Busy college students are saying goodbye to the VCR and welcoming TiVo, a digital technology that allows viewers to record shows anytime automatically on a timer without the use of tapes. “I love TiVo,” Brian Greaves, a junior advertising/public relations major, said. “It’s easy, and I am pretty busy, so I want to make sure the shows I like get recorded.”
He said he shares his machine with three other roommates in their on-campus apartment.
Greaves said every week his and his roommates’ favorite show, “Lost,” is automatically set to record on TiVo. Greaves bought his TiVo Series2 DVR, digital video recorder, box at Best Buy about five months ago for $200 with a $100 rebate.
“My monthly bill is about $12,” Greaves said. “You save money in the end because if you have a VCR you will be buying tons of tapes all the time.”
Kate Krumrei, a senior education major, said she thinks TiVo is a good idea for those who continually miss one show every week.
“I am pretty busy and know a lot of students who are also, so it is a great thing to have while in college,” Krumrei said.
Krumrei, who is also a resident assistant, believes that with schedules getting busier every semester, more students may be seeking TiVo as a time-saving option.
Travis Cook, director of business services for TCU Connect, said he thinks more students will be getting TiVo.
“Right now on campus there are students who have it in their dorms,” Cook said. “It is a great device for the busy college student, so it could very well catch on with a lot more viewers.”
Patti Sellers, a telecommunications coordinator for TCU Connect, said setting up the service is easy.
“All the student does is call TiVo and give them the list channels TCU offers on campus,” Sellers said. “After the student calls TiVo, the channels are programmed into their box, and it is set to go,” Sellers said.
The bill goes directly to the student, so the university has nothing to do with the process of payments, Sellers said.
TiVo could not be reached for comment on the value of its student customers.
