UPDATE: 12-09-08 TiVo & Domino's Pizza: IT'S NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME ...

Today, I looked forward with great anticipation to ordering my pizza. However, it was not all that cut and dried.

• One, they will accept orders for cash only -- not credit cards. Probably due to the lack of an SSL 128-bit encrypted link. Note: the limit is $100.00 so party orders are not feasible.

• Two, it is a pain in the butt to enter your name, address and telephone number using the remote. However, it should only have to be done once.

• Three, the list of stores associated with my zipcode are designated as "pickup" only.

• And four, to add insult to injury, the minute I finished entering my personal information, the application errored out: "An error occured while running the application. The application closed during a read (0x50006). It's a humax box running Linux -- how can this be. At least I got a clean exit and a return to the main menu. If this would have been M$ Windoze, it would have been a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). I am not going to try it again until I get more information. BTW TiVo does not use e-mail for support and I am not going to wait on the phone for the answer.

Original blog entry ...

Sometimes you get to experience a true technological convergence which must be shared with the masses …

I have long been a user of TiVo to time-shift the few programs that I watch to convenient times which may be days or weeks after the actual on-air broadcast. The ease of use of my TiVo unit outweighs the high initial cost of the hardware ($300) and the monthly tab for the program information service.

Besides, for the uber-geek, the actual source code for the TiVo program is readily available for examination, modification and experimentation.

But I digress, the coolest feature to-date, is the ability to order a Domino’s Pizza, complete with side dishes and drinks, directly from your TiVo unit – with nothing more than a remote control unit. This is even better than watching movie previews and being able to order tickets online. And how cool is that.

Convergence is great! Or, you should forgive the pun: technology done right!

-- steve

Saving TiVo … there is no secret that many advertisers hate TiVo because of its ability to skip commercials in 30-second increments. It is also not secret that many television outlets are counter-programming digital video recorders (DVRs) by ignoring the traditional boundaries of the broadcast clock and starting or ending programs one or two minutes before of after the traditional time boundaries to prevent changing channels and recording a complete program. Add to that the technology providers and cable companies who offer their own DVR setups – or in some cases – provide a virtual DVR at the head-end of the process. But few of these efforts provide the ease-of-use of an actual TiVo. They come close, but still fall short. So, in spite of TiVo’s current financial problems – I still recommend that you consider purchasing and using TiVos. If money is an issue, used and reconditioned TiVo units are available from TiVo.