RCA DS4290RE DIRECTV/UltimateTV Satellite System with Built-In 35-Hour Digital Video Recorder and Free Pro-Installationsee Terms and Conditions)
This is like politics....
and I think some of the negative reviews are more Microsoft/Gates bashing than they are product reviews. I replaced an older RCA unit with this new combination unit and have been nothing but thrilled. My old Tivo was a disappointment because it frequently locked up and required rebooting (unplug, wait 30 secs and plug it back in). The Ultimate TV portion of this unit has thus far performed flawlessly and even brief power outages have not affected it (it, like the Tivo before it, are on small UPS units). The DirecTV functions are just fine. The menus are quite quick, based on the same processor as most other RCA units and now the industry standard at 32 bits. The picture in picture works fine, though it requires that you run 2 separate coax cables in from your dish (you cannot split it inside, and so you may need a 4:1 downblock at the dish, unless you have a dual LNB dish and are only using one side of the output). I agree the PIP is a bit limited, but it's also very simple to operate and I think it's going to be a hit during football season, especially when coupled with live-action pause (Sunday Ticket will be even better!). The DirecTV subscription adds $9.95 to your monthly bill, which enables all the Tivo-like functions; Tivo was also $9.95. As a bonus, this unit gives you direct access to the internet and as a result, an extra place to get your email or browse if you're having a hard time getting PC time at home. Lastly, the DirecPC includes very good connections for your home theater, including optical sound and SuperVideo outputs. This is a Swiss Army knife for home theater and I am very satisfied.