I hate television. Always have. However… In the past few years, it seems television has gotten better. No, I don’t mean better morally. One needs only to turn to the latest episode of “Age of Love” or “As the World Turns” to see that isn’t so. I mean better as in technologically and creatively. Though I vow not to, I get drawn into shows and want to see them out. I can’t imagine missing an episode of Heroes or Lost. (Used to be ‘24’ until they jumped the shark.) With TiVO, I don’t have to.
Did I mention I love TiVO? Yes, it lets me skip through all the annoying and offensive commercials. No more having to explain to my 13-year-old what Cialis is, or having my 16-year-old die of embarrassment when the Kotex commercials come on. With TiVO, I can tape shows for the kids to watch. What a joy it is to me for my oldest to ask, “Can I watch Leave it to Beaver?” But what I love most is that it’s a timesaver. Half hour shows are really only 22 minutes long – less than that when you skip the boring parts. I can watch some of my favorite home improvement shows in ten minutes. I don’t really need to hear some bouncy brunette who’s probably never swung a hammer or tried to repair a hole in the wall explain the basics. I just like to see the process and the completion. TiVO gives ME the control over the television, not the programmers.
If you don’t yet have TiVO, you can’t possibly understand what you’re missing. I would never go back to watching TV without it. Right now, TiVO has refurbished receivers on sale for only $50 with a year’s activation. Their activation fee is a little higher than through our local satellite company, but even if it’s $50 a year higher, you’re still saving money. The $50 offer is for the 80M receivers. That should do it for most families. They’ll even give you free shipping and a 30-day guarantee. If you only watched one show a day and saved the 8 minutes on it, that’s roughly four hours a month of commercials that you didn’t have to sit through. $12/mo for four hours seems a very good deal!
Related Blog: TiVO for the Home, Anyone?