nrc
01-15-2009, 02:05 AM
TiVo has said a couple of times that this new search would put an end to channel surfing. No, not really. TiVo has certainly changed channel surfing from a frequent event to a rarity, but this search doesn't do anything new to stamp it out.
People who still surf do it either because they don't have anything recorded or nothing that they want to watch right now. That may be because they've run out, they don't have the time to watch an entire program, or just nothing appeals to them right then.
So they need to know what's on right now or in the immediate future. If TiVo really wanted to stamp out channel surfing they'd create a feature that prioritized currently airing or soon to air programs according to your preferences, history, popularity, etc.
People who still surf do it either because they don't have anything recorded or nothing that they want to watch right now. That may be because they've run out, they don't have the time to watch an entire program, or just nothing appeals to them right then.
So they need to know what's on right now or in the immediate future. If TiVo really wanted to stamp out channel surfing they'd create a feature that prioritized currently airing or soon to air programs according to your preferences, history, popularity, etc.