Philips HDR212 TiVo 20 Hour Digital Video Recorder
A great system marred by some compatability problems
I tore this out of the box when I got home. I was pleased to see that included all the hardware and cables needed to install it (so that extra trip I made to Radio Shack was all for naught). I hooked the satellite through it and then to the VCR and then to the TV. It was simple and the instructions illustrated it well. I went through the guided setup and here's where my problems began.<br />First, I got to the screen where it makes the first downloading call. The instructions say it would take between 2-3 hours to call, download and integrate the updates and channel guides. It took at least 7.<br />Next, my Philips Tivo had compatability issues with my Philips Dish Network box. the infrared blasters wouldn't change the channel. I tried the Philips codes and the Maganavox codes and none of them worked. Finally I tried the Echostar codes and they worked. (update: they have fixed this problem somewhat in later software updates)<br />I woke up the next morning and the channels wouldn't change anymore. A call to support had me unplug and reboot the system. then it worked fine. Hmmm... maybe it's windows based? (update: this hasn't happened to me since.  The only problem I have now is sometimes all the channel numbers don't get accepted and the channel doesn't change.  i think this is more of a problem with my satellite box than the Tivo system.)<br />Since then it has worked fine. One other problem is if you're taping a sporting event or any show that goes past the beginning of the hour, you need to set it to tape the show after it as well or you'll miss the end of the show. They need to upgrade the program to allow you to it to tape longer than the time of the show. (update: they have.)  Other than those issues, it's been a god send!