What % of your viewing is live tv?

[Moonliner]

How much has the rise of the DVR (tivo) changed how you watch tv?

I was adding it up the other day and I was surprised to see how little "live" TV I really watch anymore. I have the DVR setup for all my fav's, Mythbusters, Amazing race, Man VS Nature, Nova, Daily Show, etc...

About the only live TV I watch is Good Morning America and even then I'm not really watching, it's just on while I'm having breakfast and getting everyone out the door.

Even if a show is on at a time I'm watching I still let it record and watch it later. It just seems so inefficient to watch live TV anymore.

There are even some shows I would NEVER watch if I had to look at them live. Good examples of that would be "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" and "Deal or no deal". I can enjoy these shows if I can cut out not just the commercials but about 80% of the banter. Otherwise they are just too slow moving.

[sir clinksalot]

Honestly, pretty much the ONLY time we watch "Live" TV is in bed where we don't have a DVR.

If we are watching a show we will purposely start watching it about 15-20 minutes after it starts so we don't see the commercials. There are certain occasions where we will watch Live, but it's getting few and far between.

[Moonliner]

pretty much the ONLY time we watch "Live" TV is in bed where we don't have a DVR.

Same here but I'm looking to plug that hole. I just singed up with Verizon's new Fios TV. They offer a "Home media" DVR that will allow me to watch recorded shows on any TV in the house.

[TraceCub]

I sometimes catch BBC WorldNews live. But that's about it really.

We like not being bound to the TV. OMG! It's 9:58, we gotta home for Lost!!

Uh..no.

I still keep my eye out for the good commercials though. Bryan hates being in control of the DVR because I'm always yelling out, "Wait!! Go back!" He says it defeats the purpose of the DVR.

[Moonliner]

I sometimes catch BBC WorldNews live. But that's about it really.

We like not being bound to the TV. OMG! It's 9:58, we gotta home for Lost!!

Uh..no.

I still keep my eye out for the good commercials though. Bryan hates being in control of the DVR because I'm always yelling out, "Wait!! Go back!" He says it defeats the purpose of the DVR.

Hey a DVR allows you to watch what you want when you want. That includes commercials if you so desire.

Spoiler

Just tell him commercials make you frisky.

[Xharryb]

I rarely watch live TV anymore. I go through once or twice a week and set everything that looks remotely interesting to record and watch those shows when I feel like having TV time. I used to channel surf constantly, now I just shuffle through my list of recorded shows, pick one and enjoy. I've even discovered plenty of new favorites that get recorded at times when I wouldn't normally be home in front of the TV.

[upov]

I just finally got a DVR last week, so it's new to me, and I'm still learning all of it's functions.

[BDBopper]

All the TV I do watch is live. the Cable we have here has no DVR available. about 10 years ago BellSouth decided to try Digital Cable here and my dad signed on because he got a big discount on it since he worked for BellSouth at the time. BellSouth Digital Cable never took off here or anywhere else partly because BellSouth everywhere else partnered with DirectTV. Now it is AT&T after the merger and since the company lost interest in the Digital Cable they don't add anything or do anything new. So no DVR here at all.

I have experienced DVR though. I have a friend that has it and I go over thos his house during big games so we can pause the game to get something to eat, skip[ through the commercials, and see replays of amazing plays. I love it. That's why if I move to San Antonio I want to have a cable service with DVR.

[sediment]

It's closer to 100% than it is to 80%.
Live TV is watched if the TiVo is recording something, while something else is a must-watch.
(Solution: second DVR, or get DirecTV where two shows can be recorded at once.)

Even when I want to watch something that's on right now, I'll pause the TiVo, watch something else that I've recorded, then catch up to the live one later. Works great with baseball games: so much nothing going on. Works great with hockey, too, with the long intermissions.

[alphabassetgrrl]

I don't remember the last time I actually watched something live. I'm sure it happens, it's just a distinct rarity.

We have DirecTV and can record two shows at once (and frequently do, during prime time). We also have it set up so we can watch TiVo tv in the bedroom; we have a remote extender and both the living room tv and the bedroom tv get the same input signal.

I don't think it ruins the DVR to watch a good commercial. The point is that you get a choice! We will blip back to watch a good commercial. I just hate that the commercials are starting to invade the regular show, on the bottom of the screen. And they have SOUND. So there's no point in watching the show, because I can't watch the show.

Stupid commercials.

[sleepyjeff]

I don't really watch a lot of TV; but those shows I do watch I usually watch via DVR. My favorite show is Lost and even though I can't wait to see it every week I usually wait an extra 10-15 minutes into the show before watching it so I can ff thru the commercials

I wonder how broadcasters are going to handle the ever increasing use of DVRs. I fear they will start to display ads at the bottom of the screen or worse have more and more clumsy product placements within the shows themselves.

[Tui]

We don't have DVR so it's all pretty much live.

Unless you count today. My VCR didn't record the Heroes finale so I had to go to NBC.com to watch it.

[Moonliner]

I wonder how broadcasters are going to handle the ever increasing use of DVRs. I fear they will start to display ads at the bottom of the screen or worse have more and more clumsy product placements within the shows themselves.

I expect a multi-pronged approach including some and/or all of:

• Corner/bottom display ads during shows
• More product placement like Travelocity on the Amazing race
• Legal and technological blocks that prevent you from skipping I know that by defult most DVR no longer have the 30-second skip button enabled.

Just the other day I noticed a new technique that I expect will be a growing trend. Shows like "National Bingo Night" where you can win prizes at home if you are watching live. I'm quite sure they could not pay me enough to watch that particular train wreck of a show but I might be tempted by a better show.

[Radiobarry]

Most of the regular TV shows Kathleen and I watch are on DVR/Tivo. Even the local news, to be watched at a later hour.

Most of what I watch live are sports events...and many times there too I'll wait an hour or so, and FF through the commercials and other dead spots until I catch up with "real time". And Tivo is also a blessing in that when you're watching a live game or show, you can pause it, go do something else if you have to, and not miss any of it.

I love me my DirecTV with DVR. It's the best.

--Barry

[Sweetie]

I have Comcast DVR in each room and we watch 100% off the DVR. I never have any idea what time my favorite shows are on since they just "show up" on my DVR.

Even when I watch "live" TV it's not live. For example:

I watched the King of Queens finale whille it was airing, but I started watching 30 minutes after it started so I could skip the commercials.

I keep the TV tuned to the all news channel when I leave for work, when I come home I 'rewind' it one hour and skip through all the commercials and stuff I just don't care about (Joey Buttafouco for example.) I usually catch up on an hour of news in about 15 minutes.