Tech Blog

[#1]

Okay, show of hands, how many people never bothered to set the clock on their VCR? No, I'm not talking about not knowing how, I'm talking about not caring enough to do it. I used to set the time on the VCR, until I realized that it didn't really matter. I didn't record things with it, much less record things that had some temporal requirement (recording x show at y time). Eventually, and I do remember this being exciting, someone came up with the idea of VCR+ codes. A series of numbers that when you used with VCR+ enabled VCRs, could be used to set the VCR to record a certain program at a certain time. Well, those days have drawn to a close. VCR+ codes are no longer being generated.

So what happened? As ReadWriteWeb puts it so well:

The VCR Plus+ code disappearance is a rare convergence of, arguably, three different types of defunct tech: newspapers, video recorders and the codes themselves.

We don't check the paper or TV Guide for listings, that's what our digital cable program guide is for. If we want to record something, TiVo and other PVRs make the choosing and setting easier (so I have seen, since we are still a PVR-less house). Since I think even getting a VCR is almost like buying a kerosene lamp these days (I'm sorry, sir, did you say you wanted a "VCR?"), it's not surprising that VCR+ codes have faded out and, frankly, no one misses them or cares.

Hmm, I wonder what the next service like VCR+ is going to disappear with little fanfare?

[#2]

I used to love VCR+ codes. I was frustrated my newer VCR and later PVR didn't support it.