Real People: The Time Shifter: Craig Duncan

by Karen Director
Fall 1997

To some people, Craig Duncan might seem just a bit preoccupied with television. To others, he's a smart viewer who's figured out how to spend less time watching TV while enjoying it more. He hasn't put his TV in the closet -- he's mastered the technique of time shifting.

Duncan is a regular guy who's learned how to speed-watch the tube. The CPA spends most of his time working, parenting a 13-year-old daughter, Ashley, and supervising an exchange student living in their home. "I'm not a TV snob," he admits. "I like some programs and I don't like to miss my favorites." He just hates to spend a lot of time watching them. To be specific, he hates watching commercials. When Duncan discovered that he could cut a one-hour program down to a 45-minute lunch pastime, he decided to try taping all of his shows. Now he's reduced his weekly TV viewing time from seven hours to five. (Leave it to an accountant to find a way to economize.)

"I have five videotapes labeled Monday through Friday. I setup the VCR each morning to tape that evening's programs." Then, he'll watch the taped shows and fast-forward past the commercial breaks. "I figure I save about two hours a week by doing that." He has VCRs connected to TVs in two separate rooms so he can watch one tape while recording another.

Both VCRs, Mitsubishi and Quasar, are newer models with on-screen setup menus. This makes his weekly timer setup quick and easy. Although he could set it up to automatically record at the same times every week, he chooses to check the schedule first. "There are certain shows I always tape and I check the schedule to be sure they aren't going to be pre-empted," Duncan says. Ashley also checks the printed program guide to see if there's anything special coming up that she'd like to see.

The only catch is that everyone in the household needs to leave the record VCR alone. "I had to hide the remote control when Barbara, a Brazilian exchange student, was living with us," he reports. "Without realizing it, she was turning on the VCR when it was set up for timer recording." This would turn off the timer function and Duncan missed a few shows.

Duncan might sound like a TV addict but he's not so hooked that he must see every episode of his favorite shows. If a recorded show is delayed longer than week then he doesn't watch it. His interest in current programs is also reflected in his avoidance of videotaping any sports programs; "I'm not interested in watching a game that isn't live," he says.

During those extra two hours a week (more than four days per year) Duncan might be Web surfing, reading, doing home projects or sleeping. "Taping prime-time shows makes it more convenient to go to bed early," he says. Although he uses the Internet a lot, he's not attracted to it for entertainment, only for research. He says he's happy with the TV content he receives now and doesn't think he'd use the tube for Internet surfing. Sounds like Duncan is a perfect candidate for a Net-top box with an on-screen program guide. He could search for his programs and setup the VCR right from the couch. That would be the ultimate in time shifting.

Karen Mele Director is Smart TV's managing editor.