TiVo TCD540040 Series2 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
The Weakest Link: the IR "blaster"
<br />The Tivo's great when it works, but all too often it doesn't and clearly the weakest link is the \\"IR blaster\\".   <br /> <br />The IR blaster is supposed to be able to change channels on your satellite or cable box, but on ours it is so inconsistent that it renders Tivo completely worthless.  When it tries changing the channel to 501, for whatever reason half the time it will not register one of the digits, so it will change it to channel 51. So we've found that half the time Tivo records the wrong show or a channel that doesn't even exist - VERY ANNOYING. <br /> <br />The culprit is the ridiculously clumsy two-piece \\"IR blaster\\" that you arrange an inch or so away from the IR window on the satellite box.  If they get lodged a bit this way or that, the channel-changing doesn't work... <br /> <br />anyway, it is definitely the weakest link and I'm returning it and getting a ReplayTV instead, which is cheaper anyway. And the Replay has a much more rational IR blaster, it actually sticks right on the satellite box's IR window, makes a lot more sense... <br />