Tech Bites Man

Didn’t you love how Heroes wrapped up? How about the Simpsons? Do you think it still has what it takes after 400 episodes? I ask because I have no idea myself, as our PVR decided to give up the ghost over the long weekend, taking my pop culture joys with it.

When we first got the PVR it was a revelation. No longer were we shackled to the primetime grid, it was souped-up VCR that let us watch shows whenever we wanted. Instead of thinking a new episode began at 8pm on a Monday it was now just when a new episode was available for viewing.

But recently the bloom has come off the rose as the machine that let us keep up with multiple serial dramas and reality shows started letting us down. The need for resets came more often and shows got lost in the downtime. It wouldn’t matter so much if the rest of the TV industry caught up to the new reality. So I missed a show – no big deal if I could watch it on demand over the following week. Imbed the ads and disable the fast forward function. I’d accept that as my payment. Or I’d pay for it at iTunes, but the Canadian version doesn’t sell TV shows. It is streaming at Global (the Canadian rebroadcaster) but on a cramped little screen and the NBC site won’t allow non-U.S. viewers.

So what’s a fan supposed to do? It is time to delve into the murky waters of BitTorrents. I’d rather not have to search for what the episode name, number and date of the show I am looking for, or to take the several hours to download what may or may not be the program it claims. I’d prefer to watch it on my big screen when I want to, but I can’t because the networks are still stuck in the box that many viewers have long since broken out of.