# Geek Brief TV so brief now that it's not there!



## susandennis (Dec 10, 2001)

GeekBrief.TV is now nearly 2 weeks behind. How come? We went for so long with none and then it stayed fairly current for a bit and now we're back to none again.

Yes, I can set it up to download to computer and transfer over but that is a royal PITA. 

Sure would be nice if it would download the easy way.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

I wish pyTiVo would could out with the ability to auto transfer shows to the TiVo like TiVo Desktop Plus does. Then I could ditch TiVoCast and the unreliability altogether and just get them all off the internet and a lot quicker and more reliable.

Geek Brief is behind, Cranky Geeks is behind, DL.TV is behind. And also DL.TV and Crankygeeks are formatted so they are letter boxed and pillar boxed unless you stretch it and then the quality is bad. This could be so much better.


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## susandennis (Dec 10, 2001)

Exactly! At least DL.TV and Cranky are getting added sometimes. What a mess.


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

I love the thought of TiVoCast, but the unrelability and formatting issues on my S3 forces me to use an iTunes + pyTiVo route for everything I watch.


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

Sorry folks.

I looked at the stats.

95&#37; of DL.TV and CrankyGeeks episodes are published on time.
99% of CNET are published on time
But... a very low percentage of GeekBrief episodes are published on time. The reason for that is we do not receive the updates for these from our partner on a timely basis, and then go back and manually fill them in when we have time. But our team is small and has many tasks.

I agree that GeekBrief is not reliable at the moment. However, many channels are very reliable. So please give us some credit with regards to this free service.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

TiVoStephen said:


> So please give us some credit with regards to this free service.


I will give you guys a lot of credit for the great job you do, but I don't agree that this feature is a free service.

Just because a feature is included with the overall TiVo service, which is a paid subscription, does not mean that the feature is free.

Am I wrong here?

Dennis


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

How so? Previously your monthly fee didn't include this feature. We added the feature, but didn't change your fees. There's no extra charge for using the feature. There's no discount if you don't use the feature. Seems like a free feature to me, right?

The box basically doesn't work at all if you don't have a paid subscription.

That said, I do want to apologize for lack of reliability for GeekBrief and certain other channels. We do appreciate the feedback here, and want these channels to be reliable, and will do our best to work to meet your expectations.


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## tgmii (Feb 21, 2002)

I've been going the pyTivo + Miro route myself, due to more variety, and reliability.

I have to take issue with the free service issue. Kind of a harsh stance to take. 

I've been a subscriber since 1999, and now have 3 tivos. Much has changed, largely for the better (youtube, HD, TivoToGo, etc), sometimes not (more, and more ads).

I don't expect a rebate on my lifetime service as ads were added, but I agree that added features become part of the baseline ( "at no additional charge"), as subscribers make their purchasing decision based on the total set of features.

I subscribe to the revision 3 feeds, and other things that interest me, and view this as a differentiator, as I'm sure you do too. Free or paid, its a valuable feature.

Anyway, I read that, and it just didn't sit right.....


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

Fair enough. I was really just responding to the reliability claims when really our service is quite reliable, and when there are issues usually it's issues that are largely out of our control.


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## Chew (Jan 22, 2003)

Sorry, I'd just like to clarify my "unreliable" comment was never directed at TiVo. I know it's the content providers who are the source of the problems.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

Ok it doesn't quite work. But it was free, so I'm not complaining. In fact, thanks for letting us try it, that was fun, I guess... 

My take on it is that to naive users this feature looks like an extension of the Tivo service. It's called "TivoCast", after all. Maybe it should have a different name, like UnreliablePartnerCast, and have an on-screen disclaimer of "Tivo Inc. assumes no responsibility for delivery of content subscribed to via TivoCast". Although, now that I see that in print, it looks rather odd...


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

Or provide us with contact information at the partners so we can direct our comments/complaints to the appropriate people. I would think though that TiVo would have some agreement with the partners that they need to provide reliable service for being included in the listings.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

If Tivo would create a really useful new "Tivo Desktop", and make it free, most of this whining would cease. It frustrates me that my Tivo is on my LAN but isn't accessible from my PC without a lot of hoop-jumping.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

Well we got a flood of GeekBrief.tv episodes again. Now to see if they stay current. And I'll have to go and watch the missed episodes on the web since they didn't completely fill in the missed ones. All I know is every time this gets behind again I'll calling TiVo. I called them recently about the missing episodes of GeekBrief, DL.TV, and CrankyGeeks. The DL.TV and CrankyGeeks episodes haven't shown up yet though.


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## JohnBrowning (Jul 15, 2004)

I gave up on Geekbrief on TiVo a long time ago. I just watch it in HD on the computer now. I'd RATHER have it in HD on my Series 3, though. I still say just give us a generalized podcatcher interface. If that is viewed to be to complex for the average user, hide it. The geeks will find it.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

I get the feeling this is just going to be gradually allowed to die. 

Apparently neither Tivo nor its "partners" make significant money from TivoCast, so neither party really cares. If the system for getting a Cranky Geeks episode pushed to Tivocast still amounts to little more than a yellow Post-It stuck on someone's monitor at Ziff-Davis...


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

If TiVo doesn't want to support TiVoCast anymore - that's fine - just remove it from our service.

Current status: CrankyGeeks - 2 missing, DL.TV - 1 missing, GeekBrief - 2 missing (not counting ones they just skip for no reason)


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

I just watched some of the GeekBriefs that my TiVo did manage to get - and the aspect ratio is messed up. It almost seems like it's time for TiVo to pull GeekBrief and give up since they can't seem and don't want to get it right. Just pull it and apologize to their customers for not being able to provide a service that works.


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## jtowens (Sep 20, 2007)

TiVoStephen,

First, hats off to Tivo. I have been a fan and user for almost 10 yrs. I now have 3 Tivos, and I think the well-designed interface and potential as a media platform makes the Tivo a superior product, and I frequently recommend it. 

An important point was made regarding the nature of offerings like TivoCast. For many users, whether the service is free is not the issue. I know that when people evaluate options like buying a Tivo vs building their own HTPC, they take things into consideration like "what else can the Tivo do?" When I took into consideration things like interface, TivoCast, HD, the use of cable cards, networking, shared rooms, etc. it turned out to be a better decision to just buy a Tivo. And after having file transfer problems with TivoDesktop and other downloaded content, I purchased the upgrade to Desktop Plus.

So as a long-time Tivo fan, here's what I run into daily:

* Missing downloadable content from TivoCast that I know is available on the web (why can't it just come from the same place I can download it?)
* Small file transfers from TDP that die or intermittently refuse to transfer (I have stable PCs and network).
* Netflix streams that suddenly stop working (no connectivity issues.)
* YouTube sometimes carshes my Tivo. 
* Cable recordings that start to play and then hang.
* Purchased Tivo software that doesn't seem to work (using as designed.)
* Nightmare cable card issues (cable company's fault I know.)

In a nutshell, for the things I bought the Tivo for, many don't work right. It's turned into something I have to manage daily and fight with, and has left me with a poor impression. And unfortunately based on the forums it looks like there are many other people that have similar issues. 

I'm looking forward to watching the new Cranky Geeks  Here's hoping the other issues get resolved.


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## johnny99 (Nov 10, 2008)

I think some people are buying Tivos at least in part because Tivo does give them an easy way to view internet video (YouTube, Netflix, podcasts, etc.) on their big screen TV. I think Tivo can gain more customers by making these features more stable and usable. Adding even more internet video sources, like Hulu, would make Tivo even more desirable to new customers. Lots of vendors were showing Hulu support at CES and Tivo is losing ground in that area. Cutting back on these features makes Tivo less interesting, especially to people who can get cheap DVRs from their cable companies.


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## jbkendrick (Jan 3, 2009)

I loudly second your call for Hulu. I am a brand new TiVo user, just purchased a HD XL for Christmas and a large part of my purchase decision was based on Netflix, Amazon and other media being available from the TiVo box. Giving up my Comcast DVR was not really a cost effective choice for me, but was made worthwhile to me because of all the extras that come with TiVo service. I of course am giving up on demand choices from Comcast, but feel that the other benefits outweight this one loss.

All to say that TiVo should definitely continue to support and add additional media choices directly through their service. John


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## klyde (Feb 3, 2002)

I have not seen an update to DL.TV or CrankeyGeeks since 12/11 and Circuits since 11/21, transferring from the computer to tivo is a huge waist of time, since it seldem works correctly.
Does anybody else have newer shows available on their Tivo.

My argument with tivo is I spend almost $20 per month for just a local guide for OTA only, after spending $600 on the 2 HD Tivos. So the extra things that seem to be hit or miss like tivo cast and transfers that seldom work really are aggravating. I had a htpc that cost me less than $300 and no re occurring monthly charge. I also have a DN 722 that I'm paying $35 for all the HD content they carry and it gets OTA but no guide info. I'm concerting dumping the tivos and getting another 722 that I can use for OTA and telling tivo to stuff it. I can't get cable so Im stuck with satellite.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

Hulu is a perfect example. It's what we want, it's doable and it's not happening. I think Tivo's closed system model - the 'black box' in the living room that we can't access directly - is becoming obsolete. We still want all the broadcast-TV stuff that Tivo does so well, but increasingly we want to view internet content - like Hulu and Cranky Geeks - on our living-room TVs.

Tivo has 3 choices. 

1) Offer this content through their own interfaces (like TivoCast) and make it RELIABLE.
2) "Open" the system somehow so we can do it ourselves from our PCs.
3) Leave this opportunity to competitors.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

klyde said:


> I have not seen an update to DL.TV or CrankeyGeeks since 12/11


+1


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## refried (Dec 22, 2005)

Even the Badoop Badoop show is out of date.


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## yunlin12 (Mar 15, 2003)

I've been using TivoDeskTop + with Doppler (a podcast software) to transfer Geekbrief and a couple of other video podcasts to my Tivo since Dec. Much more reliable than TivoCast. Plus I can get CNet TV podcasts on my Tivo in HD now (720p)


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## peternelson (Sep 19, 2005)

I just checked on my TiVo, and Cranky Geeks and DL.TV are no longer in my list of downloadable videos! What gives? I was wondering why I haven't gotten new shows in a while... Not even an option to download old shows.


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## klyde (Feb 3, 2002)

I have enjoyed my Tivos BUT. I have had 5 tivos since tivo was started. I currently have 4, and 1 I junked because it was worth 0.00.
2 that I paid good money for that are boat anchors, 2 HD tivos that I can only use for OTA but have to pay full subscription prices for. The value is dropping for the guide, as now you can get guide info OTA in most places. So what do I get for my $300 per HD purchase price? Really nothing unless I continue to pay for the guide.

Now other companies are coming out with Stand alone recording. I'm looking at the DVR TR-50 HD OTA recording, one payment of $250 and NO monthly charges and it doesn't become a boat anchor when you stop bleeding money to them. I would gladly pay for internet access when the provide it, if it works. The Tivo was the greatest but now theirs competition and Tivo is spending their money trying to sue them out of business instead of fixing their problems and making a better product. Maybe if they saved money on Lawyers they would be able to pay for a couple more people to keep the web casts up to date.
I was a happy user but now its not such a great deal. I think what aggravates me the most is the $300 box is worthless if you stop paying the subscription fees. It should at least be able to work as a video recorder.


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## klyde (Feb 3, 2002)

peternelson said:


> I just checked on my TiVo, and Cranky Geeks and DL.TV are no longer in my list of downloadable videos! What gives? I was wondering why I haven't gotten new shows in a while... Not even an option to download old shows.


Mine either, it was this morning. Im not paying them another $25 for + Id rather burn to dvdrw and use my dvd recorder or hook my laptop up to my new tv that is now capable of using my laptop as a source quite nicely.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

I've just released a new version of HME/VLC that finally works as a video podcast client (albeit a minimalist one). I thought of this thread, and included an entry for GeekBrief.TV in the sample config.ini. 

Re: DL.TV, the last episode available from their own site is from 12/18, and they said something about it being down to two guys, and having moved to another distribution network or something. (I just saw the first bit of it last night.)


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## etz (Sep 8, 2006)

peternelson said:


> I just checked on my TiVo, and Cranky Geeks and DL.TV are no longer in my list of downloadable videos! What gives? I was wondering why I haven't gotten new shows in a while... Not even an option to download old shows.


Same here.

amusingly, www.crankygeeks.com still has a prominently displayed "Find us on TiVo" page.


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## klyde (Feb 3, 2002)

Just watched DL.TV CES shows on the DL web site. 
Strange that they had a Tivo segment, that we couldn't get on tivo, Episode 213 

Supposedly in March they will add the ability to see in the guide, scan and upload programs to the tivo from from your computer if you have or if you buy the + package. I thought that's what we had already with +


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

klyde said:


> Just watched DL.TV CES shows on the DL web site.
> Strange that they had a Tivo segment, that we couldn't get on tivo, Episode 213


That's an episode from _last year_, CES _2008_. They've put the 2008 coverage on the front page while we wait for 2009.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

So now the current status of TiVo Casts is
1) DL.TV and CrankyGeeks are not only behind - they are gone - with no notice to the viewers.
2) GeekBrief is very much behind again.
3) Some Rev3 shows are behind as well.
4) The last episode of Rocketboom cut off before the end.
5) The last episode of The Minimalist didn't play back correctly - video/audio froze, could FF, but nothing would fix it. Can't force a redownload either.
6) David Pogue's Technology NYTimes videos are way behind too.

Guess it's time for another call to TiVo tomorrow to find out what is going on. This is ridiculous - they keep adding more and more to TiVoCast and they can't get ones they currently have working right. I wish I could be this unreliable in my job.

They should just bite the bullet - admit they can't send us video correctly and give us TiVo Desktop + for free so we can do it ourselves.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

etz said:


> Same here.
> 
> amusingly, www.crankygeeks.com still has a prominently displayed "Find us on TiVo" page.


It sure does. And right above the logo is the date:January 1, 2001!

I sent an e-mail to John to ask him whats going on.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

ARGH!!!!!!!! I just called customer service - at least I avoided all the stupid menu's by hitting 0. The rep I talked to - David I think - didn't seem to have a clue what he was talking about - talked very slow and basically took all my information again. If this doesn't get resolved soon - I'm going to have to find email address or phone numbers for the corporate office and try working from the top down since nothing else works.


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## devilboy836 (Jun 25, 2008)

I've been a loyal DL.TV viewer... not so much CrankyGeeks. But I was surprised when I noticed it gone as well.

I dug around some, not much posted anywhere about this dissapearance, but I just saw this on CrankyGeeks:



> Due to bandwidth restrictions and budgetary restraints, we regret that we will no longer be able to support CrankyGeeks on TiVo. We humbly apologize for the inconvenience and hope you continue to watch CrankyGeeks in one of our other supported formats.


I assume DL.TV is in the same boat, and just hasn't posted it yet.

Sucks for us, I guess...


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

Yup - sucks for us. They want me to watch it another way - but I have no convenient way to watch it. I don't like watching things on my computer - since I want to use my computer for other things while watching - so I want to watch on my TV. And I have no free way (that I know of) to automatically download, transcode, and transfer videos to my TiVo. I guess I'm down to just Rev3 shows - since GeekBrief is a lost cause.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

mathwhiz, seriously, take a look at HME/VLC (see my sig).


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

TiVoStephen said:


> There's no discount if you don't use the feature. Seems like a free feature to me, right?


So your position is that any feature added to TIVO that is not directly tied into a rate increase is free and the customer has no guarantee that the service will be provided. Is that coporate policy?


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## jayfest (Mar 25, 2003)

So what exactly does this HME/VLC do? 

I'm not trying to be cranky (sic) here - I just want to understand - but does it automatically
1) recognize that there's a new episode
2) download it to my computer,
3) convert its format if necessary
4) upload it to my Now Playing List 

as was happening before?


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

No, it just provides you the list of episodes (automatically fetched from the site) and lets you stream them. No transfers, often no conversion (and if conversion is necessary, it's done in real time). Series 3/HD only.

This does mean that you have to check, rather than being notified of a new ep. But if there _is_ one, you can get it immediately.


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## jayfest (Mar 25, 2003)

Thanks for responding. Sorry if I'm a little bit thick here but, so what you're saying is that I can stream the episode right from the website directly onto my TiVo?

And let me please ask some more dumb questions: Does any of this stuff work in Windows Vista? And if so, how do I get the Python to recognize the .py files in your app?


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

Yes, it streams directly from the site to the TiVo, unless it needs to be transcoded by the computer. Yes, it should work on Vista, although I haven't personally tested that (see my "Donations" link). And ".py" files should be associated with the Python interpreter when you install it.


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## techmonkey (Jan 13, 2009)

mathwhiz said:


> Yup - sucks for us. They want me to watch it another way - but I have no convenient way to watch it. I don't like watching things on my computer - since I want to use my computer for other things while watching - so I want to watch on my TV. And I have no free way (that I know of) to automatically download, transcode, and transfer videos to my TiVo. I guess I'm down to just Rev3 shows - since GeekBrief is a lost cause.


mathwhiz,

Do you have a laptop? and a TV with a PC input? It looks like that is what I am going to be doing for said shows.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

None of the solutions is what I want. I don't want to be bothered to have to make sure I check for new episodes. I want them to just appear in my now playing list like they are supposed to. So the HME/VLC streaming won't work. pyTiVo is close except again it won't automatically transfer. I know there has been some development in pyTiVo with the push transfer of shows, hopefully that will get working because that is what is needed.

Laptop and TV wouldn't work - I'm not going to move my laptop and hook it up to the TV to watch, that would be even worse than just watching it right on my laptop.

Thanks for the suggestions - but yet again what I want doesn't exist unless I shell out more money to TiVo.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

"Bandwidth restrictions"? If ZD sends the epsiode to Tivo, and Tivo streams it to its customers - instead of us going directly to the Cranky Geeks site - doesn't that reduce ZD's bandwidth requirements? Doesn't ZD want new viewers enough to even pay for the bandwidth to get the show to them? It doesn't make any sese.


The loss of Cranky Geeks has reduced my loyalty to Tivo. It's time to start looking for an alternative that has real internet access, in addition to broadcast scheduling. 

We (my wife and I) have loved the Tivo's easy interface and great reliability, but more and more we want content that's on the internet to be viewable on our TV. Tivo's monthly fee is looming larger in my mind these days, and Tivo isn't really offering anything new. Well there is that movies-from-Amazon deal, but it's not our thing.

I am not going to pay for clunky old "Tivo Desktop" and start dragging episodes around by hand. Just too much hassle.

I'm really, really, really sad to see Tivo rolling backward like this.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

devilboy836, I can't find that statement on the CG site. Do you have a link to it?

UPDATE: Never mind, I found it.


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## wtherrell (Dec 23, 2004)

FYI the last DL.TV showing on iTunes Podcasts is Dec. 18. Last CG episode 148. So it's no fault of Tivo. I would think all will be gotten up to date after today. I believe episode 149 of CG was on web site today. Also a new ep of DL . If you're in hurry you can dowload H.264 and put it into your file.


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## techmonkey (Jan 13, 2009)

wtherrell said:


> FYI the last DL.TV showing on iTunes Podcasts is Dec. 18. Last CG episode 148. So it's no fault of Tivo. I would think all will be gotten up to date after today. I believe episode 149 of CG was on web site today. Also a new ep of DL . If you're in hurry you can dowload H.264 and put it into your file.


What we are also pointing out is that CG and DL.TV are not even the VOD/free videos list any longer. Just a bunch of Koldcast crap now:down:


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

Hi folks,

For business reasons of their own, Ziff Davis has discontinued distributing CrankyGeeks and DL.TV to TiVo. We apologize for the inconvenience.

For GeekBrief.TV, we're aware of issues and the fact that we're missing episodes 487 through 495. We are working with Cali and team to make their feed to us reliable and automatic. We apologize for the issues to date. I'll post a follow up about this one soon.

For Revision3, we're up to date and have not missed any episodes. Can you be specific about what you're missing? (Please be aware that Revision3 has canceled a couple of shows not too long ago.)

We apologize for the problem with Rocketboom's Tuesday episode being truncated. We're investigating with Rocketboom how that happened.

Similarly, we can confirm the latest episode of The Minimalist from The New York Times was corrupted, and we're investigating. We've pulled it down and have asked NYT to republish.

Finally, apologies for missing some episodes of Circuits from The New York Times. We're inquiring as to why those episodes didn't arrive.

Apologies again for the problems and any inconvenience.

In separate news, there are now 100 different channels that you can sign up for a Season Pass. Please check out something new and tell us what you think.

Best regards,
Stephen


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

Speaking of the NYT podcasts, what's the deal with Critic's Picks? He used to review new movies, and I think it came every week. But for the past few months, it's only been old movies, at less frequent intervals.


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## techmonkey (Jan 13, 2009)

Looks I just got 8 episodes of Geek Brief 487-495 to my TiVo


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

The Rev3 I posted was behind at the time - but they are staying current. I was just being very thorough. I would love to check out new ones, but I am very leary about getting hooked on any other shows and having problems with them as well.

I do understand that DL.TV and CrankyGeeks is beyond your control. Still wish I had a free way to transfer these to the TiVo. Would be nice if the free version of TiVoDesktop would do the transfers - just a simple "find a file in a certain folder, automatically transfer". Wouldn't need all the other functionality of Desktop Plus - let the user take care of downloading and transcoding.

Thank you for your response Stephen - looking forward to updates and improved reliability.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

mathwhiz expressed my feelings exactly. TivoCast is fine but obviously is never going to pull in all the web content we might want. It is frustrating to me to be looking at the Cranky Geeks web site, see the file sitting there, and realize I have no easy way to get it to my Tivo sitting upstairs.

The problem isn't just TivoCast, it's Tivo Desktop. The free version doesn't do much and to be honest, I don't think the upgrade version is worth the money. I own the Tivo, it's on my LAN, I feel I should be able to transfer a file to it.

I do wonder though why ZD would stop distributing by Tivo. If Tivo is trying to get money from these partners in return for distributing their shows, I can see how this is never going to fly, because many of the web shows I (and others) might want to watch are aimed at small markets.

UPDATE - check the Cranky Geeks web site - many complaints about dropping Tivo.


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## Meatball (Jan 12, 2007)

TiVoStephen said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> For business reasons of their own, Ziff Davis has discontinued distributing CrankyGeeks and DL.TV to TiVo. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Stephen, if you are able to, would you mind clarifying things a bit? I'm trying to understand how ZD is saying it's "Bandwidth" issues that are the reason they are pulling the shows from Tivo.

When they submit the shows to you guys and it pulls the webcast down to my Tivo, is it pulling the show down from your servers or theirs?

If it's pulling down from your servers, I don't see how it could be a bandwidth issue. As someone mentioned above, them telling us to get the show from their site vs. Tivo would actually increase their bandwidth usage/cost.

If it's pulling from their servers, the only thing that could increase their bandwidth costs is if it is in a different format (larger) for viewing on Tivo? Because if it isn't, the only other issue I can see is that their viewership went way up on Tivo, so more people are downloading and it's hurting their bandwidth costs.

Either way, that seems crazy. "We've grown too popular, we must make it harder to get our show to keep costs down..."


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

Looks like in the GeekBrief update 491 is missing as well as their newest one 496.

Rich


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

Meatball, I can't comment, sorry.

mathwhiz, thanks. There were errors with those two episodes. We brought these issues to GeekBrief's attention previously and they are working with us to resolve.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

I think the Cranky Geeks show is on think ice for some reason. The CG web site is filling up with comments from (former) viewers complaining about the loss of Tivo distribution but there's been no reply. I think ZD doesn't understand the value of this show. My wife is totally non-technical but enjoyed it just for the personalities, the general discussion of journalism and the unstructured feel. Dvorak is actually quite a good talk show host. Someone else should get behind him and put together a show with even more mass-market appeal.


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## bmgoodman (Dec 20, 2000)

I suspect that ZD is finding the CG production costs too high.


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## jcaudle (Aug 16, 2004)

Due to bandwidth restrictions and budgetary restraints, we regret that we will no longer be able to support CrankyGeeks on TiVo. We humbly apologize for the inconvenience and hope you continue to watch CrankyGeeks in one of our other supported formats. 

The above quote is from the cranky geeks website. Since Ziff Davis is shutting down the printed version of PC magazine this month and converting to a web publication its probably part of the same thing. Neither Cranky Geeks or DL.TV are on the free download list on Tivo anymore. I am manually putting it in the Tivo Desktop folder by downloading it from the web and then viewing on TV. They lost the audio on the latest episode (149) so that Cranky Geeks isn't even available. ZD is getting pretty sloppy.


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## jcaudle (Aug 16, 2004)

mathwhiz said:


> The Rev3 I posted was behind at the time - but they are staying current. I was just being very thorough. I would love to check out new ones, but I am very leary about getting hooked on any other shows and having problems with them as well.
> 
> I do understand that DL.TV and CrankyGeeks is beyond your control. Still wish I had a free way to transfer these to the TiVo. Would be nice if the free version of TiVoDesktop would do the transfers - just a simple "find a file in a certain folder, automatically transfer". Wouldn't need all the other functionality of Desktop Plus - let the user take care of downloading and transcoding.
> 
> Thank you for your response Stephen - looking forward to updates and improved reliability.


You can download cranky geeks and DL TV into your tivo desktop folder and it can be seen on your computer by the tivos in your network, then transfer the files to the Tivo via MRV. It will have the file name that ZD gives it, I download it in Windows media file (WMV) format and place it in the Tivo folder. Seems to work ok...of course this requires you to manually download the file...but it works


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## Meatball (Jan 12, 2007)

jcaudle said:


> You can download cranky geeks and DL TV into your tivo desktop folder and it can be seen on your computer by the tivos in your network, then transfer the files to the Tivo via MRV. It will have the file name that ZD gives it, I download it in Windows media file (WMV) format and place it in the Tivo folder. Seems to work ok...of course this requires you to manually download the file...but it works


Hmm, too bad Tivo Desktop couldn't automatically download any wecasts that you tell it to and then push it out to one of your Tivo's so you don't need to leave the PC on at all times to access the webcasts.


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## etz (Sep 8, 2006)

I'm sorry... I liked CrankyGeeks and all. But getting it on my own and moving it to TiVo is just too much like work. They lose a viewer, and I gain a half hour each week.


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## johnny99 (Nov 10, 2008)

Meatball said:


> Hmm, too bad Tivo Desktop couldn't automatically download any wecasts that you tell it to and then push it out to one of your Tivo's so you don't need to leave the PC on at all times to access the webcasts.


In theory, Tivo will let you subscribe to podcasts that are not on their pre-programmed list (directly from the Tivo, without using the Desktop). However, this feature is so difficult to use that few people use it.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

I have iTunes download DL.TV podcast. It does so automatically when there is a new episode. I use TiVo Desktop Plus to serve the podcast directory and it is set to serve 2 episodes automatically. The DVR has two episodes in the now playing list. When I watch and delete one, the next available one, if it has been downloaded to the computer by iTunes, will start transferring to the DVR. It is simple and automatic, and doesn't use TiVoCast. For maintenance I go into iTunes about once a month and delete the old episodes I have already watched. If the cost of Plus is too much for that level of convenience, you can always do it manually, but that sure is a lot of effort to avoid a one time cost of only $25.


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## mathwhiz (May 28, 2000)

I don't feel I should have to pay TiVo more money for them to restore functionality I had. I always thought the fee for Desktop Plus was for the MPEG-2 encoder. If that's the case, then give the free users the ability to auto transfer as well and let us take care of transcoding the video.

On another note - back to GeekBrief.TV - I had my hopes up again - but I should have known better - they are 3 episodes behind again.


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## Mindflux (Jan 16, 2008)

Watched an episode about lasers? I don't care how brief it is, never again.


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

mathwhiz said:


> I don't feel I should have to pay TiVo more money for them to restore functionality I had. I always thought the fee for Desktop Plus was for the MPEG-2 encoder. If that's the case, then give the free users the ability to auto transfer as well and let us take care of transcoding the video.


Paying for TiVo Desktop Plus doesn't restore functionality you already had. It provides a different method to provide functionality that is a superset of what TiVoCast offers. It gives you access to far more content and gives you the ability to provide fine grain control using your own favorite RSS aggregater.

The fee primarily pays for codecs, not just MPEG-2, true enough. Why TiVo chose to lump auto-transfer from the web or folders into that functionality is a fair question. I don't know the answer but would guess that they did so primarily for simplicity sake. After all, at least 98% of users of this feature would want and need the transcoding provided by the codecs.

If pyTivo ever gets push perfected, that would be an option that might work well for you. In the meantime the streamers are available if you have an HD TiVo.

We can always hope ZD comes to their sense too.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

So I can buy and install a program from Tivo that sort of handles the situation but of course requires I leave my PC on all the time, and find the program myself, and download the file every week, and clean it up later; or screw around with the free PyTivo which is a pain in the rear and has all the same issues of file management. 

Hey remember that old term "BROADCAST"? This is more like a scavenger hunt. Who is going to feel obligated to watch the ads after jumping through all these hoops just to get the show?


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

jim _h said:


> So I can buy and install a program from Tivo that sort of handles the situation but of course requires I leave my PC on all the time, and find the program myself, and download the file every week, and clean it up later; or screw around with the free PyTivo which is a pain in the rear and has all the same issues of file management.
> 
> Hey remember that old term "BROADCAST"? This is more like a scavenger hunt. Who is going to feel obligated to watch the ads after jumping through all these hoops just to get the show?


I suppose you could spin it that way, but you are really reaching.

First, I DON'T leave my computer on all the time. Finding the podcast was a onetime effort in iTunes and it automatically downloads new episodes if there are any when I launch it. I don't launch it every day, but if I do for any other reason, it takes care of this in the background simultaneously. Later while I am in iTunes fiddling around with music, or cover art, or any of a number of things, deleting old podcasts is included in that effort. Yes, that is extra effort, but it is really minimal. With all that said, I am not trying to minimize that a real TiVoCast would be better. I said from the beginning that THIS IS A WORKAROUND. However, it works and can be used until TiVo and the original source of the TiVoCast get their respective acts together and bring back the podcast. If you don't like the workaround, that is fine, don't use it, but don't poo-poo it just because it isn't the real fix.

I would like to see these in TiVoCast too. I am only trying to help by offering an alternative that works for me until things improve. If you don't like helpful suggestions, please ignore them rather than denigrate.


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## Double-Tap (Apr 18, 2002)

jcaudle said:


> Due to bandwidth restrictions and budgetary restraints, we regret that we will no longer be able to support CrankyGeeks on TiVo. We humbly apologize for the inconvenience and hope you continue to watch CrankyGeeks in one of our other supported formats.


Didn't know that. I like the show and loved watching it on the TiVo. I rarely watch shows on the computer. Now DL.TV, too? Yikes. This economic thingy is hitting us in unexpected places. It isn't good to hear that happen, but I can understand they have to cut corners where possible. I wonder what will go next on the download list.


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## SteveHC1 (Dec 12, 2008)

johnny99 said:


> I think some people are buying Tivos at least in part because Tivo does give them an easy way to view internet video (YouTube, Netflix, podcasts, etc.) on their big screen TV. I think Tivo can gain more customers by making these features more stable and usable. Adding even more internet video sources, like Hulu, would make Tivo even more desirable to new customers. Lots of vendors were showing Hulu support at CES and Tivo is losing ground in that area. Cutting back on these features makes Tivo less interesting, especially to people who can get cheap DVRs from their cable companies.


- ABSOLUTELY!!! As far as I can tell, the most significant difference between TiVo and competing dvrs - from the consumer's perspective - is its excellent ability to record OTA (especially HD broadcasts) and Internet-based new digital media. In fact, I'd say this is ALL that TiVo's really got going for it, especially given that it's a subscription-based service.

All of this - pardon the expression - CRAP - that we've had to endure regarding such things as CableCards DETRACTS from the TiVo experience. If we all were SO concerned with recording cable-provided programming we'd just stick with the cable company-provided dvrs and be done with it. The way to go for TiVo is DEFINITELY OTA coupled with DOWNLOADED content, especially HD content ("streaming" is just too unreliable for most people to put up with, IMHO). The cable-alternative market is wide, WIDE open.


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## SteveHC1 (Dec 12, 2008)

mathwhiz said:


> I would love to check out new ones, but I am very leary about getting hooked on any other shows and having problems with them as well.


- WOW!!! Just think about this for a minute. Internet-based video is srill in the trial-and-error phase, just recently out of the "experimental" catagory, and already we're starting to get "hooked" on it!

Let's not forget both how cool and how NEW this all-digital, 'net-based video really is. There will continue to be stutters, delivery glitches, unreliable "feeds," etc. for quite awhile yet. But it is really great that there's SOMEBODY - namely TiVo - working to bring it to our TV'S instead of just our PC MONITORS!!!

We absolutely need connections with Hulu and other digital mass media distributors - the more the better. From what I can figure, this is what TiVo's bread-and-butter will eventually consist of (in addition to recording of OTA broadcasts - who needs TiVo to record cable-provided content? Not I - the cable companies' dvrs do that well enough. TiVo needs to become THE cable alternative. SO far, so good!


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## SteveHC1 (Dec 12, 2008)

johnny99 said:


> In theory, Tivo will let you subscribe to podcasts that are not on their pre-programmed list (directly from the Tivo, without using the Desktop). However, this feature is so difficult to use that few people use it.


- Really? You're not talking about the "podcast reader" (or whatever it's called) that's built into the TiVo Central menu tree are you? I haven NEVER been able to find a way to actually SUBSCRIBE to a given podcast through it.

If you know how to do this would you PLEASE let us know the way? That would be REALLY cool! Thanks!


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

TiVoCasts come directly from the TiVo servers and can be subscribed directly from the DVR. They do not require any interaction with a computer or TiVo Desktop Plus. They are simple to set up on the DVR itself and work. They are sent to the DVR as MPEG-2 programs. TiVo takes feeds from the original source and converts them to TiVo compatible MPEG-2 so that they can work on all series 2 and series 3 DVRs.

Web video come directly from third parties and not TiVo. They can also be subscribed to directly from the DVR. (they have a computer icon next to them). They require that you have TiVo Desktop Plus running on a computer to work. When you subscribe to them, the TiVo servers IM the TiVo desktop and tell it what you want and TiVo Desktop Plus takes it from there. TiVo Desktop Plus goes to the feed and downloads the video (using cURL). These videos are almost always in an MPEG-4 format such as mp4, mov, wmv, divx or xvid (in an avi container). This is nice for the publisher because they require much less bandwidth to serve than MPEG-2 does. Once the file is on the PC, TiVo Desktop Plus transcodes it to MPEG-2 and sends it to the TiVo all automatically. (However, a bug in TD+ can occasionally cause it to forget these requiring a repeat subscription on the TiVo, hopefully to be fixed soon) From a user perspective when it works right it behaves a lot like a true TiVocast except for the need for the computer to be on for at least a few hours every day.

Finally, TiVo Desktop Plus has the ability to publish and autotransfers the contents of any folder on your PC. The contents of those folders can come from anywhere, your bit torrent client, iTunes, your favorite RSS agregater, whatever you can imagine. They must be set up on the computer in TiVo Desktop Plus as a published folder with autotranser turned on, and not through the DVR. The TiVo and TiVo Desktop coordinate to keep the specified number of shows on the DVR. When you delete one, TiVo Desktop Plus pushes the next one from the folder if it has one available. Maintaining the folder, adding and deleting files, is all up to you or the software you use to feed it.

I suspect, it is this last version that people find difficult to use and haven't taken much advantage of, but some may say it is the second version that confuses them or doesn't work well (due to the forgetfulness bug).

I hope this description helps people figure which of any of these they may or may not want to try to use.

(This discussion omits all the great third party programs out there that might be more suitable for some. I hope someone else can list them and describe their comparative capabilities)


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

SteveHC1 said:


> - Really? You're not talking about the "podcast reader" (or whatever it's called) that's built into the TiVo Central menu tree are you? I haven NEVER been able to find a way to actually SUBSCRIBE to a given podcast through it.


That is strictly for AUDIO podcasts.


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## pldoolittle (May 2, 2002)

TiVoStephen said:


> How so? Previously your monthly fee didn't include this feature. We added the feature, but didn't change your fees. There's no extra charge for using the feature. There's no discount if you don't use the feature. Seems like a free feature to me, right?


Before I reply, I want to add that I love TiVo and want the company to be successful for many years to come. And my comments below are constructive criticism aimed at fostering ongoing success. That said;

I may be alone, but the attitude conveyed above shocked me. It goes against *everything* that attracted me to TiVo. It's the kind of response I would expect from mega-companies that have completely lost touch with their customers, but never from TiVo.

To be successful, every company needs an ideal to commit to. Google has it's "Don't be Evil". I would suggest that TiVo print out Stephen's post and add the heading "Don't be like this"


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

I'm sorry you feel that way about my comment. I don't want to be misunderstood -- our commitment is to provide you the best possible DVR service and video downloads. I think you've seen from our participation here and from the number of new services we've been added that we take this seriously.

On the other hand, I really like what SteveHC1 wrote above. When you rent a movie from Amazon, for example, you can absolutely expect to receive what you pay for. For some of the free downloads, the reliability is not going to be in the same class. We'll do everything we can, and I can attest that our team works hard to get you everything you ask for and more. But this is new technology, and some aspects are outside TiVo's control.

We do apologize for the fact that some of the channels are not as reliable. We continue to work with our partners and our system to improve the reliability. While we aim for 100&#37;, for some of the free channels, we may not be able to deliver that (and again, mostly due to factors that are outside our control).

Apologies if my previous statements come off as anything different than the above.

There are many more great new features and channels to come. And even recently in 2009, we've already rolled out some behind the scenes improvements to the system in order to improve the reliability.

I've been posting to the forums here for 8 years. Please take a moment to look back at my participation before slapping a "don't be like this" label on me. 

Best regards,
Stephen


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## johnny99 (Nov 10, 2008)

TiVoStephen - I am glad that Tivo is doing, as you say, everything you can to improve the reliability of video podcast downloads. Many of these podcasts are time sensitive news broadcasts and their value diminishes quickly if they are delivered late.

I paid a substantial (to me) amount of money for my Tivo and the subscription fee and I do expect the advertised features to work properly for that amount of money. I do not consider these to be "free" services, since I am paying money out of my pocket for Tivo.

I am glad that Tivo is working on new internet-based services. At CES this year, many companies were showing internet TV features like Hulu and Yahoo destkop widgets. I hope that Tivo does not quickly fall behind in this area.


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## jim _h (Nov 25, 2006)

SteveHC1 is right of course, it's all new and it doesn't all work right. Like many posters, I'm in the technology business and could certainly string together a web of open source software, batch files, scripts and Post-it notes to get the shows I want. In fact, I could dispense with Tivo entirely, if I wanted to work at it. I don't want to do that because Tivo is so incredibly CONVENIENT, and EASY for both myself and my non-technical wife. This what we pay the monthly fee for, and we want it to continue.

As new sources of content appear, and we get hooked on them, we want Tivo to make them available with that same convenience and ease. That will retain us as Tivo customers - and evangalists - indefinitely.

Like many companies, Tivo is pretty secretive about their future plans and when we see things we want - like Cranky Geeks - going away, we assume the worst, namely that Tivo isn't motivated to retain them, and isn't really commited to Tivocast. I hope that isn't true, and TivoStephen seems to be saying that it isn't.

I don't want to be a geek 24/7. I work on PC software all day, I don't need to be tinkering with PyTivo at night too. Tivo has a niche that will always be there, if it's recognized correctly.


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## destek (Jan 15, 2001)

Oh my - let me put on my surprise face!
I really like Dvorak and his punditship. I thought that this show was done so much "on the cheap" that it actually marred the mans reputation. The production value of the show was just so awful that John should have stepped away from it - I almost wonder if he just needed the work!
Sad to see it go, but I just couldn't watch it - it was clearly produced and edited by high school kids.


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

destek, I believe you're thinking of "Cranky Geeks" rather than "Geek Brief".


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## destek (Jan 15, 2001)

wmcbrine said:


> destek, I believe you're thinking of "Cranky Geeks" rather than "Geek Brief".


ooops - right. DOH!


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