Philips HDR312 TiVo 30-Hour Digital Video Recorder
I like the concept but the technology isn't there yet.
I bought it.  I sent it back. The equipment is not completely reliable yet.  I had the system freeze up twice.  I became slow and unresponsive to commands on other occasions.  (Consumer Reports said they had problems with  system crashes on two units.)   Despite the potential unreliability of hard  disks and the cost of the system, no extended warranty protection is  available if you buy online (some brick and mortar retailers do offer them  indepdently of Philips). You have two people to deal with if there is a  problem: Philips and Tivo and they both kept pointing fingers at each other  and claiming it's they other guy's problem.  Hold times were tolerable when  I first got the unit but had become excessive by the time I sent it back.  The TV listings are not up to date -- despite the fact that new program  data are downloaded daily.  I also encounter occasional errors in their  listings. The software still needs work.  The system got better at picking  programs for me at first but as I entered still more thumbs up/thumbs down  data I got more garbage.  The program is artificial stupidity - not  artificial intelligence.  I gave thumbs up to &quot;Singing in the  Rain&quot; and started getting everything Debbie Reynolds was ever in. The  Season Pass also needs work.  It's OK for broadcast networks.  But if I  want a season pass for Homicide: Life on the Streets on Court TV, it  records the same episode four times each day (same thing on any cable  channel that repeats broadcasts of particular programs). Even if you're not  waiting for the price to come down, my advice is wait for them to get it  right.  The current version should be labelled a &quot;Beta&quot; version.