Website Review: Tape It Off The Internet

By: Kendall | in: TV, Technology |

For those of us that don’t have a DVR or aren’t in the proper location to view the shows we want to see, there is a new service out there called Tape It Off The Internet.

The idea behind it is that you can keep track of all your favorite shows, and ultimately be able to download them via BitTorrent. We, at the Plugg, have spent some time checking things out, and here’s the overview.
Upon receiving an invite to TIOTI you are able to sign up for the beta version, and begin your fanatical search for everything you’ve missed out on. The home page is a bit confusing upon initial viewing, but after sorting through the FAQ’s and help options, things get cleared up pretty quickly.
Social Networking sites are all the rage these days and TIOTI takes full advantage of it on a couple different levels. First you need to use the search bar to locate the shows you are interested in. Then, you can add them to your favorite shows, and search both by season, and specific episodes. The selection and availability are great for common shows like Lost, The Family Guy and The Office. Some cult shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Ren and Stimpy are also available. When it comes to more obscure shows like Buck Rogers and the 25th Century, don’t hold your breath, availability depends on the crazy world of file sharing. Upon encountering an unavailable show, TIOTI will direct you to Amazon, where you can buy the DVD.
TIOTI’s social strength is shines through by allowing you to add friends. The best part of this feature is when you read a review on a given show you can actually look at a list of fans who enjoy the same shows. Groups of fans can then start large scale discussions, but not too many have gotten going at this point.
Managing your shows is easy. Each show is presented with a picture, a brief description, and a list of seasons. You will then be able to mark shows and episodes you have watched already as well as rate them. Similar to TV.com, you can comment on individual episodes. The system will notify you when a show is available for download.
Downloads abide by no rules, being that you are relying on file sharers to set the tone. With new shows, you will most likely be able to download single episodes, while older shows are usually packaged together as complete seasons. The ultimate feature for tracking your favorite shows is the RSS feed. You can produce a feed that only contains your favorite series and track them via your RSS reader. For those who are not interested in the social aspects of the site, this provides a great alternative to the ugly and unmanageable torrent sites out there.
Downloading and sharing TV shows is not legal. Even though TIOTI just links to outside torrent sites, it is not likely to make the TV industry very happy. ABC and CBS are streaming their most popular shows for free over net, providing you sit through the commercials. For those outside the US or those who don’t want to watch the ads, downloading shows is still the weapon of choice. More so, tracking all your shows on one website is very convenient. The TV industry can be smart and strike a deal with TIOTI to just direct to their content, but as we all know, they are more likely to choose the low road and slap lawsuits on all concerned.
Overall, for a beta site, TIOTI is pretty impressive. Even without the torrents, this site could give TV.com a run for its money. It celebrates television and could ultimately create a bigger fan base for unknown shows. Of course, the TV industry has to make money, and it will be interesting to see whether they will fight this, or just get with the program.

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Posted on December 17, 2006

Comments

8 Responses to “Website Review: Tape It Off The Internet”

Rustycat on December 17th, 2006 8:12 am

Welcome aboard Kendall!
Good to have you as part of the The Plugg team.

Great review, I signed up and it’s looking interesting.

Ron Jones on December 17th, 2006 3:10 pm

How about internet radio shows? For example, RP10? I hear songs I would like to copy as a file to my HDD as I am listening. That way, I could burn a ROM, later. Do they make such a program?

Jon Eastwood on January 30th, 2007 12:06 pm

Hi,

I have been looking for such a program the last couple of months.
Great post. Keep it up!

Jon

Александр on February 1st, 2009 8:21 pm

У меня что-то сегодня с утра Ваш блог недоступен был. У всех все нормально было?

Bзлoмщик on June 26th, 2009 7:30 pm

Текст лично мне ничего не дал. Хотя для многих может оказаться полезным…

мышкин on July 13th, 2009 3:39 pm

Крутая статья, кстати автору хочу предложить установить от яндекс.денег фишку на сайт “Дай рубль”. Я бы дал, так сказать на поддержание.

БaкинcкийPoмaн on July 23rd, 2009 8:03 pm

Мне вот интересно, если текст c вашего сайта копировать, то ссылку куда лучше ставить прямо на эту запись блога или же на главную страницу.