Living in the '90s

My wife and I discussed getting a TiVO recently. We don't watch many TV shows, but there are some we would like to watch if our schedules allowed it. "My Name is Earl" on NBC pops to mind. The 7-8 pm Central time slot is a dead zone for us, because that is always when at least one of us is doing the "B" routine with our two kids: bath, brush, books, and bed.

A TiVO might also help us to keep track of our favorite shows -- the ones we do want to watch if available -- as the networks randomly move them into different time slots from week to week. Maybe it just seems random, and different from week to week. Either way, it can be incredibly annoying!

I should explain a little about our current TV setup, which in some ways is very advanced and in some ways resembles TV before cable. You see, we don't subscribe to cable, Dish Network, DirecTV, or any other expanded lineup of channels. I know, it's shocking that people who still watch TV (not those crazies who completely avoid TV altogether) have decided to do without cable. My wife and I realized several years ago that we were watching too much TV with all the options available on standard cable (70-some-odd channels), so we first downsized to the basic package (about 12 channels). We then went to only over-the-air antenna reception after we moved to Illinois in 2005.

How can an over-the-air antenna setup possibly be advanced? First, I purchased a Sony HDTV, one with a built-in HD tuner, not one that said "HD ready." So the TV itself can decode the HD signals that all TV stations are required to broadcast, and I don't need any cable or satellite set-top box to be an intermediary. I researched what type of antenna I needed to receive HD signals through the ever-handy AntennaWeb.org website. I bought an omnidirectional powered antenna from Radio Shack, plus what I needed to mount that sucker on a five-foot pole on my roof. After that, it was a simple matter to connect the antenna feed via a standard coax cable into the back of my TV, turn it on, and start watching HD programming on the digital stations.

We currently receive several options on each traditional broadcast network. CBS, the last local affiliate to go digital, shows its usual lineup on 3.1 and another broadcast called MyCFN on 3.2. Our local PBS station usually shows different broadcasts on its three digital channels, 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3. WILL uses 12.3 as their version of a home & garden network. ABC just has 15.1, but they used to show a startup music video channel on 15.2. That was awesome, but failed because they didn't carry ads. NBC has its usual programming on 17.1 and an all-weather channel on 17.2. The same is true for the CW, Fox, and we even get some version of the Home Shopping Network over the air.

We also added what I now call "the brains" of our home entertainment center, a Mac Mini. The Mini allows us to connect to the Internet from the living room, using the Sony HDTV as the monitor (had to get a DVI-to-HDMI converter cable to make the connection work). We store our music, pictures, videos, etc. on the Mini, and can download movie purchases from iTunes and watch them right through the TV. The Mini is also hooked into the surround sound system I already had, so movie sound comes through the surround speakers in the living room. We watch DVDs using the Mini's SuperDrive, and the only drawback there is that sometimes the discs we get from Netflix are scratched beyond what the Mini can handle. Oh, and the Mini is connected to the Internet via a home wireless network, plus it has the wireless keyboard and mouse. It's a pretty sweet setup, really.

The only thing we're really missing is a way to record live TV for viewing when our schedule allows, which is why we thought about getting a TiVO. I've always been interested in TiVO for several reasons. The first and foremost is how everyone who has TiVO completely raves about it, even after other DVRs hit the market. TiVO users can't stop talking about how easy it is to use, and how they can't live without the service after they tried it.

I'm also intrigued by the possibility that a brand name that became synonymous with a product (think Kleenex for facial tissues or Xerox for copies) could some day fail to exist. TiVO's market penetration remains desperately small, on the order of only 4-6 million households in America. Given that America now has over 300 million people living in roughly (very rough!) 200 million households, that's a pretty small number. It's not inconceivable to think that the company, TiVO, could cease to exist while people still talk of TiVOing their favorite shows on their cable- or satellite-provided DVR machine.

However, after considering how much TiVO wants for a HD version of their DVR box ($299.99), plus adding a $59.99 wireless Internet adapter, plus the thought of having to pay roughly $10-12 per month for the service as an ongoing subscription fee, we're going to pass on getting a TiVO. Call me cheap, but I still think that is quite a lot of money to spend just so I can watch "Earl."

***John Cusack movie reference alert!*** To paraphrase the movie Say Anything: So, if we know so much about TV, why are we sitting alone on a Saturday night watching over-the-air broadcasts?

"Choice, man!"

*Edited on 10/23* As an addendum to my previous post, I just may have to bite the bullet on the TiVO. Last night, for the first time, I was able to catch the last 15 minutes of ABC's "Pushing Daisies." I love shows with quirky humor, so Scrubs, Eli Stone, and even Ally McBeal in the late '90s all caught my eye. Pushing Daisies seems to be another of those type of shows, but it's on during that 7-8 pm dead zone for us. And didn't Pushing Daisies used to be on HBO or Showtime? It seems like something they would produce.