Digital Future Rough on Consumers.

Rumors of the demise of analog TV due to the advent of personal video recorders (PVRs) such as TiVo and Replay have been greatly exaggerated. Reportedly, these digital devices have motivated some of the BBC's new reforms. The New York Times Magazine even dedicated a cover story to these TV set-top boxes that convert the analog signal of a TV station into a digital format. The digitized signal is then compressed (MPEG-2 for video and MPEG-1 for audio), stored on a hard disk and reconverted to analog format in order to bc received by a regular TV set. In such a way, the viewing of TV programs assumes the versatility of a computer.

Video Age's Webcasting Magazine wanted to shed some light on the technology by testing the TiVo and Replay sets. The TiVo (Model PTV 100) and the Replay (Model PV-HS2000) are priced at approximately $300 each and are sold in all U.S. appliance stores.

Someone looking for a simple set-top box similar to Microsoft's WebTV should expect a big surprise. Even if the potential of these PVRs is apparent, the actual results are disappointing.

The first thing one notices when the PVR sets are unpacked is the cumbersome dimension and weight. The second surprise is the large quantity of wires, cables and plugs. Instead of counting them all, it was easier to weigh them: 4 pounds of cables and wires for each unit. Plus, there were 17 plugs for TiVo and 19 for Replay that they expect the consumer to connect. In the end, five or six connections are necessary: electric, phone, antenna, video and audio plugs and, for TiVo, the antenna out. The problem is that, just to figure out the connections, one has to choose between eight configurations.

Then comes the instructions manual: 143 pages for TiVo and 64 for Replay. According to legend, Replay vas conceived by Anthony Wood, a mathematician, because he was frustrated by trying to program his VCR. One wonders what kind of existential crisis he technicians were going through at Phillips (one of the manufacturers of Tivo) and Panasonic (for Replay) when hey wrote the instruction manuals? To op it all off, TiVo's remote control dis plays 35 buttons and Replay's 44.

At this point, it became clear that PVRs are still for "geeks," just like computers once were. They're definitely not consumer-friendly yet and certainly not on a par with Microsoft's WebTV.

Once the PVR is connected to the TV and the phone line, one is ready to face the agony of installing the software. It might be less frustrating to download it using common sense with the instructions displayed on the video screen instead of trying to follow the operating manual. For Replay, installing the software rakes less than 15 minutes, whereas TiVo requires more than two hours. We did not record the exact period of time, however, because we gave up after realizing that 20 minutes were required just to download two of the many programs required.

Another problem is that with every mistake one has to start all over again, and that's only if the set doesn't freeze (which can be corrected only by unplugging the electrical cord). Ar least the Internet connection at 56 kbps is free (via an 800 number), although it's better to use it at night because during this time the telephone does not receive calls. Naturally, if our electricity goes out while the programs are being downloaded, TiVo needs to be restarted.

The program download from Replay is free, but TiVo requires the user to call a toll-free number (or go online) to make a credit-card payment of $10 a month or a one-time payment of $200, which covers the entire life of the unit. (If re-purchasing the same model, no additional fee is required.) The phone connection is also required to receive automatic TV schedule updates, which take place late at night when it is presumed that no one is using the telephone.

Another characteristic of TiVo (but not of Replay) is that it causes electromagnetic interference with a cellular phone when one is near the set (which, contrary to Replay, remains on all the time).

The difficulties continue with the selection of the TV channels that the viewer receives. Once the subscriber's zip code is inserted (via the remote control), the user enters the type of service in that area -- cable, satellite or broadcast -- and finally, the cable or satellite TV provider. In the end, it was necessary to pick the channels manually for both TiVo and Replay and to make sun that, for example, WNYE-TV shows up on channel 25 and not on channel 47 as originally indicated by the units. Once the PVR programming is "tamed," the rest is simplified somewhat.

Every time the channel is changed, the PVR indicates onscreen the channel, the name of the current program, when it started, when it ends, the present time and the rating classification. One of the characteristics of the PVRs (not publicized) is that commercials can be skipped. In fact, according to research, 88 percent of commercials recorded with PVRs are not viewed. This can be accomplished in a few ways.

1) On playback, by pressing the fast-forward button on the remote control (speed levels vary and can go up to 60 times the nominal rate).

2) Replay has a Quick Skip button that advances the program for 30 seconds (but only if recorded or after a pause).

In any case, to skip commercials, manual action is always necessary.

During playback, TiVo uses a horizontal bar to indicate where you are in the program, what you have viewed and how much is left. For now, PVRs cannot be used to record a program while Marching another one. In the future, his problem might be solved by adding another tuner.

All the functions during playback ire similar to those of DVD players, including the slow-motion and the fast-forward. Viewers can leave during live football or soccer games and return to where they left off. This is possible because the PVR stores the TV signals before they are resent to the TV set. For his reason, there is a lag of a few seconds between the live transmission and the one seen on the screen. The hard disk for the 14-hour format can store 13.6 GB while the 30-hour one has space for 27.2 GB. The units reviewed were of 14-hour types.

It is up to the subscriber to select the quality of recording, which ranges from "basic" to "best." If not picked, the automatic default is set on "excellent." The better quality reduces the number of hours one can record. In the "best" mode of the 14-hour type PVR, the capacity is reduced to four hours. To maximize the capacity of the hard disk, it is recommended to erase the introductory promotional video.

It must be noted that the toll-free number's customer service is good. At TiVo, they even tell you in advance how many minutes are left until someone answers. At Replay, the toll-free number in the instruction booklet was useless, but after some research, it was possible to speak with a rather helpful technician. Replay assured us that the problem with the toll-free number would be resolved soon.

It is important to emphasize that one should not ignore the potential of PVRs. Indeed, the major shareholders of TiVo and Replay are TV stations and studios looking to protect their interests. PVRs free viewers from TV schedules dictated by broadcasters and eliminate the nuisance of advertising. At the same time, PVRs render television more interesting and promote further consumption f TV programming. In addition, TV sponsors know exactly what the PVR subscriber is doing at every instant. PVRs can also be programmed long-distance via a Web browser (a service ) offered by Replay).

In the future, PVRs will become part of the cable TV or satellite decoder, if not actually part of the TV set. As a writer for The New York Times noted, the PVR could be the Trojan horse of the PC industry for control of television.