---
title: "How to TiVOize your PC?  Been there, done that."
date: 2002-02-27T14:50:21-05:00
url: https://blog.lmorchard.com/2002/02/27/ooooch/
author: Les Orchard
---

# How to TiVOize your PC?  Been there, done that.

<i>Hmm, does something like this fit into the "format" of 0xDECAFBAD?  Sure, but I'll probably want to consider setting up some categories.  Like general tech rant/commentary, 0xDECAFBAD project updates, site updates, etc.</i>
<br /><br />
From <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk">The Register</a>: <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/24222.html">How to <span style='background : #FFFFCE;'><a href="http://www.decafbad.com/twiki/bin/edit/Main/TiVO?topicparent=Main.FilterData"><b>?</b></a><font color="#0000FF">TiVO</font></span>-ize your PC</a><blockquote><i>TiVO-like time shifting capabilities have come to the PC. At the Intel Developer Forum, Rakesh Agrawal, CEO of thirteen-man <span style='background : #FFFFCE;'><a href="http://www.decafbad.com/twiki/bin/edit/Main/SnapStream?topicparent=Main.FilterData"><b>?</b></a><font color="#0000FF">SnapStream</font></span>, took his PVS software through its paces for The Register's pleasure.</i></blockquote>Is it just me, or are these people are slow?  Maybe it's just because of the new release of the <a href="http://www.snapstream.com">SnapStream</a> software (which I tried a few months ago, and hated, might be worth a try again), but people all over the blog world have been mentioning this as if it's something new.  "TiVO killer on your PC!  Check this out!"  
<br /><br />
The only reason for it I could see is if the <a href="http://www.snapstream.com">SnapStream</a> software has improved incredibly since the last time I played with it, and it's become so dead simple that my Mom can use it by making vague flappy gesticulations at the screen.  The only semi-exciting thing I see in the <a href="http://www.snapstream.com">SnapStream</a> buzz is that they're planning on doing something with .NET web services, but no one's really talking about that facet of it.
<br /><br />
Maybe they've all missed the availability of these products, but I've been using my <a href="http://www.ati.com/na/pages/products/pc/aiw_radeon/index.html">ALL-IN-WONDER? RADEON</a> for the past year and a half, before which I used a <a href="http://www.riva3d.com/3500/">Voodoo 3 3500TV</a> (which sucked ass), and before <i>that</i> I used a plain old <a href="http://www.ati.com/na/pages/products/pc/aiw/index.html">ATI All-In-Wonder</a> card.  That's been since I got my first real PC in 1997.
<br /><br />
I've been using these cards to record the few shows I care about, in limited fashion, until I got the Radeon card and things took off.  With the AIW Radeon, I record straight to VCD format.  I burn the VCD movies onto CDRW and watch them in my DVD player, just like I used to use my VCR.  If I happen to like the show, I burn it to a real CD and file it away.  It's not the greatest quality, but is pretty comparable to VHS, which is fine.  If I want better quality, there's Super VCD which uses MPEG-2 to fit 30 minutes of DVD-quality video on a CD.  Or...  <strong>gasp</strong> I could get a DVD burner.
<br /><br />
And then, there's the <a href="http://www.dlink.com/products/usb/dsbr100/">D-Link DSB-R100 PC FM USB Radio</a> I've been using to record and archive FM radio shows, most notably Big Sonic Heaven.  Oh yeah, and the Voodoo 3500TV was good for that, too.  (But mostly, it sucked.)
<br /><br />
My digital lifestyle's been kicking it for some time now.  Hell, not even Apple's caught up to me yet, since I can't find Mac-OS-X-supported replacements for my cable and FM radio archival rig.  If I had the money, I'd switch to 100% Apple in an eyeblink if they could seamlessly replace all the above.
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Anyway.  I'm done now.
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