TiVo Revolutionary?
TiVo was released a long time ago in the USA, and after what seemed an eternity, Channel 7 brought us the TiVo to our lounges across Australia in 2008, the question is does TiVo still provide a revolutionary experience?
For those of you who don't know what TiVo is, it's a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) that has a impressive suite of features. Featuring 2 High Definition TV Tuners, HDMI Out and a 60gb HDD, it is more then enough for the average household user.
Using the TiVo you can record two shows at once, while watching a third show that you have already taped. Up to the minute accurate Electronic Program Guide, and featuring a unique rating system, never miss your favourite shows again!
Season Pass allows you to record the whole season of any show you desire. Sports fan? Just input the type of sport (motorsport, golf, tennis) and the TiVo will record anything to do with that sport. This can be done with anything from Stand Up Comedy to Will Farrell.
One of the coolest features is the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down rating system. Watching a show that you like? Simply give it up to Three thumbs up and TiVo will then record shows you might like based on your ratings of TV programs. I have found a number of shows I have never even heard of that I now watch religiously because of this nifty feature!
Channel 7 are constantly updating the TiVo service bringing us new and exciting features. With the latest update you can access weather, horoscopes, play Sudoku and even download full feature movies from the Blockbuster Video Store, FREE every Friday night.
The TiVo is constantly recording Live TV feeds, so if you need to pause the show you are watching, or are interrupted and need to re-watch that line, or see an ad that you want to watch again, just simply rewind as much as you like. The unit records 30 minutes, and this is certainly a handy feature!
So is TiVo revolutionary? I wouldn't go as far as to say it's revolutionary, but it certainly makes watching Free to Air television more appealing. Being able to watch what I want, when I want is a fantastic option, and is a huge reason why I never get to watch some of the great shows that are screened on TV due to my busy lifestyle. While many will argue due to it's price, and the relative ease of building a media centre computer, the truth is a lot of people don't feel comfortable enough to use a Media Centre computer, nor do a lot of people have skills to fix it if something crashes. TiVo is a friendly and easy User Interface that anyone can learn to navigate, and that is it's appeal to the masses.
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