When reading the following commentary keep in mind that our household is watching less and less TV these days. We haven’t paid for TV since December and our free satellite offer runs out in a couple months. When it does, I would give it about a 25% chance as of this writing that we’ll pay for TV again any time soon. Part of this reasoning is the vast majority of entertainment we want to watch we can get via DVD or online (legally, mind you). We just don’t see the value there any more.

But even if we were in the happy to be paying for TV and thinking it’s a great deal mode, I still wouldn’t be that excited about another free DVR software package. From anybody.

That’s right, some other folks are writing about another me too moment from Yahoo. This one comes in the form of a free DVR offering. No yellow cornflakes completely here, I think it’s cool too that Yahoo is offering the DVR software that they received from the Meedio acquisition for free, but the question I have is what makes this better than Media Center or MythTV, both of which are also free, yes? In the former case you do have to buy a Media Center PC, but those are coming down in price big time. If Yahoo had decided to charge for the DVR software then it would have been moronic.

If you have the following and don’t already have a Media Center PC the new Yahoo! Go TV DVR (free) might interest you:

- Windows based computer
- 512MB RAM
- TV with video/audio input connectins
- TV Tuner card and remote control
- broadband connection
- at least 20 GB free additional space for recording TV programs

We were shopping last night and saw a Media Center PC for $574 with 1GB RAM, 250 GB HDD, DVD burner. Prices are really coming down for Media Center PCs so I’m not really seeing the point of Yahoo Go! (or any third party DVR software) with not using what already comes with the computer, also what works on an Xbox 360. And if Yahoo would charge for it, who would pay anyway? TiVO hasn’t exactly exploded with users and they have the best DVR software out there that I’ve seen.

Om notes that it only took an impressive 8 days for Yahoo to brand what was formerly Meedio.

Guess I’ll look to the comments and other bloggers/websites to educate me on why our household would need or want this software. It’s pretty sad commentary when I can’t be motivated to download something free. Just because it’s from Yahoo isn’t enough and in some respects is a diss since Yahoo tends to want to install other crap onto my system that I don’t want or need.

Is this Media Center, MythTV or TiVO killer software? Anybody?

Did this post make you go hmm?

Maybe Related Posts (plugin generated)

• Media Portal a Windows MythTV alternative
• Replace TiVo with Media Center PC?
• TiVo not dead or acquired yet, Yahoo buddies up
• TiVo Home Media Engine SDK
• We’re thinking about nuking cable and Netflix
• TiVo not completely to go yet, but soon will be with iPod and PSP