John Corn
11-16-02, 12:17 PM
Yet strangely enough, DVR's like TiVo and its rival, ReplayTV, haven't sold very well. Last week, an Advertising Age magazine headline summed up the problem succinctly, if painfully: "More U.S. Homes Have Outhouses Than TiVos."
Nobody's really sure why the technology hasn't caught on. But one thing is certain: Hard-drive recording is here to stay. This feature is making its way into cable boxes, personal computers - and now, with the introduction of machines from RCA and Panasonic, DVD players. Each of these new set-bottom boxes changes the TiVo recipe, with some interesting results.
The RCA Scenium DRS7000N Digital Media Recorder, for example, has two standout features. First, of course, it's both a DVR and a DVD player, a combination that saves space, minimizes cable clutter and requires only a single remote control. It's a progressive-scan DVD player, too, meaning that its DVD playback looks extra-spectacular on "high-definition ready" television sets. (Movie pirates, don't get excited: You can't copy from the DVD player to the hard drive.)
Second, you don't have to pay for the listings service, the onscreen grid where you choose the shows you want to "tape." If you buy a TiVo or ReplayTV, this service costs you a one-time $250 (or $10 to $13 a month forever).
The RCA unit gets its listings right from the television signal. They're encoded in a secret channel that every local broadcaster transmits. Exactly as on ReplayTV or TiVo, the listings show up in a grid - nicely color-coded by type of show, in this case - that you can scroll, sort by category, view alphabetically, and so on. And it's all free.
Better yet, the 7000N doesn't have to be plugged into a phone jack, as its rivals do; these listings arrive through your cable or antenna (though not satellite). Another plus: you're not beholden to the DVR's maker for your service. You can resell the RCA at any time without having to transfer a subscription, and you'll get your listings even if the manufacturer goes out of business - a deeply suppressed but chronic worry of TiVo and ReplayTV owners.
Still, the paid-subscription model has its perks. The RCA can show you only the next three days' worth of listings, not two weeks', as its rivals can. If on Thursday a friend enthusiastically recommends a Tuesday-night show, you won't be able to use the machine's TV guide to program it until Sunday. (Fortunately, you can always program a recording by time and channel, as you do on a VCR.)
Furthermore, ads occupy about one-sixth of the RCA's listings screen. You must either learn to ignore them or rationalize their presence by chanting, "I saved $250! I saved $250!"
Is the 7000N truly more economical than, say, a TiVo? It's a tricky question, because the feature lists are so different. Your calculations would have to go like this: A TiVo with 60-hour capacity is currently $550 ($300 after rebate, plus the $250 one-time service fee). The RCA costs $600, which is more expensive. Ah, but the RCA includes a DVD player- so clearly, it's the better deal.
On the TiVo, however, you can type the name of a show, actor or director into a "wish list"; if a matching show ever comes on, your box will record it automatically. That's got to be worth $50 right there. Yet the RCA lets you transfer digital-camera photos and MP3 files from a CD onto the hard drive, ready for playback and slide shows - a neat perk that's got to be worth $75 or so.
On the other hand, the TiVo's Info button calls up a banner that tells you what you're watching, complete with plot synopsis. The RCA's Info button tells you only the time and channel. But then again, only the RCA offers a 24-hour text-only news screen; a 30-second ad-skipping button; and the ability to rename a show you've recorded (for example, "Erase This, You Die").
For the rest of this long story, click here. (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/14/technology/circuits/14stat.html?8hpib)
Nobody's really sure why the technology hasn't caught on. But one thing is certain: Hard-drive recording is here to stay. This feature is making its way into cable boxes, personal computers - and now, with the introduction of machines from RCA and Panasonic, DVD players. Each of these new set-bottom boxes changes the TiVo recipe, with some interesting results.
The RCA Scenium DRS7000N Digital Media Recorder, for example, has two standout features. First, of course, it's both a DVR and a DVD player, a combination that saves space, minimizes cable clutter and requires only a single remote control. It's a progressive-scan DVD player, too, meaning that its DVD playback looks extra-spectacular on "high-definition ready" television sets. (Movie pirates, don't get excited: You can't copy from the DVD player to the hard drive.)
Second, you don't have to pay for the listings service, the onscreen grid where you choose the shows you want to "tape." If you buy a TiVo or ReplayTV, this service costs you a one-time $250 (or $10 to $13 a month forever).
The RCA unit gets its listings right from the television signal. They're encoded in a secret channel that every local broadcaster transmits. Exactly as on ReplayTV or TiVo, the listings show up in a grid - nicely color-coded by type of show, in this case - that you can scroll, sort by category, view alphabetically, and so on. And it's all free.
Better yet, the 7000N doesn't have to be plugged into a phone jack, as its rivals do; these listings arrive through your cable or antenna (though not satellite). Another plus: you're not beholden to the DVR's maker for your service. You can resell the RCA at any time without having to transfer a subscription, and you'll get your listings even if the manufacturer goes out of business - a deeply suppressed but chronic worry of TiVo and ReplayTV owners.
Still, the paid-subscription model has its perks. The RCA can show you only the next three days' worth of listings, not two weeks', as its rivals can. If on Thursday a friend enthusiastically recommends a Tuesday-night show, you won't be able to use the machine's TV guide to program it until Sunday. (Fortunately, you can always program a recording by time and channel, as you do on a VCR.)
Furthermore, ads occupy about one-sixth of the RCA's listings screen. You must either learn to ignore them or rationalize their presence by chanting, "I saved $250! I saved $250!"
Is the 7000N truly more economical than, say, a TiVo? It's a tricky question, because the feature lists are so different. Your calculations would have to go like this: A TiVo with 60-hour capacity is currently $550 ($300 after rebate, plus the $250 one-time service fee). The RCA costs $600, which is more expensive. Ah, but the RCA includes a DVD player- so clearly, it's the better deal.
On the TiVo, however, you can type the name of a show, actor or director into a "wish list"; if a matching show ever comes on, your box will record it automatically. That's got to be worth $50 right there. Yet the RCA lets you transfer digital-camera photos and MP3 files from a CD onto the hard drive, ready for playback and slide shows - a neat perk that's got to be worth $75 or so.
On the other hand, the TiVo's Info button calls up a banner that tells you what you're watching, complete with plot synopsis. The RCA's Info button tells you only the time and channel. But then again, only the RCA offers a 24-hour text-only news screen; a 30-second ad-skipping button; and the ability to rename a show you've recorded (for example, "Erase This, You Die").
For the rest of this long story, click here. (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/14/technology/circuits/14stat.html?8hpib)