You see? When I speak, they listen. Just last week I was telling Viola that I won’t get a TiVo until they come out with one that has a DVD burner built into it. Most of the shows we record just get taped over after we watch them, but every now and then there’s something I want to keep. And the one thing about TiVo that always bugged me was that you had to keep saved programs in the box, on the built-in hard drive. There was no way to get them out for archiving. So, eventually, your hard drive would fill up with saved shows, and there’d be no room for new ones. And without having the TiVo networked to the computer (something else that would be just peachy), you’d either have to start taping over your saved shows, or buy a second TiVo. So why not build a TiVo that can record your shows onto DVD? That way you can build a library of shows, all easy to get at on DVD, and keep your TiVo’s hard drive free and clear. My idea was genius and groundbreaking, and I made sure to voice it in a public place so Big Brother would pick up on it.

Well, someone at Pioneer overheard me talking and fast-tracked the project. Now they have a TiVo that can record your shows onto DVD. Wicked. Now I have just one more request. Dish Network has satellite receivers with TiVo built into them now. Great idea, especially since we’ve been thinking of switching to satellite for a while now. (What kind of cable company doesn’t carry Comedy Central? Charter cable of Gardnerville, that’s who!) So if they can build a two-in-one box with TiVo and DVD over here, and if they can built a two-in-one box with Dish and TiVo over there, where’s the three-in-one box?

If someone can do that—satellite, TiVo and DVD in one unit—then they’ll start to see my wallet opening.