TV tuner cards

[Don Y]

The problem lies with the fact that most of these "tech" devices are "too technical". They force much of the knowledge and responsibility for their use onto the user.

Your *car* knows that it needs to advance the ignition timing as RPM's increase -- *you* don't have to tweek that each time you alter the pressure on the accelerator. It knows to disconnect the AC compressor's clutch when the car is under load (for improved performance) -- so *you* don't have to do so. It knows to keep the coolant liquid in the block while the car is warming up -- so

*you* don't have to manually open/close a valve.

I.e., all you have to do is point the car in the right direction and poke at the gas and brake, accordingly.

When it comes to tech products (anything "computerized"), the device expects *you* to know what's appropriate for its use.

*You* have to tell your TV to scan for available channels (even though it KNOWS that it is fresh out of the box and has no idea what "market" you are in!). *You* have to tell your PVR *when* to start recording a particular show ("a few minutes before I *expect* the show to start until a few minutes after I would imagine it will end"). *You* have to tell your irrigation controller when to water and how much to water. etc.

Part of the problem is rooted in the culture that is present where these devices are designed -- often by "engineers" who have their own preconceived notions of how a device should be

*used* (or, worse, by marketing droids with NO knowledge of engineering and only a tenuous grasp on what their "market" thinks -- most folks don't know what they WANT; but, they *do* know what they DON'T want... after they've seen it!)

Ever been to a web site that wants your name, address, billing information, etc. BEFORE it will tell you what the shipping charges will be? (yeah, you can't be *certain* unless you have an exact address, residence/business, etc. BUT you could give folks a rough idea -- or, look at their IP address and give them a *refined* idea without even having to ask for their ZIP code!)

Young engineers/designers often think they're going to "go the extra mile" -- and let EVERYTHING in a product be configurable. Shirley, this gives the user the most flexibility in tailoring the product to his particular needs (instead of imposing some sense of how it should behave). In reality, they are simply abrogating their responsibility to come up with a REALISTIC configuration that they can justify to their users.

Imagine a car that let you set the shift points of the transmission, the amount of ignition advance at each engine speed, etc. You could tweek its performance to suit *your* driving style, fuel efficiency concerns, etc.

Now, imagine you can't take the car out on the road UNTIL you've done this! And, of course, the manual that describes the process was hastily thrown together and contains many errors and omissions. :<

So, the wiser "young engineer" learns to come up with a reasonable "default" configuration that is enough to get the new owner up and running -- letting him later tweek it IF HE SO CHOOSES. But, the defaults have been picked with some rational argument behind each choice so they "make sense" -- even if they aren't appropriate for all users!

A next level of "design maturity" has the designer learning NOT to impose his particular usage style on the product. E.g., NOT requiring a "name" BEFORE an "address"; allowing a form to be completed in whatever order the user chooses. Letting the user decide which radio/TV preset should be associated with each "station" -- instead of assigning them in some fixed order (yeah, it might seem logical that channels be placed in a list in numerical order. But, if I'm always using channels 6 and 32, then why do I want all those other channels in the middle -- just to have to skip over them as I move between 6 and 32? (OTOH, I don't want them ELIMINATED as I may refer to them from time to time)

Yet another level of sophistication is ANTICIPATING the user's needs. E.g., the driver's seat moving into position for you based on your identifying yourself by the KEY you use to gain entry to the vehicle! Or, the radio tuning in "your favorite station" when you start the vehicle.

*Or*, knowing that you listen to the news radio station on your morning commute but listen to jazz when driving around in the evening!

Despite having the *brains* to do these things, most computerized products aren't ambitious enough in how they interact with their user(s). They "play it safe" and expect the user to *tell* them everything -- often in extraordinary levels of UNNECESSARY detail (why can't I just say "music" and have the stereo know what *I* want to listen to, now, and "news" when I want MY favorite news channel tuned?)

Add to this the lack of consistency between products -- and the differences between manufacturers and its no wonder such a large percentage of product returns are due to "its too difficult to use" (IIRC, that figure is now 25%)

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per [e-mail]:

The Tivo I tried some years ago *really* impressed me with the simplicity/elegance of it's interface and setup.... only reason I returned it was the EPG charge.

Since settled into SageTV and it does almost everything I want.... but I still have to give Tivo credit.

[HerHusband]

Some of us still drive an old carbureted car with manual transmission and NOTHING computerized on it. There's a bit more involved than poking the gas and brake. Just getting it to start is an achievement! :)

1. Connect hose.
2. Screw on nozzle.
3. Turn on water.
4. Aim nozzle and squeeze.

That's called a stick shift. :)

Mine is always on the same station, so it automatically selects the right station every time I turn it on.

Anthony Watson

[Don Y]

Yup. Despite being what I do for a living, the idea of facing all of those electronics in SWMBO's vehicle is intimidating! And, thinking that some grease monkey knows which end is UP is laughable!

I'm wondering how the "push to start" feature handles an ignition problem??

("Check Engine"?)

Aren't you implicitly telling your irrigation controller (i.e., yourself) when to water and how much to water?

Sadly, while SWMBO's car *seems* to track "my settings" vs. "her settings" (based on which key is used to start the vehicle), it does NOT seem to adjust the "current selection" for the entertainment system! It *does* remember her stations vs. mine, her auto-headlight sensitivity vs. mine, etc. But, it just can't seem to remember that she listens to the radio/CD while I listen to a thumb drive!

[sms]

Hauppauge Colossus 2. Add an HDCP stripper between the HDMI output of the cable or satellite box and the Hauppauge Colossus 2.

[sms]

You can use a Roku box (or other device) on each TV and turn a PC into a media server.

You also have the issue of getting the content onto the server from your cable or satellite service.

For an OTA DVR you can use a Tablo with Roku boxes, but it won't work for you since you don't have OTA.

Of course the easiest way is to get a satellite box with a DVR but you have to pay monthly fees for that.

[MarjorieKrauss]

If you do so then please do share your experience. I was also thought of doing this before.

[trader_4]

Sounds like you're ready for products like that $300 Nest Thermostat. Where instead of you telling it what temps you want and at what times, it guesses based on motion sensors, detecting patterns, etc. Then when you take the day off from work sick, set the temp to 75F, you find out

3 hours later it's back to 60F, because the thermostat knows better and you can't tell it to stop screwing around. And you never know what it's really doing, is going to do next, etc, because it's all based on what the thermostat thinks it should do, as opposed to you telling it what to do. Me, I'll stick with a traditional programmable thermostat, because I can figure out how to program it. Same thing with a DVR. I have a Tivo, like millions of other people and no problem figuring out how to set it up. I guess you want one where it tells you what to watch.