i love tech gadgets. i have a pretty nifty phone that easily handles email or booking tickets online or synchronizing with my outlook calendar. i have a good-enough iPod (the now obsolete mini). i have a very slick sony vaio widescreen laptop. i have bose noise-cancelling headphones.
but one thing i do not have, that i really, really, really want, is tivo (or some other digital tv recording device). i still have an old vcr i can hook up in emergencies, though i didn’t get around to it last night. and because we had dinner guests over, i missed 24. i was told today by friends that if i allow this to happen again, i will be kicked out of the fan club (said in jest, as i am not part of any official fan club). i actually caught the last five minutes — so i know how it ended. and those who saw it filled me in on the important details.
but i only have two favorite shows: 24, and the apprentice. and now, thanks to the dorks of network tv programming, those two shows are running head-to-head on monday nights at 9pm. with tivo, this would be no problem, and i would seamlessly follow watching 24 with a commercial-free viewing of the apprentice. or the other way around, if my little heart so desired. i reseached the devices this weekend, and found i can get one for $160, or a better one for $220. and that’s certainly not insane. but we still have a chunk of credit card debt we’re trying to get rid of, and our family room carpeting and furniture (the very place i would watch these shows) is in desperate need of replacement, now that our room-mauling dog is 2 and mostly past his wellspring-0f-infinite-destruction days. so tivo is, reasonably — i’m forced to admit — not at the top of the wise expenditure list.
after teh 5 minutes of 24 last night, jeannie and i sat numbly in front of a&e’s rollergirls (which i’d read about, but not seen); i, in mourning. i’m pouting. can you see it from there?
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Stay tuned Marko, I saw on the news just last night that Tivo may be announcing a new deal in which the Tivo unit is FREE. It would of course come with a contract to sign; I’m sure much like a “free” cell phone. They said they may also just charge one up front fee for a lifetime. We’ll see. I want one too!
Comment by Brian 02.28.06 @ 5:59 pmAw man, you missed the best part: Section 112 declared at CTU. Bummer.
Comment by Jonathan Herron 02.28.06 @ 6:20 pmWhat about having a friend with a TiVo burn it onto a DVD for you? I’d do it if I recorded 24, but alas I watch it on DVD a season behind…. I am still in season 4 (Jack just found out pages were missing from the Nuclear football) I am Soooo behind
Comment by Kevin J. Bowman 02.28.06 @ 6:30 pmthis is why I wait for it to come out on DVD and I use my netflix to watch all of them…comercial free :O)
Comment by Erik 02.28.06 @ 6:31 pmbe patient the new version 3 HD-TiVos with two tuners come out a little later this year
Comment by geronbrown 02.28.06 @ 6:44 pmI have had my Tivo for several years and love it. I originally purchased mine for football games, but use it for other shows now. I use the ‘Season Pass’ function to record shows like 24 and I do not have to worry about remembering to set up a recorder.
One thing to consider is the monthly fee. I decided to pay the one lump sum option which amounted to prepaying for 20 months of the service. After 20 months the service is free.
Get one (when your finances are right) and you will love it.
Mike …
Comment by Mike 02.28.06 @ 7:13 pmMarko,
At Best Buy right now you can buy the 80-hour Tivo System and get a $150 mail-in rebate on it… therefore causing the entire system (not counting subscription) to cost only $69. I have wanted a Tivo for many years too and could not afford it untilt his great deal. Check it out - maybe that would be do-able.
Comment by Ryan Nielsen 02.28.06 @ 7:18 pm24 was pretty good last night. I loved when Buckaroo Bonzai/Robocop Peter Weller tried to blow up Jack…doesn’t he know that even dying can’t kill Jack Bauer?
Anyway, I got lucky…this summer my neighbor was forced to sell his TIVO in his yard sale. And the rest is history.
Comment by Sean 02.28.06 @ 7:20 pmSection 112 was great, but I don’t think this season will be up to snuff until Tony comes back next week. Then again, they could just easily ruin it with Kim back. Hopefully there’s no mountain lions around…
Comment by Roger Overton 02.28.06 @ 8:52 pmMarko:
one link for you:
tvtorrents.com
Download any show you can think of … burn them to DVD. Its how my 24 addicted family gets by … that or just wait and buy the DVD.
Its great!
Comment by nate 02.28.06 @ 11:05 pmSorry you missed 24 last night . . . it was an excellent episode! We don’t have Tivo either, similar reasons.
Question, tho, for those who are old enough to remember the Nixon White House - do you remember Attorney General John Mitchell’s wife Martha and how the White House tried to silence her? She was a bit player in Watergate, but oh, she knew
something was up! Wonder if it’s just coincidence that the prez’s wife in 21 is named Martha!!
Marko, I taped it … if you want me to send you a copy, drop me an email with your address. : ) I’m so lame I keep a vcr in my office so I can be sure my wife or kids won’t screw it up. It’s set for all my favorite shows ’cause apparently the church likes to schedule stuff during them.
Comment by Matthew McNutt 03.01.06 @ 12:13 pmI should clarify … my office is in my home. I reread that and had visions of myself watching 24 and Star Trek while “working” in the church building … yikes … I’ve got some cool elders, but I don’t think they’re that cool … !
Comment by Matthew McNutt 03.01.06 @ 3:56 pmmarko, who is your cable company? we have DVR through comcast… like tivo, just cheaper. works for us, anyway… haven’t missed a 24 episode yet!
Comment by Christy 03.02.06 @ 1:52 pmLeave a comment
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two words…
bittorrent
and
mininova.org
Think of it as internet-based Tivo™
Comment by bob 02.28.06 @ 5:55 pmIt’s how I watch Lost, Invasion and when I miss it, 24