For many years now, I have been lamenting the lack of TiVo in Canada. So, it was a happy/sad day today when I discovered that the set-top box will be available to us on December 11th, just in time for Christmas.
Happy? Well, I’ve coveted the system for years now and am excited about the opportunity to include it in the bundle of technology connected to my TV.
Sad? Primarily because it’s pretty close to Christmas and I’ve already committed most of my funds. This is another $350 (or so: $199+tax for the box and a minimum 1 year subscription at $129) that I shouldn’t be spending. Also, because it means that I’ll likely be watching more TV.
There are many cool things about TiVo:
- It will record shows for you on a built-in hard drive, up to 80 hours.
- You can auto-skip commercials upon playback.
- An entire series can be pre-programmed to record, so I’ll never miss an episode of
myselfAdam Savage on Mythbusters. - You can search for content by keyword rather than having to know the show title.
- Record another channel while you watch TV (perfect for when the Canucks are playing at the same time as
I’m onMythbusters). - Transfer shows to your computer, your iPod or burn a DVD with TiVoToGo.
- TiVo will make suggestions for programs you might like, based on other subscribers who selected similar programming (much like Amazon makes suggestions after you’ve viewed/purchased a few books).
These are all great features for someone like me who isn’t home a lot but still has a few favorites on TV. The last one, though, is interesting for Canadians. I can only wonder if the suggestions are being made on the entire pool of TiVo subscribers (hence, more U.S. content) or if there have created a subset for Canadian subscribers.
I guess we’ll see if Corner Gas or How it’s Made (Canadian version) comes up when I get my very own TiVo.
Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by Alistair
Filed under: tech