I'm an unabashed TiVo ( ) fan. Having had the luxury of checking out digital video recorders from cable and satellite providers, I can safely say none comes close to the bells and whistles found with TiVo. TiVo's Series 3 ($799.
99) is no exception. The dual-tuner 250GB unit addresses the cable user base that wants to preserve the higher-quality digital picture received from offerings beyond basic cable. It can pause, rewind, and record as much as 300 hours of standard-definition programming and up to 32 hours in high-definition, depending on the recording setting.
Like some of its siblings, the Series 3 lets you record as many as two live shows at once, while playing back another. Since the box is made especially for cable, though, satellite users are out of luck with the Series 3. A neat display on the front of the stylishly designed box lists the shows that have been recorded, and the remote has a backlight for use in darkened rooms.
My one quibble with the remote is that it has dropped the dedicated button of earlier models that pulls up a list of programming recorded on the hard drive. Instead, you have to press the iconic TiVo button and then press a second time to pull up the list. The real benefit of the Series 3 is that it can capture high-definition 720 progressive and 1080i broadcasts.
Over the past couple of months, I've tested the Series 3 on Samsung ( ) and LCD televisions and was impressed with the stutter-free, crystal-clear picture. And with its THX certification and a great receiver, explosions and gunfire from the soundtrack of shows like 24 reverberate around the room. Other DVRs let you find shows by keyword and schedule, but only TiVo enables the discovery of programs that may suit you based on your previous recording history.
TiVo will also find shows that play on multiple channels, a useful feature when dealing with hundreds of cable and satellite channels. TiVo increasingly is leveraging the power of broadband to extend the value of its box. The company recently added Amazon's ( ) Unbox service, which lets you rent or buy movies online mdash;usually for $4 a rental and $16 a purchase mdash;and download them directly to your TiVo via your home network.
You also can use a service at OneTrueMedia.com to upload home movies and photo slide shows from your computer directly into the Now Playing lists of other TiVo owners mdash;though it requires paying another monthly or annual subscription fee for something you're not likely to use very often. Another recent addition is TiVoCast, which lets you automatically schedule recordings of Web videos from the likes of CNET ( ), The New York Times ( ), The Onion, and others.
This is a great way to get little snippets of information on your favorite subject without ever leaving the couch or bed. And Yahoo! ( ) users can easily pull up five-day, local weather forecasts and current traffic conditions.
It's a neat feature to use in the morning if your box is in the kitchen, though not nearly so much if it's in the bedroom. There are also Internet radio and podcasts to listen to, and you can use your home network to pull digital photos and music off your PC. That's a lot of goodness in one box.
Unfortunately, it comes at a steep price that many might not be willing to pay. On top of the initial cost, users must fork out at least $12.95 a month for a three-year plan or prepay $299.
Your cable provider also may charge $5 or more for CableCards that let you do away with a separate cable set-top box. What's more, if you want to get on-demand and pay-per-view programming, you'll still have to lease that separate box, because CableCard does not offer two-way communication to request such programming. Despite raves from such fans as me, TiVo has had a tough time making money precisely because many think the benefits do not outweigh the cost.
It's hard to get around the fact that many of the same basic functions can be had more cheaply on DVRs offered by cable and satellite outfits. Comcast ( ) users throughout the year will have the option of downloading the TiVo software, for an additional fee, directly to their HD cable DVRs, which could be a boon to TiVo. Until then, the Series 3 answers the call from a discerning but small audience looking for more from a DVR.
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