Re: [Leica] Re: tv/tivo

[Adam Bridge <abridge@mac.com>]

On 2003-11-14 msmall@infionline.net (Marc James Small) thoughtfully wrote: 

>I will cheerfully admit that I haven't a clue as to what this TIVO thing
>is, so I would appreciate those in our number better informed about popular
>culture to share their wisdom with this technological tyro.  I rarely watch
>television and cannot see why folks have the sorts of problems being
>described here -- it would seem that a simple push of the "off" button
>would solve any issue over television priority-rights.
>
>Pray, can someone enlighten me?

A TiVo records a TV signal onto a computer disk-drive compressing the audio/video stream using MPEG2. It also comes with a service that lists all the times/dates of programs in your area/distribution media to make an electronic guide.

You can tell the TiVo (or digital video recorder in generic terms) to record a particular program, all future programs in a particular series (say all of "Third Rock from the Sun" for example with or without recording programs that have already been recorded already).

This lets you "time shift" television programs so you can watch the evening news at a later hour. 

You can also begin to watch a program while it is being recorded.

And the TiVo has a half-hour "live TV" buffer that is always recording the current channel so if you want to see something again you can stop, jump back, and watch it again, perhaps in slow motion. This is big in sports but it's also big for going back to catch a piece of dialog you might not have understood.

There are curious side-effects to TiVo viewing - not the least of which is using this feature of your own instant-replay while watching sports - but then never catching up to real-time, always being a few minutes behind. And then you get a call about "did you see that terrific catch?" but for you it hasn't happened yet because you're watching 5 minute old video.

I often start watching a show about 8 minutes into it because that lets me jump back to the start and then watch and skip the commericals. There's something VERY satisfying about jumping over those Phillip Morris commercials where they tell you that smoking is hazardous, causes diseases, and is habit forming without ever telling just exactly why they should be selling this product in the first place. But THAT'S another wild hare that I don't want to chase.

TiVo's run a version of Linux on relatively slow Intel processors. You can adjust the degree of compression (unless you're using the DirecTiVo units which record at the compression settings used by DirecTV). There are some artifacts related to the compression - I feel that a TiVo image is noticeably softer than a live video feed.

TiVo doesn't work for high-definition television broadcasts (yet).

You can hack a TiVo box and put in a bigger hard drive and keep 100+ hours of highest-quality video on your box.

You can also rate programs that you have watched and ask the TiVo to recommend other programs based on that rating. I don't use this feature.

So that's a TiVo. You may not find one useful or enjoyable -- but for me, well, I have about 20 episodes of "Third Rock from the Sun" recorded and I usually end the night by watching one. I have the Ansel Adams piece that PBS did. I like it a lot and recommend anyone who watches some moderate amount of television, and doesn't make a big moral whoop-de-do about it, to check out a DVR. They are GREAT.

Adam
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