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PVRs how can you live without them
snoweyowl
Posts: 1,922 Forum Member
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Reading these posts I still see people saying they didn't watch something because they wanted to watch another channel. Have they never heard of PVRs, that's Personal Video Recorders, devices which allow you to record programs or series of programs at the touch of a button.
I was an early adopter of these things twelve years ago. Nowadays I never watch anything with adverts live because the PVR allows me to swiftly jump past them. You can also jump past padding. The actual content of the X Factor is about 15 minutes.
They cost little nowadays and are very useful so it mystifies me why there are so many people who don't have them.
I was an early adopter of these things twelve years ago. Nowadays I never watch anything with adverts live because the PVR allows me to swiftly jump past them. You can also jump past padding. The actual content of the X Factor is about 15 minutes.
They cost little nowadays and are very useful so it mystifies me why there are so many people who don't have them.
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Completely agree. And you can pause live shows, fabulous. I'd never go back.
Have you ever had one?
I think increasingly people use internet services to catchup with things they can't watch live instead.
PVRs may seem vital at the moment, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they are rendered obsolete by live and on demand TV over internet.
The time-shifting capabilities of the online Olympic coverage and to an extent current online services makes the idea of manually recording something on your PVR seem rather quaint
I often record things which I am watching live if I think I may need to see it again, for example a programme like Sherlock, which is so full of detail that you are likely to miss something first time around.
I also like recording things which are, for example, a three part programme which I may prefer to view in one sitting rather than watch an episode and wait a whole week for the next one.
BIB, Yup that's clearly it, everyone who doesn't do as you do is an idiot (insert rolleyes here).
I wouldn't and don't watch BGT or I'm a Celeb, wouldn't call you an idiot for watching them though, maybe I should stick my head further up my own arris to get to the right level of self belief?
There are a few people on DS, don't know if you're one of them, but they get on my nips.
They pop up on various threads telling us how schedules don't matter any more as there are catch-up services, pvr's etc.
It's pretty clear that schedules DO matter to a great many people, but these bright sparks can't seem to get that into their heads.
I've got a PVR btw, use it a lot, mostly for timeshifting, still got docs on there from 2007 though.
I also download a lot of stuff from BBC Iplayer and Radio 4.
Stands at about 500gb at the moment.
They're handy for people who don't watch that much TV as they are very selective in their viewing.
I don't watch daytime TV at all, except for some live sport, I do record the occasional film shown during the day, like next week there's the 1943 Hitchcock, "Shadow of a Doubt" at 11.20 a.m. on More 4. I've already set my Humax PVR as we might not be in.
We can watch a programme on the TV in our front room which has its own tuner as well as record two others on the PVR. In another room we've Virgin plus on that TV, so there's more choices available with that system as well as the facility to record. Quite often we can be recording four programmes at the same time at 9.00pm. as frequently, there's naff-all worth watching at other times. We do occasionally watch live a different "prime time" programme.
But you have to make a conscious effort to plan what you are going to record. I'm sure a lot of contributors who say they missed something, probably could have recorded the programme, but forgot about it. I've done that.
It was said that this country had the highest density of video-recorders, (we've still got one, as well as a DVD/CD player, below each TV in both rooms), so I'd imagine it's the same with PVRs.
We sometimes don't get round to watching "prime-time" recordings until well after midnight, as there's more to life than TV.
My wife and I have diverse hobbies. Instead of watching TV I spend quite a bit of time playing with these, just one of my hobbies, or changing the playlists for them on my computer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXFX8TK3tjU
You may think they cost little; I couldn't afford one, even if it crossed my mind to get one, which it wouldn't.
Why would anyone watch BGT or I'm a Celeb? I agree with your last sentence.
Some people just aren't all that bothered about watching, or recording, any old rubbish on TV. May be difficult for some to grasp, but there it is.
So, no, catch-up services are *not* an adequate full alternative to a PVR. And neither is a VHS tape recorder as that does not allow you to start watching while it is still recording.
"It's de rigueur to record ANY commercial TV programmes as I abhor the interruption by advertisements. Dancing on Ice is especially annoying as there seems to be an ad at the end of each contestant's skate routine.
The powers that be must think the general public are stupid in this day and age, where the majority of us have access to recording devices that can allow us to miss all their expensive, often childish and inane adverts.
Most recorded programmes such as Morse, Vera and Downton Abbey etc. can be seen in much less time than the scheduled two hours allocated to some of these programmes."
The classic has always been "Strictly Come Dancing" which should really be called "Strictly Bruce Forsyth faffin' about trying to draw attention to himself, hogging the camera and forgetting his lines."
There's only just over two minutes of dancing for each dance executed by the competitors, in often a one and a half hour show.
Exactly!
Without one, TV can "schedule" your life.
Whilst I have sympathy for some who say they genuinely can't afford one, how many people say they are hard up, but can afford a top of the range mobile phone, booze and ****?
It can be for many, just a question of priorities.
I've actually watched more "live" TV today than I have for a while. Rugby and then I'm going to watch the Tennis.
Please do check and get back to me on that one. I won't be able to get to sleep tonight unless I know whether I'm on such an important list or not. Thanks in advance.
Well, you do have tickets on yourself if you think I've compiled a list and would bother checking your post history.
Shouldn't be surprised really, given your earlier stuff about people been idiots, I suppose.
Love it!
There are a few who get a bit "snippy" if they don't like what someone says about something relating to TV.
I find it all rather amusing.
What I find really funny is when I suggest there's "a little too much" (of whatever) in a programme, someone (who is obviously completely enamoured of it) will come back with "I s'ppose you'd only be happy if there were none at all!"
I call that offering only, "the feast or famine alternative."
One of my favourites that reminded me of the PVR situation, was from a "persistent poster" who, on thread to suit his argument said "There's always i>Player" and on another thread to suit a different argument a week later, "Not everyone has i>player."
DS can be a laugh a minute sometimes.