Ultimate TV: It almost is!
Written: Nov 24 '01 (Updated Jan 16 '02)
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Pros: Makes a VCR all but obsolete, very easy to use.
Cons: Monthly fee, internet functionality is slow and difficult
The Bottom Line: Despite a few technological shortcomings, Ultimate TV is the greatest development for TV junkies!
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| dabo's Full Review: RCA DWD490RE DIRECTV with UltimateTV |
This Review covers the RCA DirecTV receiver with UltimateTV Digital Video Recorder. This review does not cover the DirecTV service or Web TV.
I've had DirecTV since the days when they only sold it in small towns. RCA and Hughes, in their infinite wisdom, first marketed the Direct Digital Broadcast service, the first of its kind, in rural areas only. That way, small towns and out-of-the-way places without cable and with marginal conventional broadcast reception could get the benefits first. After they executed that marketing slam-dunk, they began to sell to the larger markets -- cities, and areas served by cable. They took cable on head-to-head and successfully whipped them. Or at least made them rebuild their networks and rethink their poor service, "I'll be there sometime between noon and 5 pm" attitude, frequent outages, etc.
Needless to say, I have always thought of DirecTV as the Ultimate in TV, at least until HDTV makes its way into the mainstream. Now Microsoft (please hold your applause until the end of the act) and DirecTV have figured a way to truly achieve the "ultimate" in Television: Ultimate TV!
What it Isn't
Ultimate TV doesn't read your mind. It doesn't pick your shows for you. It doesn't automatically skip commercials, objectionable content, or bad jokes.
Ultimate TV isn't the way to save your favorite movies ad infinitum.
Ultimate TV isn't the best way to connect to the internet.
What it Is
Ultimate TV is the best way to make sure you never miss a show you want to see, regardless of the reason.
Ultimate TV is a GREAT way to watch a live sports event and never miss a play, even if you have to potty, grill the steaks, tend to the kids, or whatever!
Ultimate TV is the perfect arbitor to husband/wife spats over what to watch at any given hour.
Ultimate TV is a good way to make sure there's always something good to watch even when there's nothing on!
Out of the box and onto the tube
There are a few things you should know about Ultimate TV before heading out to the local electronics superstore to make that purchase.
First, you need a DirecTV dish with a dual LNB output. Translated, that means there has to be two cables coming off of your dish to the DirecTV receiver in order to take advantage of all its functionality. If you already have DirecTV, there's a good chance your dish already has this. If not, you'll have to pay a little extra for the proper LNB or a dish with the proper LNB.
Second, you will have to pay a $9.95 monthly fee to get the Digital Video Recorder built into this unit to do all it can do.
Third, even though Ultimate TV features a Web-TV feature that allows you to access the internet from your set, it's probably not the best way to go for net access. Web TV has limited functionality, it uses a slow phone modem and it will cost you extra to access the net through the ISP you currently use. You can use Web TV as your ISP, and three hours of connection time are included in the $9.95 monthly fee, or you can pay an extra $20/month and get unlimited access through Web TV.
Now that I feel like I've prepared you for the all the negatives you may encounter, lets talk about all the wonders that this Swiss Army Knife of a TV system has.
The Digital Video Recorder
If you've seen the ads on TV for Ultimate TV or TiVO, you probably have a pretty good idea of what the Digital Video Recorder can do.
If not, let me take a whack at explaining it.
First, a DVR is a computer-based system to record the received video signal directly onto a hard drive. This gives you instantaneous playback, rewind, fast-forward, pause, slow-motion, etc., just like a DVD player.
One of the features of a DVR is it's ability to pause live TV. For example: say it's Superbowl Sunday, and you've had a few beers. Your favorite team is driving for the go-ahead touchdown, but your bladder didn't buy a ticket for the game. In the old days, you either had a TV staged in the bathroom for just such an emergency, or you turned up the sound loud enough to hear from the privvy and hoped you would return fast enough to see anything exciting.
NOW, you can PAUSE the game as if you were watching it on DVD. When you get back, you simply hit the PLAY button again and pick up right where you left off. Oh, and if the thought of watching the game in delayed time bothers you, simply wait until the commercial break and fast-forward through the ads until you're back LIVE.
The Clock Never Flashes 12:00
OK. Example Scenario Number 2: Say instead of staying home to watch the Superbowl, you have to _______. (fill in the blank with "work", "mow lawn", "have emergency surgery", or whatever). Simply tell Ultimate TV to record the show. How? Just scroll through the on-screen programming guide and find the show your interested (for example, "Superbowl". Highlight the show and hit the RECORD button. That's it. You're done. No entering time and date. No telling it HOW LONG to record. No fuss, no worries. A little red dot will appear next to the name of the show in the guide to show that you have selected that show to be recorded.
Why Compromise When You Can Have it Both Ways
Example Scenario Number 3: You want to watch the Superbowl, but the Mrs. wants to watch the North Platte Cat Show finals, which is running on the Cat Show Channel. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO??
With Ultimate TV, you have three choices: Choice 1) Watch the Superbowl LIVE and record the Cat show. Choice 2) Record the Superbowl and go rotate the tires on the SUV while she watches the Cat show live, or Choice 3) you and the Mrs. go for a nice long drive in the country while you record BOTH shows for later viewing at your leisure.
Ultimate TV solves one of TiVO's shortcomings (and any VCR, for that matter). It has two independent tuners which allow you to exercise your choices of what to watch and record. It doesn't, however have THREE tuners. If you want to watch one show and record two more at the same time, you are out of luck.
...These are the Days Of Our Lives...
Example Scenario Number 4: While staying home sick on the Monday following Superbowl Sunday (presumably because you celebrated your team's victory a little too much), you accidentally catch an episode of some daytime drama and get addicted. Since you can't call in sick everyday, you'll have to improvise. Just set your Ultimate TV to record "Days" everyday. It will. Like clockwork. When you get home, instead of watching the 6 o'clock news, you catch up on the latest goings-on with the guy in the eyepatch. (What? There is more than one soap with a guy with an eyepatch??).
All Duke, All The Time
Example Scenario Number 5: Like any good football fan, you are also a fan of John Wayne. You come home one day from work and find that your trusty dog has chewed through your entire John Wayne VHS collection. Without panicing, you simply instruct Ultimate TV to search out every John Wayne movie showing for the next two weeks and record them.
Ultimate TV keeps a program guide for 2 weeks from the current date. It can search the guide by keyword (actor, title, or description) and highlight all the shows that fit your search criteria. If the Mrs. wants to see every cat show showing for the next two weeks, she can tell Ultimate TV's guide to search for "cat shows" and Viola! She'll see so many cats that she'll be hacking up furballs herself.
Ultimate TV? Well, almost...
Even with all the wonders described above, Ultimate TV is not quite. Here's a wishlist to make it truly ultimate:
-DVD burner built-in to allow for UNLIMITED archival of important recordings (read Superbowls XXXV-LXXV),
-DirectPC internet compatability so net surfing can be as satisfying as channel surfing,
-HDTV-compatable tuner for those with a HD monitor,
-ability to record local broadcasts as well as satellite programming,
All these things on the wishlist are possible with today's technology.
In closing, I find myself wondering how I got along without Ultimate TV until now. I used to miss a lot if I left the room for some reason. Now I don't miss anything. Even though there is still room for improvement, I still recommend this device to anyone that watches TV.
***UPDATE!***
DirecTV has just added MORE local channels to their lineup in most major viewing markets. Now, instead of just getting the 4 major networks, you can also receive, via your UltimateTV receiver, local independents, UPN, WB, etc., thus satisfying one of my wishlist items above!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
dabo
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Location: McKinney, TX
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Certified Safety Professional and frequent traveler. I'm the one in the glasses.
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