dvrbulletin.com

Welcome everyone to DVR Bulletin’s Video of the Week. Each week, I scour the Internet to bring you, the faithful reader, a brand new video about DVRs.

This week we have a short clip from Robot Chicken, that show on Comedy Central’s Adult Swim. Do you think your Tivo is running your life? Just check out the video.

If you’re like me you have lots of movies on your Netflix queue. I just checked my account and found that I have 246 movies in my queue. How many are in your queue?

There’s been some buzz around this plug-in for Tivo DVRs that lets users view their Netflix queue via Tivo. It also works with Amazon’s Unbox and Blockbuster online, but who uses those anyway?

The plug-in is open source, and can actually let you browse and purchase movies from Amazon. (Ok, that’s a pretty cool feature.) Although you can’t download movies via Netflix’s service yet, you can still browse and re-order your queue. Perhaps once Netflix opens up their movie download service to more users, this feature can be added.

The bummer is that the software runs on Galleon, which is software you have to install over your Tivo operating system. And how many people are going to do that? Someone who’s either a geek or a borderline geek.

Actually, I’d like to give it a try. I just wish I had a spare Tivo that I could use in case I have to re-format it or something else goes wrong. I’ve got lots of shows from 5 months ago, that I’ve really been meaning to watch (this means you The Aleut Story).

Bonus: Watch a video of the Galleon in action.

[Via Sickles Insight]

[tags] DVR, Tivo, Netflix, Galleon, digital video recorder, Unbox, Amazon [/tags]

Don’t own a DVR? Still own a VCR? Well, it’s time to get hip. Heck, it’s 2007 already–we should have flying cars pretty soon.  So why do you still have a VCR hooked up to your TV? Is it feer of letting go? Feeling nostalgic? Don’t want to get rid of your awesome VHS tape movie collection?

Here’s the top 10 reasons why you should throw away your VCR and buy a DVR.

1. It Doesn’t Make You Geeky. Years ago, having a DVR meant you were geeky, or weird, or watched too much TV. Today, DVRs are becoming very mainstream and anyone can use one. Tivo is very easy to use, and has cutesy menus and graphics. Best of all, you don’t need a PhD to connect it to your TV. It’s pretty easy and you only have to do it once.
2. DVRs Are Not As Expensive As you Think. The most popular DVR can cost anywhere from free to about $800 for an HD version. Then there are monthly service fees of about $20 a month. That can get expensive, but there are cheaper options. Cable and satellite providers are now offering DVRs (standard and Hi Def) for about $10 a month extra. They come built-in to the cable box that you normally get, so you won’t need space for an extra box.
3. You’ll Never Need VHS Tapes Again. You have lots of them stored somewhere, don’t you? Perhaps they’re in your TV cabinet somewhere. Well, since DVRs use a hard drive, you’ll hever have to feverishly look for a blank VHS tape to record your favorite show. Just go ahead and throw away all your blank VHS tapes. In a few years, they’ll be obsolete anyway.
4. Never Stare at that Blinking VCR Clock Again. VCRs have those annoying clocks on the front that you could never figure out how to program so it’s always blinking 12:00. Well, DVRs don’t have little screens in the front. Tivo, just has two lights, one of them goes red when you’re recording a show. DVRs from cable companies often do have a screen, but since they’re set by the provider, you’ll always have the correct time (or channel) staring back at you.
5. It Will Change How You Watch TV. Having a DVR will make it fun to watch TV again. You can skip commercials, never miss your favorite shows, get shows recommended to you and pause live TV. WIthout a doubt, DVRs are the most disruptive technology in the last few years. Nothing else can change your TV viewing as dramatically as DVRs.
6. You’re Not Tied into Network Schedules. Remember Must-See TV? Or racing home after work to watch your favorite new Friends episode? With DVRs you’re not locked into schedules created by TV networks. You’re free to watch any TV show at any time you want. Of course, live shows or reality shows are best watched the day they record, but at least you can…
7. Zip Past Commercials. Save time! And possiblyl money! Never watch another commercial again. Unless you really want to. DVRs let you skip past commercials so 1 hour shows can be viewed in about 43 minutes. Half hour shows are really just 23 minutes or so. Imagine what you can do with that extra time.
8. Admit It: You Can’t Program a VCR Anyway. Programming a VCR was never easy for most people. I did it a few times but it was just too tedious so I just used the VCR to watch movies.
9. A VCR is Just Taking up Space. It’s time to throw away that VCR. They’re great for gathering dust but you never use it anwyway. You can free up some space under the TV for something better, like a DVR or a Wii.
10. DVRs Are More than Just Watching TV. With DVRs like Tivo, you can view photos and listen to music from your home computer on your TV. New services from Tivo include the ability to a) purchase or rent recent Hollywood movies 2) send home movies to other Tivo users, 3) watch Internet video on your Tivo, 4) listening to Internet radio. And lots more.

Isn’t it time you threw it away once and for all? Do it now. Go ahead.  I’ll wait.

Ok, great. Now don’t you feel better?

Let me know if you’ve finally dumped your VCR and why.

According to a study by some unknown political ad firm, MSHC Partners, DVRs are changing the way political candidates are advertising. The company surveyed DVR and non-DVR users and found that many DVR users are skipping political ads–and some other obvious facts.

The results (in this press release) aren’t too surprising, since DVRs are changing all TV advertising. As viewers skip past commercials, how likely is it that they will want to stop and watch a political ad? Political TV ads are the worst kinds of advertising since they’re biased, poorly produced and usually lame.

Of course people are saying that they can use Internet video, such as YouTube to get their message out. Remember last year’s political ad featuring Michael J. Fox? The commercial was for a local political race, but after it was shared on YouTube, the entire country was watching it and talking about it.

Another example happened recently when the Hilary Clinton-1984 spoof video appeared on the Internet.

So yes, DVRs are changing advertising, including political ads. Politicians need to do things that use the Internet and other media. For example Barack Obama can buy advertisements through Tivo so that their ads appear in Tivo DVRs. I wonder if Tivo can narrow its customers and target specific zip codes so that they can go local as well.

What’s a Tivo? I’m sure you know all about Tivo. But someone uploaded a music video called “What’s a Tivo” and it’s a great time waster for a Friday. The lyrics are kind of funny and it’s just overall silliness.

The New York Times has a quick article about a new gadget called the iLuv i182, which converts video from your TV to an iPod.

It connects via an S-video port and records directly to an iPod’s hard drive. The i182 costs $229 .

Chris Tew, formerly of PVR Wire, writes in WebTV Wire about what the DVR of the future would look like. Some of the things he lists are gimmes–features that current DVRs already perform, like pausing live TV and scheduling shows.

Others are more interesting such as:

• A podcast, vodcast aggregator. Tivo does Live365 Internet radio, but the ability to catch podcasts would be cool. I hate to admit it, but I’ve only started watching Rocketboom on my Tivo in the last six months. And I don’t really even try to watch Rocketboom on my computer. Go figure.

• A Web browser. Yes, I’ve always wanted that. As some commenters are saying, however, a home theater PC (HTPC) can do a lot of the things that Tew lists. This would be one of them. I already have a laptop in my living room, which works great since I don’t have to stop what I’m watching on TV.

• A recordable Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive. I’ll take that too. They’re just too expensive right now. Heck, I’ll just take a Tivo with a built-in regular DVD drive.
  

• A unified search tool. Finding stuff on a DVR with lots of storage would be tough. Especially if it was hooked up to your home PCs. Attention Google: this could be an interested tool for DVRs.

• A video-on-demand rental service. Tivo already has Amazon’s Unbox service. And you likely have on-demand via your cable or sattelite provider. But a good seamless service would be great.

• Portable media player integration. There are legal hurdles, not technological ones. I want to hook up my iPod directly to my Tivo, with no middle device.

One thing I would like to add is the ability to create YouTube clips, directly from my Tivo remote. Then upload them to my YouTube account without ever having to go to my desktop computer.

According to HDTiVo, there’s a loophole that lets users download purchased Amazon Unbox movies to multiple Tivos in your house.

After buying an Unbox movie for downloading, you can choose multiple Tivos from the drop-down box.

“After doing that, a confirm page comes up (for me in a new tab) which I close. I am left with the prior thumbnail page that still has the drop down box. I can then choose another device to download to and click download…”

As ZatzNotFunny points out, you don’t have to do this, since “the license and content are transferable, but like many hacks that isn’t the point.”

[via ZatzNotFunny]

Has this ever happened to you? You’re at the water cooler at work and you hear your co-workers talking about last night’s episode of “Lost”. You know, the one about Nikki and Paulo.

But since you went to the local happy hour and stayed out too late, you missed the episode (even though your Tivo DVR recorded it for later viewing). So there you are, about to overhear the latest spoilers of your favorite TV show… So you you decide to run away before you hear anything.

Sound familiar? It’s happened to me a few times. One time I missed the latest episode of “American Idol” and didn’t want to know who was voted off. All day, I had to avoid certain websites, TV news and people eager to talk about Idol until I got home and watched the episode. Sucks, eh? Water cooler conversation blocked.

I remember a stand-up comedian–I don’t remember who it was–that described the exact same thing about a movie he had just watched on DVD. He said that he hadn’t watched a certain popular movie when it came out–I think it was The Usual Suspects–until just recently when he caught it on DVD. He thought it was cool, but he had no one to talk to about it. Everyone he tried to discuss the movie with dismissed him with a “Oh, that movie? I saw that 10 years ago!” (The comedian was much funnier than this description of his joke, trust me.)

Anyway, I believe that Tivo’s are making it hard to have water cooler conversation. People without DVRs are OK with missing episodes. Not me. I can’t miss one real-time minute of “24″ however. As a result, I tend to watch lots of shows in near-real time. Usually, just about 20 minutes delayed so I don’t have to watch any commercials.

I also tend to watch shows the same night that they air. So I look forward to Monday nights because of “24″ and “Dancing with the Stars”. I like Tuesdays because of “American Idol” And Wednesday nights are fun because of “Lost”. These are must-see TV shows. Otherwise, I have to impose a total media blackout, and tell people not to talk about TV.

So I guess I’ve come to the realization that I’m still a slave to network programmers and TV schedules after all. I watch Idol on the night it records because I want to vote (for Sanjaya, of course). And I thought DVRs were going to eliminate the need to know when my favorite shows were on.

Oops, gotta go, I want to watch the latest “Dancing with the Stars ” so I can join in on the water cooler gabfest tomorrow morning.

Update: Just found this article entitled “Tivo Killed the Water-Cooler Star”, which I swear I found after writing this post. Oh well, guess lots of people are noticing this!

[tags] Tivo, DVR, digital video recorder, water cooler, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, 24 [/tags]