On Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:37:05 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:15:30 -0800 (PST), klem kedidelhopper
wrote:

And why PlainBill do I personally need all that stuff, because YOU say
I do? Lenny

Because all you really need is food, shelter, and clothing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_needs
How far you climb out of your cave largely depends on how far above
the subsistence level you feel comfortable. If glorified technical
poverty is your maximum level of achievement, then you probably do not
need a DVR.
http://www.google.com/search?q=minimalist+lifestyle&tbm=isch
If you obtain your entertainment in ways other than TV, then a DVR is
again wasted on your lifestyle[1]. If your philosophical or religious
convictions proscribe watching TV, then a DVR is not required.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living
However, if you do watch TV, and find that convenience, time shifting,
and fast forward through commercials, are useful additions to your
lifestyle, then a DVR is required.

DVR Penetration Grows to 39.7% of Households, 42.2% of Viewers
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/23/dvr-penetration-grows-to-39-7-of-households-42-2-of-viewers/86819/

[1] I spent about 10 years without owning a TV and survived.
I have to agree with Jeff, I lived the first 18 years of my life
without a TV, and claim it has not distorted my personality, thus you
do not NEED a DVR. However, you DESIRE a means of recording TV
broadcasts. That can be accomplished by three methods - VCR, DVR
(either stand alone or a computer running something like Myth-TV), or
DVD recorder.

It's been over 10 years since I used a VCR for time-shifting. At that
time you set the time it should start and stop recording and tuned it
to the channel. Perhaps things have advanced since then.

Certainly with the switch to digital broadcasts you must either have
a separate converter box, or a recorder that incorporates an ATSC
tuner. Using a recorder (VCR, DVR, or DVD) that records the signal
without any analog conversion is preferable - the data stream is
compressed using the MPEG-4 algorithm.

A quick search for VCRs with ATSC tuners brought up a number of them,
all incorporating a DVD recorder. Typical prices were in the
$250-$300 range; a bit rich for my wallet. It also brought up the
TiVo TCD746320 Premiere DVR at under $80, but that requires a monthly
subscription, something to be viewed with caution. And it brought up
the brite-View BV-980H Digital Antenna HD DVR for $200, no
subscription required. With a 320 Gig hard drive it can hold up to 39
hours of HD programming, or 450 hours of SD programming. That's
equivalent to 75 VHS tapes.

PlainBill