DVR – (Digital Video Recorder)

I recently got a free one year trial offer from Comcast for a DVR. A DVR or Digital Video Recorder allows you to record TV programs in digital memory on a hard drive without the use of any hard media like VCR video tapes or DVD disks.

The new technology is advanced, but simple to use. Pause any show on any channel, instantly replay live TV, watch a scene in slow motion, or rewind the show you’ve been watching. Easily record your favorite shows or an entire season, all with the touch of a button. And with the built-in dual tuner, you can watch one channel while recording another.

Normally I go to the on screen TV Guide and scan the programs for the evening. When I find those that I want to record, I highlight them and then hit the record button. That’s it. No need to enter the time, date or channel like you did with a VCR.

You can record the program one time for that evening or continuously for future weeks. Another way to find a program is to go to the alphabetic listing and search by title. Select the title you want and it shows the time, day, and station for that entree. You then hit record.

You can also copy the shows that you have recorded in digital memory on the DVR to a DVD or VCR recorder. You can copy any show on any channel except those that are “On Demand” (Channel - 1).

The most obvious reasons for recording a TV show are:
1. The show is on at the same time you want to see another show.
2. You are not home when the show is playing.
3. The show is on too late and you are too tired to watch.

I have had a great time scheduling all the programs for the week and then watching them when I am ready and have the time. After dinner most evenings, my wife will watch a few programs that were recorded earlier in the day when we were not home. She will select the program from the recorded list and fast forward through the parts that she is not interested. One of the great features is that you can fast forward through all the commercials and watch an entire show in about ¾ of the normal play time. I record and then watch later some of my favorites that are on too late and past my normal bed time.

If you are interested in How A DVR Works go to the link ….
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvr.htm

I took some photos of the TV as I made various DVR selections and put them in a slide show so you can see how I selected and recorded some of my favorite programs. You can see the photos at the link …..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/DVDBlogPhotos


Comcast is now offering a free one year trial for a DVR and later you can lease it for a small monthly fee. You can click on the link below to get details. (Other cable vendors have similar offers.)

Comcast Prices & Packages (click link …)
http://www.comcast.com/shop/buyflow/default.ashx
One year free DVR Trial or lease after trial period for the following prices:
Digital TV DVR – ($8.95/mon) or HDTV DVR – ($12.95/mon)

You can also buy a DVR at various outlets. One is listed at Amazon.com for ($499.99) and can be seen at the following link ….
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-DVR-531HS-Recorder-Onscreen-Programming/dp/B000FLF8W4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226968329&sr=1-4

You can also get a DVR with TV tuner for your PC. Amazon.com has one listed for ($68.86) and can be seen at the following link ….
http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-1139-WinTV-HVR-950-External-Recorder/dp/B000J1CCGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226968571&sr=1-2

Unless you are a techie, your best bet is to take the free one year trial offer and see if you like the DVR feature. Even if you lease it after a year, the price is less than the cost of buying your own. Also, technology is advancing so fast that DVRs maybe upgraded to something else next year.

Comments or suggestions are always welcome. Have you used a DVR or TVO? What are your favorite programs. Send email to .. markryan82@comcast.net

Craft Fairs And Art Projects – 2008

After retiring a few years ago, I looked around for interesting things to do to occupy my time. Besides the regular chores around the house and the honey-do list, I wanted to try something different from the work that I did for 40 years. Although I enjoyed a challenging career in public school teaching and administration, it was time to explore other interests.

After trying a few different hobbies, I tried my hand with decorative painting. The local AC Moore store offered some lessons in Acrylic Painting that you might have seen on PBS Educational TV with artist Donna Dewberry. She has the painting technique called One Stroke Painting, where one loads a paint brush with two colors of paint and in one stroke with the brush, a two color line is painted. With one stroke you blend, shade and highlight the image you are painting. This is quite different from regular painting where you paint one color and then wait for it to dry before you paint the next color to highlight and shade and blend. You can see some of her painting ideas at the link …..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyi-Y2ATjoA

With a few lessons I was painting flowers and leaves and fancy bows on art paper. The class then graduated to projects where you painted on decorative home items which were made of wood, glass or slate like a wall plaque, bird house or wine glass. Some of my friends and family liked the items that I painted well enough to even buy some.

With a little encouragement from my family, I tried my first craft fair held at the local church. At a church fair, you paid a small fee for a table in the church hall and displayed your items. Surprisingly, I sold many items and even took some orders.

I have been doing craft fairs now for about six years and enjoy meeting people and talking about my art work. Some people even want custom work done with special colors or designs. I have painted custom designs on furniture, custom mailboxes and custom wine glasses for a wedding. You can see some of my decorative art items which I displayed at a recent craft fair at the link ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ApplefestFair11108?authkey=qy-P4Ta6Kxs

The fall is the busiest time for craft fairs where people buy gifts items for the Christmas holidays. At most craft fairs vendors will sell items cheaper than at department stores or antique shops. However, it is hard to beat the prices you find at the Christmas Tree Shop where all of their items come from China where a million gizmos are made and they sell for pennies on the dollar. On the other hand, items sold at craft fairs are reasonably priced, are special, one of a kind, are unique, made by local craftsmen and normally signed for authenticity.

When people would ask me about the things that I painted, I first showed them a few photos and later decided to make a catalog and eventually a web site that you can view anytime from home. You can see my web site at the link …. http://markscrafts.com/

Comments are always welcome. Do you have a craft hobby?
Send me an email at …… markryan82@comcast.net