Comments on: Going for over a year without a DVR http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr User Interface , Art, Design, Games Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:47:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Dish DVR http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-167280 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 23:50:45 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-167280 Wow how did you survive that? That is like giving up a cell phone for a year...NOT HAPPENING. Wow how did you survive that? That is like giving up a cell phone for a year…NOT HAPPENING.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: RohoMech http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-101511 Sat, 19 May 2007 16:39:55 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-101511 Yea, its the wonderful "paradox of choice", which seems to be applying here. With your DVR, you have a choice of shows, any of which you enjoy, but now its harder to pick which one VS now that you don't have a choice, you kind of watch whatever as long as its moderatly interesting. Oddly enough, I find myself doing the same thing with music vs streaming stations. When I have to queue up a playlist / or randomly shuffle the songs I have, I'll skip a lot of songs, ones that I'm not in the mood to listen to. But with a streaming station, I'll sit through whatever low points and enjoy whatever high points. Yea, its the wonderful “paradox of choice”, which seems to be applying here. With your DVR, you have a choice of shows, any of which you enjoy, but now its harder to pick which one VS now that you don’t have a choice, you kind of watch whatever as long as its moderatly interesting.

Oddly enough, I find myself doing the same thing with music vs streaming stations. When I have to queue up a playlist / or randomly shuffle the songs I have, I’ll skip a lot of songs, ones that I’m not in the mood to listen to. But with a streaming station, I’ll sit through whatever low points and enjoy whatever high points.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Hanford http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100927 Thu, 17 May 2007 19:48:17 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100927 >BTW, PVR actually reduces the amount of time the TV is on in the house Totally! In fact, if I were a better writer that would have been more obvious in my post that: 1. Before DVR I scheduled my life around TV shows (so to speak) 2. With a DVR the TV was on much less but with the shows I love. 3. Now without a DVR the TV is on muche less, but with whatever's on at the time. So I got used to watching TV in a different way with the DVR. The weird thing is now without one, I still watch TV at the same times and on the same whims as when I had my DVR, I'm just not getting the same shows. I'm getting whatever happens to be on. >BTW, PVR actually reduces the amount of time the TV is on in the house

Totally! In fact, if I were a better writer that would have been more obvious in my post that:

1. Before DVR I scheduled my life around TV shows (so to speak)
2. With a DVR the TV was on much less but with the shows I love.
3. Now without a DVR the TV is on muche less, but with whatever’s on at the time.

So I got used to watching TV in a different way with the DVR. The weird thing is now without one, I still watch TV at the same times and on the same whims as when I had my DVR, I’m just not getting the same shows. I’m getting whatever happens to be on.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Stevie http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100912 Thu, 17 May 2007 18:14:54 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100912 >>Right now my solution is just to watch whatever is on. It works, more or less. It may work for you, but I would never allow that for my kids. Last thing I want is them to be at the mercy of the current network schedule. BTW, PVR actually reduces the amount of time the TV is on in the house for all members of the household. Not because ads are skipped but because you realize how many shows are junk when given the choice of "whatever is one at the moment" vs shows you know you enjoy on demand. >>Right now my solution is just to watch whatever is on. It works, more or less.

It may work for you, but I would never allow that for my kids. Last thing I want is them to be at the mercy of the current network schedule.

BTW, PVR actually reduces the amount of time the TV is on in the house for all members of the household. Not because ads are skipped but because you realize how many shows are junk when given the choice of “whatever is one at the moment” vs shows you know you enjoy on demand.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Hanford http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100697 Thu, 17 May 2007 04:32:29 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100697 Thank Justin. I know I'm pretty different than most users ... was really just a personal experiment. Thank Justin. I know I’m pretty different than most users … was really just a personal experiment.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Justin http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100695 Thu, 17 May 2007 04:01:26 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100695 Interesting experiment, but I think you might be quite different than the legions of other people. Most people are quite fine with the interface (I know I am for the most part) and they will evolve as the market evolves. I bought a series 2 Tivo 2.5 years ago and fell in love with it. I do agree with you that it's an interim hack to the future business model, but I enjoy the convenience now (and I don't quite know when all the shows are on). I will hold on to this tivo for a long time until the next significant evolution. HD tivo doesn't interest me yet (except perhaps for racing) even though I have an HD capable screen. It's cool that you did this, being that you are steeped in the technology itself. Interesting experiment, but I think you might be quite different than the legions of other people. Most people are quite fine with the interface (I know I am for the most part) and they will evolve as the market evolves.

I bought a series 2 Tivo 2.5 years ago and fell in love with it. I do agree with you that it’s an interim hack to the future business model, but I enjoy the convenience now (and I don’t quite know when all the shows are on). I will hold on to this tivo for a long time until the next significant evolution. HD tivo doesn’t interest me yet (except perhaps for racing) even though I have an HD capable screen.

It’s cool that you did this, being that you are steeped in the technology itself.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Hanford http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100608 Wed, 16 May 2007 19:48:36 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100608 Steve & Roho: No, my tolerance for commercials went right back up! I happily sit through them, chatting with my girlfriend, using my laptop, or taking a bio or snack break. Brad: A bit more about what I'm waiting for: Right now my solution is just to watch whatever is on. It works, more or less. I think I'll upgrade to an on-demand service where I hear that it's easy to hook up and has the selection of shows I want. Admittedly I have not been paying much attention to how this has evolved recently. Steve & Roho: No, my tolerance for commercials went right back up! I happily sit through them, chatting with my girlfriend, using my laptop, or taking a bio or snack break.

Brad: A bit more about what I’m waiting for: Right now my solution is just to watch whatever is on. It works, more or less. I think I’ll upgrade to an on-demand service where I hear that it’s easy to hook up and has the selection of shows I want. Admittedly I have not been paying much attention to how this has evolved recently.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Stevie http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100604 Wed, 16 May 2007 19:29:28 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100604 I found this interesting. I'm also curious how you handle the commercials. I DVR (formerly with TIVO, currently with Replay boxes and a home-built SageTV box for HD) but find I don't watch them much any longer. I do have 4 shows I watch: 24, The Office, Survivor, and Amazing Race. Never that evening... and many times I have multiple queued up unviewed. And it is when I skip the endless advertisements that I feel if I didn't have DVR I would watch *nothing*, except maybe the HD channels on public TV that don't have ads. So how are you doing during the ads? My guess is you just don't care much about TV viewing any more and so during the ads you walk away from the set and many times don't come back. I found this interesting. I’m also curious how you handle the commercials. I DVR (formerly with TIVO, currently with Replay boxes and a home-built SageTV box for HD) but find I don’t watch them much any longer. I do have 4 shows I watch: 24, The Office, Survivor, and Amazing Race. Never that evening… and many times I have multiple queued up unviewed. And it is when I skip the endless advertisements that I feel if I didn’t have DVR I would watch nothing, except maybe the HD channels on public TV that don’t have ads.

So how are you doing during the ads? My guess is you just don’t care much about TV viewing any more and so during the ads you walk away from the set and many times don’t come back.

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: RohoMech http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100594 Wed, 16 May 2007 18:22:05 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100594 Its interesting to see how you came to the "schedule-free" tv conclusion. And also how that's led to other changes. I found the tv-watching + eating link to be pretty crazy, for a while in college, I would always watch tv while eating lunch and dinner. After a while, that association built to the point where the act of watching a TV show got me hungry. I've managed to change that association to something else (I rarely watch a tv show when I'm not programming or running on the treadmill), and now I feel a similiar longing for those new activities whenever I sit down and try to channel surf (it usually ends with me not watching anything). I do agree with what you're saying at the end, eventually some sort of stream/download on-demand internet tv service is going to kill off the schedule-based TV shows. As a side note, has your tolerance for commercials decreased as well? Its interesting to see how you came to the “schedule-free” tv conclusion. And also how that’s led to other changes.

I found the tv-watching + eating link to be pretty crazy, for a while in college, I would always watch tv while eating lunch and dinner. After a while, that association built to the point where the act of watching a TV show got me hungry. I’ve managed to change that association to something else (I rarely watch a tv show when I’m not programming or running on the treadmill), and now I feel a similiar longing for those new activities whenever I sit down and try to channel surf (it usually ends with me not watching anything).

I do agree with what you’re saying at the end, eventually some sort of stream/download on-demand internet tv service is going to kill off the schedule-based TV shows.

As a side note, has your tolerance for commercials decreased as well?

]]> Comment on Going for over a year without a DVR by: Hanford http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100356 Tue, 15 May 2007 20:26:56 +0000 http://blog.hanfordlemoore.com/2007/05/14/going-for-over-a-year-without-a-dvr#comment-100356 EDIT: Dunno. I'm not actively waiting for anything specific. I guess that it comes down to me not really craving television the way I used to, since there are valid options (A new DVR; appleTV, TV shows on DVD, etc). See my lower blog comments for more insight on this; I've added a bit more. EDIT: Dunno. I’m not actively waiting for anything specific. I guess that it comes down to me not really craving television the way I used to, since there are valid options (A new DVR; appleTV, TV shows on DVD, etc).

See my lower blog comments for more insight on this; I’ve added a bit more.

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