I know this will come as a shock to many of you, but some people simply don't enjoy spelunking computer innards as a hobby. Likewise, some people also already have stand-alone DVR functionality that need not be integrated with a computer.
I'm about in the middle of the pack on these things. I am perfectly happy with my DirecTivo service at the moment; I have no prospects for HD and the boxes record and time-shift with amazing ease. Likewise, while I understand that buying a little shiny disk and having that "property" (ha!) is going to become anachronistic in my lifetime, it is still the main mechanism by which the highest available audio signal is conveyed to consumers and experienced by listeners.
It seems to me that we're at an odd point in the history of consumption of intellectual property - smack between buying a "thing" (book, LP, CD, etc.) and when networking and electronic commerce are so pervasive that this kind of content virtually appears from the ether.
Until then, the practical problem experience by me, Mike and others have seems to be:
a) we like shiny disks, because they continue to be the highest fidelity available
b) managing the content on a bunch of shiny disks is cumbersome to the point that it impedes our ability to enjoy it
c) ripping shiny disks to a central location that is easily managed takes time and can compromise fidelity.
Now, I have deeply appreciated the expertise all of you always so collegially provide relative to geeky stuff, including the merits of various audio formats (AFLAC, Empty-3, Egg Brutis, SHAV, et. al.). We have all - thanks to hard work, good fortune and indulging family members - amassed collections of wires, buttons, transducers, blinky lights, sand, glass, particle board and metal for the purpose of having the best quality audio/video experience possible within the constraints of our budgets and environments. I cannot make the leap to degradation of my shiny disks.
So, I need a lossless format. Which means a giant amount of storage. Storage - while coming down in price - is still not only expensive but noisy. So again, to maintain the sanctity of my listening experience and integrity of my data, I need a magically quiet machine and/or sophisticated networking, RAID5, technical expertise and money.
And there is still the problem of time. Ripping CD's to another device takes machine time and an infuriating amount of button pushing and disk loading. I'd rather be listening to music
So far, the device I am most intrigued by is the PC and Megachanger combination from
Sony. I do not know how ISA-friendly it might be, but in the day of large-capacity external USB drives, it might not matter. The beauty of this thing is that I believe you can load the 200 disk changer, tell it to go rip everything in sequence, and go about savoring the joyful moments of your life. Golden brown AND delicious.
But, of course, it is overpriced. So, as with most problems not related to health and mortality, if you have the requisite amount of time and/or money, you can effect the desired change.
Time and money - that's all you need.
But if one has an unlimited budget it would be a coo looking box in the cabinet I guess.