Do you watch shows when they air, or DVR them now?

[Mark Giardina]

Personally I prefer DVR because I can skip through the commercials (especially the political ones).

Let me pose another question. Can those companies that conduct ratings know if a person is recording a show and if so does it count in the overall ratings?

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I wonder how many people even own VCR's anymore since most shows and movies are on discs.

As for prerecording shows, that is all I do anymore for the reason mentioned; skipping the endless commercials.

 

[landtuna]

I wonder how many people even own VCR's anymore since most shows and movies are on discs.

Until a decent OTA DVR is available I will continue using VCRs.

 

[KML0224]

I use a Magnavox DVD recorder which is from 2007 and has both tuners built in (analog and digital). I still have a DVD/VCR combo from 2003 by Zenith which sits in the closet, on the 1% chance I come across something on an old VHS tape I forgot to dub. It took me about 13 months over 2005-06 to dub over content from roughly 140 numbered tapes, with three of them being from 1987.

As for shows when they air? Family Guy is the only show I'll watch in real time if I'm home at 9 pm ET on a Sunday. Until baseball picks up again tomorrow, there's very little other reason to even have the TV on for. I only have limited basic with no converter. My HD consists of the local, TBS and QVC. Of course the recorder is only going to record a 480p down converted simulcast.

 

[musicman3355]

Since my TiVo died in 2008 (which I still wish I had it to this day :'(), I have to watch the shows. If I end up missing them, I either watch them online or wait for the next repeat.

 

[quadraphonic]

If I hear about a show and I want to watch that show, and it comes in through the vagaries of digital transmission and reception in my area, then I watch it then. That's not often though, because I don't stay abreast of all the schedules like I used to.

If all those things don't fall into place, and I don't see it, no big whoop, I'll see it online, or Netflix, or just miss it altogether. Another show will come along in due time, probably even before I feel sad and lonely enough to actively go looking for one.

 

[LKellerIII]

I DVR practically everything. Even if I'm ready to watch a show when it airs, I generally wait until about 10 minutes in, so I can skip the commercials. I know advertising is what keeps TV alive, but skipping the ads is a real pleasure. Saves time, too.

 

[Darth_vader]

Until someone manages to come out with a Tivo-like thing that stores everything on nice, reliable, fail-safe analogue removable storege, my VCRs will continue to be a prominent fixture in my equipment racks.

"I wonder how many people even own VCR's anymore since most shows and movies are on discs."

Wonder no longer. I have three.

 

[ajc_trw]

I wonder how many people even own VCR's anymore since most shows and movies are on discs.

Until a decent OTA DVR is available I will continue using VCRs.

Until I get a decent job I'll be using my VCR. :-\

Then again I'm cheating as I have a JVC S-VHS-ET. It's like watching a DVR recording if I recorded an analog channel with light picture noise.

I'll save my money till I can record in full HD.

 

[imhomerjay]

Can those companies that conduct ratings know if a person is recording a show and if so does it count in the overall ratings?

Yes. Both live and live plus recorded ratings are measured.

 

[JayR]

I use a Magnavox DVD recorder which is from 2007 and has both tuners built in (analog and digital).

How good are the DVD recorders? How many hours can you record? I've contemplated buying one for some time.

 

[Bill_W]

I wonder how many people even own VCR's anymore since most shows and movies are on discs.

Until a decent OTA DVR is available I will continue using VCRs.

Tivo?

 

[landtuna]

Until a decent OTA DVR is available I will continue using VCRs.

Tivo?

I guess I should have been more specific. Tivo has a box that will work OTA but there is a perpetual monthly subscription fee to use it. My VCR's are a ton cheaper than the Tivo box and don't require a subscription. Yes, the Tivo is digital and my VCR's are analog but the PQ for use as a time-shifter is inconsequential. If I want to record something permanently I use the computer and burn a DVD.

 

[KML0224]

To answer JayR, I can get up to six hours on a DVD+RW disc. However, I don't recommend recording anything over 4 hours. No matter what type of machine I've used, from the old Ilo brand to Magnavox, the video will look slightly foggy and the audio seems to have a problem syncing up several minutes through. I learned that the hard way when I dubbed 6 hours of content one overnight from an old VHS onto a DVD and played a few minutes back. The sad thing is, I haven't had the original tape in my possession for nearly 5 years now.

What made all of the dubbing especially tricky was transferring the Super Bowl games, from XXI (1987- Giants over the Broncos) to XLII (2008- Giants over the Patriots). With the last two games, I recorded XLIII and XLIV onto the DVD directly in real time, with no videotape transfer. Thankfully, I still have all of those games (just barely with XXI, however). I had to edit some commercials during the pregame and got rid of halftime from any of the videotapes that still had them (save for the Janet Jackson spectacle from Super Bowl XXXVIII). I had to make sure it could be condensed into a 4-hour or less presentation.

 

[LKellerIII]

I use a Magnavox DVD recorder which is from 2007 and has both tuners built in (analog and digital).

How good are the DVD recorders? How many hours can you record? I've contemplated buying one for some time.

Like any product, it depends on which brand/model you're asking about. I subscribe to Comcast, and they provide a DVR in the cable tuner box. It works fine for my needs - for the most part. But the storage capacity is low. Comcast claims that their DVR will hold "up to 60 hours" of hi-def programming, but I don't think mine holds anywhere near that. Perhaps I have an older model, or something.

I have a friend with a Dish Network supplied DVR, which has much greater storage capacity. But I stick with Comcast because I'm also a big On-Demand user. As far as I know, Dish and Direct are not yet offering On Demand shows.

I still have a VCR, but probably only use it half dozen times a year, if that.

 

[JayR]

I use a Magnavox DVD recorder which is from 2007 and has both tuners built in (analog and digital).

How good are the DVD recorders? How many hours can you record? I've contemplated buying one for some time.

******************************************************************

To answer JayR, I can get up to six hours on a DVD+RW disc. However, I don't recommend recording anything over 4 hours. No matter what type of machine I've used, from the old Ilo brand to Magnavox, the video will look slightly foggy and the audio seems to have a problem syncing up several minutes through. I learned that the hard way when I dubbed 6 hours of content one overnight from an old VHS onto a DVD and played a few minutes back. The sad thing is, I haven't had the original tape in my possession for nearly 5 years now.

Like any product, it depends on which brand/model you're asking about. I subscribe to Comcast, and they provide a DVR in the cable tuner box. It works fine for my needs - for the most part. But the storage capacity is low. Comcast claims that their DVR will hold "up to 60 hours" of hi-def programming, but I don't think mine holds anywhere near that. Perhaps I have an older model, or something.

I have a friend with a Dish Network supplied DVR, which has much greater storage capacity. But I stick with Comcast because I'm also a big On-Demand user. As far as I know, Dish and Direct are not yet offering On Demand shows.

I still have a VCR, but probably only use it half dozen times a year, if that.

Thanks for the replies. Four hours is perfect. I have several Grey Cup games recorded in my DISH Network DVR I want to save. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the earlier VCRs allow for four-hour recording? The later models are two- and six-hour. I have a VCR (with external digital tuner) as a backup to record OTA programs which conflict with a program on the satellite.

 

[KML0224]

Yes, many older VCRs had an LP (long play) 4-hour mode. My Zenith VCR/DVD player in storage only offered SP (2 hours) and SLP/EP (6 hours). The sound would be in Hi-Fi with any speed at least. The SLP/EP picture looked iffy on playback, as late as 2008. I had to record Super Bowl XLII with it on analog cable channel 6, since the machine obviously didn't include a digital tuner, being made in 2003. Naturally, Super Bowl XLIII and Super Bowl XLIV were recorded directly from the simulcast of WVIT-DT (NBC) for the first and WFSB-DT (CBS) for the last game, with the DVD recorder and no videotape.

Since you mentioned the Grey Cup, I have to ask: Are you in Canada? If so, aren't their analog stations still on the air there? ???

 

[landtuna]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the earlier VCRs allow for four-hour recording? The later models are two- and six-hour.

AFAIK, the "early" VHS VCR's had three speeds: (2, 4 and 6 hour) and the newer ones have only SP (2-hour) and EP (6-hour) - although mine will play, but not record, 4-hour tapes. Betamax was less (and one reason that it lost the battle with VHS as tapes were very expensive in those days).

 

[FreddyE1977]

Watch them now (I don't have DVR, opted to spend the extra money on Center Ice package instead)

 

[ansky212]

I use a Magnavox DVD recorder which is from 2007 and has both tuners built in (analog and digital).

How good are the DVD recorders? How many hours can you record? I've contemplated buying one for some time.

If you record a lot of shows then a DVR is the way to go. A DVD recorder is basically just a glorified VCR that you have to program manually. The only advantage is if you want to record something for permanent keeping, or to record and watch somewhere else. But I've had one for 3 years and I've only used it once or twice. A DVR is much more versatile especially since you can start watching something even while the end of the program is still recording.