TiVolution rocks!
jflowerus said:
I know this is off topic, but what is the big deal with Tivo?
I do more with a plain vcr and don't have to pay a monthly fee to do it.
You used to be able to get standalone TiVos w/lifetime subscription (lifetime of the unit), but they got rid of that on 4/15/06. I have 3 standalones [all loaned out right now] with lifetime on them.
To chime in too regarding TiVo, besides the points already mentioned, it's just WAY more convenient. I used to timeshift using a VCR and it wasn't the most convenient. You need to know when the show's on, program the start and stop times, the tape needs to be in and at the right position, VCR needs to be off, rewind once the recording is done, etc. With a VCR, if a show's on from 9-10 pm and it's 9:30 pm, you can't just watch starting from the beginning while it's still recording, you'd have to watch what's on right at that time or wait till 10.
The best way is just to set season passes for all the shows you like and not worry about it. You can also create wishlists for criteria like actor, directory, keyword, and category and view the upcoming shows that match. Let's say you like Teri Hatcher, I just looked it up and found 3 things in the next 2 weeks with her in it: an ep of Desperate Housewives, a Tonight Show ep, and a Live with Regis and Kelly. If you really like Teri Hatcher, you can set it to be an auto-record wishlist (ARWL). With an ARWL, anytime something meets that criteria, it gets autorecorded for you.
Back to timeshifting, I've got a DirecTivo (it's dual tuner) so I can record two channels at once. On my To Do list as a result of SPs and single instance recordings, there are 21 things scheduled to record on my TiVo (not that I watch AL of them) TOMORROW. Try managing that w/a VCR or two.
I agree w/the others that you won't watch live TV much anymore. But if you do, you can pause live TV and go backwards/forwards in the buffer.
I'll chime in and say it totally changes the way you watch TV. To the person asking, too bad you don't live in the SF Bay Area, otherwise I might be willing to give you a demo.