TiVo TCD540040 Series2 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Liberating Product
This is my second TiVo box, so I'm speaking from long experience. I love it. It completely redefines the TV experience. I find it most useful to record programs that I would otherwise miss, e.g., shows airing after my bedtime or during the day when I'm at work. The \\"Season Pass\\" feature allows you to automatically record all airings of any serialized program. You can also create a list of favorite actors, directors, movie titles, etc., and TiVo will automatically record any airings that include those parameters.<br /><br />In addition to it's many recording capabilities, the feature I love most -- and would have difficulty living without -- is the on-screen program guide provided with the TiVo service. It's the best, most easily navigable guide I've encountered. Frankly, I'd buy the box for the program guide alone. I never use the cable company's on-screen guide, which is clunky and primitive by comparison.<br /><br />The only downside to this particular model of TiVo is capacity. I chose the 40-hour version because I'm cheap, and I have a limited list of \\"must-see TV.\\" If you're a serious consumer of TV fare -- especially movies -- you might want to consider paying a bit more and getting one of the larger capacity units. Or, if you're a tweak, you could always buy the 40-hour unit, then consult one of the web sites that tell you how to install a new monster drive in your TiVo.