[mythtv-users] PVR-500 Dual Tuner

[Brad Templeton]

On Fri, Dec 03, 2004 at 03:36:35PM -0800, Bruce Markey wrote:
> 
> Oh, I agree that there will be more stuff along these lines but
> my own personal opinion is that this is mostly Emperor's New
> Clothes. We're supposed to think it sounds like a good idea but

Are you saying that collaborative filtering is the new clothes, or
Tivo suggestions?

I would disagree.  I have found Tivo suggestions to be a useful feature.
It fills my spare disk space with shows it things I might possibly like.
Of course, I watch only a tiny, tiny fraction of them.  But there is
no harm in them being there, and sometimes I do want to switch from my
stable of chosen shows, but I don't want to channel surf.

In effect, I view the Suggestions as an exploratory step above channel
surfing.  One surfs them (in fact I even suggested a mode where you could
literally surf, that while watching recordings, channel up and down would
move you to the next recording in your chain.)

So it's not to tell me about series I don't know about.  It's more for
stuff you watch for a diversion but don't care enough to record every
show.   "Oh look, there's a Kids in the Hall episode."  Clearly better
for shows you can dive into a random episode of.   Tonight Jay Leno
tomorrow Letterman, who knows?

One could also make an argument for edited suggestions, where a person
you choose would publish lists and those lists end up in your extra disk
space, and if they do a good job, you discover new stuff.

And to a limite extent, Suggestions can find shows you weren't aware
were on because you don't see the ads any more and you don't browse
the listings that much.   Specials, movies and so on.

And you know, I would even consider there to be some value in paid
placement (if the money paid provided benefit to me) where studios with
a new show could pay to get a ton of folks to record their show into
spare space on a PVR.   (Though I like the editor/reviewer giving approval
better.)

One could imagine a small studio with a new show.  They can't get it on
prime time, but they can get it on at 4am.  So they either convince
reviewers to bless it or they pay for placement and lo, people check it
out, and if it's good, it becomes a success without having to be sold
to a network.

Obviously if done this would have to be above board, and as I said,
provide benefit to me the viewer.  Like google adwords.

> I also watched at ~8:10 or 8:20 which was a little revelation
> for me. One night I got a call from a friend from out of town
> and didn't start Survivor until ~9:30. That was a freeing experience
> and I never looked back. I'm no longer constrained in any way by

For me, Survivor was like a sporting event.  I was impressed how Burnett
took a strategy game and got an audience like the superbowl for it.
So a big part was being able to discuss it on the net after, which is
why I watched it starting 15 minutes in, to end at the same time.

But otherwise, I agree.  Ignore the schedules.   Though we still will
pay attention for news and sports.  The Olypmics were interesting.  The
Tivo was _vital_ for watching them, but you didn't want to get too far
behind.

> Well that sounds nifty but if the padding is there on the premise
> that the broadcast may have started early and it did, then the
> user is past the point where they'd like to be. Either way, the
> user needs to seek to find their starting point and I personally
> prefer going forward rather than rewinding over a part I shouldn't
> have seen yet.

My idea is to put on lots of padding (2 minutes) and do it on every
single show, so you don't want to FF for 2 minutes.  However, a
button that does "skip to official start time" would also suffice.  Goal
is to make it invisible.

If a show always starts earlier than the time in the tribune listings,
that's when you consider an explicit pad, which puts your cursor at the
time in the explicit pad.  But still records even earlier if there is
nothing else to record.
> 
> >Though most users won't really get into that.
> Um, speculative conclusion. You use it, I use it and it is
> discussed a lot on these lists. I suspect most people know about

You must understand mythtv users on this list and way out on the bell
curve.

There is data on "most users" and they think the Tivo is too complex
a device.  I watch my mother use her sucky SA-8000HD PVR, which is
the only choice for a cable HDTV PVR where she lives.   For her,
even getting the idea of not watching "live" is hard work.