Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (
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One more "killer app" that a VCR cannot do: watch a show while it's
still being recorded! We love sitting down 15 minutes after the hour to
start watching a show from the beginning, skipping the commercials and
finishing up at the top of the hour. We start watching 15 min later for
the number of shows in a row. Example; if there are 3 shows in a row we
want to see we'll start watching 45 after the start of the 1st show and
be done at the same time as if we had watched them live.
Of course a VCR doesn't let you pause a "live" show when the phone
rings or go back and replay a segment. It'll do that if you're watching
a fully taped show but not when you're watching live.
And of course, with 40 to 360 hours of disk space, you don't have to
swap tapes or worry about running short.
From:ST
tringali@yahoo.com
> see.my.sig.4.addr@nowhere.com.invalid wrote:
>
>> I can't believe millions of people will tolerate paying to do what
>> their VCR could do for free.
>
> Ah, the old "it's just a fancy VCR" argument. You really should try
> one out to understand how it works.
>
> The interactive guide is the whole point of the unit. The value is in
> the integration of the recording/playback with the guide.
>
> My on-screen guide doesn't allow me to explore the shows
> interactively, find a show I like, and press one button to record it
> later. No translating that show into a channel, date, start time and
> end time. Find show, and press one button. And when the show gets
> moved an hour due to a football game it STILL records the right
> thing, because you're recording the show, not the time slot. Can a
> VCR do that?
> Can tvguide.com find all shows matching a category like "Auto racing"?
> Everything with Al Pacino it? Then record all of that automatically?
> It's all about the integration.
>
> That's why I dumped my VCR. The RTV much easier to record stuff,
> larger capacity, no rewinding or swapping tape, and you can watch
> while it records something else. It's not even close.
>
>> Just a side note, the guy who worked in the store where I looked at
>> a RTV said HE wouldn't even buy one because of the damn
>> subscription! And he no doubt gets discounts!
>
> I would never pay montly. Get a lifetime for $300. Could anyone
> build a dedicated PC to do that cheaper? It's not a lot of money for
> something that so many times more useful than the best VCR.