You're at the office when someone tells you about a great television show that's on tonight. Problem is, you won't be home in time to see it.
But if you have the latest setup from TiVo, which makes digital recorders that store TV programs for later viewing, you don't need to be home to program the machine.
You go on the Internet from your office -- or, for that matter, anywhere in the world with online access -- to tell your TiVo to record the show.
This feature, called remote scheduling, marks another step in allowing TV watchers to take control of their viewing schedules. It's also available on the latest personal video recorder (PVR) model by the other big name in the field, ReplayTV, but its machines can't handle impulse scheduling; the remote requests need to be made about 24 hours ahead.
Remote scheduling is the first practical application of what has been long promised for households in the digital age: a way to control appliances, via the Internet, from far-flung locales.
For years, researchers have been working on a variety of such projects, most famously at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. That lab's Counter Intelligence project, begun in 1998, strives to create Internet-connected kitchen appliances such as a refrigerator that keeps track of the food inside.
It is interesting work, but is a fancy online setup needed to tell you that you're low on milk?
Remote control via the Internet has found a more congenial home with PVRs, which have gained hugely devoted followings because of the ease with which they allow what has come to be known as "time-shift viewing."
Devotees have even started to use the leading company's name as a verb, as in "I TiVoed that show last night so I could watch it on Sunday."
Videocassette recorders, which have been around much longer, also can be used to time shift. But anyone who has tried to configure a VCR to reliably record a show in the future can appreciate the straightforwardness and reliability of digital personal video recorders.
In normal operation, the TiVo and ReplayTV machines get daily updates, via built-in telephone modems, of your television schedule geared to your cable or satellite service.
If you're at home and want to schedule the machine to record a show, you scroll through lists of upcoming programs on your TV screen and make your selections.
