The Next Big Thing

Like Tickle Me Elmo for adults, or at least tech geeks like me, Digital Video Recorders are definitely the next big thing. I really want a DVR. I've even looked at putting one together from an old computer. The Trib has an article about them on their site, and it just gets me thinking about them again.

My sister has TiVo, and a friend also has one. Everyone who has them, loves them. When we were at my sister's house for Thanksgiving, I got a chance to check out some of TiVo's features. It's very cool. I especially like the idea of connecting the box to my home network and the internet scheduling feature. Great ideas. There are some limitations, though. Since we have digital cable, we wouldn't be able to watch one show while recording another. I'm sure we'll get one eventually.

I would guess that DVRs may become mandatory for some types of cable subscription programming. Imagine paying for the number of scheduling blocks of shows or movies that you request instead of paying a flat-fee without much schedule control. I think it will happen, while friends have pointed out that many people wouldn't like the idea that their viewing prefrences could be monitored. Understandable. Who knows.