On the DVR

I couldn't agree more with Michael Blowhard's On the DVR:

I wonder if people who haven't yet sprung for a digital video recorder — a Tivo, or maybe a box that your cable company will rent you — understand how dramatically using one can change your experience of television.
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But for me what's been most wonderful is the way the DVR — essentially some software and a hard drive — becomes the TV equivalent of your book or CD library. When The Wife and I settle in to do a little tube-watching, we don't see 'what's on television.' Instead, we check out what's waiting for us on the hard drive.

You can accumulate an amazing collection of shows with only a minimal amount of programming effort. It used to be common to say that TV was the enemy of true culture. These days ... Well, if you use your DVR wisely, watching TV can become a rewarding part of a classy cultural life.

The list of what's on his DVR seems eerily familiar.