The DVR Revolution

The Digital Video Recorder or DVR has revolutionized the way we watch television. No longer do we need to wait around for our favorite television shows or postpone going out to dinner with friends in fear of missing our favorite episodes of Lost or Desperate Housewives. Today, with the help of the DVR, the television waits for us. Instead of being a slave to primetime, the DVR frees us from our chains and allows us the freedom to watch TV at our convenience, not the TV's.

A DVR is a recording device that uses a hard-drive, rather than video tapes, to record pre-programmable shows. Instead of taping and re-taping your favorite shows on that some old beat-up video tape that never seems to work or look quite right, you can automatically record all of your shows digitally and reliably. Your DVR can search for your favorite programs, record them on a continual, daily, or weekly basis, and can even make suggestions of what you might want to watch based on your viewing habits.

Here's how it works. Your DVR system is hooked up to your TV and your cable or satellite dish connection. Using the remote, you can search the guide for specific shows and, with the touch of a button, schedule it to be automatically recorded, no matter what time it might be on. No more trying to remember what time your shows have been moved to by the networks. You can use the DVR's menu to set up wish lists to find the types of shows you enjoy watching. Let's say you like Science Fiction movies. You can set up your DVR to automatically search for every Science Fiction movie that is scheduled on every channel. Or, let's say you're fascinated with ballroom dancing. You can set up your DVR to automatically search for every show that features ballroom dancing. How simple is that? You can also save one-time-only programs. You might be perusing the DVR guide one evening when you happen to notice your favorite movie of all time is playing at 3 a.m. that night. Just select that show, go to bed, and sleep soundly knowing your favorite movie will be there waiting for you when you get up in the morning.

Perhaps one of the best features of a DVR is the live record/pause function. You can pause any show you're currently watching for up to 24 hours (depending on whose system you're using). Imagine you're watching your soaps and you're just about to find out who killed J.R., when suddenly your dear aunt Martha calls to chat about her arthritis. What do you do? Well, simply press pause on the DVR remote and your show will freeze so you can focus only on aunt Martha's arthritis. When you're done chatting, restart your show and pick up exactly where you left off. It's that easy! You can also back up any show you're currently watching because whenever the TV is on, your DVR is recording. This comes in handy when you couldn't quite hear what Regis and Kelly were saying because your five-year-old suddenly decided to have a screaming contest in the kitchen. All you have to do is hit the DVR's reverse button and voila, you can relive the moment again, minus the screaming contest.

Of course, the specific details of these options vary depending on whose system you get. There are a variety of different companies who offer different types of DVR systems, but they all basically work the same. Some of the most popular DVR systems come from TiVo, ReplayTV, Dish Network, DirecTV, and Comcast. Most of these companies offer HD recording/viewing options, dual-tuner boxes (where you can watch a show and record another at the same time), and the ability to record up to hundreds of hours of programming, depending on the particular DVR model. Some companies sell the DVR box to you outright and others simply rent it to you for a monthly fee. All of them charge you a membership or service fee, which is usually charged on your monthly bill.

Some people might say, "Why would I want to pay for something like that?" Those people have obviously never experienced the joy that is felt when you find that your first DVR program has recorded effortlessly when you were working late and had forgotten that your favorite sitcom was debuting that night. It is a joy that can truly only be appreciated when experienced for yourself. It's been said that once you go DVR, you can never go back. No truer statement has ever been spoken. Trust me!