Usability Forum

Plug & Chug: Comcast DVR

By Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez. Thursday, September 21, 2006 8:09:28 PM

television, cable, DVR, home theater, Plug & Chug

Dan writes in again with a link to a rant on Comcast DVR and how it compares to Time Warner. One thing of note Dan reminded of me of is the "I don't watch enough TV, so I don't want a DVR..." argument I used to hear from people. Of course, I would respond: "well, that's exactly *why* you need a DVR! When you *do* watch TV you want it to be time well spent, with the shows you want to watch right?" At least, that's how *I* viewed my DVR.

My Comcast DVR Sucks

Here's a really pointless piece I wrote on ReplayTV about a year ago. It appears to be the only DVR related post I have here... which I found surprising.

When I had Comcast cable, the DVR was a rebranded Moxi box. Dan is this the same software you're seeing? Or is Comcast using something else? I don't recall having those issues you described, but I *did* have some usability isses.

Sadly, I'm currently DVR less. But I'm knee deep in PC gaming and Netflix to really notice (ie- I don't watch enough TV, so I don't want a DVR). *Sigh*...I guess it's time to get a DVR then.

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Comments

Anonymous # Friday, September 22, 2006 12:48:32 PM

Dan writes: No, it's not a Moxi box. It's the Motorola 6208 set top box: http://broadband.motorola.com/dvr/dct6208.asp As for the software, this is a screen shot similar to mine (mine doesn't have ads): http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2006/08/comcast_adding_.html I'm glad you agree that people who don't watch TV are some of the best candidates to get one. I really think it's related to VCRs, that were so unfriendly for so long, and just really got people to despise or fear the new tech. It's the same as the history of cell phones. When it was expensive to call, and the units were clunky and geared towards things like car emergencies, that's what they were used for. But once they started coming down in price and size, and the marketers started pushing the business and then personal use potential, then that's what people started using it for. When I meet my friends in the city, I wonder how we were ever able to find each other before cell phones. DVR is just one of those things that once you use it and realize how intuitive and easy it can be to do something as simple as record your favorite programs, that you wonder why anyone ever bought into the old way of doing things.

Eddie LopezEddie_Lopez # Friday, September 22, 2006 1:14:03 PM

want to know something funny? I still have (collecting dust) a replayTV 5040... those had the automatic commercial advance on them. You didn't press any buttons at all, it had its own logic for commercials that would just jump you straight to the show again.

...I brag about that a lot because it's a cool feature, but the reality is... I liked having it turned off for some shows for one reason:

I liked seeing commercials for other shows that I might like to record. I only wished DVRs had the capability to schedule the show straight from the commercial. That would have been killer. I think Tivo does that though right? Or has some kind of interaction or expirimentation with that. I've never actually used a Tivo... so I'm not sure what they are capable of these days.

Also- speaking of ads in your cable menus- I wrote this piece awhile back as well... it's not DVR though.
http://my.opera.com/usability/blog/show.dml/61589