Passing of the 4508

It never pays to speak of, or think positively about the longevity of any electronic device. Last week I was thinking of how much I love that my ReplayTV 4508 is still kicking after several years. Two days later, it went brain-dead. I was left with a device that just has a pulse; a little red blinking light.

A hard drive transplant to was not able to restore its ability be a productive member of my sparse entertainment center. It just sat there and blinked at me. Oh how I am already missing my automatic commercial advance. I also was looking forward to my two kids having a commercial-free viewing environment.
It is hard convincing myself I that watch enough TV to buy a Tivo. However, the bit of TV I have watched since the Replay died has been painful. With all the commercials, it is no wonder that the broadcasters are having trouble getting people to continue to tune in.

Is paying $20 a month (or prepaid for 3 years with a big initial investment) worth it for a Tivo? I’ll have to find out if I continue to watch TV, or just resort to watching everything a year later on DVD.

I guess the moral is never to have a positive thought about any piece of electronic equipment that you own. It will probably fail shortly thereafter, and even sooner if it’s out of warranty.