The DVR Continues to Be a Life Changer

Several years ago, I proclaimed my kids - then ages 4 and 7 - to be pioneers of the TiVo generation. I even wrote a newspaper story about it, complete with pictures of these little kids managing the remote and demonstrating the ability to pause and rewind live television.

Fast forward to today and the Diaz household now has three digital video recorders, though only one is a TiVo-branded device that comes with a few extra bells and whistles. The others are DirecTV’s not-as-good-as-TiVo DVRs.

Still, I ask myself: Could we ever get along with the mighty DVR? The answer is simple: No way.

The DVR, obviously, is my Dead-Finger tech selection - that is, the DVR is the one tech gadget/device/service that you would have to pry from my cold, dead fingers for me to give up.

Back in the early years of a $400 TiVo, I remember being initially most impressed with the abilities to pause and rewind live TV. Today, that’s less impressive as it is expected. What has stayed with me over the years is the ability to set up “season pass” recordings of my favorite shows so they’ll be waiting for me when I’m ready to watch. For some shows, I have no idea what day or time they’re broadcast on traditional television. I just know that every once in a while, there’s a new episode waiting for me.

So, how do they make the technology even better? They’re already doing it.

DirecTV (DTV) and DishNetwork (DISH), for example, offer remote DVR scheduling from a Web browser or mobile device, which means never having to worry about missing a show. Likewise, I’m waiting for the satellite guys to follow what AT&T (T) is doing with the U-verse service, which allows users to watch a recording on one DVR on second DVR in the house - regardless of where it was recorded.

Note to DirecTV: I was ready for this technology yesterday. But, alas, DirecTV is the only provider that offers the NFL Sunday Ticket - so I’m pretty much stuck where I am, even if the company forces me to watch recorded programs from the DVR that recorded them.

As a side note, the DVR has also forever changed the way I watch football. I have been a subscriber to DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket for years so I have my choice of games to watch. I usually find the one game I really want to see, hit the record button on that one and then surf through the other games. I have become a pro at rewinding to make my own instant replays, pausing to see if the guy was really in-bounds and fast-forwarding through the same Miller Lite commercial they’ll air all season long.

The DVR - the technology, that is - changed my life forever. There’s no going back.

Comments

[RichardGC:]

"Still, I ask myself: Could we ever get along with the mighty DVR? The answer is simple: No way." Should be "Could we ever get along WITHOUT"?

"recording on one DVR on second DVR in the house". Should be "on second TV in the house"?

Doesn't anyone proofread their copy anymore. I expect something better from someone who gets paid to write. Not what some bloggers post, where they can not even create a complete English sentence.

Aug 02 08:58 PM

[Egg:]

RichardGC, correcting grammar? Really?

If you demand others be perfect, you should be also. There's something called a question mark you missed:

"Doesn't anyone proofread their copy anymore."

That certainly sounds like a query, doesn't it? (<-- see question mark)

Anyways...enough of you. Back to the article. DVRs! Sooooo true. I couldn't watch TV without my DVR. One of the greastest innovation in tech in recents years, if you ask me.

Aug 02 11:09 PM

[Axolotl Folly:]

Interesting thoughts. A real game changer for me is Apple TV. I no longer need - or even want - cable TV or satellite. Dish and DirectTV are just middlemen. I download my favorite shows/movies directly over the internet and watch in my living room. Will Google eventually bring out a similar device? TiVo definitely a takeover target here.

Aug 02 11:44 PM

[Kevinf15e:]

TiVo also allows you to setup recordings / Season passes / etc... from web browsers and mobile devices. (It has for quite some time.)
If you have your Tivos connected to your home network -- you can transfer recordings between your TiVos.
Long live TiVo!!!

Aug 03 09:16 AM

[Granticus:]

Despite claiming to have owned a TiVo for years, the author fails to mention that TiVo has FOR SEVERAL YEARS had remote scheduling via the web AND multi-room viewing (described as "watch a recording on one DVR on second DVR in the house - regardless of where it was recorded."). By leaving this fact out, the author is falsely implying that TiVo has fallen behind other DVRs. In fact, feature for feature, I would say TiVo has been and still is the leader in DVR technology.

I do not work for TiVo. However, I have owned various versions of their devices since 1999 and currently own a Series 3 TiVo.

Aug 03 09:26 AM

[RichardGC:]

It was not the grammar I was objecting too. It was the confusing impression it left. Re-read the article and then tell me it didn't leave the reader wondering if the author knew what he was talking about.
And, no, its not about being perfect, I certainly have my failings. It just annoys me to have to guess what the writer was trying to say.
And, if you are not familiar with U-verse, there is one DVR but it broadcasts to any other set top box in the house.

On Aug 02 11:09 PM Egg wrote:

> RichardGC, correcting grammar? Really?
>
> If you demand others be perfect, you should be also. There's something
> called a question mark you missed:
>
> "Doesn't anyone proofread their copy anymore."
>
> That certainly sounds like a query, doesn't it? (<-- see question
> mark)
>
> Anyways...enough of you. Back to the article. DVRs! Sooooo true.
> I couldn't watch TV without my DVR. One of the greastest innovation
> in tech in recents years, if you ask me.

Aug 06 10:54 PM

[darwin c:]

Love my Tivo. Even a regular DVR doesn't alter viewing habits as much as a real Tivo. Even the old ones are better than DirectTv's current (not Tivo) DVR. When my old unit dies, I will have to make the hard choice on what to do. I will probably have to leave DirectTV in order to stay 'Tivo'.

Aug 10 12:30 PM

[SpellDemon:]

You SHOULD have said "One of the greatest (not greastest) innovations (not singular) in tech in recent (not plural) years, if you ask me. (which no one did).


On Aug 02 11:09 PM Egg wrote:

> RichardGC, correcting grammar? Really?
>
> If you demand others be perfect, you should be also. There's something
> called a question mark you missed:
>
> "Doesn't anyone proofread their copy anymore."
>
> That certainly sounds like a query, doesn't it? (<-- see question
> mark)
>
> Anyways...enough of you. Back to the article. DVRs! Sooooo true.
> I couldn't watch TV without my DVR. One of the greastest innovation
> in tech in recents years, if you ask me.

Aug 27 08:58 PM

[directcommu...:]

i even watch sports now on a delay

Nov 08 03:54 PM