Kohath]

And if the cable company has your shows, they can be subpeonaed (by the Department of Education, for a stupidity law case). And then everyone will know you stored 10 episodes of Ricki Lake. Scary.

Re:Privacy

[jratcliffe]

Frankly, if you're storing 10 episodes of Ricki Lake, I think a trip to Gitmo is reasonable and appropriate. I'm all for free speech, but there's some conduct so reprehensible that we've just got to draw the line. :)

Re:Privacy

[Kohath]

Can it wait until next winter? Ocean-front lodgings in the tropics are just the thing to cure the winter blues.

What about my Betamax?

[Ranger]

I'm still waiting for a replacement for my old tired Betamax and 8-track, though my 78 RPM record player is still going strong. I've found a really nifty way to make my black & white television look like it has color. It's a transparent sheet that's clear in the center section, the top part is blue to simulate sky and the bottom part is green to simulate grass.

Re:'Tired Old DVR'

[1u3hr]

I'm still using a "tired old VCR", you insensitive clod.

Industry's next big idea

[dwandy]

As a media exec, it's my job to stay on the cutting edge, and come up with new and innovative ways to get content out to my subscribers.

My first big idea of 2006? Peer to Peer networks! I'll call them p2p for short, I'm sure they will be a big success. We could charge a fee for encumbered media that only works the way we want, and expect our customers to help distribute to boot.... errr, what? p2p exists and people use it freely already to obtain unencumbered media. damn! I thought I was onto a brand new idea here.
ok; my next big idea is to record TV shows for people, and store them on my server. Then people can tell me what they want recorded and watch it later. I'm sure this one will fly! ...errr, what? people have been recording TV just fine without me for more than 20yrs? and they've been recording them digitially using a PVR for the better half of a decade?

dammit! why does the market always beat me to the punch?? there must be some way I can extort more money out of people for useless services.