Tuesday, March 16, 2010

You Learn Something New Every Day

In the past few days, I've been learning lots of new things. Did you know that Almond Joy and Mound now use a Jamaican theme to sell their candy? Red Robin is now selling a really awesome looking burger with fried onions and other yummy toppings. And the movies that are coming out in the near future? Yeah, I'm probably not going to see a single one. The Toyota commercials with new customers touting how they still bought their cars even after the recent recall issues make me giggle, though.

Why do I know all this?

Wellll, on Friday, I sat down after the wee ones were in bed and turned on the tv for the first time all week. Funny - you'd think with me being off work I'd have more time to watch tv and get caught up on my computer, but oddly the reverse is true.

I immediately flipped over to the saved shows on my DVR and started to watch one from a couple weeks ago that I hadn't yet seen. Oddly, it had no volume. I sighed, as this sometimes happens where the volume goes out for awhile but then comes back partway through. No dice. I tried another one. Same thing.

Then I noticed that my husband had stopped the recording of one of my favorite shows earlier in the week so that only a single minute recorded. I sighed and decided to watch at least that one minute. Annnnnnd nothing. I received the error message "Sorry, no video data detected. Show not recorded."

Uh-oh.

I began looking at other shows, and they all had the same volume problem. I noticed other shows that had taped in the past week that also recorded only for one minute. Even shows that I had watched previously with no issues and saved no longer had volume.

I tried watching just the regular tv, but it wouldn't change to television and instead kept playing the silent recorded show. Worried, I flipped over to straight cable instead of the DVR feed, fearing that all tv was gone. Nope, that still works.

I went through my usual fixes of turning off the DVR and resetting it. I reset the cable modem. I reaffixed the little laser DVR readers to the cable box. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

My DVR has died.

I've lost three weeks of LOST now, two weeks of Grey's and Private Practice and other shows that I won't quite admit to - the last two were revelation enough. And nothing else can record until this gets fixed.

Our DVR is a Replay TV that offerd a lifetime subscription. I think we hit its lifetime (granted it's over seven years old and my husband has been begging me to replace it for years with a model that allows you to record one show and watch another and does so in HD).

We kept it all this time, however, as I had no interest in paying an extra $15 for cable for something I was essentially getting for free. I knew it couldn't last forever, but I didn't think it would just go like this.

Since Friday, if I wanted to watch something, I had to be home to watch it, and I had to watch it commercials and all. I couldn't rewind and rewatch something particularly interesting or something I missed. I couldn't pause to read details on the screen that are too quick to catch when watching live tv.

And I haven't been home much. I miss my shows. That's sad to admit, isn't it?

How did we live without DVRs again? What technology is now a required one in your life?

14 comments:

Jenn M March 16, 2010 at 9:43 PM  

I don't have a PVR. I wish for one but I also wish for lots of things. Husband that loads the dishwasher, children who listen so my wishes aren't heard very often..

For me its a auto coffeemaker.. I love my coffee at exactly 6:35 in the morning. lol

Claudya Martinez March 16, 2010 at 10:40 PM  

I don't have a DVR. I don't really understand if I can just get one or if I have to pay for a service.

I can't live without my iPhone or the internet. It just wouldn't be living.

Laura March 16, 2010 at 11:26 PM  

Hmmmm I'm going to have to go with high speed internet-we gave up cable and don't get any tv w/o it. I like my cell phone for texting my son. I can be tough w/o being a bitch. And I can play it off like "oh no I wasn't being nasty it just SOUNDED that way w/texting" Sorry your dvr died.

Unknown March 16, 2010 at 11:59 PM  

DVR death is utterly painful - but only during football season for me since i don't watch commercial tv as a rule.

WeaselMomma March 17, 2010 at 5:14 AM  

We still don't have a DVR, nor do we have any immediate plans to get one. I however can no longer live without Wireless Internet service. If the Internet goes out, I start twitching.

Anonymous March 17, 2010 at 7:53 AM  

I would die without my DVR. It pains me greatly to watch live tv. Commercials? No way!!!

Karen March 17, 2010 at 8:33 AM  

While I know I'd love DVR, we are too cheap to pay for it. We are telling ourselves that ignorance is bliss.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Regina March 17, 2010 at 1:09 PM  

Thanks for making me happy that I don't have DVR in my life - one less thing to flop-out on me and make me crazy! The good news is that you can watch both Gray's and Private Practice online at www.abc.com. Hope this helps your recovery!

Unknown March 17, 2010 at 2:33 PM  

I'm hyperventilating for you. Psst, you can however catch those shows you mentioned online. But yesterday's LOST.....total bummer of an episode IMO.

septembermom March 17, 2010 at 6:17 PM  

I need my DVR desperately. Those few shows that are mine have become my "Kelly" late night breaks :)

Michelle, thanks for your support and prayers. Your friendship means a lot to me :)

Anonymous March 17, 2010 at 11:22 PM  

I love my DVR way more than I should, though I suspect that is mostly due to the fact that I cannot remember the last time I watched 'live' television.

Michelle March 18, 2010 at 8:57 PM  

Jenn - Oooo you must have the same wish fairy that I do. Bummer.

Unknown Mami - The one we had we bought and bought a "lifetime subscription" to so no monthly $13.95 to the cable company for it. I think you can still do that directly with Tivo and others.

Laura - Ooo I'll have to remember that for when the wee ones are older. Some of us still don't know how to text.

Dan - It is. I love watching football DVRed. I can do a MNF game in about 40 minutes if I forward between snaps. Whoo!

WeaselMomma - Good point. I think I'd be better off giving up the DVR than wireless. I want both though.

Shelly - I forgot how much I don't like commercials... keep yours in good repair.

Karen - I'm with you. That's why we had the Replay TV that was a Christmas present to me all those many years ago. I can't bring myself to spend another $15 a month to the cable company. *sigh*

Regina - I can... but my tv time is also when I do other things. When it's on the computer, I can't do anything else so I've yet to make time to do that. I need to start before they take them off the air!

Megryansmom - Thank you :) Shhh no more on LOST.

Kelly - Absolutely. It's such a nice "me" thing without any stress. You're so sweet.

Nichole - I know. I hadn't watched live TV (except in the background while falling asleep) in YEARS. It's very different now.

Melisa Wells March 19, 2010 at 3:42 PM  

My DVR changed my life.

But it's internet I couldn't do without. :)

Michelle March 21, 2010 at 11:03 PM  

Melisa - True, true. No internet would be far more painful. But I miss my DVR. However, I am getting a brand new HDDVR later this week, and a break on my cable bill at the same time!

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