[u-u] Anyone have a suggested use for a PVR?

[Hugh Gamble]

Start by throwing out ALL the Rogers things, and all of Bell too.
Spend $5-$10 for an amplified antenna,
$20-$50 for an external antenna,
or, if you're Hugh #2, a onetime investment in a tower.

If you're in an apartment, put it on your roof, and share with your
neighbours,
in good Canadian socialist fashion.

That will get you HD OTA ATSC for free.
Better quality and fewer commercials (US law bouncing across the lake) 
and you get local stations with local news too.
2 PBS stations and TVO if you swing that way.
CITY, CTV, Global, and big network affiliates.
The local ethnic channels for your Bollywood fix ...
Oh and CBC + Radio Canada if you're masochistic enough,
and insist on trying to recover your tax dollars.

If you don't have a DVR already,
pick a quiet IBM PC clone (preferably not Apple branded).
Get 2 or 4 Hauppauge tuners for ATSC (probably clear QAM too).

There are also tuners for "US Cable TV" anybody know what those need and
work with?

The best media centre software is the free Open Source (tm) MediaPortal.
If you insist on Linux, there as some XBMC variants that should work too
(if you're a hacker).

This will get you a fully, and properly, simply, programmable DVR with
infinite storage.
It requires configuring a good TV guide, which can be tricky with the Linux
hacks.
(but you all know a Unix person :-) 

If a dozen or score of channels including  all the major networks is not
enough
for you to fill your disks with and never have time to watch,
you can supplement this setup by watching immersive 3D VR on your face phone
(I like Samsung)
or the old fashioned way by Internet.

It's time to scavenge your laser disk players for components,
and build maker projects out of them.

P.S. My building does have Rogers cable,
on a grandfathered bulk contract, for the old people.
There are still analogue channels on that,
which you can see on any monitor with a built in tuner,
but the quality is redonkulously bad compared to high tech rabbit ears.
(the quality coming out a Rogers cable box can't beat rabbit ears either)

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