NEVER MISS A FAVORITE TV SHOW RETURN AGAIN
There are certain things in life that you
just shouldn't miss. Being on time for your wedding is one example
that comes to mind. Being there when your child is born is another.
Of course there are things of lesser importance but if you miss
them, you're really going to regret it. Birthdays,
anniversaries, class reunions, TV shows, the list goes on and on.
Wait a minute. TV Shows? Absolutely!
Not that I'm a TV junkie but I have to tell you that if I miss a
favorite TV show, especially one that's a part of an ongoing series,
that really can bum me out. Of course I have one of those digital
video recorders or DVR to handle that situation. In fact, I recently
got the latest High Definition model from DirecTV. And like most any
DVR worth it's salt, you can set it to automatically record any show
on an regular basis. But DVRs have one major flaw, that being they
can only record what's in their programming grid which extends out
for only around one to two weeks. Yes I know that you can set them
to look for future programming by title and keywords but my
experience is that ability is hit and miss at best.
What really fries me is when I miss a TV series because it's been on
a seasonal hiatus. After the seasonal run, a series will take a
break for a few months and return later on sometime in the fall or
summertime depending on when it normally airs. So while the series
is off for its four or six month break, it's up to you to pretty
much keep track of when it's scheduled to eventually return. I have
missed more season returns than I care to mention. Even with my DVR
set to look for it, it can still miss. Sometimes it will miss
because it's come back on a different night or time slot or even a
different network than the last season. I think it's basically a
trust issue. I trust my DVR to record regular programming. I don't
trust it to do the right thing when several months have passed by.
I have turned to my computer to help me keep track of my favorite
shows. I recently discovered a nifty little program that keeps track
of all my favorite shows and lets me know when all of them are
scheduled to next air. It's called "TV Forecast" and it's
actually a Widget for the Macintosh. After you download and
install TV Forecast, you are presented with a small rectangular
display that lets you stack your favorite TV shows. The more you
add, the longer the rectangular display becomes so you can see all
of your shows at a single glance. If it gets too long, the reverse
side lets you configure the number of TV shows displayed at one
time.
To add a new show, simply type in its name and click the Search
button. TV Forecast will look up the show for you. If it finds more
than one match, you just click on the show you want to add. Once you
set it up, every time you check the widget, you'll see all your
shows listed with the day and date when it will be aired. In
addition to the show's name, beneath the title will be the name of
that particular episode if it has one. Clicking on the name will
launch your browser and take you to TV.com which is a website that
gives you even more detailed information about the show and
particular episode.
Other abilities adjust for your time zone and now it links to Apple
iTunes.
If that episode is available for download at the iTunes store, a
"Buy" icon will be displayed on the widget next to the show title.
Clicking on it will launch iTunes and position you to the
corresponding purchasing screen for that show. It's nicely done.
For me however, the best is TV Forecast's TBA (To Be Announced)
feature which is ever vigilant and watches for a series to return to
the air, or even the debut of a new one like The Bionic Woman. Now I
don't have to worry anymore that I'm going to miss the return of
something important in my life. Yes I know that's really sad but
hey, I like my TV shows. And if you really like them too, then
download a copy of TV Forecast. It's free and while you're there,
check out some of the other nifty widgets like TV Countdown that's a
really nice companion to the TV Forecast widget.
www.bigbucketblog.com/tv/
| Craig Crossman is
a McClatchy-Tribune newspaper columnist writing about computers and
technology. He also hosts the nation's longest running nationally syndicated radio talk show on
computers and technology, Computer America, heard on both the Business TalkRadio
Network® and the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network®, weeknights at 10PM Eastern
time. Visit his website at http://www.computeramerica.com |
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