The database that I have chosen to discuss is stored within the Tivo DVR. The Tivo DVR is a system that sits between a television and cable box. With the Tivo you can pause, fast-forward, rewind and record television shows. There is a huge amount of data about those shows that is stored on the local database and remotely on Tivo’s database. Data from Tivo’s remote databases can be downloaded through the Internet and viewed locally.
The main function of Tivo’s database is to allow users to quickly find what’s on television by browsing through menus that can be sorted by time of a show, channels, a show’s name, actors, genre or the setting of the show.
Since the Tivo does not include a keyboard, the engineers at Tivo needed to develop a way for users to enter search criteria from a typical remote control. The engineers at Tivo came up with the following system:
Users use the up/down channel button to scroll through an alpha-numeric interface to spell words. The Tivo then displays all the matches that start with those letters the user entered. The interface also allows users to enter the name of an actor to find out all the upcoming shows or movies they will be in. The Tivo database can also find alternative show times for particulars episodes in case you might have a conflict in your schedule.
Adding a relational database to the television was a great idea, and the fact that it can be operated through a remote control while sitting on the couch is a great engineering feat. The user interface is very intuitive and easy to learn. Users do not feel like they are using a computer to watch television; rather it feels like it’s just a regular television with some great extra features.
The main shortcoming that I have seen is with the recommendations engine.
Tivo allows user to rate how much they like or dislike a particular program with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down button that is found on the remote control. The user’s preferences are then sent back to remote Tivo who then tries to find other shows that the user might like to watch. This system does not function very well. Recommendation engines are difficult to implement because everyone’s taste is so unique. I hope that Tivo continues to improve their offerings by adding the ability to search by genre or actor for video throughout the Internet that I can then download to my computer.
Rahim Karim's Blog 
June 22, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I currently have Comcast’s DVR system. The only reason I have it is because Comcast gave us so many faulty digital cable boxes in a row that my wife made them give DVR to us for free for a year – which was about six or seven months ago. Before that, I was still using a VCR to record TV, which was pretty infrequent.
The DVR has been nice, obviously better than a VCR. I definitely tend to record a lot more TV now, and I don’t miss Star Trek: Remastered in the middle of Saturday and Sunday overnights on WRIC anymore.
I have been disappointed by the clunky interface, though. Plus, I would love to be able to force the DVR to always start every recording five minutes early and end five minutes late, but I’ve only been able to implement this on a recording-by-recording basis, which gets annoying since I tend to be a forgetful person.
I was also looking for that recommendations system that I had heard so much about for TiVo, which Comcast DVR does not have.
I’m not sure if we’ll keep the Comcast DVR once the free period ends or switch over to TiVo. I know one thing, though, there’s no going back to the VCR.
[[[Recommendation engines are difficult to implement because everyone’s taste is so unique.]]]
I’ve found the merchandise recommendation engine at Amazon to be surprisingly accurate at times. Of course, I have been shopping there for a long time so they have collected a lot of data about me, which I imagine they compare to lots of other people who tend to buy the same things.
Though I’ve not used it nearly as long, the music recommendation engine at Pandora Radio is pretty good, too, bringing up lots of songs and artists that I probably never would have discovered otherwise.
However, these are two of the only exceptions to your comment that I can think of. Most recommendation engines are less sophisticated than your average horoscope in making predictions.
June 22, 2008 at 9:46 pm
The other thing that I’d like to be able to do with my DVR is to trim shows that I have saved. Since I like adding buffers at the beginning and end, I’d like to able to delete the unnecessary portions after the fact. I’d also like to be able to trim out the commercials from a saved program in order to save space.
June 23, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I LOVE this database. Actually, we have a DVR at home, but it is the same concept. This was an act of genius. It has gotten to the point that I would much rather watcha recordd show rather than one in real time. I feel like I am wasting time when I have to sit through commercials. With the DVR I don’t have to catch a pay per view movie at a certain time. I order a movie and then tape it while I am busy. Then I have the movie to watch at my convenience.
One thing i would like to see as an addition is the option to upgrade the system to one with a DVD recorder. Twice my DVR has gone bad. When the new DVR is switched out with the old one all of the recordings are lost. A recorder upgrade would be a good addition.