PVR Rundown

Are you confused by the current state of affairs in the PVR world? What is a PVR you ask (where have YOU been?)? A PVR is basically a time shifting device for TV content. Wha?? It records stuff so you can watch it later. "But isn't that what a VCR does?" you ask. Oh pishaw! Did you ever really learn how to figure out how to program your VCR? I mean, I could have figured out how to launch the Space Shuttle in the time it took me to figure out the various arcane interfaces to programming the VCR. Well think of the Tivo and other PVRs as devices that let you pick a show with an on screen program guide (like your old school TV Guide, except on the TV) and it will record it. No fuss, no muss.

While there are many free services out there, I pay for my Tivo service because it works extremely well and is unbelievably easy to use. My wife loves both of the Tivos we have because we can sling shows back and forth between them depending on where we are choosing to "relax" (I use the word relax in quotes because she's using doing her artwork while I work on this site or my other site). In the end, I may switch to SageTV or Windows Media Center, but I need to get a 21st century PC at home first. Yes, I still have an ancient Pentium 3 750Mhz at home. Pathetic, but that thing still runs fine (I don't play many PC games so it works just fine with the web and email).

Anyway, if you're interested in finding out more about the world of PVRs, check out PCWorld.com - TV Time Shifters. It's a great high level overview of the state of affairs in the PVR world.