KevinAr18 said:
I don't own a TIVO, so I can't say this for sure, but looking at everything that it offers it looks like a blatent ripoff.
The ripoff part is not the device itself, but having to pay a monthly fee. The concept behind TIVO (recording TV) can easily be handled by a custom built computer system with a Video Capture card. Alternatively, if you couple the system with something, like the ATI All-in-Wonder, you then get the remote, as well as the software for scheduling programs for recording.
Why, someone would want to pay TIVO a monthly fee doesn't make any sense to me.
Now... I am told that TIVO does have the feature to filter out advertisements; however, this is nothing that would require a monthly fee. A single programmer could design a program in about a month's time (if he is a good programmer) that would be able to filter out all advertisements with near 100% effectiveness. After the program is made, little maintenance would be required. All that would be needed is for someone to make the program once, and everyone can benefit from it from then on.
Knowing that it would be rather easy to make a device that you could put together one time and would require no costs afterwards, it bothers me that any company would dupe people into paying a monthly fee. It seriously makes me question a company that would do such a thing, while knowing that there is easily a way to do the same thing with very little monthly cost.
Name me one package that provides the features that TiVo does with a 'set it and forget it' convenience.
Not everyone wants to tinker with a homemade set top box. The worst problem I have had has been taken care of with a simple power off reset.
Is there any other package out there that will allow me to pick the programs that I want to watch and find them no matter what local or satellite channel they are on, when the times change and not duplicate reruns. What package will automatically record alternative shows that I have indicated an interest in when it isn't busy recording my programmed shows? Will those packages automatically download and install firmware updates to themselves? Do any of those packages keep up with the satellite provider's channel number changes, additions, deletions AND send me an 'email' to let me know?
As for your speculating about how easy it would be for a programmer to create some mythical code to skip commercials..... where is it? I've been skipping through commercials for years now (30 seconds at a time). While we are all waiting for some white knight programmer, I'm enjoying what I have for these many years.
Finally, I find it pretty arrogant of you to imply that I have been duped by TiVo. While you may find it 'simple' to build your own, I'm sure you are not so stupid as to think everyone thinks the way you do. I've been doing electrical engineering and software design/coding since the 70's. I could certainly put together a home video recorder system. I just choose not to. The 'thrill' of building this stuff isn't there anymore. There are far, far more people that are simply incapable of doing so.
While you pontificated upon Tivo's 'blaten ripoff' and 'dupe[ing] people', you never once mentioned any real off-the-shelf alternative.