TiVo TCD540040 Series2 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Can't compete with cable company hardware...
I enjoyed this unit while I had it, but it broke within 6 months and Tivo was not particularly helpful in replacing it.  As a result, I have switched to the DVR offered by my cable company.<br /><br />The cable company's device (which shall remain nameless-this isn't a sales pitch) has four distinct advantages.  First, the cable company service is cheaper and has not increased over time (Tivo's monthly just keeps going up).  Second, dealing with two separate companies is an unnecessary hassle.  Third, the cable co's hardware is simply better integrated.  There is no modem, and (unlike the Tivo) there is no requirement that you attached goofy-looking IR emitters to your cable box.  These especially annoyed me, since the only way I to do this (that I could figure out) was with packing tape.  This left my entertainment center looking pretty third-world.<br /><br />Fourth, DVRs -generally- are the touchiest electronic devices I have ever owned.  I am now on my FOURTH unit in two years (1 Tivo and 3 units rented from the cable company).  Tivo is apparently getting better about replacing broken units, but I found their customer service stodgy and unresponsive.  In any event, I just don't like mailing parcels when I can avoid it.  When my cable-company rented unit breaks, I just call them and they send out a tech with a new one.<br /><br />In the end, I liked the Tivo, but I am happier now and I wouldn't go back.  As cable companies continue to rent better hardware, I can't imagine how Tivo will compete.  If I were them, I would be looking to buy some cable companies while my own product was still hot.  You can't beat a state-sponsored monopoly.