Sky Plus or Virgin thingy
Sorry, but have these companies not missed the boat by miles are they really that far behind the rest of the world.
There is such a thing as a Sky Plus box or the Virgin thingy, TiVo in the UK and US which allows us to do all this and skip the adverts anyway, gee how many more ways do we need to be offered our "favourite TV" programs...
Why would I want to watch it on my PC / Laptop anyway when I want to sit on the comfort of my sofa with a remote in my hand.....