Sure, but the fact that I have to be tethered to an expensive optional device my living room, subject to a particular walled garden to get not even the full ran

Sure, but the fact that I have to be tethered to an expensive optional device my living room, subject to a particular walled garden to get not even the full range of this functionality is pretty backwards. Why can't I just see a random ad or review somewhere on a web browser or on my phone and have that? The fact that I'd need a DVR and that it would only work for one company's systems is backwards considering the wealth of infrastructure that already exists.