PS: Wassup with Will being voted off SYTYCD?!?!?!? IV Real?!?!?
Friday, July 25, 2008
TiVo or not TiVo, that is in fact my question for you...
So I'd love to post all about the world's happenins' and how wretched this summer week has been but what I really want to know is whether or not you use TiVo. Or do you DVR? Or what? I can't believe I'm about to admit this here on the world wide web but we honestly still use a *ahem* VCR if we ever need to record live TV. Usually we really don't watch much TV at all or we just skip it but lately we've let regularly scheduled programming hold us hostage! Our kids go to bed late, we scarf down dinner, etc just so we don't miss anything on So You Think You Can Dance. It's sad and frankly, it's not very 21st century. So I need to hear your input before we plunk down the dough for a new way of life. And believe me, I know... it will be worth every penny and we won't know how we ever lived without it. I just want to know what IT should be. Much thanks!
PS: Wassup with Will being voted off SYTYCD?!?!?!? IV Real?!?!?
PS: Wassup with Will being voted off SYTYCD?!?!?!? IV Real?!?!?
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10 comments:
Um, you're forgetting the fact that you still owe us a "chipmunk-pic"? Are you stalling or what?
Just to answer your survey,
C, neither. We do have a DVD recorder that came in very handy during last years World Cup and this years AL/AU game while Tony was at work, though.
Sally and I use our VCRs (yes, both) all the time. In fact, we have yet to watch our tape of the SYTYCD result show, so thanks for spoiling it for me !) I'm going to buy a DVR as soon as they make one that can tune in over-the-air HD broadcasts since we don't have cable. We'll need it in February anyway when they stop broadcasting analog signals.
Tom, perhaps you would like to be a guest author here at Steph's Other Space and elaborate on the "switch to digital" in February 09. I'm sure you would do a MUCH better job explaining it to all us here than I ever could. I think my little family is covered because we have cable but I have found many others are curious about more info. And sorry about the spoiler... IV REAL!
Shannon, thanks for reminding me about the "chipmunk pic." My mom is supposed to email me a copy soon and when she does, you'll see it here first! Wow, you readers don't let anything slide, do you?!?!
D-vo..yo! :)
Glad I caught up on SYTYCD before the spoil! And no, I can't believe it! Dumb America!
We need to vote off that Chris Kattan Mr. Peeps! He's good but not better than Will! No way!
Well I'm behind since I've been out of town. But just to throw my two cents in because I know you want it, we have a Tivo and LOVE it. I have no experience with a DVR but I assume it's the same as a Tivo (though I have heard a Tivo is easier to use, but again I have not experience with the DVR). Once you go Tivo (or DVR) you'll never return to the VCR.
we dvr. it is amazing and i love it and hope i never have to go back to life without it!
also, cannot believe will went homw. LAME.
So folks, who will go home tonight? That was an AWESOME show. I'd love to see them on tour. And Stacy, it makes me wish I had not quit dancing, though I don't think my body could have ever kept up. :(
Okay, here goes. By now everyone knows that HDTV is better than the old analog TV because it has over twice the resolution plus Dolby 5.1 surround sound (great for watching Alabama football games when you're a thousand miles away). With analog TV, stations can only transmit one thing at a time on their assigned channel. With digital transmission, stations can transmit one HD broadcast in the same channel, or they can reduce the resolution and transmit up to four different shows simultaneously in the same channel.
Currently, TV stations are broadcasting their same old analog broadcasts on their original channel and broadcasting their digital broadcasts on another channel. For example, in Providence, CBS transmits its analog content on channel 12 while broadcasting its digital content on channel 13 (before 2002 no Providence-area TV stations used channel 13 - it was just empty, but more on that later). We can tune our analog TV to channel 13, but it can't make sense of the digital signal. In February 2009, TV stations will stop broadcasting on their analog channels and only transmit on their digital channels.
What this means is that to tune in broadcasts with only an antenna (no cable or satellite dish), you need a TV with a built-in digital tuner or a separate box that tunes in the digital signal and converts it to analog for your TV. This is pretty clear-cut for watching TV live, but what if you want to record it and watch later? The problem is that your old VCR can't tune in digital broadcasts either. As with the TV, you can junk your VCR and buy a new one with a digital tuner (I don't think such a beast actually exists) or you can buy another tuner just for your VCR. Only your VCR can't tell the box what channel you programmed it to record, so you would also have to program your box (or tune it to the station you want to record and leave it on). You need to check the fine print on TiVo (or any other DVR) as well, because if all it has is an analog tuner, it doesn't matter if it records digitally, it will just record fuzz.
Now the DVRs that come with satellite dishes or cable don't have that problem because they are specifically designed for DirecTV, Comcast, etc. so if you pay for digital service, there's generally no problem recording it as long as you use their equipment.
So why turn off the analog channels at all? I mean they're not hurting anyone, right? The answer is $$$. The FCC recently auctioned off a few unused TV channels for 19.6 Billion dollars. Cellular providers will use these previously unused portions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum to provide nifty new features to their customers. As for the FCC, I don't know what they could possibly spend $19.6B on, but my guess is that it won't be more censors.
Congratulations. You actually made it through the entire speech without giving up and leaving. If you just skimmed over to see how it ends, all you need to know is don't buy a VCR between now and February 2009, and if you buy a DVR, be sure it can tune in digital broadcasts if you get your TV from an antenna.
Post any questions here, and I'll see what I can do to answer them. Steph, thanks for the chipmunk pic, it reminded me of all the fun I had when I got out my wisdom teeth.
Let's try be reasonable.
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