Customer Reviews

Time Machine TV Video Game Management Timer DVD HDTV

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

We've owned a couple of these units for the last 3 months and while we have not had experience with other devices that limit TV time, these units work pretty well. We are generally happy with them. They have limited the TV time to a reasonable level and left more time for other activities.

Pro's
1. The coins that come with the unit are solid feeling coins that have some weight to them. They're larger than normal coins, which is good since the kids first attempt to use normal money to turn on the timers and this hasn't worked.
2. The unit shuts off the TV signal instead of messing with the power. This is great for most TV's that have a constant "on" even when they're off. We don't have a HDTV so I can't tell you whether those will work well with the unit or not, but there are RCA jacks for the unit both in and out as well as coax in and out. This allows the hookup of a DVD player or game system and TV together.
3. The unit has a pause function so that kids can save their time (at which point the signal gets cut and the TV shows static). I've watched now, as my kids want to preserve all their minutes so that they will actually cut out the commercials to save their time for the shows! On the other hand, if someone leaves minutes on the unit and then you come in and want to watch TV, I haven't found a way to cancel those minutes or even override those minutes (without pulling the power and resetting everything).


There are several things that could improve this unit:

1. The PIN code entry for adult use is very tedious to use. You have to use the large arrow pad and scroll through each number of your 4 digit PIN. This takes many button clicks to switch the unit on without using the coins. A small remote or keypad on the unit would help the speed of entry. (Imagine walking in the door in the 4th quarter of a game and you are fis-fuddling with the keypad as the final seconds tick down)
2. If the power goes off or someone pulls the plug on the unit, the PIN is reset to the default. The default PIN is very simple sequence that anyone could guess. Resetting the PIN is a pain because of all the scrolling that is needed as described above.
3. The security on the back of the unit was easily tampered with. There is a door on the back of the unit that holds the discarded coins and protects the TV inputs and outputs. While the key hole on the door uses one of those circular type security keys, my 8-year old was easily able to defeat the flimsy plastic door using a simple screwdriver and popping it out of position.

We were looking at time management devices for my son who has ADHD and a few other issues. He has an obsession with gadgets and cannot stop pushing buttons- he will obsess over them- so it was important for us to find a machine that worked without a PIN or a card (he would stand there and swipe for hours, more likely than not).

This works with tokens.


We also knew that even though he is 4, if we put this device on one unit we have attached to our television, he would then choose to play something else...So that was another issue for us...
A regular timer allows to much wiggle room for a freak out...
With a token -the token is a tangible item that he then inserts into Time Machine in exchange for time playing a game. The token is then out of his hand, so he can focus on playing, rather than the device.

When time is up he will ask for another token which allows us to talk about how he may earn another one. When the machine shuts off whatever he is playing though, it's just fact, it's not anyone trying to disrupt his fun...I think that is key...


We currently have 5 devices connected to our A/V switch and they are all usable only by inserting a token into Time Machine.

Here's how:
Time Machine is easily usable with multiple devices attached to the TV- you just need to use an A/V selector switch (we have a box from Philips that we purchased at a local Target, Amazon.com does carry a few of them). Instead of connecting the cord from one device (a Wii, for example) you can connect the Wii to the A/V selector, along with many other devices, and connect the A/C selector cable to the Time Machine unit.

There is also the ability to enter a PIN to override the tokens- if grownups are watching TV or playing a game...

If you are going to use this I recommend using it all the time- no exceptions. If I am playing a game with him I will also use a token so we have together time, and together we get to play more. This is teaching him how sharing and pooling resources can be a fun and very useful thing...

I also recommend storing the tokens in a jar or plastic container, with the key, out of reach...We keep ours on top of the fridge where our kiddo can't reach it (he's also not a climber)...

Great product... Well made... Very happy with this and the peace it has brought to our home...

My boys love nintendo. They love it so much, we could spend all day playing it and never know. As a mom with ADHD, I could spend all day on it and never have any concept of how long we've actually been playing. This machine is a life saver! My boys want to play in the morning before school. Great, when you are all ready to walk out the door, you can have a token. Some mornings I can't motivate them out of bed so I put a token in 30 minutes before they have to be out the door and tell them that's what I'm doing. Like magic, they spring to life, eat breakfast, get ready for school, just so they can play before the machine shuts off. Homework is the same -- kids that finish their homework get a token. The machine automatically shuts off at 9:00 -- no playing after bed time. For any parent that is tired of the struggle over the amount of time spent on the game system, this machine is SO for you!

I bought some of these units to help control the endless TV watching in our household. Although it has been less than a week, I would say that the time machine has had a dramatic effect on "screen-time" in our family.

Pros:
Kids love to earn the coins. Although the novelty will wear off, I am having no problem getting kids to do simple chores in return for a 30-minute time tolken. In fact, I'm having to think hard to come up with things. As they have more and more tolkens built up, I tend to make the chores take a bit longer, or require them to read, go outside, etc. They also love spending the coins. The kids do collaborate and barter on who is going to use their coin. I don't see this as a downside because I am more interested in them contributing to helping with household chores than I am in total tv time.

The coins are nice and solid. Good feel to them!

I am not involved in the usage and timing. They put the coin in when they want, and the time runs out when it runs out. I stay out of it.


Some things to think about:
When you read about the device, it states that it can support two devices per unit. This is technically accurate. However, one of the devices has to be coax, and the other has to be RCA. There is one coax input, and one coax output. There is also one RCA input, and one output. The # of coax devices these days is pretty small. You can convert RCA to coax with an additional unit, but that involves more wires and cost.

Once you put a coin in the machine, there is no way to cancel the remaining time, or use the menu in any way. The menu functions are setting the time, changing the pin, setting the clock, and manually unlock/locking the unit without a coin. Not a huge deal, just know that once the coin goes in, the unit is in run mode until the 30 minutes passes. If somebody sticks 10 coins in, the until will be tied up for 5 hours.

If you unplug the unit, is loses all the settings. No battery backup. Somehow our dog always seems to lay on the powerstrip.

The until does not support HD connections. So for an x-box 360, you may be degrading your signal quality.

Componet Video, Y-Pb-Pr, video signals do work. However, you cannot plug in the sound. So you will plug in your 3 video cables, and then output the 3 video signals to your tv. You will have to run the sound directly from the source to the back of the tv, so the unit will only interrupt the signal, not the sound.

Hard to ground one child from the TV. You can just take all their coins, however, if they have a coin they can activate the until. Yes, this unit DOES still require parental involvement at some level. Some people are surprised by this. Wake up people..

Technically you cold probably pry the unit open, but again parents can make the concequences clear if people are trying to cheat the system.

Older kids may just plug a new RCA cable into the device and into the TV. Be sure you don't leave extra laying around. Again, you still have to be a parent. For x-boxes and such, it is not as big of a deal since one end of the cable tends to be proprietary.

If you have a lot of children, be sure you think about how they are going to keep track of their own coins, and be sure you know how you are going to store the extras. You could probably put a bit of color on each coin so that kids have their own coin color and you know if they are using their own and not one from a coin misplaced by a sibling.

If you have a lot of devices, and they are all RCA, you are limited to one time machine per device. However, you can purchase a connection switch that allows you to plug 4 inputs into it, and then have one output leaving it and running into the back of the time machine. Remember that this may make it easier for older kids to just unplug connections and move them around (See still must be an involved parent comments above).

Overall I am satisfied with the device. It has minimized the amount of work I must do policing TV, my house is a bit cleaner, and the kids are adapting well to the system. I would recommend this system to busy parents that want a bit more control.

I love this contraption. We use a Roku box with Netflix as our main source of TV. The "Time Machine" just intercepts the RCA cord that runs from the Roku to the TV (it would also work with cable). Not too high tech, but I think it's a great value for the price. I was impressed that the tokens are actually metal and not plastic. We have four kids under the age of 7. They have to eat breakfast, make their beds, etc...before they get a token. It's been a great incentive and they love putting the tokens in the machine. It's been helpful for me and hubby to keep track of the time the kids are infront of the tube. In the past, it was too easy to get sidetracked with the craziness of the day and let the kids watch WAY too much TV! It's helped us as parents to be more accountable. I'm embarrassed to say this, but when a kid bugs me saying "can I watch TV?" it's so easy to just say yes to get them out of my hair. Now I have to be more conscious and interactive about it. *I am hanging my head in shame* Bottom line for our household is that for less than we'd pay for some lame parenting book that tells us everything we already know but just don't have the energy to DO, this device has brought more peace, accountability, and discipline to our home. And certainly more Play-Doh, Candyland, and playing outside!

This device could absolutely NOT be used to replace parents or rules, as some of the other reviewers seemed to hope for. Do not expect to leave your teenagers home alone with this as their only moderator. It would be easy to bypass by replacing the cord, and the back panel could be easily pried off. This is not a metaphorical ankle bracelet for your TV, but it IS a great tool to help parents keep track of time.

I bought this (and then later the much more expensive BOB timer. This one had fuzzy video as soon as I hooked it up. Then did not even work. I could not get a response from customer service (in Asia). Even if it had worked, the design is poor compaired to other timers. It keeps the audio hooked up and just blocks the video (and serverly lowers the quality of the video). Others actaully block the power. The coins seem like a cool idea, but I will never know if the kids would have liked it. Complete waste.

This worked great, my kids were doing what they needed to do in order to earn video game time. For about a month all I did was sing it's praises... Then my kids figured out how to unlock it with a fork.
It needs a better, more sturdy lock on the back in order to keep really smart and intuitive 9 year olds out for good.

We are happy with the product. It has allowed us to control the amount of tv and video game time allowed our kids.

The connections for the wires could be better designed, they are a little difficult to hook up. But otherwise the product works well.

it's totally messed up that Amazon would even allow this product to be sold. Only works with analog signal which doesn't exist anymore!! only choice is to throw it away. Seems completely unethical and fraudulent to even sell this to unknowing people. How can you sell something that is unusable in every way?!

fairly easy to use and set up.
Token system is great.
BUT, the lock is a joke and is easily delatched by a kid with a paper clip.
This made it a waste of money.