– originally posted at The Digital Tavern on April 7, 2003 –
Ok. Today the price of admission just lowered for me. To be sure, I'm not talking about total “dollars” as cost. Instead, I refer to technology integration. It may be common knowledge, but in case you don't know — I don't own a television set. That's right. Me, the techno-marketing, multimedia guy doesn't own a television set. There are certainly plenty of them available for my use if I so desire. Like at my dry cleaner. Here, while I drop of my clothes, pick up what's clean I can get my dose of CNN, Asian soap operas and even a brief glimpse of QVC. Then there's my favorite wine bar and restaurant, Flemings. Here I can check how my alma mater is doing in the NCAA finals, see Tiger Woods break more records or even catch the latest Xtreme sports competition on ESPN2. While visiting my friend recently I got a total dose of war footage where I was able to compare FOX, CNN and MSNBC among others.
Although today I just got closer to replacing that television I used to have. Keep in mind I'm a very early adopter to NetFlix — the must have DVD rental service, and while on that subject I'd have to confess I think that Blockbuster as a collection warrant on me for a DVD I returned two hours late back in 2001. I probably should stop in and pay my $3.50. But who has the time. If you don't get NetFlix, move now. It's hot.
But today, I'm just about ready. I've long been a proponent of TiVO and have even blogged about it in the past. My brother has one. My high school buddy Ken has had one forever. And Chuck Bruno my favorite historian and collector of trivia supreme and a self-admitted techno-phobe even has one. Why haven't I purchased a TiVO box? Quite simply because I just couldn't justify spending that much time with a remote control connected to a high-frequency pitched television CRT.
Yet today, I'm seconds from doing my duty and contributing to continued growth of e-commerce and buying a TiVO box. Why? Two reasons. First is TiVO's “Home Media Option[dot accent]”. At a one time fee of $99 I can:
Today, TiVO makes this happen. And makes it interesting for me. Because the second thing that TiVO brings to the party is integrating it's service and massive hard disk digital video recorder with my wireless computer network. And it's leveraging Apple's innovative Rendezvous technology. How dos it work?
I simply purchase an SMC wireless USB network adapter and my computer network is connected to my television. You might ask, “Why would you want that?” For me, it just makes sense. I'm a lean forward kinda guy – an active thinker computer user. Television for the most part is for lean back kinda guys — passive observer television users. What excites me is not the limited scope of the TV integrated home network of today, but the fully integrated home entertainment and multimedia creation opportunities of tomorrow.
Today. I just might order a TiVO, television, USB network adapter and TiVO's “Home Media Option”. And after I do that, I just need to search Google for “more time” to take advantage of what this wacky digital lifestyle offers.
