You can say it's the DOJs fault, but it should be clarified that it is the DOJ of the Bush administration. The case, as it was brought by the DOJ under the Clinton administration, had more teeth--hell, consider that it was even brought up at all, do you really think the current Attorney General would have started this case?--and indeed even the original proposed remedy by Judge Jackson was to split MS up into parts. (Whether that actually was a good idea is another matter entirely).
This really bugged me when I saw the SE movies. I was expecting not only improved effects but for all the obvious errors to be fixed. For example:
In SW, Luke has a small microphone on his flight helmet. It keeps switching from one side to the other. OK, not a biggie. But...
In Jedi, in the scene where Fett pulls his gun on the "bounty hunter" that has Chewbacca, his antenna is on the wrong side of the helmet--the costume is backwards. I presume this was because it was shot wrong... Fett was aiming to his right but later in editing they realized from where Fett was standing he would really be aiming to his left. All I wanted them to do was do a little Photoshop clone stamping (no pun intended) and flip that antenna around. But no.
There are other errors, but I'll leave those to the fans who still give a damn.
I don't know the DVR company name, sorry. I was discussing this topic yesterday with an editor of one of my company's satellite magazines (we publish business-to-business trade magazines, newsletters, and websites). He told me (and he would know) that the speculation is that Murdoch will do the switch, purely for financial reasons, and that Tivo will be left to find a partner in the cable industry.
Does it make sense for him to do this? Like you say, Tivo is popular and I think a lot of end users (like myself) would be upset, even if the replacement unit that was sent out had an HD component. (For some people that would be a worthwhile trade-in.) Offering a choice of the two units does seem like a viable option.
P.S. I don't care for Murdoch, no. I also don't care for huge megalopolies that stifle content and drive up prices. yech! double whammy.
Like everyone else that has a DirecTivo, I am really looking forward to an HD DirecTivo.
But, the recent approval of the sale of DirecTV to Rupert Murdoch and News Corp could portend some bad news for Tivo. Murdoch already owns a company that produces DVR units, and the industry speculation is that he will dump Tivo and replace it with his own DVR.
This is the last thing I want to see, as I love the features of my Tivo and hate the idea of Tivo (the company) being squished by Murdoch's mega conglomerate. Stay tuned...
The iPod integration looks great--on 3rd gen iPods. No so much on 1st or 2nd gen.
The 2.1 software update is only for 3rd gen. Other iPods are sent to a software version 1.3 page, and any mention of iTunes or iTunes functionality are conspicuously absent. Booo!
Denholm Elliott was a fine actor, but I felt the character he played in the third movie was nothing like the one from the first.
In Raiders, he was cautiously uncertain about Indy's pursuit of the Ark. The scene where Jones is packing his suitcase and Brody reveals his misgivings was really well done, conveying a sense that they were messing this things that should be better left alone.
In the third film, he was, simply, a boob. A comic relief. Dundering and flailing about, he was C-3P0 as a human. Of course that film was lighter in tone all around and IMO none of the movies of the trilogy approach the greatness of the first one, but still I thought that character's transformation from serious to comic was a shame.
"We felt that because of bandwidth issues and, more importantly, the amount of information provided on the fourth disc, it would be redundant to include a director's commentary track on the title discs," Ward said.
Bullshit. Just tell the truth: For whatever reasons, Spielberg doesn't do commentaries. However I don't see why some other producer (Luca$) or writer (Kasdan) couldn't have provided a commentary. Citing "bandwidth issues" is a laugher. And I for one prefer to actually have a commentary while the movie is running. Just not the same hearing production insights on a bonus disc.
I'm not surprised, but still disappointed, that "Gollum's Song" performed by Emiliana Torrini wasn't nominated. Her voice is amazing and somewhat other-worldly...perfect for the context of the song.
Sure he won last year, but Howard Shore's soundtrack for Two Towers was widely praised so it does seem like a snub to not even be nominated this year.
Might as well throw in: "Too bad for Peter Jackson," too. If you aren't nominated for Best Director, there's really no shot of your movie winning Best Picture.
IANARS (I Am Not A Rocket Scientist), but the next feasible step is a lunar base. Mars is certainly a notable goal, but probably not technologically (or economically) attainable...yet.
Consider though a lunar base. Getting there is something we have done with proven success. Launch vehicles would be far less complicated than a shuttle-on-a-booster rocket, i.e. safer. Once a team is there in a medium-sized complex, NASA could just launch regular, unmanned rockets to them. These supply shipments would just settle down in a general drop area and the lunanauts could get in their buggy or tractor to retrieve them. No complicated docking maneuvers necessary.
The structure would probably be safer than a space station. No worries about collisions with Russian spacecraft. The ISS has all sides exposed to potential space debris. A land-based, horizontal structure obviously only has it's upper surface exposed, and has much greater design strength being built on a solid foundation.
I'm sure the amount of scientific research on the moon would be just as good as in earth orbit. Again IANARS, but there may even may usable resources in that moon rock.
The shuttle has limited safety options due to its nature -- not really, actually its perception -- as a re-usable (read: disposable) vehicle. Because a lunar base is long-term project, contingency plans for evacuation would be practical, and expected.
The public would go for it. We haven't been to the moon in 30 years. People hardly ever knew that a shuttle was in orbit at a given time, but with a moon base on a cloudless night you'd be hard pressed not to look up and think, "Huh. There are actually people up there." Paranoid foreign dictators might get even more twitchy, but you can't have a better reminder of your technological superiority than that.
The Tivo/DirectTV partnership means that Tivo should be around as long as DirecTV is. Not that that is a sure thing (hear about the near extortion by the NFL for next year's Direct Ticket licen$ing?), but I can't believe that Satellite TV won't exist even in today's pro-cable-monoply climate.
Furthermore, that "Special Preview" promotional stuff exists on a portion of your hard drive separate from your recorded programs so it doesn't "take up any space." So like you say, what's the problem?
It's "better" than TPM, but still a lousy SW movie. The love scenes are unbearable. Actually hearing some of those lines makes you want to cover your ears and say the alphabet to drown it out. Anakin is such a lecherous jerk it's astonishing. He keeps touching Padme and feeling her arm, as if that magic touch is going to make her go wild. Any normal girl would slap him in the face and tell him to keep his fucking hands to himself. I mean, it's almost sickening.
This is what Darth Vader is reduced to? Anakin is annoying in so many ways: embarrassingly horny, foolishly impulsive, recklessly stubborn. No redeeming qualities at all. Even bad guys have redeeming qualities, it's what makes them captivating. He has none at all. He is a horrible character. Darth Vader as a character is diminished by seeing this, although even now I barely connect the two together.
Ironically, while the audience will want the romantic scenes to be over as soon as possible, in the context of the story, it happens way too quickly. It goes like so: Horny Jedi sees the girl he's had a crush on for 10 years and drools over her in the most obvious ways. She repels his advances, but does give him the once-over. OK, he's aggressive and pestering, but SO DREAMY and INTRIGUINGLY DISTURBED. (Five minutes pass) He kisses her and she says it's a mistake even though she admits to feeling something too. More obvious fawning and pleading from the Horny Jedi. (Ten minutes pass) They go to Tatooine and she sees his sensitive side. The grieving son side, not the going-postal-with-revenge side. (Five minutes pass) They get captured and she professes her love for him because life is, like, too short, you know? (One big battle happens. Twenty minutes?) Having survived that, they return to Naboo and get married. (Good thing for him, because wanking off would have been damn near impossible after that saber battle...)
The early scenes on Coruscant are typical Lucas. Every frame is jam packed with too much to absorb. There are aliens walking around. Signs displaying messages. Trams zipping along. Droids performing tasks. And somewhere in the middle of this mayhem, two characters who you are supposed to be paying attention to. Man, he just doesn't get it. This overstimulus repeats itself over and over: in the speeder chase; in the city street; in the bar.
The movie's scenes are like index cards with ideas for locations, fights, or chases, with nary a bit of connective story between them.
The detective plot is silly. I'm sorry, but it is. Hmm, where did this mysterious dart come from? Of course it only comes from one planet. You know, the one in the Big Clue solar system. If you wanted to kill someone, wouldn't a nice sniper shot from a laser rifle be effective? If subtlety wasn't important, just spray a crowd with a blaster cannon. But no, use a stupid dart that will allow them to follow the trail of conspirators.
It bears mentioning that I can't believe the Jedi council continues to send one guy on critical missions when maybe four would be appropriate. Also, Yoda has never looked so unwise. Bad decisions you make! Cost many lives, it will!
The second half of the movie is somewhat better in that there is some action. However there are still problems abound. First there's the whole Tatooine trip. You're never told why Anakin hasn't in ten years been able to see his mother, so you're left to wonder why, other than to make it really dramatic, he only shows up when she breathes her last breath. Are the Jedi such assholes that they won't allow a four-day furlough for a trainee to go visit (perhaps even "free") his mother? OK, so now he's gonna do some serious kung fu on those Tusken Raiders, show 'em who's boss, yo!....uhm, whaddayamean you aren't going to show it? You go from him taking the first swing (as seen in the trailers) to a fade/wipe to the next scene? Lame!
The fighting in the arena is pretty intense. I'm not entirely satisfied here either though, because some key matchups again get the short shrift. You'd expect Jango against Mace Windu to be a great fight. A Jedi Master versus Jango Fett? Sign me up! Don't get your hopes up, it's lame. Jango hardly puts up a fight before his head flies off. Really disappointing.
Plus, the Jedi in the battle are nameless and interchangeable. (Another of Lucas' big blunders. If he had any storytelling skill, he would've introduced at least one new Jedi character in this movie, if for nothing else than for the sake of getting some emotional response when he dies.)
For all the build up, the Yoda fight was a big letdown. As I feared, they have him spin around like Sonic the Hedgehog. The fight barely lasts a few seconds and then Dooku makes his escape.
One thing that really bugged me was the blatant Empire Strikes Back ripoffs. You'll see them continually throughout the movie. Lines of dialogue are so similar that you are forced to draw comparisons. There's a whole bit where Dooku is trying to get Kenobi to join him and I half expected him to say, "Yoda never told you what happened to your father. I am your father!"
So much of the action is cartoony. Anakin falling hundreds of feet onto a speeder with no injury and then having it crash and having him stand up with barely a wince is just one example.
However, at least this one doesn't crap all over the original trilogy the way the first one did. Which is my bitter way of saying Lucas didn't pull another "Darth Vader built 3PO" type of bombshell. So that was "good."
It has that lame autocomplete dropdown that happens when you start typing, but that's extra movement off the home typing position to the arrow keys. A waste of motion and it takes too long. (IE still has inline autocomplete--it's one of the first things I turn on when I customize a new PC.)
Hope they add in the inline autocomplete, because otherwise it's a nice browser.
It's painfully obvious that in every other scene the actors are standing in front of a blue screen. The office/council rooms and bridge/walkways all look CG. It looks fake.
Compare that to the sets of pre-CG SF movies (including the original SW trilogy). They were sometimes rather crude but you knew everything you were seeing was real. The props, the walls, the decor--it was all tangible, hard matter that despite being "fake" (i.e. gadgets that don't exist in our universe), looked real. Not to say the CG stuff isn't created with the same attention to detail, but it calls attention to itself. In the back of your mind you're thinking, "That looks just a little off." Which is enough to jar some viewers out of that engrossed state where they forget they are watching a movie.
Unfortunately Lucas is so enamored with all things digital that he appears to want to shoot scenes with a blue screen even if it isn't really necessary. It might be overlooked if the script and acting were up to par, but based on what we've seen so far, it won't be.
I got my Tivo last April. Based on the cost of monthly subscription versus lifetime membership at that time, I decided that a lifetime membership was the best course. Basically, I would have to use/own the Tivo for 20 months for that investment to be worthwhile.
Well I've totally fallen in love with Tivo, and now have only 9 months left for the membership to have paid for itself. Will I still be using it then? I don't doubt it for a second. Tivo isn't going anywhere, not with their partnership with Sony, plus the pending merger of DirecTV and EchoStar.
Is it wise to get a lifetime subscription today? I think that even today that would be a good deal, as it safeguards you against further price increases, but YMMV. Do the math and determine if you think you will be using the device for at least two years--usually a good bet with most devices.
BTW, even if Tivo were to fold, it would not mean we would all have useless Tivo boxes. On the Tivo forums one of the Tivo techs has made it clear that in the event of Tivo's demise, he will personally provide the backdoor code to "free" the Tivo from the subscription services. Presumably this means the Tivo would function just as it does today but without any further software updates.
DirecTivo is the way to go. This was my conclusion a year ago after deciding to get a Tivo, and at the same time, becoming increasingly frustrated with rising cable rates and poor service.
The benefits of an integrated Tivo receiver are terrific. You can look up the specifics, but the best one is that the quality of the recorded material is the same as what you watch live--no worrying about low/medium/high quality, it's always Best Quality. And 30+ hours of it.
This past Christmas I saw a number of promotions where they were selling the DirecTivo receivers, including installation, for $99. That was a terrific deal. Not sure what is available now, but there's probably some deals out there if you shop around.
The only thing I give a damn about are the saber fights, so I thought it was interesting that Anakin's saber blade is green in one scene (with Obi-Wan) and blue later (in the duel).
I'll leave it to the die-hards to speculate what that could mean plotwise.
Is there anything about Star Wars that the TheForce.net doesn't wet their pants over? Granted, the DVD is chock full of stuff, but it could've been encoded as MPEG-1 and they still would have been flipping out about how great it is.
Update: Amazon has upped the donation cap to $100. Again, I presume you could donate multiple times if you wanted to.
AT&T donates to Red Cross... How about Bill?
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More On Tragedy
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AT&T has donated $1 Million to the Red Cross relief effort.
Now, if Bill Gates was looking for a cause to establish himself as a humanitarian and a philanthropist, this would be it. And not just a Red Cross donation either. City equipment needs to be replaced (fire trucks for example). Streets and buildings need to be repaired. And victim's families could use all they help they could get. The list goes on.
Please note that the Amazon donation is capped at $50 (although I presume you could donate more than once). Also, I didn't see any mention of the donation being tax-deductible. Crass, I know, but for some people it's important.
The Paypal donation link is unlimited, and Yahoo had a link to a Red Cross donation as well. Sorry, I don't have the link.
You may also donation directly at http://www.redcross.org although their site seems to be getting pretty slammed.
Slashdot Mirror
You can say it's the DOJs fault, but it should be clarified that it is the DOJ of the Bush administration. The case, as it was brought by the DOJ under the Clinton administration, had more teeth--hell, consider that it was even brought up at all, do you really think the current Attorney General would have started this case?--and indeed even the original proposed remedy by Judge Jackson was to split MS up into parts. (Whether that actually was a good idea is another matter entirely).
In SW, Luke has a small microphone on his flight helmet. It keeps switching from one side to the other. OK, not a biggie. But...
In Jedi, in the scene where Fett pulls his gun on the "bounty hunter" that has Chewbacca, his antenna is on the wrong side of the helmet--the costume is backwards. I presume this was because it was shot wrong... Fett was aiming to his right but later in editing they realized from where Fett was standing he would really be aiming to his left. All I wanted them to do was do a little Photoshop clone stamping (no pun intended) and flip that antenna around. But no.
There are other errors, but I'll leave those to the fans who still give a damn.
Here's a link to a satellite email newsletter. See the middle of the righthand column.
Does it make sense for him to do this? Like you say, Tivo is popular and I think a lot of end users (like myself) would be upset, even if the replacement unit that was sent out had an HD component. (For some people that would be a worthwhile trade-in.) Offering a choice of the two units does seem like a viable option.
P.S. I don't care for Murdoch, no. I also don't care for huge megalopolies that stifle content and drive up prices. yech! double whammy.
P.P.S. BTW, he is evil. :)
But, the recent approval of the sale of DirecTV to Rupert Murdoch and News Corp could portend some bad news for Tivo. Murdoch already owns a company that produces DVR units, and the industry speculation is that he will dump Tivo and replace it with his own DVR.
This is the last thing I want to see, as I love the features of my Tivo and hate the idea of Tivo (the company) being squished by Murdoch's mega conglomerate. Stay tuned...
Sounds like he went on a spampage
The 2.1 software update is only for 3rd gen. Other iPods are sent to a software version 1.3 page, and any mention of iTunes or iTunes functionality are conspicuously absent. Booo!
In Raiders, he was cautiously uncertain about Indy's pursuit of the Ark. The scene where Jones is packing his suitcase and Brody reveals his misgivings was really well done, conveying a sense that they were messing this things that should be better left alone.
In the third film, he was, simply, a boob. A comic relief. Dundering and flailing about, he was C-3P0 as a human. Of course that film was lighter in tone all around and IMO none of the movies of the trilogy approach the greatness of the first one, but still I thought that character's transformation from serious to comic was a shame.
Bullshit. Just tell the truth: For whatever reasons, Spielberg doesn't do commentaries. However I don't see why some other producer (Luca$) or writer (Kasdan) couldn't have provided a commentary. Citing "bandwidth issues" is a laugher. And I for one prefer to actually have a commentary while the movie is running. Just not the same hearing production insights on a bonus disc.
Sure he won last year, but Howard Shore's soundtrack for Two Towers was widely praised so it does seem like a snub to not even be nominated this year.
Might as well throw in: "Too bad for Peter Jackson," too. If you aren't nominated for Best Director, there's really no shot of your movie winning Best Picture.
Consider though a lunar base. Getting there is something we have done with proven success. Launch vehicles would be far less complicated than a shuttle-on-a-booster rocket, i.e. safer. Once a team is there in a medium-sized complex, NASA could just launch regular, unmanned rockets to them. These supply shipments would just settle down in a general drop area and the lunanauts could get in their buggy or tractor to retrieve them. No complicated docking maneuvers necessary.
The structure would probably be safer than a space station. No worries about collisions with Russian spacecraft. The ISS has all sides exposed to potential space debris. A land-based, horizontal structure obviously only has it's upper surface exposed, and has much greater design strength being built on a solid foundation.
I'm sure the amount of scientific research on the moon would be just as good as in earth orbit. Again IANARS, but there may even may usable resources in that moon rock.
The shuttle has limited safety options due to its nature -- not really, actually its perception -- as a re-usable (read: disposable) vehicle. Because a lunar base is long-term project, contingency plans for evacuation would be practical, and expected.
The public would go for it. We haven't been to the moon in 30 years. People hardly ever knew that a shuttle was in orbit at a given time, but with a moon base on a cloudless night you'd be hard pressed not to look up and think, "Huh. There are actually people up there." Paranoid foreign dictators might get even more twitchy, but you can't have a better reminder of your technological superiority than that.
The cradle is a $20 option.
What he said.
The Tivo/DirectTV partnership means that Tivo should be around as long as DirecTV is. Not that that is a sure thing (hear about the near extortion by the NFL for next year's Direct Ticket licen$ing?), but I can't believe that Satellite TV won't exist even in today's pro-cable-monoply climate.
Furthermore, that "Special Preview" promotional stuff exists on a portion of your hard drive separate from your recorded programs so it doesn't "take up any space." So like you say, what's the problem?
Damn, guess I better go the county courthouse and fill out that paperwork for a new last name..
It's "better" than TPM, but still a lousy SW movie. The love scenes are unbearable. Actually hearing some of those lines makes you want to cover your ears and say the alphabet to drown it out. Anakin is such a lecherous jerk it's astonishing. He keeps touching Padme and feeling her arm, as if that magic touch is going to make her go wild. Any normal girl would slap him in the face and tell him to keep his fucking hands to himself. I mean, it's almost sickening.
This is what Darth Vader is reduced to? Anakin is annoying in so many ways: embarrassingly horny, foolishly impulsive, recklessly stubborn. No redeeming qualities at all. Even bad guys have redeeming qualities, it's what makes them captivating. He has none at all. He is a horrible character. Darth Vader as a character is diminished by seeing this, although even now I barely connect the two together.
Ironically, while the audience will want the romantic scenes to be over as soon as possible, in the context of the story, it happens way too quickly. It goes like so: Horny Jedi sees the girl he's had a crush on for 10 years and drools over her in the most obvious ways. She repels his advances, but does give him the once-over. OK, he's aggressive and pestering, but SO DREAMY and INTRIGUINGLY DISTURBED. (Five minutes pass) He kisses her and she says it's a mistake even though she admits to feeling something too. More obvious fawning and pleading from the Horny Jedi. (Ten minutes pass) They go to Tatooine and she sees his sensitive side. The grieving son side, not the going-postal-with-revenge side. (Five minutes pass) They get captured and she professes her love for him because life is, like, too short, you know? (One big battle happens. Twenty minutes?) Having survived that, they return to Naboo and get married. (Good thing for him, because wanking off would have been damn near impossible after that saber battle...)
The early scenes on Coruscant are typical Lucas. Every frame is jam packed with too much to absorb. There are aliens walking around. Signs displaying messages. Trams zipping along. Droids performing tasks. And somewhere in the middle of this mayhem, two characters who you are supposed to be paying attention to. Man, he just doesn't get it. This overstimulus repeats itself over and over: in the speeder chase; in the city street; in the bar.
The movie's scenes are like index cards with ideas for locations, fights, or chases, with nary a bit of connective story between them.
The detective plot is silly. I'm sorry, but it is. Hmm, where did this mysterious dart come from? Of course it only comes from one planet. You know, the one in the Big Clue solar system. If you wanted to kill someone, wouldn't a nice sniper shot from a laser rifle be effective? If subtlety wasn't important, just spray a crowd with a blaster cannon. But no, use a stupid dart that will allow them to follow the trail of conspirators.
It bears mentioning that I can't believe the Jedi council continues to send one guy on critical missions when maybe four would be appropriate. Also, Yoda has never looked so unwise. Bad decisions you make! Cost many lives, it will!
The second half of the movie is somewhat better in that there is some action. However there are still problems abound. First there's the whole Tatooine trip. You're never told why Anakin hasn't in ten years been able to see his mother, so you're left to wonder why, other than to make it really dramatic, he only shows up when she breathes her last breath. Are the Jedi such assholes that they won't allow a four-day furlough for a trainee to go visit (perhaps even "free") his mother? OK, so now he's gonna do some serious kung fu on those Tusken Raiders, show 'em who's boss, yo! ....uhm, whaddayamean you aren't going to show it? You go from him taking the first swing (as seen in the trailers) to a fade/wipe to the next scene? Lame!
The fighting in the arena is pretty intense. I'm not entirely satisfied here either though, because some key matchups again get the short shrift. You'd expect Jango against Mace Windu to be a great fight. A Jedi Master versus Jango Fett? Sign me up! Don't get your hopes up, it's lame. Jango hardly puts up a fight before his head flies off. Really disappointing.
Plus, the Jedi in the battle are nameless and interchangeable. (Another of Lucas' big blunders. If he had any storytelling skill, he would've introduced at least one new Jedi character in this movie, if for nothing else than for the sake of getting some emotional response when he dies.)
For all the build up, the Yoda fight was a big letdown. As I feared, they have him spin around like Sonic the Hedgehog. The fight barely lasts a few seconds and then Dooku makes his escape.
One thing that really bugged me was the blatant Empire Strikes Back ripoffs. You'll see them continually throughout the movie. Lines of dialogue are so similar that you are forced to draw comparisons. There's a whole bit where Dooku is trying to get Kenobi to join him and I half expected him to say, "Yoda never told you what happened to your father. I am your father!"
So much of the action is cartoony. Anakin falling hundreds of feet onto a speeder with no injury and then having it crash and having him stand up with barely a wince is just one example.
However, at least this one doesn't crap all over the original trilogy the way the first one did. Which is my bitter way of saying Lucas didn't pull another "Darth Vader built 3PO" type of bombshell. So that was "good."
It has that lame autocomplete dropdown that happens when you start typing, but that's extra movement off the home typing position to the arrow keys. A waste of motion and it takes too long. (IE still has inline autocomplete--it's one of the first things I turn on when I customize a new PC.)
Hope they add in the inline autocomplete, because otherwise it's a nice browser.
It's painfully obvious that in every other scene the actors are standing in front of a blue screen. The office/council rooms and bridge/walkways all look CG. It looks fake.
Compare that to the sets of pre-CG SF movies (including the original SW trilogy). They were sometimes rather crude but you knew everything you were seeing was real. The props, the walls, the decor--it was all tangible, hard matter that despite being "fake" (i.e. gadgets that don't exist in our universe), looked real. Not to say the CG stuff isn't created with the same attention to detail, but it calls attention to itself. In the back of your mind you're thinking, "That looks just a little off." Which is enough to jar some viewers out of that engrossed state where they forget they are watching a movie.
Unfortunately Lucas is so enamored with all things digital that he appears to want to shoot scenes with a blue screen even if it isn't really necessary. It might be overlooked if the script and acting were up to par, but based on what we've seen so far, it won't be.
He co-wrote it with Lawrence Kasdan (who had finished the ESB script after Leigh Brackett died).
So that's why it "looks more like a Lucas movie."
(i.e., why is sucked).
I got my Tivo last April. Based on the cost of monthly subscription versus lifetime membership at that time, I decided that a lifetime membership was the best course. Basically, I would have to use/own the Tivo for 20 months for that investment to be worthwhile.
Well I've totally fallen in love with Tivo, and now have only 9 months left for the membership to have paid for itself. Will I still be using it then? I don't doubt it for a second. Tivo isn't going anywhere, not with their partnership with Sony, plus the pending merger of DirecTV and EchoStar.
Is it wise to get a lifetime subscription today? I think that even today that would be a good deal, as it safeguards you against further price increases, but YMMV. Do the math and determine if you think you will be using the device for at least two years--usually a good bet with most devices.
BTW, even if Tivo were to fold, it would not mean we would all have useless Tivo boxes. On the Tivo forums one of the Tivo techs has made it clear that in the event of Tivo's demise, he will personally provide the backdoor code to "free" the Tivo from the subscription services. Presumably this means the Tivo would function just as it does today but without any further software updates.
DirecTivo is the way to go. This was my conclusion a year ago after deciding to get a Tivo, and at the same time, becoming increasingly frustrated with rising cable rates and poor service.
The benefits of an integrated Tivo receiver are terrific. You can look up the specifics, but the best one is that the quality of the recorded material is the same as what you watch live--no worrying about low/medium/high quality, it's always Best Quality. And 30+ hours of it.
This past Christmas I saw a number of promotions where they were selling the DirecTivo receivers, including installation, for $99. That was a terrific deal. Not sure what is available now, but there's probably some deals out there if you shop around.
I'll leave it to the die-hards to speculate what that could mean plotwise.
Is there anything about Star Wars that the TheForce.net doesn't wet their pants over? Granted, the DVD is chock full of stuff, but it could've been encoded as MPEG-1 and they still would have been flipping out about how great it is.
Update: Amazon has upped the donation cap to $100. Again, I presume you could donate multiple times if you wanted to.
Now, if Bill Gates was looking for a cause to establish himself as a humanitarian and a philanthropist, this would be it. And not just a Red Cross donation either. City equipment needs to be replaced (fire trucks for example). Streets and buildings need to be repaired. And victim's families could use all they help they could get. The list goes on.
C'mon Bill, what do you say?
Please note that the Amazon donation is capped at $50 (although I presume you could donate more than once). Also, I didn't see any mention of the donation being tax-deductible. Crass, I know, but for some people it's important.
The Paypal donation link is unlimited, and Yahoo had a link to a Red Cross donation as well. Sorry, I don't have the link.
You may also donation directly at http://www.redcross.org although their site seems to be getting pretty slammed.
...Apple is going to call their next computer the G4000.