With the NFL being in the playoff's right now, a coworker and I are discussiing DVRing sports. Since I love to record a game and skip commercials and half-time, I say watching the game after the events have actually occured is no less stimulating than watching the game live.

The argument is that it is not as exciting to watch a game when you know that what you're watching occured in the past.

I say that, as long as you have no idea what is going to happen, you get the same effect (just without the stupid commercials). In fact, I hit fast forward as soon as the play ends until the next play begins. I can watch an entire football game in less than an hour. I also fast forward in basketball when they are dribbling it down the court (unless there is a fast break).

How do the rest of you feel about this? Obviously, it would suck if you already knew the results (somebody told you, you heard it on the radio, etc.) I'm merely talking about watching a DVR'd game without knowing anything about the results.

If I could guarantee not to hear results (very unlikely in my case), it wouldn't bother me. I even stopped using the dual buffers to watch two games "live" because invariably, the ticker will reveal a new score on the other game and ruin the enjoyment of my other buffer.

It is nice though to hit the 30 second skip when the whistle blows and they are almost always right at the line ready to snap the ball.

With my current job I don't have the time to get home in time for San Jose Sharks Hockey (many times in FSN-HD).

So we tape the game. Since hockey is not big in the Bay Area, it is easy to not know the results.

I agree with your premise, as long as you have no idea what is going to happen, you get the same effect.

But I would only do it the same night. To me something is lost by watching it the next day, even if you still don't know the result. BUT it's all psychological.

When my wife and I are not attending the games, we are to the point where we prefer watching it taped later that night. In fact even if I get home in time to watch a game, we let the DVR record while we casually eat dinner or something.

Then we don't have to deal with commercials and the worst part of hockey, long intermissions. We are always disappointed when we catch up (As we did last night, even though we started watching an hour into the game).

As long as you don't know anything about the game, I like it. But to each his own on what to fast forward. I don't FF any of the game play, and I usually keep most of the broadcast. I just skip commercials and intermission.

Most people who do not own a DVR have the opinion of your coworker. Only problem is if a friend calls after a great play and you haven't watched it yet. I usually watch a game with 1/2 hour delay. I can't stand the commercial timouts anymore. Ruins the flow of the game

I like watching it live. Purely psychological, but I feel like I am 'there' when it's live, but don't have that same feeling if I would have DVRd it. Knowing that I'm watching a game when something has already happened, and the post game is on and they are going nuts talking about next week's possible matchup, etc. etc. would drive me nuts. But really, it shouldn't matter, it's just all in my head.

It would be like DVRing a Breaking News Story that US was just Nuked about 4 hours later to me. I want to know NOW....LOL!!

No matter whether I hear the results or not, I CANNOT watch taped/dvr sports.

Just doesn't feel "right" to me.

Just my .02 cents.

I like watching it live. Purely psychological, but I feel like I am 'there' when it's live, but don't have that same feeling if I would have DVRd it. Knowing that I'm watching a game when something has already happened, and the post game is on and they are going nuts talking about next week's possible matchup, etc. etc. would drive me nuts. But really, it shouldn't matter, it's just all in my head.

It would be like DVRing a Breaking News Story that US was just Nuked about 4 hours later to me. I want to know NOW....LOL!!

I agree this is about the only thing I on't do with my TIVO everything else is recorded it is all in the brain which I know I have very little left

I can't watch taped sports either.

The few times I've DVR'd sports, I always wind up skipping part of the game because I'm too anxious to find out what's going on or I wind up fast forwarding between plays and go past the next play.

I should add that Sharks hockey is the only sports I DVR. I simply don't want to miss a minute of every televised game. It's my favorite sport, favorite team, we're season ticket holders, etc.

I'm an SF Giants Fan (ugh), but I don't tape any of their games. Ditto that for the 49ers. I just watch those live if I can, but if not, no biggie. I just refuse to let my life outside Sharks hockey effect my viewing of Sharks hockey. That is why I sacrifice live games. When playoff time comes, I probably won't do it, except if they play an east coast team and there is a 4:30pm pacific start time on a weekday. That is just too early.

I should also add this that thread should be moved since it is not about HD sports per se, but general sports on television.

I usually DVR the superbowl because I usually miss half of it while hosting the party...at least I get to see the highlights later...

I DVR'd my daughters first Cubs game when I took her last year when she was 5. Some guy caught a foul ball right in front of us and there we are on television! :)

...now I have 3.5 hours of old sports footage saved on my ViP622 saved indefinitely all because of 30 seconds of footage of my daughter clapping and cheering... :D

At least that was one of the few games they actually won! lol...

If I have three or four football games on disk that I want to watch, I'll actually skip forward 20 seconds every time the play ends so I'm watching continuous action instead of a bunch of players standing around. I stop doing this if the game starts to get interesting or if a team is doing hurry-up offense. By skipping over the commericals and half time as well I can get through a boring football game in a little over an hour and not really miss anything.

I hit fast forward as soon as the play ends until the next play begins. I can watch an entire football game in less than an hour.

That's how I watch football too. I almost never watch anything live any more. I can watch Sportscenter in 15 minutes or less by eliminated all the talking heads and just watch the highlights. I watch 4 times as much TV in the same amount of time since getting my DVR 2 years ago.

For sporting events I truly care about (that would be anything Pittsburgh, including Pitt) I prefer to watch the recording but only if I already know the outcome and it is favorable. If the outcome is not good, I'm just not interested. Having last year's superbowl and the preceeding playoffs on my HR10 was just super, but then the damn thing died! Needless to say, I didn't spend much time watching football this year, or baseball or hockey for the past 15 years. If I'm watching something I have no personal interest in, such as any one of a number of bowl games or anything New England, I'll watch it live. I'm sure this says something negative about my personality, but I just don't care.
--

I like to start watching games about an hour after they start, for NFL games and hockey and 45 for baseball and basketball games. During the NFL games when there are two games on I use the dual records to record both games. One game I will watch in whole and the other game I will watch in fast forward stopping when I see big plays or scoring plays.

Most people who do not own a DVR have the opinion of your coworker. Only problem is if a friend calls after a great play and you haven't watched it yet.
I agree with this, and it even bothers me when my wife is watching the game in the kitchen (on the analog OTA) tv, and she reacts to a play a couple seconds before the play happens on the (digital OTA) tv i'm watching in the living room. The delay is only a couple seconds for the decoding, but it still is enough to wonder what I am about to see. The same thing happens when talking on the phone with a friend who is watching the game on analog.

I agree with this, and it even bothers me when my wife is watching the game in the kitchen (on the analog OTA) tv, and she reacts to a play a couple seconds before the play happens on the (digital OTA) tv i'm watching in the living room. The delay is only a couple seconds for the decoding, but it still is enough to wonder what I am about to see. The same thing happens when talking on the phone with a friend who is watching the game on analog.

That's something I don't allow at my house. Nothing worse than a ball in mid flight and you hear "YES!" or "OH, CRAP" from another area of the house, or from the schmo on the other end of the phone.

I agree with this, and it even bothers me when my wife is watching the game in the kitchen (on the analog OTA) tv, and she reacts to a play a couple seconds before the play happens on the (digital OTA) tv i'm watching in the living room. The delay is only a couple seconds for the decoding, but it still is enough to wonder what I am about to see. The same thing happens when talking on the phone with a friend who is watching the game on analog.

That happens in my house all the time as there is always 3 tv's on every Sunday so no matter which room I am in I can still watch and here the game. It doesn't bother me to much though we usually laugh about it.

I almost always record NFL (NY Giants) games on my DVR and watch the games in two sittings. I'll watch the first half (takes me 35-40 minutes per half) about 1.5 hours after the game starts. When I catch up to live, I'll do something else for a while (pay attention to the kids or do a project) then I'll come back to watch the second half.

I have a deal with my wife, that if she does not want me to watch football all day live then no live media (tv or radio) can play in the house until I have watched my game. If she wants to watch something recorded on the dvr thats fine but no live anything because their may be a ticker at the bottom of the screen.

depends on the game. If i want to watch a game "Live" I start watching about 45 mins into it and only fast forward through commercials and halftime. That's close enough for me. I guess I'd call that "semi-live" You still get the anticipation and suspense without the lame ads.

Fast forwarding is really convenient and can free up a lot of time in your day, but it totally sucks the suspense and anticipation out of the game. There's no way around it. a three hour long football game that has a last minute score to win is a lot more intense if you let it sink in over three hours, than if you just fast forward play to play and get to the end in 30 minutes.

That said, I fast forward through a lot of games where I don't care enough to spend three hours on it. Or if I only like one teams offense, and only want to see those series.

Either way, the great thing is having AN OPTION to watch live, semi-live, or ffwd the heck out of it.

This weekend I'm planning on watching all of the games semi-live, except for seattle and bears, cause I hate both of them. (in fact the only good thing about that game is knowing that one of those teams is going to lose)

To me, the drama of sports is the fact that it is unpredictable and most of all, live. Unless I just want to review the highlights from a game I have seen in person, I just can't really watch a DVR'd game. I am often even bothered watching a game with the satellite delay built in since I know what I am seeing may be as much as 5 seconds delayed from the real thing (i.e. I am tempted to turn on a radio to see what is really happening). If I can't watch a game live, and DVR it, I FF to the end to see the score and highlights and only if the announcers talk about some 'highlight or turning point' will I skip back to the game tape. Once I know the score I hit the Delete button and it is gone. To me, it just has to be live (or technically near live). YMMV.

It would be like DVRing a Breaking News Story that US was just Nuked about 4 hours later to me. I want to know NOW....LOL!!Trust me, you'll know......

If I'm watching something I have no personal interest in, such as any one of a number of bowl games or anything New England, I'll watch it live.
--Well, at least you'll get to watch more football this year.....

BTW, I'm one of those people who FFed straight through a stupid Super Bowl half time show (I hate those things) and didn't hear about the boob thing until the next day.

With the NFL being in the playoff's right now, a coworker and I are discussiing DVRing sports. Since I love to record a game and skip commercials and half-time, I say watching the game after the events have actually occured is no less stimulating than watching the game live.

The argument is that it is not as exciting to watch a game when you know that what you're watching occured in the past.

I say that, as long as you have no idea what is going to happen, you get the same effect (just without the stupid commercials). In fact, I hit fast forward as soon as the play ends until the next play begins. I can watch an entire football game in less than an hour. I also fast forward in basketball when they are dribbling it down the court (unless there is a fast break).

How do the rest of you feel about this? Obviously, it would suck if you already knew the results (somebody told you, you heard it on the radio, etc.) I'm merely talking about watching a DVR'd game without knowing anything about the results.


There is a psychological effect of momentum rising and moementum decline. Fast forwarding through everything eliminates this and makes the game very less dramatic as the effect of human nature is eliminated.

Those of you who are hell-bent on watching the game live realize that what you're seeing happened probably about 7 seconds ago, right? All the fans in the stadium have already seen it and reacted to it. How's that for a downer? ;)

Personally, I seem to be the opposite from most opinions stated here. If I'm not that interested in a football game, I'll watch it delayed (or even after it's completely over) and skip over anything that's not an actual play being run.

For games that I'm rooting heavily for one of the teams I tend to watch with a minimal delay or live and don't skip between plays, so that I can listen to the commentary and see coach/player/fan reactions to the events.

What i find comical about this is 24 is the most drawn out show in the history of TV - most seasons could happen in no more than an episode or two - and quite frankly, a number of hours should have happened in 30 seconds.

Yet the same people that rave about 24 say they fast forward Sports, thus missing the natural build up and let down in REAL human drama.

I should add that Sharks hockey is the only sports I DVR. I simply don't want to miss a minute of every televised game. It's my favorite sport, favorite team, we're season ticket holders, etc.

I'm an SF Giants Fan (ugh), but I don't tape any of their games. Ditto that for the 49ers. I just watch those live if I can, but if not, no biggie. I just refuse to let my life outside Sharks hockey effect my viewing of Sharks hockey. That is why I sacrifice live games. When playoff time comes, I probably won't do it, except if they play an east coast team and there is a 4:30pm pacific start time on a weekday. That is just too early.

I should also add this that thread should be moved since it is not about HD sports per se, but general sports on television.

I've watched every Sharks game this year as well (with the exception, of course, of Coyote Ugly - although I did endure that one on the radio), but I personally generally prefer to watch the games while they're live. Something slightly different about watching it taped, I guess. But if for some reason I can't catch it live (which isn't very often since east coast games start at 6:00 at the earliest for me), I don't have a problem recording it. I like being able to skip through the intermissions in a few seconds.

I used to hate having to watch taped games. One way I convinced myself it wasn't that big a deal, was coming to the realization that the games are essentially time-shifted ever so slightly over cable or satellite anyway. So, in reality, no one is watching a "live" game. That made it easier to rationalize :D

I can't stand something having already happened.

If I am watching a game that I don't know the outcome and its on DVR...I go to the end to see who won

Then I rewatch it if my team won :)

. Only problem is if a friend calls after a great play and you haven't watched it yet.

You mean like last Saturday's Cowboys/Seahawks game that I had to work while the game was on. You tell everyone not to tell you the score, then the "Romo Play" happens and everyone calls you about it. You then FF through the whole game to see the play and end up not watching the game. :rolleyes:

I prefer to record and start watching 45 to 60 minutes in. I don't skip the in between play stuff, only the commercials. The drama of the game still builds, but I don't have to waste my time with the commercials. I figure I'm saving a few hours of my life for something else each week without giving up the actual enjoyment of the game.

I understand why some fans don't see this as good as a "live" experience, but it really is new to the viewer as the games unfold. The added benefit is that if the game starts to get out of hand, you can begin to fast forward to see if it will be worth your while to stick around.

Those of you who are hell-bent on watching the game live realize that what you're seeing happened probably about 7 seconds ago, right? All the fans in the stadium have already seen it and reacted to it. How's that for a downer? ;)

Are you one of those people that ruined playing QB1 in sports bars with their radios and concealed earpieces? ;)

I have an interesting situation during my regular football (Cowboys) watching sessions. Myself and one of my friends are in the DVR Buffer skip at least the commercials camp, and the 3rd guy is a luddite. He is constantly saying "how much behind are we, how much behind are we, I can't stand it). We have had some attempts to explain it to him, it really seemed to blow his mind that the DVR is already recording everything all the time anyway. It makes for some fun game days. On top of that, my wife is usually at some other point in the game, ahead or behind, in the bedroom.
On an important game that I really care about, I honestly can hardly stand the wait to get a good buffer going, and really just want to skip the commercials, and recreate the live feel of the game as much as possible. Although it didn't help last weekend. After the big field goal dropped snap, I ran into the bedroom and said "Can you believe that ??", and my wife's DVR was still a couple of minutes behind, and she was all in the we're gonna win this thing moment. So I was the one that blew it that time.

Are you one of those people that ruined playing QB1 in sports bars with their radios and concealed earpieces? ;)
Speaking of the radio & delay. When I was growing up, my parents used to listen to the radio & watch the muted game on tv. Most of the time it was only a split second delay. Now with Digital TVs built in delay (not to mention if you timeshift it), the delay is significant enough not to even try listening to the 'homer' radio anouncers while watching on TV.

Does anybody have a good way of timeshifting radio. I imagine with a REALLY good harmony setup you could even timeshift both. Getting out of sync & back into sync might be prohibative, but just wondering if anyone had a good working solution.

That's the same problem with SNF. Bryant's playcalls trail the action by about 15 seconds. :D

Speaking of the radio & delay. When I was growing up, my parents used to listen to the radio & watch the muted game on tv. Most of the time it was only a split second delay. Now with Digital TVs built in delay (not to mention if you timeshift it), the delay is significant enough not to even try listening to the 'homer' radio anouncers while watching on TV.

Does anybody have a good way of timeshifting radio. I imagine with a REALLY good harmony setup you could even timeshift both. Getting out of sync & back into sync might be prohibative, but just wondering if anyone had a good working solution.

You could try internet radio. It's a bit of a pain to get it synced up correctly, but it's doable. I've done that when I can't stand the other team's broadcasters.

Regarding the delay situation on the radio vs digital tv. I believe the device is called "delay play" or something very similar. I know of a few sports bars in Athens, GA who use it to pipe Larry Munson in over the TV broadcasts, and they can sync it up perfectly.

I'll try and find the link.

Try this url...

http://delayplay.com/index.htm

Most of the real drama comes in towards the end of the game anyway. If it's already happened, but I haven't seen it before, it's new to me and just as exciting and full of drama as it would be live. I guess it all depends on how much you value sports. If the outcome of the game affects you personally, you're more likely to watch it live.

There is a psychological effect of momentum rising and moementum decline. Fast forwarding through everything eliminates this and makes the game very less dramatic as the effect of human nature is eliminated.
I must not be human because watching a bunch of guys stand around while the announcers yack for thirty seconds breaks the momentum of football for me. I guess you humans must be bored when a team plays hurry-up offense.

I must not be human because watching a bunch of guys stand around while the announcers yack for thirty seconds breaks the momentum of football for me. I guess you humans must be bored when a team plays hurry-up offense.

Yes, that why coaches call time outs in Basketball games before someone is shooting foul shots at the end of a game. To truly understand a game flow and momentum, it requires real time - regardless of if you mute the announcers and commercials or not.

You are sounding like the typical Gen-Xer regardless of your age - with no patience for long term results - everything has to be NOW.

I agree with this, and it even bothers me when my wife is watching the game in the kitchen (on the analog OTA) tv, and she reacts to a play a couple seconds before the play happens on the (digital OTA) tv i'm watching in the living room. The delay is only a couple seconds for the decoding, but it still is enough to wonder what I am about to see. The same thing happens when talking on the phone with a friend who is watching the game on analog.

This is the reason I bought a component amp and ran 50 ft of component cables through the floor into the kitchen, so the kitchen LCD TV is in sync with the big screen in the living room. It drove me nuts hearing the crowd roar on the TV in the kitchen when I haven't seen it yet on the big screen.

You are sounding like the typical Gen-Xer regardless of your age - with no patience for long term results - everything has to be NOW.

Or maybe his mind can grasp the fact that X number of seconds/minutes really did take place and understand the effect(s) that would have on the players involved without having to actually sit and watch X number of seconds/minutes of non-action himself.

Let me guess: you get bummed out when they don't show a golfer's entire walk from the green of one hole to the tee of the next. Damn Gen-Xers are ruining golf, too! :rolleyes:

Yes, that why coaches call time outs in Basketball games before someone is shooting foul shots at the end of a game. To truly understand a game flow and momentum, it requires real time - regardless of if you mute the announcers and commercials or not.
I don't regularly FF through basketball, only football. I do FF through timeouts usually. I attend approximately fifty college and professional basketball games every year so I perfectly understand game flow and momentum. It doesn't mean I have to waste my time with it while watching a game on TV. I have other things to do than watch a bunch of football players stand around while announcers tell me what I just saw ten seconds ago.

You are sounding like the typical Gen-Xer regardless of your age - with no patience for long term results - everything has to be NOW.
You, sir, sound like a man who jumps to false conclusions considering you have absolutely no clue what my age is. I am not a "Gen-Xer" so your condescending stereotypes have no place in this discussion.

I don't regularly FF through basketball, only football. I do FF through timeouts usually. I attend approximately fifty college and professional basketball games every year so I perfectly understand game flow and momentum. It doesn't mean I have to waste my time with it while watching a game on TV. I have other things to do than watch a bunch of football players stand around while announcers tell me what I just saw ten seconds ago.


You, sir, sound like a man who jumps to false conclusions considering you have absolutely no clue what my age is. I am not a "Gen-Xer" so your condescending stereotypes have no place in this discussion.

Learn to read....I said regardless of your age.

As also stated, I said turn off the announcers if you don't like them.

By your own admission, game flow and momentum is relevant and leads to the human emotion which is the only reason people watch sports.

Funny how most wives who hate sports understand things are much better when they are not wham, bam thank you ma'am.

I guess people who don't DVR don't watch movies
but once. Why watch a movie twice when you know
how it will end.

jhl

I never realized the extent of non-action time in football until I watched my first DVR'd game. I always give at least a cursory try to see things from other viewpoints, so I certainly understand why European Football fans might think American Football is, well, lame.
--

I watch all sporting events on delay - I cannot stand commercials anymore. It is all psychological - my cousin cannot stand the fact that the game already happened, even though he doesn't know the outcome. His argument is "what if the greatest play on the world happens..I will find out later than everyone else." So? I don't get it.

Friends and family know when I am on "media blackout" regarding results of a sporting event and always respect that. When I talk to friends, they always ask "are you caught up" or "are you real-time" before discussing sporting events. It took some training, but it was worth it. Obviously doesn't work for big games (national championship, super bowl, etc.), but for almost everything else it is perfect.

I went out with my cousin last night and we were safe from the outcome of the games. I watched both NFL games this morning in about 2 hours. Didn't miss a play. He couldn't do that and just found out the scores online when he got home. His loss....

I never realized the extent of non-action time in football until I watched my first DVR'd game. I always give at least a cursory try to see things from other viewpoints, so I certainly understand why European Football fans might think American Football is, well, lame.
--

There are more hits in one drive than in an entire game of soccer (excluding action in the stands). If kicking the ball around is what's necessary to be considered action-packed, I'll take the "lame" American football any day of the week (let the soccer fans soak up all the field goals and punts if they want to get their fill of excitement).

Are you people serious?? You can't stand watching on delay because you know it's a delay? Might need a little control over your emotions. I mean, just a little?

Man, I can even block out the ticker on the bottom of the screen so I don't see other scores. And I mean not look at it, not cardboard over the TV or anything. During the regular season I always watch at least 2 games from the noon start time (NFL ST), so even if I am available during the game I have to watch some taped.

And I promise you, when it's a game or team I am really into, like the Colts, there is no loss of excitement just for starting an hour late or whatever.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the near necessity to DVR sports for those of us on the east coast who actually have jobs. So many of the "prime time" NFL and college games run until 11:30 or midnight that we wouldn't see the end of them if we didn't have a DVR.

P.S. Think of all that emotional buildup that happens overnight just wondering what happened at the end. It's way more exciting than watching live. ;)

Learn to read....I said regardless of your age.
I ignored your "regardless" because it made no sense to say I "sound" like a Gen-Xer when I'm not. Frankly you sound like that generation that wastes their lives sitting in front of the boob tube all day. Which generation is that? Oh yeah, all of them! :)

As also stated, I said turn off the announcers if you don't like them.
And watch football players standing around for 30 seconds in silence? Yeah, that sounds like serious excitement.

By your own admission, game flow and momentum is relevant and leads to the human emotion which is the only reason people watch sports.
I thought you said I was the one who couldn't read. I said, "I perfectly understand game flow and momentum. It doesn't mean I have to waste my time with it while watching a game on TV."

Try to understand this: a game on television to me is nothing like being at a real live game and it never will be. Perhaps television is the only way some people will ever experience sports and they want it to be a complete substitute for being there. I don't. To me it's nothing more than an electronic document of what happened at the event, like a newspaper article with moving pictures. Even if it's "live", the directors select what you see and the announcers tell you want to think about it.

Thanks to my FF button I was able to go to two real live basketball games on Saturday and still have time to watch both NFC playoff games. That was four hours I spent screaming with fans at real live games and two hours I didn't have to waste sitting on my ass in front of a TV set hearing about what round the player went in the NFL draft five years ago. I mean if you sat next to some guy at a real game who blathered on and on about what colleges players went to, you'd tell the guy to shut up!

Funny how most wives who hate sports understand things are much better when they are not wham, bam thank you ma'am.
I'd like to know what those wives think about their husbands staring at their TV sets watching football players stand around for thirty seconds while nothing relevent is happening? :D

Just seeing the "plays" of a football game isn't watching a football game. If that's how you like to do it to save time, fine, enjoy the game, but, I think, to the real serious fan, there's a lot of stuff to see/listen to/discuss between plays.

Or maybe his mind can grasp the fact that X number of seconds/minutes really did take place and understand the effect(s) that would have on the players involved without having to actually sit and watch X number of seconds/minutes of non-action himself.

Let me guess: you get bummed out when they don't show a golfer's entire walk from the green of one hole to the tee of the next. Damn Gen-Xers are ruining golf, too! :rolleyes:

You and Scowl must be 17 fans....that being the case, 24 must really kill you to sit through.

I love taping sports via DVR, problem I have is on the Time Warner DVR Remote I have, the fast forward and the live button are side by side. I have hit the live button a few times, and it ruins everything.

If it's a big game, or a game I may potentially get a call from someone about the game before I watch, I watch it live. If I am not going to be home until after it starts, or for hockey one of 82 regular season games, I'll dvr and start watching late and try to catch up to watch the end live.

I really enjoy the freedom I get with a DVR when watching football. I love watching college football (especially Ohio State). Most games start at noon, and can last for up tp 4 hours. My wife and I go out in the morning, run errands, eat lunch, etc. Then we get home around 1:30 and put the kids in bed for naps. We then start the game around 2, and usually "catch up" by the end of the game. The net result is the best of all worlds: more family time, watch the game, and skip commercials.

Obviously I'm more likely to watch a big game live. However, I did miss the first half of the 2005 OSU-Michigan game due to a funeral of a co-worker's wife. It was not a big deal to "forget" about the game during the service, listen to CD's in the car ride home, and then catch up by the end.

I agree with many in that by the next morning, the desire to watch a DVR'd game decreases. If I'm out of town and unable to watch live, I just catch the highlights and move on with life.

I'm with Bradley. ^^^^^^^

More time with family is more valuable than any stupid football game. The only emotions I miss out on by fast forwarding through down times is boredom and annoyance (of listening to the announcers).

You and Scowl must be 17 fans....that being the case, 24 must really kill you to sit through.

Whereas you diligently stare at the screen during every commercial break and fantasize about what Jack Bauer must be doing, right? Otherwise, you don't get a full 24 hours in a season and the suspense will just disappear! :eek:

My main problem with the DVR'ing of games is the OT or slow play factor. Seems like you always have to set the program following the game to record also in case of OT or games that run over their time slot. If you've got multiple games or shows to record, it becomes a hassle.

When will the encoding allow DVR's to record a complete game until a signal is sent from the broadcaster that the broadcast is over?

Tivo'ing sports has improved my quality of life immeasurably. It frees you from the broadcast schedules just like it does for other programming.

As long as I don't know the result, it's live to me. I FF through the commercials and half-time, but that's it.

Definitely the way to go. Loved blowing through the Florida - OSU game last week in about 90 minutes.

I like to start a football game about 25 to 30 minutes early. With commercial skips I'm usually live right about the 2:00 warning. Then when the half is over I pause and do other things for about 35 to 40 minutes. I can then skim through half time and be back to live at about the 2:00 warning.

Wow, every time I start early I get the pre-game show. ;)

That's the same problem with SNF. Bryant's playcalls trail the action by about 15 seconds. :D

Yeah, but that's because Gumbel sucks, not because of any technical issues....

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is the near necessity to DVR sports for those of us on the east coast who actually have jobs. So many of the "prime time" NFL and college games run until 11:30 or midnight that we wouldn't see the end of them if we didn't have a DVR.

P.S. Think of all that emotional buildup that happens overnight just wondering what happened at the end. It's way more exciting than watching live. ;)

Ditto this sentiment for the west coast, where we get screwed over with 4, 4:30, and 5:30 pm start times for events just to cater to the East Coast.

When your favorite team plays at an East Coast City (or simply MNF which is designed so that the East Coast can see the whole game), most west coasters are still at work.

Sure we get to see the end if the game goes late, but we aren't even there when it begins. Hence, DVR is a necessity here too.

I used to be a Live Sports guy but with the wife and 2 kids I just couldn't sit down and watch a full game anymore without being interrupted. But ahhh, thanks
to DVRs I can now watch the games at my leisure time (usually the same night the game happened)

This last College Football season I would record up to 4 marquee games (if there were 4) and I could watch them in the time I would watch one live. Problem was when two different networks overlapped game times and they would say the score from the other games.

With the NFL there is no such thing as I have not noticed any overlap (at least in the playoffs). Once I know the score I usually don't watch the game. These last two weekends I recorded all games and watched them delayed. Only one that was spoiled was the saints when a guy walking by me said "hell yeah my Saints won" while he was on his cell phone at my local Walgreens

IMO NFL is the best thing to couple with the 30 second skip. Since you can avoid most huddles unless they are running a hurry huddle.

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.


You get - the others possibily never will.

Though I could NEVER watch a UGA game except it being live......and trust me...I get what you are saying in terms of wanting to see everything "live" because I am crazy about Georgia

I don't see how it really makes someone more-or-less "hardcore" about their team if they do DVR it or not

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.
You should probably state that this is just your opinion. I value too many other things in my life WAY more than a bunch of guys standing in a huddle. Unless you can read their lips or hear what they're saying in that huddle, how are you missing out on strategy? I mean, it's not like the camera mounted in the table when watching poker on ESPN (I think it's called the pocket cam.)

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.



Sure it's just all opinion. This is my opinion

So IMO

I am watching the game without huddles. :D


You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.



What strategy I am missing? I actually get a better flow without huddles. I guess I am not a purist nothing wrong with that. I don't see what strategy I miss from the huddles.


Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.



Yeah I enjoy it. I don't know what is your definition of hardore. I certainly do not consider my self hardcore but I watch plenty of NCAA and NFL games just to see good fotball.

Peace

It is nice though to hit the 30 second skip when the whistle blows and they are almost always right at the line ready to snap the ball.

Exactly how I watch it. I always try timing the recording so that by the time I catch up, it's late in the 4th quarter. That's when the real tension starts kicking in, especially in close games.

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.



The only time I feel that applies (to me and my viewing) is late in the game...your team is down 5 points with 3 minutes remaining...only a touchdown will do. When the players break from the huddle you can feel the tension and see it on both sides. The crowd is on their feet and screaming, and you are sitting on the edge of the couch saying "PLEASE GOD".

Perfect example: Vince Young scoring on 4th and 5 in the National Championship game last year. I can't imagine watching that ending on a delay.

As stated previously, I do like to 'catch up to live' BEFORE the end of a game so I don't miss that feeling.

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.
Again I'll say that if you're not at the game, you're not watching the game. What you're seeing is a crude electronic duplication of a small number of the events that take place at the game.

Sure, if you enjoy watching blinking lights on a flat rectangle that create the illusion of pictures you recognize as a football game and pretending that this is just like watching the game, that's great but you're not a hardcore football fan if you aren't at the game.

You're missing out on the atmosphere and interaction that exist only at being at the game instead of sitting on your couch in your living room.

If you like it that way, fine, but you're missing out on way too much.

I am a basketball fan and cannot stand to watch a live game anymore. For me, the flow of the game is completely lost live and it lasts forever. I usually start to watch the game 30 to 60 minutes after tip-off, and "catch up" by the end of the game. I only skip commercials and, depending on the telecaster, may skip part or all of the half-time show.

During last nights Lakers/Heat game on TNT I caght up half way through the third quarter and was frustrated at how long the game lasted. How appropriate I found this thread this morning!

I'm not a big football fan; but I certainly understand how some fans would prefer to skip the huddles, while others feel that they are an intergral part of the game and the drama. For baketball, however, I find the numerous commerical breaks - especially on national games - exhausting. But, thats just one mans opinion!

allan

PS: Go Lakers!

Again I'll say that if you're not at the game, you're not watching the game. What you're seeing is a crude electronic duplication of a small number of the events that take place at the game.

Sure, if you enjoy watching blinking lights on a flat rectangle that create the illusion of pictures you recognize as a football game and pretending that this is just like watching the game, that's great but you're not a hardcore football fan if you aren't at the game.

You're missing out on the atmosphere and interaction that exist only at being at the game instead of sitting on your couch in your living room.

If you like it that way, fine, but you're missing out on way too much.


It's funny, but you can see way more from that "crude electronic duplication" than you can at a live game. The atmosphere may be better at the game, but with DD 5.1 you can pretty much recreate it just as well as being there, and when you factor in how much more detail you see on tv, especially in HD, I think it's a great alternative. Going to the game is all about the party. The tailgaiting. Watching it at home in HD gives you a much better idea of what actually happened.

I have to watch a game live, mainly football. There is just something about knowing it's live (albeit delayed ~10 seconds). I don't get as excited if I know the event has already taken place. Obviously, this is psychological.

On the flip side, I can watch UFC or a boxing match the next day, as long as I haven't heard the winner of the bout.

My parents DVR the NFL, but tape a piece of paper over the ticker, so they can't see the scores.

My parents DVR the NFL, but tape a piece of paper over the ticker, so they can't see the scores.

Now that's a classic.

I have to watch a game live, mainly football. There is just something about knowing it's live (albeit delayed ~10 seconds). I don't get as excited if I know the event has already taken place. Obviously, this is psychological.

On the flip side, I can watch UFC or a boxing match the next day, as long as I haven't heard the winner of the bout.

My parents DVR the NFL, but tape a piece of paper over the ticker, so they can't see the scores.

My father-in-law feels the same way you do. Drives him crazy to watch a game via DVR, even if it's 5 minutes off.

I don't get it. I can never go back to spending 3.5 or 4 hours watching a football game. Never.

I like your parents' solution. What do they do when they throw it back to the studio for a gamebreak update?

My parents DVR the NFL, but tape a piece of paper over the ticker, so they can't see the scores.

Do they realize that the ticker is also timeshifted along with the game and it isn't live? ;)

Do they realize that the ticker is also timeshifted along with the game and it isn't live? ;)

They do it when there are two games on at the same time, though, I wouldn't put it past them for two different times. :)

And yeah, Game Breaks can be a spoiler sometimes.

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.

I "watched" (quotes for you) every play of 78 LA Kings games last year (out of 82). That took about 100 hours of my life over an 8 month period. Explain to me how I could possibly do that live. Live it would take over 300 hours! Plus, I don't even get home for the east coast games until they are over!

I now "watch" 3-4 college football games every Saturday, in the same 3-4 hours I used to watch 1 game in. I see more teams, more strategy, more plays, more excitement.

Did you watch all 6 Bowl Games New Year's Day? We did. We have a party at our house that has improved greatly since the advent of the DVR. Now we go to lunch and dinner and have time to go out and throw the football around and just hang out without a game on. And we still "watched" all 6 games in their entirety. In fact, I zoomed the early games (recorded in SD on my backup TiVo) so the ticker was off the screen (my one friend can't avoid looking at it) and we alternated halves in the later HD games so the ticker wouldn't wreck it for us.

I'll take my experience over yours any day of the week and 4 times on Saturday.

It's funny, but you can see way more from that "crude electronic duplication" than you can at a live game.
Yes, it's not like a real game.

The atmosphere may be better at the game, but with DD 5.1 you can pretty much recreate it just as well as being there,
Ever been to a Seahawks home game? There is no home theater system that can recreate that.

and when you factor in how much more detail you see on tv, especially in HD, I think it's a great alternative. Going to the game is all about the party. The tailgaiting. Watching it at home in HD gives you a much better idea of what actually happened.
Yes, it's not like a real game. It's just an electronic document of what happened during the game. The people who produce the broadcast choose what they want you to see and there's no reason we viewers shouldn't choose what we want to see. If people enjoy watching guys standing around the field for 30 seconds after every play, that's fine but I'd much rather skip ahead to the next play so I can watch the other game I have on disk as soon as possible.

My dad would actually switch back and forth between two channels when two games were on! Would any hardcore football fan dare do something like that? Of course they wouldn't! :D

beyond missing out on the flow/anticipation of the game, you also can end up missing out on some crucial information about injuries or insight from the announcers, you also miss some slow-mo instant replays that may impress you with detail of the way the play unfolds (blocking, pulling coverage, etc). I'd say these details are more appealing to "hardcore" fans, who simpy can't get that by clicking through an entire game.

I've enjoyed games clicking through myself, and I'm actually a big fan of D* superfan "shortcuts" (maybe the only one :D), where I can watch snap to snap on all the games I didn't get to tivo on sunday. But when it comes to my team, I want the excitement, the commentary, the replays etc...

If there are any good slow motion replays or critical information, believe me you'll have many many chances to see and hear about them as you're clicking through the game. If there's an injury, the play won't start in 30 seconds. If there's a critical play, it will be challenged or reviewed which will take much longer than 30 seconds. Yes, you can miss important things when clicking through a game but not very often.

If there are any good slow motion replays or critical information, believe me you'll have many many chances to see and hear about them as you're clicking through the game. If there's an injury, the play won't start in 30 seconds. If there's a critical play, it will be challenged or reviewed which will take much longer than 30 seconds. Yes, you can miss important things when clicking through a game but not very often.

Any play that is good enough to see in replay I will probably have replayed it on my own anyway. Ditto for any controversial plays, which stick out like sore thumbs.

But to each their own, we should all watch sports in whatever way pleases us the most.

beyond missing out on the flow/anticipation of the game, you also can end up missing out on some crucial information about injuries or insight from the announcers, you also miss some slow-mo instant replays that may impress you with detail of the way the play unfolds (blocking, pulling coverage, etc). I'd say these details are more appealing to "hardcore" fans, who simpy can't get that by clicking through an entire game.



yeah. Whenever I get that feeling that I missed something that is hard re-watching I just skip back.

It would be great it they would let us program the time the skips last.

Working nights and weekends at a newspaper, I have no choice but to watch games on the DVR and it's impossible not to know the results of big games in advance.

It used to bother me, but then I realized I could watch more games by skipping commercials, halftime shows and useless banter.

Yes, knowing the result takes the suspense out of it, but I can see the ebb and flow that led to the final score. There are crucial drives and key momentum shifts that I'll want to watch in real time, but I can see them coming. There are lots of times when skipping does make sense -- what do you "in the moment" guys do when some clueless celeb stops by the booth to pimp his latest flick?

I've learned to enjoy the control I have to shift and compress time and minimize the advance knowlege of everything except the winner -- which is almost impossible in my job.

I don't think that makes me any less of a fan. It just lets me watch more football in my own way on my own schedule.

It would be great it they would let us program the time the skips last.

You can do that yourself if you have a good universal remote. I've programmed macros for both 30 second and 3 minute skips into my MX-800; took a little trial and error but I eventually got them accurate down to the second. You can pick any interval you choose. It's my little way of sticking it to The Man. :)

There is a psychological effect of momentum rising and moementum decline. Fast forwarding through everything eliminates this and makes the game very less dramatic as the effect of human nature is eliminated.

My thoughts exactly. I use my DVR for everything, but recording sports is not even an option.

Sure, if you enjoy watching blinking lights on a flat rectangle that create the illusion of pictures you recognize as a football game and pretending that this is just like watching the game, that's great but you're not a hardcore football fan if you aren't at the game.

Unless you're strapped to one of those ariel cameras on a string that hover over the field you just aren't going to get the shots that those ESPN cameras can offer which is superior to anything you can see from the stands.

With the cost of admission, the prices for adult beverages and stadium food I would say sitting in your own cozy home watching in HD with a rib roast in the oven that would cost the same as 2 hot dogs and a beer is a pretty good alternative.

A roast with football? I'd rather have the 10 Brats and a 6-pack you could have for the same price. :)

With the cost of admission, the prices for adult beverages and stadium food I would say sitting in your own cozy home watching in HD with a rib roast in the oven that would cost the same as 2 hot dogs and a beer is a pretty good alternative.
So "hardcore" football fans never actually go to football games because they're too expensive and instead watch the games on their expensive televisions?

But they don't timeshift the games because it's not like being at the game?

I've had more fun at every NFL game I've ever been to than watching any game on TV. By chance I was in Minneapolis a couple of years ago and went to a Vikings game by myself, sat nearly at the top row and still had a great time. The fans were really friendly and they were loud. It was absolutely nothing like watching a game on television. I guess there's something terribly wrong with me.

If your not watching the game in full pads...your not watching the game.

What is this so difficult for all of you to understand?

You may think that you are watching the game...and that is fine for you.......but unless you suit up and stare...I mean stare at the huddle....stare and imagine that you are in it...................you are not really watching the game.

You think you are...but that is because you are foolish and not hardcore like me.

Why is this so hard for you to grasp????

Again, I'll say it. If you are watching the game skipping huddles, then you aren't watching the game.

Sure, if it's enjoyable to you, that's great, but you aren't a hardcore fan, at least not for the game/teams you are watching that way.

You are just missing out on way too many strategy points and lose the whole flow of the game.

If you like it that way, fine, but, at that point, you are just missing out on way too much.


Oh my hardcore friend...but are you wearing an athletic supporter while watching? If not...how can you say that you are experiencing the game the way REAL hardcore fans do???

Is there another REAL reason why you like to watch the huddle? Hmmmmm........

I come down on the side of watching sports live. To me it is the difference between reading (for example) the Lord of the Rings or reading the 'Cliff Notes' version. In both cases you get the entire story about what happened and who the main characters are, but in the case of the Cliff Notes, you are missing all of the emotion, nuance, etc. that come from reading the complete novel. IMO there is no way to understand and appreciate the strategy and play selection in football (for example) when you skip the huddle and just watch the play. Do you agree with the play call? What play would you run? Was the fourth down fake punt justified? Is the coach an idiot for that call? All are things that never enter the flow of a game watched on a recording. Now I will agree that there are a lot of people who could care less about such things, so for them the 'Cliff Notes' version may be just fine. For me, the attraction of sports is the emotional uncertainty of the outcome along with the 'emotional roller coaster' of the trip to the end of the game. I simply cannot get that involvement by watching the abbreviated version. I would rather 'read the whole book'. To each his own. YMMV. etc.

There is no more avid sports fan than I - and I say that with embarrassment. I watch the San Jose Sharks, Golden State Warriors, SF Giants, and SF 49ers. All except the 49ers I record and watch later. Watching the NFL game is kind of an event with friends; otherwise I'd record and fast forward between plays.

If the Sharks and Warriors start their matches the same day at 7:30 PM, I switch back and forth between them, fast forwarding timeouts and between periods. I find that I can watch both games that way in about 30 minutes more than watching one live. I get involved emotionally in both, so it's just not true that a real sports fan has to watch live.

Just read this thread from start to finish, which brings out the tone of the thread. As is so often the case in discussions, everyone has an opinion. And some just have a hard time accepting others see things differently, even to the point of being condescending. They really do adhere to: my way or the highway.

I never DVR the Redskins games because I listen to the radio. Also, being as there are only 16 games a year, I want the games to last as long as possible, even when the Skins suck as bad as they did this year. It also allows me to drink more beer in real time - a big tradition for me when watching the Skins. Cutting a 3-hour game to 1 is one thing; trying to cram 3 hours of beer drinking into 1 is another. ;)

College BB is where I DVR - FF the timeouts, halftime, and most free throws. The biggest plus comes during the final 2 minutes of the game, something that can take 20 minutes of real time.

Nearly a hundred posts. Zero HDTV Programming mention in the starting post. Zero HDTV Programming discussion in the ensuing talk. Why hasn't this thread been moved out of this forum and to say the DVR forum yet or brought to HDTV relevance?

Nearly a hundred posts. Zero HDTV Programming mention in the starting post. Zero HDTV Programming discussion in the ensuing talk. Why hasn't this thread been moved out of this forum and to say the DVR forum yet or brought to HDTV relevance?

I come down on the side of watching sports live. To me it is the difference between reading (for example) the Lord of the Rings or reading the 'Cliff Notes' version...
Ok, How does skipping commercials equate to reading Cliff notes when I watch the entire HD ;) game?

I always watch Sunday Ticket live. Mainly because I'm flipping around between the half dozen or more games and I'm not watching commercials anyway. Plus since I have the player stats thing going plus live player stats (fantasy geek) going on my laptop, I know all the big plays as they happen live anyway. No way I could watch it delayed.

We always watch hockey delayed however. Usually 30-45 minutes delayed so that by the 3rd period we have caught up to live but got to skip most of the commercials and the intermissions.

For me, it's not really the psycological fact that I'm watching delayed that's the problem. If you DVR a game so that you can skip commercials and halftime, I think that's pretty much the same as watching live. If you DVR a game, skip commercials, halftime, huddles (in football), between pitches (in baseball), between whistles (in basketball), then you are just watching a glorified Sportscenter. You lose the whole feel of the game if you solely watch when there's action on the field.

You lose the whole feel of the game if you solely watch when there's action on the field.

You might lose the whole feel of the game, but I retain it just fine. I'm capable of understanding that I just skipped 30 seconds of non-action and can mentally adjust for the impact (which is usually minimal) that would have on the feel of the game.

Nearly a hundred posts. Zero HDTV Programming mention in the starting post. Zero HDTV Programming discussion in the ensuing talk. Why hasn't this thread been moved out of this forum and to say the DVR forum yet or brought to HDTV relevance?
Oh, sorry O2C. Didn't mean to make you sit through 94 posts of non-HD talk. What were we thinking? :rolleyes:

How about this?:

Can you watch HD sports with an HD-DVR and skip the HD commercials and HD "down time"?

Continue discussion! :mad:

Ok, How does skipping commercials equate to reading Cliff notes when I watch the entire HD ;) game?
That's much closer to the 'book' than the 'Cliff Notes' version, but without the 'live' part you miss that ever exciting emotional moment of the game that always comes after the third or fourth beer.....can I get to the toilet and back before the next play starts? No DVR'd game can ever recreate that emotional moment.
:D :D

Nearly a hundred posts. Zero HDTV Programming mention in the starting post. Zero HDTV Programming discussion in the ensuing talk. Why hasn't this thread been moved out of this forum and to say the DVR forum yet or brought to HDTV relevance?

Any discussion of programming that is available in HD is topical. Each post doesn't need to reference something HDTV specific.

Just read this thread from start to finish, which brings out the tone of the thread. As is so often the case in discussions, everyone has an opinion. And some just have a hard time accepting others see things differently, even to the point of being condescending. They really do adhere to: my way or the highway.
Yeah, I often skip the huddles and timeouts in football because I want to watch more games and do other things on the weekend. I'm not telling anyone else to do that. I just think it's silly to say someone isn't a football fan because they want to watch more football games, not because they're some kind of hyperactive child with ADD or because they enjoy committing sacralidge against the Gods of Football.

I just don't see why I should waste a couple of hours of my short busy weekends looking at men bending over talking to each other when technology will allow me to avoid it.

scowl,

FWIW, you weren't one of the ones I was referring to. :)

Nearly a hundred posts. Zero HDTV Programming mention in the starting post. Zero HDTV Programming discussion in the ensuing talk. Why hasn't this thread been moved out of this forum and to say the DVR forum yet or brought to HDTV relevance?

Um, yeah, I called this out in post #9, but was completely ignored. Go figure.

Now the title of the thread has been changed to "DVR'ing HD sports," but come on, this topic is about time-shifting sports, it has nothing to do with HD.

You all just want to keep it in the HD forum because if it goes to the SD forum, no one will read about it.

I had a thread that deservingly should have stayed here but was moved because everyone "agreed" it was not about HD (when it basically was), so this should get bumped too.

I had a thread that deservingly should have stayed here but was moved because everyone "agreed" it was not about HD (when it basically was), so this should get bumped too.

Wow...they really did that to you? How are you doing after it? Those heartless basterds!

:D

I had a thread that deservingly should have stayed here but was moved because everyone "agreed" it was not about HD (when it basically was), so this should get bumped too.
You might try www.threadbumpsupportgroup.com

...Now the title of the thread has been changed to "DVR'ing HD sports," but come on, this topic is about time-shifting sports, it has nothing to do with HD.

You all just want to keep it in the HD forum because if it goes to the SD forum, no one will read about it...
I don't ever watch SD (except for some DVD's) so for me it is 100% about DVRing HD sports.

Although the thread has devolved, I'll add my support to the "DVR all but the biggest events" group. I try to watch every Flyers game (yes, even this season), but I can't guarantee that my free time begins right at 7pm EST. I've been DVRing the games for years and won't go back. Skipping all the commercials and intermissions is reason enough.

I do the same as another poster mentioned for football - start watching about 25 minutes after kickoff. Catch up to real-time at half time, then go do something else for 30-40 minutes. Catch up to real-time before the final snap. Best of both worlds.

Although the thread has devolved, I'll add my support to the "DVR all but the biggest events" group. I try to watch every Flyers game (yes, even this season), but I can't guarantee that my free time begins right at 7pm EST. I've been DVRing the games for years and won't go back. Skipping all the commercials and intermissions is reason enough.

I do the same as another poster mentioned for football - start watching about 25 minutes after kickoff. Catch up to real-time at half time, then go do something else for 30-40 minutes. Catch up to real-time before the final snap. Best of both worlds.

I watched Pats/Colts live and I'm glad for it (normally I'm on a delay as stated before).

The comeback held a lot more drama playing out live. I'm biased, because I really wanted the Pats to lose :-) (Note: I like the Pats organization, coaches, players. It's just the fans annoy the heck out of me and I was tired of hearing from them lol)

I watched the Saints game using the DVR and fast-forwarding between plays. We then had company come over to watch the Colts game so we watched it, pretty much in real time.

Even with the Colts coming back, it was so boring to me to watch guys standing around. I have finally proved it to myself that it is much more exciting to me to watch the game in fast forward mode than sitting around waiting for things to happen.