Comcast to offer CBS TV on-demand

Forget Tivo or subscribing to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) service, Comcast plans to offer some TV shows on-demand, so die-hard fans don't have to miss their favorite shows.

The company announced Monday that it's teaming up with CBS to offer episodes of three popular shows on Comcast's on-demand service. Beginning in January, Comcast digital cable customers will be able to view episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor and The Amazing Race anytime after midnight on the nights the shows air.

But you may not want to cancel your Tivo or DVR subscription just yet. Comcast is charging $0.99 a pop for each on-demand episode. A little expensive considering that the cable company charges $9.95 per month for the DVR service, which allows you to record up to 60 hours of programs of regular TV or up to 15 hours of HDTV programming.

I'm no TV junkie, but I am a pretty astute bargain hunter. And the DVR deal looks like a better value to me. DVRs allow you to watch shows anytime you want, and you can keep them around for as long as you like. But TV shows purchased from the on-demand service will disappear after 24 hours whether you have gotten the chance to watch it or not.

Of course, the ultimate bargain is to wait until the summer when CBS starts showing re-runs. Then you can watch them for free.