TiVo
Join the TiVolution!
When I first heard "Join the TiVolution!" I laughed.
But the longer I have my TiVo the more I understand and agree with it. Digital
Video Recorders (DVR's) will eventually replace VCR's completely. Since I got my
TiVo my VCR has become worthless to me. If my VCR broke I would throw it out,
without a thought of buying another one.
Death to your VCR
People always ask me "Isn't TiVo the same as a VCR?". No it
isn't. TiVo is to the VCR as CD's are to cassette tape's. When was the last time
you played a tape? I haven't even seen one in years. DVR's will do the same
thing to conventional VCR's. Sure, TiVo is similar to your VCR in the way it
records your TV shows for you... But that's about it.
| "...You can record two shows at once while watching another. Now
that's how you watch TV." |
TiVo Features
Pause / Rewind Live TV - Your TiVo is constantly recording
everything you watch. It keeps a backlog of about 1/2 hour. If you are watching
a show and the door or phone rings you can hit pause and unpause it when you
get back. This is especially nice for skipping commercials you can go away
during commercial breaks and rewind to the exact spot the show resumes when you
get back. Miss the punch line to a joke; think you see a boob on the TV? Rewind
and Pause!
Record MANY hours of video - My TiVo will
record only a max of 30 hours of programming, you can do up to 60 hours. There
are other DVR's on the market that will allow you to record many hundreds of
hours. But I'd recommend sticking with TiVo.
Record one show while watching another - You are no longer
stuck watching the show while you are recording. You can play anything the TiVo
has previously recorded while recording. If you have the DirecTivo (DirecTV /
TiVo combo) you can record two shows at once while watching another. Now that's
how you watch TV.
Forget show times and channels - What day is Friends on? What
channel? Who cares? I go into my TiVo type in Friends and it magically records
it when it comes on. I have no idea when any shows are on anymore and I don't
care because I watch them when I want to watch them.
Skip commercials - Never watch another commercial again. I
usually watch a show after TiVo has recorded at least 10 minutes of it. This
way I can fast forward through the commercials. Watching live TV is now a drag;
commercials suck and are a waste of time. I can watch a typical 1/2 hour show
in 20 min, this regains a lot of wasted time!
| "The only downside to TiVo is you now have too much TV and not
enough time to watch it all." |
Season Pass - You can "Season Pass" your favorite shows so
they will record every time that show comes on. Middle of the night Simpson's
marathon? Who knew? You did because they all appeared on the TiVo the next
morning when you woke up.
Better TV - No longer are you stuck flipping through channels
looking for something to watch. When you feel like watching TV, sit down and
pop open the TiVo play list. All your favorite shows are waiting there for you
to watch.
The only downside to TiVo is you now have too much TV and not enough time to
watch it all.
Check out TiVo's website for more information
about them.
