80 hours?

Nice summation of the Tivo service, Ralph. But I can't come up with an answer to a question that really bugs me:

Who needs 80 hours of TV storage?

From my point of view, it's insane. Think about it this way -- the real strength of a DVR is its ability to let you "time shift." In other words, watch a show at a different time. For example, I don't usually stay up past 11:00 -- I'm an old fogey, and I'm tired from my triathlon training (see my other blog). Tivo is ideal for letting me watch "The Daily Show" while I'm riding my exercise bike at 5:30 AM. Watch the show, delete it, move on.

I've got a first-generation Tivo, the Sony SVR-2000. At the best picture quality, I can record 13 hours of programming. Occasionally I may not get to something I've recorded, and a show gets deleted. Big deal. If I couldn't get to it before, I won't get to it later -- I've got a life to lead.

So if you're anxiously waiting for your 80 hour Tivo so you can record every episode of "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" from now until the sun quits shining, wake up and get a life. And if you really need to keep all of those shows, get a DVD recorder, or buy the series when it comes out on DVD (they all do). Better yet, get a Netflix subscription and watch something besides TV.

Losers.