Okay, who uses Picture in Picture?

Susan Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 08:05 PM EST

I love PIP and will only buy TVs that have it.

I use all three inputs on my main TV. The cable picture comes through coax; Video 1 is my VCR/DVD; Video 2 is my DVR. With PIP, I can check on something I am recording (or restarting my DVR) while still watching a different program.

I also watched a political national convention with one channel in the large screen and another in the PIP, so I could compare the broadcasts and switch between the two since they seemed to show different speakers prior to prime time.

You can't get true pip on an lcd tv, which makes me frustrated since I don't want one without it. LCD tvs offer PC PIP or only some of the video inputs. Features should increase, not decrease with new technology.

Donna Mon, Sep 1, 2008 at 11:10 AM EST

I used to use picture in picture so I could watch an exercise video to keep me on track while watching something else to keep from being too bored to exercise. Our new HDTV doesn't have it and I'm looking for one for my back room but they seem to be hard to find these days.

The Home ComputerGuy® Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 06:32 PM EST

A MUST HAVE. Got an NVidea 256MB DVI-out (not VGA) card on my PC going to the TV DVI-in (think an adapter could make it also HDMI if I needed). So I run PIP coming in thru DVI for Large picture, and in any of 4 corners I can place the TV tuner on any over-the-air station I want. Worked great for years, then got a converter box with $40 coupon from the Gov, digital came in better than analog most of the time. Now I increased memory, put a KWorld TVPLUS ATSC card in computer and watch Digital when I want. May use the PIP less now because with the extra memory, I can now HDTV through the computer and surf the web at the same time still. For years could not have lived without the pip though! All in all the PIP is a nice option if you need to run other things like a weather channel even. Say storms are on the lurk as you try and finish an episode of The Governator, hahahah.
I love web-surfing while those unbearable repeating commercials just keep on coming and coming and coming .... UGH!

Kazelner Tue, Jul 1, 2008 at 11:06 PM EST

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go4broke Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 11:06 PM EST

PIP I love it. Unfortunately I can't use it as I have cable (comcast) and my cable box does all the tuning. The box doesn't support 2 outputs for different inputs on my tv and further I don't use my tv for tuning and it would be very impractical to say the least to tune the normal unscrabled tv channels on my tv.

My point in all this is that I think most people don't use this feature because the vast majority of cable companies do not support it an any meaningful/practical way.

I would love to use it, sadly it not a standard type service so its hard to get it to work in many home theatre situations.

Jason6787 Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 01:04 PM EST

I use PIP all the time. I have a kid and she often likes watch Nick Jr. shows. I can often take full advantage of PIP and split the screen 50/50 and throw up something more useful - like sporting events, PS3, etc. also comes in useful during football season to watch.flip between CBS/FOX Sunday afternoons and/or racing and football. Qutie annoying that most TV's are leaving the feature out. I was hoping by now they'd improve PIP to watch two HD sources at the same time. :(

DaniB Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 02:38 PM EST

I use it when I am stuck watching a show live and want to see something else during commercials. OR during results shows when I don't want to watch the filler, but still want to see the performances.

EMax Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 01:15 PM EST

I'm going to have to investigate the PIP at home... perfect for Olympics coverage!

Daryn Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 01:09 PM EST

Ha! It's me and you, Mandi, with our gloriously exciting Saturday nights. I too was watching Rudy and Die Hard, but I, unfortuntely, don't have PIP so I was flipping back and forth old school. Still -- pretty great night for movies on Saturday! :)

Joslyn Hansen Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 12:23 PM EST

Good point about using it for the Olympics. The last time I remember firing up the PIP was for Live Earth, which was simulcast over three NBC networks, I think.

Stef Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 10:36 AM EST

My parents are PIP-addicts, especially when Hockey and Basketball are on. I don't have PIP, and using the remote to scroll through the channel list is nothing like flipping channels in the pipwindow. Is there an HDTV out there with PIP, or has it disappeared because of people like Nathan?

Elizabeth Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 08:52 AM EST

No PIP - I don't even have a 'last channel' button on my new remote! I shouldn't have to remember which station I was on.
I'd personally use the PIP for the Olympics to get around all the NBC Sports personalities and their novelettes around the 5 athletes they tell us we need to care about... and I am going to watch wrestling!

KG Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 08:46 AM EST

Did I miss something? Is Picture in Picture a new technology? I remember being excited about it like ten years ago as a kid but haven't heard anything about it until this morning....

RP Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 08:10 AM EST

Back when I had it I used to use it to flip channels while whatever I was watching was on commercial or, like Debsa, use it to wait for the news story I'm actually interested in.

My parents would use it but the box Comcast uses for digital cable makes the PIP function on the TV useless.

Debsa Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 12:25 AM EST

PIP is useful to catch an upcoming story on CNN or MSNBC without watching the extra crap.

Nix Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 08:00 PM EST

What you guys at EW's PopWatch should learn is that there's this thing called sports, and sometimes they're shown on TV, and a lot of people watch them, and since they're live and semi-unpredictable, sometimes crazy things like Picture-in-Picture are necessary to keep track.

nathan Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 05:03 PM EST

PIP is a totally useless feature, have never used it once.

Ep Sato Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:29 PM EST

I just got a new HDTV a few months ago, and it doesn't have PIP. bummer! I used to love it! I'd play Fight Night Round3 on the small screen and watch tv shows on the big screen. With commercial breaks, I'd swap the picture. It's the perfect invention for the at home multi-tasker.

Jelana Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:17 PM EST

Charlie, it's ok. I like the Cubbies too.

Jelana Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:16 PM EST

I knew I loved you people -- you're Phillies fans! I use my PIP to keep track of Phils games while watching other stuff.

Charlie Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:15 PM EST

I use PIP to watch Cubs games and then whatever's on during the evening. Or Bulls games. Or Bears games. I guess there's a pattern there... Go Cubbies!

skye Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:05 PM EST

I CAN'T do it! It makes me so mad! We even HAVE an HD tv and It STILL DOESN'T WORK (Tragedy of my life, if you can't tell)

Kai- Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 04:04 PM EST

Okay...I'll admit that I totally forgot we have PIP until I read this post. I usually just use the jump/back button to go back and forth when I'm interested in two shows at once or just DVR one and watch it later.

chellrene Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 03:46 PM EST

I use PIP to watch something on regular TV and something I have DVRd. While the regular show is on commercials, I pull up the DVR show and put hte regular show in the corner, when it comes back from commericial I "pipswap" (great word)back to the regular TV show.

Anjeliki Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 03:27 PM EST

Mostly use PiP when the show we're watching is on commercial (a newly-coined word in our house - "pipswap" - means the original show is back, and the remote controller needs to switch back. We also use it to watch two sports games at a time - works great for football, but it drives my husband nuts.

tvobsessed Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:54 PM EST

I use it all of the time!!

I usually use it during commercial breaks, but I have been known to use it while watching 2 soaps. Put closed captioning on one screen, put the volume on the other and you can literally watch and comprehend both programs at the same time.

Check your PIP because you may be able to change the size of the PIP screen to 1/2 screen, or corner of screen or 1 large whole picture with pip small on the side.

My name does say tvobsessed, doesn't it??

Benjh Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:48 PM EST

Right now (and same tomorrow and wedn) there are 2 euro soccer games at the same time. The outcome of one game impacts the other, so I use PIP (which I discovered on my remote about 5 seconds after receiving it). I'll swap to watch a goal replay.

aps Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:37 PM EST

woohoo, go phils!!! yeah. i used to use PIP all the time, but it doesn't work anymore in the sense that i am not able to watch two tv shows at the same time, due to my cable provider. i wish i still had it. i loved that thing.

Sarah Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:25 PM EST

Because I sometimes have trouble keeping my attention on one thing, I used to use PIP all the time - TV show in one box, casual-style video game in the other. Unfortunately, our current TV doesn't have PIP.

Heather Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:13 PM EST

For me, it's when it involves sports, mostly. Usually sports I'm only marginally watching. That way I can monitor when it comes back from commercial while catching a few minutes of something else I'm not really invested in. (The Olympics are going to make it really, really fun to use.)

Amy Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:13 PM EST

My PIP is included on my DVR box from Time Warner Cable. I just used it this past weekend to watch the Astros and Rangers ballgames that were on at the same time.

Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:12 PM EST

My parents have what they call "PIP", but in actuality it's just two TVs that they keep on at the same time so that they can watch the Phillies (or what ever sporting event is on) while at the same time enjoy Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune. Now i enjoy PIP, but that is just plain ridiculous.

marblebag Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:07 PM EST

When you have multiple devices hooked up to a screen, you can use PiP to play tekken 2 while watching porn on the main sceren.

Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:06 PM EST

Super-useful during commercial breaks. Say you're watching House, it goes to commercial, but you want to flip through other channels without missing a moment of sardonic wit. Boom--PiP to the rescue!

Robert Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 02:06 PM EST

I use my picture in picture on an almost daily basis. I play video games on the big picture, and then keep the TV on, with sound, on the little picture. It's quite useful.

Bob Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 01:53 PM EST

It's actually really useful when there are two sports games on that no one really cares about watching but would like to get a vague idea about the score every once and a while.