Am I overreacting?

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Okay, so I'm looking for some completely impartial people to tell me if I'm right or wrong to be frustrated at the following situation. I would say that I'm a good combination of moderately frustrated, a little pissed, and even a little amused. If this situation had happened to someone else, I'd probably laugh at first, and then empathize.

Here's the situation:

I have two roommates who are big television buffs. They each have probably 5 or more shows they *must* watch on a weekly basis. We have a tivo set up to record these programs on the big screen in the basement. In addition, several other shows are recorded that would fall into the "will watch when they have time" category. I would say that the tivo records, on average, 10 hours of primetime television per week.

Recently, though, two of the shows my roommates like to watch were placed against each other. So, roommate B set up another tivo on the television upstairs. This one now records 2 nights per week, at the same time the first tivo is recording. We don't have the dual tuner thing to where I can watch one channel and record another. So, basically, if I want to watch television during these recording times, or during the times when they are catching up on their shows, I am sent to my room like a 6 year old who drew on the walls in crayon.

Am I the only one who thinks that the person who is *actually* there to watch the television should be the one who has "rights" to the television? The other night, both TVs were being used- one roommate was asleep, and the other was not home.


What do you think? Am I wrong for being frustrated?

 

[dadsp33k]

who owns the TV in the basement?

 

[mkrishnan]

I'm going to skirt around answering your question and ask you mine instead.

You have two TiVos ... analog or digital cable? Or over-the-air? Hooked to televisions (and not monitors), right? I don't understand why you are not able to watch television while either TiVo is recording. This is a standard feature that shouldn't require any extra hardware. Having the TV enslaved to the TiVo is absurd. You should be able to do any/all of the following:

1) Watch the TV show being recorded either live or delayed, through the TiVo
2) Watch any other show already on the TiVo, through the TiVo.
3) Watch any other show currently being broadcast, live, via the TV without the TiVo.

Unless you are using a monitor that does not have an integrated tuner, or you have your TiVo talking to a cable box or some other complex setup... this should be a non-issue.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

The big screen in the basement as well as the tivo there are owned by roommate A. The television that is in the living room (as well as the tivo) are owned by roommate B.

(That television is there because roommate B thought his tv was better than the one roommate A had there. Roommate B now has roommate A's living room TV in his room.)

 

[orangemacapple]

get new roommates. you are obviously incompatible with irreconcilable differences.

 

[obeygiant]

I can see why you're frustrated, but ownership has its benefits. ;(

 

[jsw]

Is this because the Tivos need output from a cable box (or do they contain the only CableCARD)? Because, if not, mkrishnan's comment stands: get a coax splitter and record one while watching another.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Unless you are using a monitor that does not have an integrated tuner, or you have your TiVo talking to a cable box or some other complex setup... this should be a non-issue.

I am not exactly hip to the tivo scene, so I don't know quite how it works and all...but from what I can tell, we only have one line (from the satellite) into each tivo. The tivo is the DirecTV box. If I were to try to change the channel when something was recording, it would say, "Would you like to stop recording and change the channel?"

 

[kixsand]

Well there you go.

Given the fact that you don't own either display I would likely consider myself lucky to have two roomates that do.

Case dismissed.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

I can see why you're frustrated, but ownership has its benefits. ;(

The thing is...I have a perfectly good television that is just sitting at my dad's because we already had enough televisions in the house. I didn't feel the need to bring it, like roommate B did, and replace the existing television with his. Should I be slighted because of this?

In addition, I pay rent, which, up until now, has afforded me "first rights" on things like this...meaning, if I'm there first, I have rights to it.

Well there you go.

Given the fact that you don't own either display I would likely consider myself lucky to have two roomates that do.

Case dismissed.

Except that, as I mentioned just now, I DO have a television, which is actually a better television than the living room one, that I chose not to bring because there were already enough. You're saying that, if I had brought it, and put it in the living room, taking roommate A's TV up to my room, that the situation would suddenly be different?

 

[TequilaBoobs]

Yes you are overreacting.

 

[jsw]

Well there you go.

Given the fact that you don't own either display I would likely consider myself lucky to have two roomates that do.

Case dismissed.

Agreed, if I understand correctly... they're using their equipment to record programming, while you can use their TVs when they're not recording, which seems fair, unless your issue is that one or more of them should move their Tivos into their rooms so the public areas aren't basically reserved for them, in which case I side with you. You should be able to watch TV - even if it's just on the TV you own - in at least some public area.

If not, at least draw on the walls with crayons so you'll feel it's appropriate you're sent to your room.

 

[GoCubsGo]

Yes you are overreacting.

BECAUSE

Well there you go.

Given the fact that you don't own either display I would likely consider myself lucky to have two roomates that do.

Case dismissed.

You didn't pony up the cash for a communal tv then you don't have the right to overreact.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

You didn't pony up the cash for a communal tv then you don't have the right to overreact.

Wrong. I *chose* not to bring a better television in the house because I felt what was there was adequate. When roommate B moved in later, he brought his TV, which could have gone in his room, but he instead decided to put it in the living room, and take roommate A's television up to his bedroom?


*Everyone, bear with me...CLEARLY I'm a little (ha!) defensive about this*

...unless your issue is that one or more of them should move their Tivos into their rooms so the public areas aren't basically reserved for them, in which case I side with you. You should be able to watch TV - even if it's just on the TV you own - in at least some public area.

This would be the main part of my issue. It seems I get hosed because I chose to leave my television at home when I moved in. Had I brought it (and taken roommate A's TV to my room, or otherwise told him to get it the heck out of there), then I would be in a better position.

Furthermore, it seems like a suitable answer, according to all those saying "is it yours?" would be to bring my TV over to the house, plop it right next to one of the other ones, and start watching.

 

[PlaceofDis]

are you helping pay for cable to these tvs? and the tivo service?

if so then you have a say. if not then they have the say.

yes its their tvs, but they chose to put it in the common room too, so ownership of the unit matters less, since you could've provided one as well.

why not bring your tv in, and put it in your room? thats an option, right?

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

are you helping pay for cable to these tvs? and the tivo service?

if so then you have a say. if not then they have the say.

yes its their tvs, but they chose to put it in the common room too, so ownership of the unit matters less, since you could've provided one as well.

why not bring your tv in, and put it in your room? thats an option, right?

THANK YOU! I am helping to pay cable fees and tivo service and everything else. I am charged a flat rate by roommate A, who owns the place, for the privilege of using whatever services are in the house.

Furthermore, since it is in the common room, I DO feel ownership matters less. Roommate A wouldn't kick me off the couch if he wanted to lie down. He'd use one of the other couches. I HAVE furniture for an entire place, but brought very little of it because the place is already furnished.

I didn't bring the television because it's a 30" CRT HDTV. It weighs a TON and takes up more room than I have in my room.

 

[aaron.lee2006]

lol I feel your pain. My parents have a PVR (like Tivo). I have a signal in my room with al the channels I cold want. Bt sometimes I like to watch his big screen. So when this happens... I can watch a show on the PVR as it is recording. I just can't watch live tv. So I flip on a show that recorded a while ago and sit dow for a while until the recording has ended.

 

[PlaceofDis]

THANK YOU! I am helping to pay cable fees and tivo service and everything else. I am charged a flat rate by roommate A, who owns the place, for the privilege of using whatever services are in the house.

Furthermore, since it is in the common room, I DO feel ownership matters less. Roommate A wouldn't kick me off the couch if he wanted to lie down. He'd use one of the other couches. I HAVE furniture for an entire place, but brought very little of it because the place is already furnished.

I didn't bring the television because it's a 30" CRT HDTV. It weighs a TON and takes up more room than I have in my room.

okay well since you're helping pay for everything i think you need to have a talk with them. yes they should be allowed to record their shows, but they should also help to make the TiVos work so that one can watch another show while its recording. communication is key here. talk to them.

 

[mkrishnan]

THANK YOU! I am helping to pay cable fees and tivo service and everything else. I am charged a flat rate by roommate A, who owns the place, for the privilege of using whatever services are in the house.

Thank you for explaining your cable situation (several replies ago)...that makes sense -- you must either have a "dual tuner" PVR or some other second cable box or something. Although I thought that DirectTV TiVos were all dual tuner for some reason (since pretty much all PVRs that are being used with analog, no-tuner-box cable can do this without extra hardware, I thought DirectTV compensated by providing the boxes with two tuners).

Back to your original question, I do think that, as a tenant in the house who supports utility costs, you should have better rights in this area. Perhaps look for a win-win situation (e.g. many primetime shows in the US have multiple broadcast times during the week, typically one at a late night hour on an off day; maybe it would be possible for the TiVo recordings to be moved to the second broadcast time).

But in any event, I'd personally feel that it's reasonable for you to have at least some priority access to the TV, given that you contribute to the costs involved. Or at least the opportunity to opt out of the costs, if you cannot have that access.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

okay well since you're helping pay for everything i think you need to have a talk with them. yes they should be allowed to record their shows, but they should also help to make the TiVos work so that one can watch another show while its recording. communication is key here. talk to them.

I've mentioned my displeasure with it. They do know about it. However, no formal talk has occurred yet, although that is in the plans. I wanted to see if (and how much) I was overreacting by letting this get to me.

 

[kixsand]

Well...this has been fun.

I think you should just go and buy a cable splitter so that you can watch television while the tivo is recording. It will cost you about $5.

Do it today.

 

[mkrishnan]

I think you should just go and buy a cable splitter so that you can watch television while the tivo is recording. It will cost you about $5.

From what I understand, DirectTV frustrates this... it can't be viewed by most TVs without a decoding device (i.e. the TiVo or another DirectTV box). At least, that's the way I understand DirectTV to work. That's why I asked about this many, many replies ago.

 

[SilentPanda]

Get your TV from iTunes like a normal person!

The problem would be simple if you weren't using DirectTV. You could run the cable from your wall, to the Tivo, then to the TV (from the cable out on the Tivo). Then you can put the Tivo to sleep (it still records when it is asleep) and the cable passes straight through to the TV. You'd have to change channels on the TV instead of the Tivo and of course lose Tivo functionality for the show you were watching but everything else would be fine.

Do any of their shows play twice or more during the day? You might be able to adjust the recordings accordingly.

At worst, stop paying for cable and make a point not to watch it. Then just buy the shows you want on DVD. Sure you'll be a year behind but it's often times cheaper than cable. That's what I do and I'm the only person in my apartment.

 

[wordmunger]

Watch something that's already recorded. All TiVos allow this. You can watch a pre-recorded program while the TiVo records another; you just can't watch one live program while recording a different one. I can't stand watching live TV anyway -- commercials, gah!

 

[lanray]

Wow

Another perspective: stop watching television. My housemate and I gave up television years ago; since then, I haven't had one in the house. The first weeks were boring (what do you do when you don't have a tube?). After that, we started talking, I started reading, I exercised, pursued friendships. At the end of your life, on your deathbed, you won't say, "Holy smokes, I'm glad I watched that episode of so-n-so. Heck, I'm glad I showed my roommates right that one time when I couldn't watch the show I wanted." Try going without. After a while, TV and Hollywood seem kind of ridiculous, and you'll find yourself calmer, more centered, smarter, and better for it.