The SI standard didn't exist even ten years ago, so who is changing whose existing practices?
It is commonly understood that a "kilobyte" refers to 1024 bytes in all but a hard disk sales context. No offense intended, but if that isn't obvious to you, you must be very VERY new to the computer industry...
The new SI prefixes are nice and all, but there are three or four decades of prior usage that have to be unlearned before some of us will use them intuitively. Or at all.:-)
Context-sensitive conversion of SI prefixes isn't all that difficult. Really. It's commonly understood that data is stored in powers of 2, and the subject is only relevant if (1) you're a sales type, or (2) you are being overly pedantic about an unwanted and unneeded SI standard.
Apple II games had all kinds of copy protection schemes, and there were all kinds of tools to get around them. Nibbles Away, Lockmaster, Locksmith, etc. Some games had holes punched in the disks in various places and wouldn't run of those areas could be read/written to. Etc.
That might be why mainstream solutions never seem to satisfy me. I would rather use a less popular solution which has enough of a user base to stay afloat and that actually provides the level of functionality that *I* want than a more popular solution which is more interested in catering to the Powers That Be than to its own user base.
ReplayTV is the OS/2 of the DVR world. There are more sophisticated solutions out there like MythTV variants (a Linux/Unix analog), but most of them are more trouble than they're worth except to the devoted hobbyist or professional, and the more visible solutions (TiVO, aka Windows) are missing at least some functionality when compared head-to-head but gain market acceptance due to a dumbed-down UI and popularity in the media.
TV, as it exists today, obtains revenue from a variety of sources, but I have no obligation to assist them in obtaining more. I'd rather pay for things that I find convenient and let the rest of it rot.:-)
With a DVR, you no longer HAVE to care "when" particular shows are on. That is the whole point. If you have a show or two that you really like, you can have the DVR store up a half-dozen episodes for you, and you can sit down and watch them (or bits of them) when you actually have the time to waste.
I *like* being able to watch my shows after my wife goes to bed.:-)
My company does not permit non-company machines to connect to the corporate LAN. Since they control the machines which connect, they can install whatever they want on those machines.
If you decide not to agree to that, you will not get a laptop.:-)
"No company selling PVRs will ever make it easier to avoid commercials."
SonicBlue did precisely that with their ReplayTV 5000-series, and perhaps with earlier ones that I'm not familiar with, making your previous statement incorrect.
Not only did they make it easier to skip commercials, but they made that function automatic, the technique they used for skipping commercials was a fairly successful and effective one, and that functionality continues to be supported on those units that had it originally.
Not only that, but ReplayTV continues to support commercial skipping in their current models (which still mark the start and end of advertisements while recording, and which still allow the user to navigate directly to the end of a commercial block where show content resumes).
Besides, ReplayTV's automatic commercial-skipping capabilities had nothing to do with TiVO's larger market share (which occurred well before ReplayTV wimped out and removed the feature from its newer models).
Yes, DMR was pressured afterwards and removed some of the skipping functionality, but the deed was already done, and even its existing crippled functionality is a lot better than a simple 30-second skip button.:-)
It grabs its programming information via ethernet if you have a broadband connection, you can schedule things via the MyReplayTV web site, you can do all sorts of things via your PC using DVArchive and friends, and it still offers a lifetime subscription option.:-)
The interface may or may not be better than TiVO -- I've used both, and I prefer ReplayTV, but each has a few capabiities that the other lacks.
No, it's not as flexible or capable as MythTV, but it doesn't pretend to be. Instead, it's a drop-in video component that grabs its scheduling information via TCP/IP over ethernet and otherwise does what it's told.
They still offer a lifetime subscription. I've gotten my money's worth from mine; others may have different opinions. YMMV.
SonicBlue was picked up by DMR (Denon/Marantz) a few years ago, the units have been produced and sold continuously, and the ReplayTV web site has always been active as far as I know.
I use my ReplayTV 5040's ethernet card to obtain programming info via my cablemodem connection which is far easier than using the unit's modem, IMO.
Give them a call -- your lifetime subscription should still be valid if the unit can be repaired.
My ReplayTV 5040 does just that. I'd way it's around 80%-90% when it comes to skipping commercials (for most shows it works all the time, but some networks seem to use a slightly different method for delimiting commercial blocks that isn't as easily detected).
Yes, newer models aren't doing that, but that doesn't preclude people from locating and buying an older model.
If only Win95 advocates would have been so honest about their beloved platform a decade ago... We knew it was crap, but they were more interested in desktop flash than having a real kernel or a real filesystem.
Keep in mind that most "Win95" installations from the fall of 1996 onwards were actually Windows 95 OSR2, OSR2.1, or OSR2.5, meaning that things like FAT32 were already present, and USB support was either present or available via a patch.
While a cross-country move is often less substantial than a move between countries or across the planet, that doesn't lessen the fact that a cross-country move can involve many different issues and should not be taken lightly.
You might be surprised to learn that most software is written in-house at various companies and is thus located outside of the "Silicon Valley". I suspect that's also true of retail software -- Redmond ain't in California, for example.:-)
And I'd rather deal with a Hurricane over a blizzard or earthquake any day!
Blizzards are nothing if you use a little common sense, while earthquakes and hurricanes can completely erase your house and everything in it (including you and your family).
No thanks!
Now, here in Atlanta a single snowflake can be dangerous due to the resulting stampedes of people driving to the nearest supermarket in their SUVs to stock up on bread and milk, but that's a whole 'nuther ball game...:-)
Even the stretch of interstate 24 just north of Chattanooga proved to be quite a challenge for the 24-foot U-Haul I was driving.
My wife's little truck didn't have an issue with the grade, and it doesn't seem like much at all when driving a car, but the big one was going walking speed for quite a while on the uphill side of the big hill, and it was an interesting ride down the other side. At least they had a couple of side ramps for runaway trucks in case there were any issues.
Driving a 24-foot truck for a couple of days through various cities during rush hour has given me a new respect for those folks who drive *real* trucks for a living...
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I was referring to the base-2 SI-style prefixes being discussed, of course. Sheesh. Pay attention to context.
The SI standard didn't exist even ten years ago, so who is changing whose existing practices?
It is commonly understood that a "kilobyte" refers to 1024 bytes in all but a hard disk sales context. No offense intended, but if that isn't obvious to you, you must be very VERY new to the computer industry...
Me too, but HPFS was a Microsoft filesystem, anyway. So why did they drop it in favor of crap like FAT32 and NTFS? :-)
The new SI prefixes are nice and all, but there are three or four decades of prior usage that have to be unlearned before some of us will use them intuitively. Or at all. :-)
Context-sensitive conversion of SI prefixes isn't all that difficult. Really. It's commonly understood that data is stored in powers of 2, and the subject is only relevant if (1) you're a sales type, or (2) you are being overly pedantic about an unwanted and unneeded SI standard.
Hey, man, I was only in high school then. All I wanted to do was get the games to work. :-)
:-)
Besides, I was an Integer BASIC kiddie. PR#6 and 3D0G, babee!
Heh. Thanks for the explanation. I was almost ready to call the Nice Guys in White Coats for you. :-)
Apple II games had all kinds of copy protection schemes, and there were all kinds of tools to get around them. Nibbles Away, Lockmaster, Locksmith, etc. Some games had holes punched in the disks in various places and wouldn't run of those areas could be read/written to. Etc.
*Blink*
:-)
I really don't know how to react to that.
Um. Time to read a good book, I think... Which I still do on occasion.
That might be why mainstream solutions never seem to satisfy me. I would rather use a less popular solution which has enough of a user base to stay afloat and that actually provides the level of functionality that *I* want than a more popular solution which is more interested in catering to the Powers That Be than to its own user base.
:-)
ReplayTV is the OS/2 of the DVR world. There are more sophisticated solutions out there like MythTV variants (a Linux/Unix analog), but most of them are more trouble than they're worth except to the devoted hobbyist or professional, and the more visible solutions (TiVO, aka Windows) are missing at least some functionality when compared head-to-head but gain market acceptance due to a dumbed-down UI and popularity in the media.
TV, as it exists today, obtains revenue from a variety of sources, but I have no obligation to assist them in obtaining more. I'd rather pay for things that I find convenient and let the rest of it rot.
75k is probably a nice salary almost anywhere, but in some places it will mean a lot more.
With a DVR, you no longer HAVE to care "when" particular shows are on. That is the whole point. If you have a show or two that you really like, you can have the DVR store up a half-dozen episodes for you, and you can sit down and watch them (or bits of them) when you actually have the time to waste.
:-)
I *like* being able to watch my shows after my wife goes to bed.
My company does not permit non-company machines to connect to the corporate LAN. Since they control the machines which connect, they can install whatever they want on those machines.
:-)
If you decide not to agree to that, you will not get a laptop.
You said:
:-)
"No company selling PVRs will ever make it easier to avoid commercials."
SonicBlue did precisely that with their ReplayTV 5000-series, and perhaps with earlier ones that I'm not familiar with, making your previous statement incorrect.
Not only did they make it easier to skip commercials, but they made that function automatic, the technique they used for skipping commercials was a fairly successful and effective one, and that functionality continues to be supported on those units that had it originally.
Not only that, but ReplayTV continues to support commercial skipping in their current models (which still mark the start and end of advertisements while recording, and which still allow the user to navigate directly to the end of a commercial block where show content resumes).
Besides, ReplayTV's automatic commercial-skipping capabilities had nothing to do with TiVO's larger market share (which occurred well before ReplayTV wimped out and removed the feature from its newer models).
Yes, DMR was pressured afterwards and removed some of the skipping functionality, but the deed was already done, and even its existing crippled functionality is a lot better than a simple 30-second skip button.
It grabs its programming information via ethernet if you have a broadband connection, you can schedule things via the MyReplayTV web site, you can do all sorts of things via your PC using DVArchive and friends, and it still offers a lifetime subscription option. :-)
The interface may or may not be better than TiVO -- I've used both, and I prefer ReplayTV, but each has a few capabiities that the other lacks.
It always has been.
No, it's not as flexible or capable as MythTV, but it doesn't pretend to be. Instead, it's a drop-in video component that grabs its scheduling information via TCP/IP over ethernet and otherwise does what it's told.
They still offer a lifetime subscription. I've gotten my money's worth from mine; others may have different opinions. YMMV.
SonicBlue was picked up by DMR (Denon/Marantz) a few years ago, the units have been produced and sold continuously, and the ReplayTV web site has always been active as far as I know.
I use my ReplayTV 5040's ethernet card to obtain programming info via my cablemodem connection which is far easier than using the unit's modem, IMO.
Give them a call -- your lifetime subscription should still be valid if the unit can be repaired.
My ReplayTV 5040 does just that. I'd way it's around 80%-90% when it comes to skipping commercials (for most shows it works all the time, but some networks seem to use a slightly different method for delimiting commercial blocks that isn't as easily detected).
Yes, newer models aren't doing that, but that doesn't preclude people from locating and buying an older model.
The Abacus models are somewhat lighter. I have one, and I absolutely love it.
*Sigh*.
If only Win95 advocates would have been so honest about their beloved platform a decade ago... We knew it was crap, but they were more interested in desktop flash than having a real kernel or a real filesystem.
Many of us started by using things like Applesoft BASIC, and we survived.
:-)
I am not familiar with VB beyond glancing through some code, but it could be worse.
Like what?
Keep in mind that most "Win95" installations from the fall of 1996 onwards were actually Windows 95 OSR2, OSR2.1, or OSR2.5, meaning that things like FAT32 were already present, and USB support was either present or available via a patch.
While a cross-country move is often less substantial than a move between countries or across the planet, that doesn't lessen the fact that a cross-country move can involve many different issues and should not be taken lightly.
:-)
You might be surprised to learn that most software is written in-house at various companies and is thus located outside of the "Silicon Valley". I suspect that's also true of retail software -- Redmond ain't in California, for example.
And I'd rather deal with a Hurricane over a blizzard or earthquake any day!
:-)
Blizzards are nothing if you use a little common sense, while earthquakes and hurricanes can completely erase your house and everything in it (including you and your family).
No thanks!
Now, here in Atlanta a single snowflake can be dangerous due to the resulting stampedes of people driving to the nearest supermarket in their SUVs to stock up on bread and milk, but that's a whole 'nuther ball game...
Consider yourself lucky. Some of us aren't so lucky as to be able to stay in one place and also remain employed.
Even the stretch of interstate 24 just north of Chattanooga proved to be quite a challenge for the 24-foot U-Haul I was driving.
My wife's little truck didn't have an issue with the grade, and it doesn't seem like much at all when driving a car, but the big one was going walking speed for quite a while on the uphill side of the big hill, and it was an interesting ride down the other side. At least they had a couple of side ramps for runaway trucks in case there were any issues.
Driving a 24-foot truck for a couple of days through various cities during rush hour has given me a new respect for those folks who drive *real* trucks for a living...