My DVR Works Better Than Yours

I can't tell you how often we complain in our house that the DVR misses the ending of almost every show we record.  In some cases, it misses the beginning too.  But we grin and bear it and try to move on with our lives.  It certainly adds another black market to the list when consumer start to shun cable for streaming.  And yet, it could be an easy fix.

According to Slate, our problems don't occur in other countries.  They have something called "accurate recording".  "A customer’s DVR, in turn, will not stop recording until it’s been signaled that the present and following information has changed."And according to the article, the US could have this feature.  "The issue, the source said, is that the broadcasters would need to provide them with real-time data on the start and end times of live events. That’s already happening in the United Kingdom and other places with accurate recording, but not in North America."  Seems an easy fix and a great marketing statement to tout.  Heck, we might even stop hating our cable boxes and cable company.

TiVo never seemed to have this problem.  Or perhaps it was because I could add minutes before and after to assure that I got coverage of the program.  My cable box does not have that flexibility.  Cable companies might suggest finding the show by searching on demand but that process remains cumbersome too.  And so we suffer in silence hoping that some executive will listen and improve the DVR experience.