We used the VCR to allow viewing of a broadcast at a later time, when we were unavailable for real-time viewing. We never saved, or traded in, recorded shows. Why should *anyone* be paid extra for this single delayed viewing, still including the commercials?
As an MSEE well versed in digital communications and computers, I personally have no problem operating our Mac-computer-based media center; however, other family members see it as somewhat more of a challenge. Thus a digital VCR equivalent is sorely missed.
In my simple view, the TiVo patents appear to be a prominent source of the choke-hold on commercial availability of simple VCR-equivalent recorders that laymen can use. Alfred seemingly discounts the huge population - 10s of millions - who receive only over-the-air broadcasts; some of us by choice.
HDTV Almanac - TiVo Loses Latest Round
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Roger Halstead
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Chokehold?
The problem at present is not just the patents, but the movie and recording industries demand to control the use of their products even for the legitimate end user.
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alfredpoor
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Don't shoot the messenger!
To be clear, I'm not discounting the 14 million or so viewers who are OTA-only. I do expect that the vast majority are lower-income, but please remember that I'm one of the ones choosing to be OTA only. I don't have a cable or satellite subscription, and while I'm a FiOS customer, it's only for phone and Internet: no television service.acellier wrote:Alfred seemingly discounts the huge population - 10s of millions - who receive only over-the-air broadcasts; some of us by choice.
So it's not me who's discounting this group; it's the manufacturers. I still own the Panasonic analog-tuner hard drive DVR that we used for years, and we loved it. There are DVRs that work over the air for free, but as far as I can see, the only current models record just to DVD; they don't have hard drives. It would appear that the manufacturers don't think that it's worth putting a hard drive into one of these boxes. So go pound on Panasonic's door, or get some VC capital and build one yourself; maybe the manufacturers are wrong and there is a sufficient market to justify challenging TiVo in this space.
Alfred
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alfredpoor
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Re: Chokehold?
They can demand all they want, but without the law of the land behind them, they can't do anything about it. Unfortunately, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act was more or less snuck past the public without their full understanding of just how much damage it did to the Fair Use Doctrine regarding copyright. If you don't like it, I'll be glad to point you to the addresses for your federal legislators if you want to tell them you want it to be repealed.Roger Halstead wrote:The problem at present is not just the patents, but the movie and recording industries demand to control the use of their products even for the legitimate end user.
Alfred
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akirby
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Re: Paying and commercials
Roger - could you explain this? What service and what is it you're not allowed to record? I can't think of anything that I can't record with DirecTV.Roger Halstead wrote: I already pay a substantial fee for my satellite service. However when I pay to watch something, I expect to be able to record it which is often not the case.