When I came home September 3, 1997, a terrible thing had happened. I turned on my VideoGuide and saw the following message:
VideoGuide Service Discontinued
We regret to inform you that
the VideoGuide service has been permanently discontinued as of
September 3, 1997.
What can I say, VideoGuide went out of business, so I bought a StarSight unit. StarSight makes their money licensing out their technology. Its the system used on DSS systems and new TV's and VCR's. I didn't want to buy a new VCR, particularly when I don't need a new one, so I looked for an alternative. I found a stand-alone version on the StarSight web site. There was no mention of a model number. So I gave them a call. The hold message warned of extremely long wait times, but I held out and got the model number, Magnavox CB-1500. I call Circuit City and they have never heard of StarSight, but they do have a Magnavox CB-1500 in the warehouse. It was only $20! The VideoGuide cost me $100, though I think the price has since dropped to $50. The service costs the same, around $50 a year. No SportsGuide or NewsGuide, but I didn't use those.
Other Links:
Gadget Review - VideoGuide
TVData
GemStar (under construction)
Tribune Ventures
Feature Comparison