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May 23, 2013

DVR conflict: Chuck's improved... does HIMYM go?

by Joel Keller, posted Oct 28th 2008 1:03PM

Chuck vs. Tom SawyerI usually hate reruns. Hate 'em. You've built some momentum watching a show, especially when the season starts, then suddenly you're faced with an episode from last year that you already saw. That can be especially incongruous when you're a fan of a show like How I Met Your Mother, which ended last week's episode with a number of monumental character developments.

However, reruns allow you to explore shows that you've wanted to watch but never get a chance to, even in this day and age of DVRs and online viewing. Take Chuck, for instance. I DVR HIMYM just in case I miss something when I watched it live and want to include it in my review. So I don't even record Chuck, a show I enjoyed last year and I've heard has gotten even better in its second season.

Because Mother (and The Big Bang Theory) was a rerun this week, I decided to tune into Chuck, and was greeted with an episode that was better than almost any I had seen last year. It was funny, nerdy, and touching all at once (I mean... who didn't like the scene between Chuck and Sarah after she managed to convince Stanford to give him his degree?).

Despite what Rich thought, I was actually happy that Chuck completed his mission without leaving the nutty environs of Buy More; defeating a killer satellite by finishing Missile Command -- a game that was past its prime when Chuck was in diapers -- was an ingenious move on the part of the writers. And the moment of triumph at the end, where the nerds cheer him for defeating the game, not knowing that he just saved the free world, was a great climax. Even using "Tom Sawyer" as the key to defeating the game worked well; I hate Rush, but liked how it was used in the climactic scene.

So, what does a one-DVR guy do? I really would hate to miss something on HIMYM and have nothing to back me up. Do I just watch Chuck online? Let me know in the poll below and in the comments about what you would do.

How does Joel resolve his Chuck / HIMYM DVR conflict
Record Chuck since he already watches HIMYM254 (28.1%)
Keep recording HIMYM... he needs to get those quotes right!138 (15.2%)
Get a second DVR206 (22.8%)
Learn how to watch shows online, you Luddite!307 (33.9%)

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33 Comments

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tonnhard

Watch Chuck live and record HIMYM so you can rewatch it. An new option is to download the NBC player an download Chuck in HD. the quality is fantastic.

January 20 2009 at 1:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Serenity

dont see the problem actually.

i watch chuck, himym, heroes, PB, DSM, House etc. but never have schedule probs. just watch'em on hulu. oder bether, dl them in hi def.

couldnt keep up with the tight network schedule anyway, so why not watch them when u got time. of course whitout commercials... or just get tivo :)

December 30 2008 at 9:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jim

Torrents for me are the best invention of the century!

October 29 2008 at 11:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tim

HIMYM was first priority on my list. Chuck is second. Luckily Heroes is in the next hour block. Sarah Connor went away from my list, given how bad the first few episodes of the season went, and I don't regret that.

Having a multi-tuner DVR is almost critical now- if your cable company doesn't offer one, pick up one of the Tivo boxes that does- they'll change your life.

October 29 2008 at 10:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
vacelts

I had to give up HIMYM and The Big Bang Theory for Chuck this season too. I figured I'd catch the sitcoms in reruns.

http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/appointment-television/

But it has been worth it. I love Chuck.

http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/chuck-vs-the-first-date/

October 29 2008 at 10:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wayne Dunham

A second DVR? Why so few? ;)

Seriously, if your job is to watch and review TV shows how can you get by with a single DVR. Last time I checked there were at least 5 main networks and several other cable networks that need to be watched/reviewed.
Monday is a tough night with the full lineup on CBS and the full lineup on NBC. I record all of them and watch them at my leisure.
Chuck and Big Bang Theory are two of my favorite shows but the rest of both networks lineups on Monday are also must watch.
Then there's also Samantha Who? at 8:30 on ABC.

Plus I can't understand this whole "watch live" thing. I've been recording everything I watch since before DVR's even came into being. I used to have 4 VCR's before I graduated to DVR's when they came out.
With the poor quality of some shows audio I find myself backing up to hear dialogue all the time. In some shows the background music/sounds are so loud you can't hear the "low talkers" or "marbles in the mouth" actors.

October 29 2008 at 9:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tammy

Two words... GOSSIP GIRLS! I hate Monday nights because I like BB/HIMYM, GG, and Chuck. Husband wants Monday night football too so it's a pain. I have to watch some of them online at times so when one of them is a repeat, I'm happy!

October 28 2008 at 10:56 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tired_

You guys used to have a section here called PVR Wire (actually, I think it was a separate blog that got folded into this one and forgotten about). Look up the old posts and learn how to build yourself a PVR computer with as many tuners as you need.

October 28 2008 at 9:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Tired_'s comment
Joel Keller

In fact, I *do* have a PC-based DVR, built largely with the advice given to me by the PVR Wire guys. It just has one tuner right now. That's why I asked if I should buy another one.

October 28 2008 at 11:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Nancy W

Luckily, I can record both. It is kinda frustrating have my two FAVORITE shows against each other!

Chuck has really been great this year---loved last night's episode!

October 28 2008 at 5:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
viewdrix

You don't have a DVR which can record two different feeds at once?

You primitive man-ape, you.

October 28 2008 at 4:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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