Given the (approximate) name of a program and location (initially, the New York area) and time of reception, a writeable DVD with that program can be sent to the customer (a mail-order version of lending a videotape from a video store). Portable DVD players can also be rented. The DVDs can be rented or bought.

Resources: Legal agreements with the broadcasting stations, digital storage for the actual media, receiving stations that record it, briefly trained editors to find and copy the media, shipping and accounting departments.

Audience: People that normally don't watch TV, but need to follow up to references to themselves, their products, shows they want to appear on or work with.

Stage 2:

Companies and individuals can set up recording accounts with TranscripTV. Account holders describe the type of scene or name of the program they're looking for, and receive weekly update DVDs with a week's worth of the requested scenes. It is cheap to record every instance of your favorite show; it is expensive to record every mentioning of Mayor Giuliani.

Resources: Programs are recorded with an additional text track where transcribers note general references and particular items of interest to current subscribers.

Audience: Media/PR departments; people who would normally own a ReplayTV but have no home to put it in.
-- jutta, Dec 29 1998

Ad Critic http://www.adcritic.com/
Voluntary submissions expand archive of TV advertisements [jutta, Dec 29 1998]

Of course, this can be keyed on the close caption changes.
-- ches, Nov 14 1999


David Foster Wallace's _Infinite Jest_ includes a near-future view of a very similar thing. It's a good novel to read, but it's over 700 pages, including the ~100 pages of footnotes, so you may want to set aside a few months.
-- johan, Mar 07 2000


They had recordable DVDs back in '98? This is an idea that could still find a market. I'm often calling people to tape something for me, or search and download digital versions if the show was popular enough. I'd pay a few bucks for a missed episode.

I know that's not what this idea's about, but could be an additional market.
-- Worldgineer, May 13 2005


There are companies that record television shows (usualy for the purpose of advertising research). If you want to see every instance of a child eating a banana they have it.

If you want get a show/newsbroadcast it's possible by contacting the production company, although it depends on how much clout you have with the department and why your calling.

If your a company and want this service it seems cheaper to set up TiVos. PR agencies find references to clients products all the time, usually they are behind it.
-- SpocksEyebrow, May 15 2005



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