More TV in less time
Written: Aug 13 '00
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Pros: Change your TV habits forever
Cons: Almost easy to use
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| billmc's Full Review: Philips TiVo PTV 300 Digital Recorder |
You need a Tivo. Stop reading this review now, and go buy one. What? You're still reading? OK, so you're not willing to spend a few hundred bucks instantly on the advice of a total stranger. I can live with that. But, please believe me when I say you need a Tivo.
A Tivo is a VCR with no tapes. Apparently, VCRs are like tigers. Once a tiger gets an appetite for human flesh, that's all they want to eat. Seems VCRs are the same way, except with tapes. After three trips to the shop, when my VCR ate my copy of Fantasia, it went in the trash. That's when I bought a Tivo.
You can't watch something you rent from the video store on your Tivo. But, you can record stuff off your cable or DSS dish, and watch it on your terms. Watching live TV will never be the same after your Tivo comes home from the store. Tivo lets you watch more TV in less time. Fast forward through the boring parts of the show, and the commercials, at one of three speeds. Even the fastest speed presents fairly clear images, so you can make a good guess about what's going on during the boring parts.
One unique feature of the Tivo is the thumbs up/thumbs down rating buttons. ALWAYS rate the shows you watch. Tivo has a feature which analyzes your viewing trends and picks things to record that you might like. (Get over the feeling that you need to watch all of Tivo's suggestions, you just can't do it.) The suggestions the Tivo makes are sometimes uncannily accurate. Less often, Tivo's suggestions are just plain weird. After a month or so of getting to know your Tivo, if you rate programs, your Tivo will be doing a great job of picking programs for you to watch.
A major improvement that is needed is the addition of a "jog forward" button. It would be so nice to be able to fast forward in 30 second intervals. No doubt Tivo didn't install this button due to pressure from advertisers. But, with a little practice, you can train yourself to fast forward through the commercials with barely a glance at the screen. I'd also like to be able to skip the daily phone calls for schedules and software updates. It would be really cool if the Tivo had an Ethernet jack so you could hook it up to your home LAN and update the schedule daily right over the Internet.
Sometimes, the setup can present a few challenges. I had to repeat the guided setup a couple of times before getting everything just right. That's OK, but can be time consuming. Tivo does do things its way. But, you can quickly master the few imperfections, and mostly turn them to your advantage.
Once you and your Tivo get acquainted, the Tivo's disk will always be populated with programs you'll enjoy watching. Try doing that with live TV! You may stop watching live TV after you get a Tivo. That's OK, at least with me. Tivo represents a great new technology, which everyone needs. Buy one now so Tivo knows you're serious. After a few more revisions to the software, Tivo will be better than it is today.
Go buy one. Now. You'll enjoy having the thing around.
--Bill
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399.
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Epinions.com ID:
billmc
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Member: Bill McCauley
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Details to follow when I get some spare time...
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