DVRs

You know you do it. I do it too. We all do it. We all use our DVRs to skip commercials. For many users, that's the main reason they purchased a DVR in the first place. Unfortunately, this trend is effecting the advertiser's bottom line. They pay for ads, but no one is watching.

Sharp just announced three new Aquos products that are Blu-ray players with built-in high-def DVRs. Although these sound like fabulous new combo units, is this really all that great? The three models have different DVR storage capacities.

Like millions of Americans, I have totally ditched my VCR and now solely rely on my DVR to record my favorite shows while I’m away from home. And the vast majority of time, my Scientific Atlanta box has my back. From Lost, to Prison Break, to The Simpsons, I can leave my house confident in the fact that my shows will be waiting for me when I return home.

Something just wouldn't be quite right if middle-aged people approaching retirement grasped and adopted new technologies faster than their children. So it comes as no surprise that a study on that topic commissioned by Hallmark turned out just like that company's TV specials: predictably.

All the concern advertisers have expressed about reduced views due to time-shifted DVR recording may be overblown. No question that's true when it comes to the Super Bowl, where a good portion of viewers are as psyched to see the high-profile commercials as they are to watch the game.