Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 23, 1991 TAG: 9103230344
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL HUSTED COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Once you own it, you may never again suffer the personal embarrassment of finding 60 minutes of televised swamp buggy races when you had hoped to see "L.A. Law."
The gizmo is called VCR Plus. Just punch in a few numbers and your VCR knows what show to tape, what channel it's on and how long it lasts. Even if your VCR is hooked up to a cable television converter box, VCR Plus will automatically tape the right show at the right time. The suggested retail price for the device is $59.95.
VCR Plus requires only that you punch in a few numbers. But if you don't have the numbers, VCR Plus is lost. That means, unless you live in Los Angeles, New York City, Denver or Chicago - or one of the other dozen cities where the numbers appear in newspaper and TV Guide listings - you can't use it.
However, a TV Guide spokesman said if the use of the code numbers in Denver and Chicago editions of the magazine is popular with readers, the numbers may be printed in other regional editions.
VCR Plus sounds too complicated to understand without a degree in quantum physics. But it is as simple to understand as a mousetrap - a better mousetrap.
Think of the numbers that are punched in as an invitation to a party: They tell VCR Plus where and when. That information is stored in its memory. Then, when its computerized clock says the time is right, VCR Plus starts talking to your VCR and cable converter box.
How? VCR Plus is just a glorified remote control. When its built-in clock triggers it, an infrared signal that turns on your VCR and changes the channel is flashed - the same way you change channels while sitting on your couch.
And where VCR Plus is available, more and more people have been making it their personal expert on programming VCRs. In fact, if anything, it has been a little too popular.
"The demand has exceeded what we can furnish," said Louise Wannier, vice president of marketing and business development for Gemstar. "We're holding off `roll outs' into the Houston and San Antonio markets until we can meet the demand."
Wannier said demand for VCR Plus has been three times stronger than the company projected. Because of that, retailers in the areas where it is being sold haven't been able to keep enough of the units on their shelves.
One of the huge benefits enjoyed by Gemstar and its new product is a total lack of competition. The only other serious contender - Panasonic - makes VCRs that can be programmed by scanning a bar code. Originally, Panasonic had hoped to sell newspapers on the idea of printing bar codes along with their TV listings, but that hasn't worked.
"The effort was made, but because of the variety of video recorders on the market and the differences in times and channels for different stations and different cities, publications such as TV Guide were resistant," said Dan Hametz, Panasonic's vice president of consumer video.
Ironically, Panasonic may eventually become a Gemstar customer. RCA and General Electric plan to use the Gemstar technology in their next generation of VCRs.
"They've talked to us," said Hametz. "But we don't have as immediate an interest as maybe RCA does. We'll be introducing a program director for our VCRs that is even easier."
by CNB