The Reason I Will Buy A DVR

OK. I've decided that I'm going to get a DVR. I don't know if it will be a TiVo, or the system that my cable provider says they will be offering to subscribers Real Soon Now (TM). TiVo requires the phone connection, and the nearest phone jack to the TV is aout 50 feet away. The cable system is likely to be better integrated wth the cable tuner and channel guide, but there is no real ETA yet.

I do know why I've decided to take the plunge. It's not because I can't bear to miss certain shows. I freely admit that I watch too much TV, and if I miss a show because life gets in the way, well, that's actually a good thing. But if I'm watching a show and my teenage daughter decides that now is a good time to talk to me or mom (something which she does frequently simply because she is a teenager), and the show I'm watching is the only one on TV where every single word of dialog is significant, I have found that turning up the volume to try to give a subtle (ok, not so subtle!) hint that I am trying to hear something just doesn't convey the simple message that I'm just trying to hear. It seems to do a much better job of conveying the dreaded "Dad is being a jerk" message. And tonight I found out that the brilliant idea of avoiding the volume escalation problem by leaving the room to go watch the TV in the bedroom is really not so brilliant, becasue it is apparently considered anti-social by She Who Must Be Obeyed.

The pause and rewind feature of a DVR will be my savior. I will be able to hear every single word of West Wing, and peace on the home front shall be preserved. Hallelujah.

-rich

P.S. I just recently identified the song "Hallelujah" that provided the poignant background music for the West Wing segment when Mark Harmon's Secret Service Agent character was killed. It's an old Leonad Cohen song, covered by Jeff Buckley. I don't have nearly enough Cohen or Buckley in my CD collection. I'll have to fix that even before I get th DVR!