Humax DRT800 DVD-R/RW Recorder/TiVo Series2 DVR Combo
The best DVR, bar none
We got this for Christmas 2004, and have not had a single problem with it in 11 months of daily use.  The DVD burner is awesome, and very fast.  Like all Tivos, the software allows you to do many things at once.  You can be burning a DVD of 4 shows while it records a different show, and you watch another. <br /> <br />The time shifting aspect of this and how it affects your life cannot be understated.  It allows you to have total control of your cable content, which you are already paying (alot) for.  Why not control it, and get all the value you can out of it? <br /> <br />Some people say that the $13/month is alot to pay for the service.  I disagree.  How much is your time worth?  We have used it to skip several hours of commercials a month with it.  Just the time saved not watching commercials is worth more than $13 to us.  Not only that, but you can use the 30-second skip function to watch an entire football game in 45 minutes and not miss a single play. <br /> <br />Being able to take DVDs on vacation is wonderful, too.  You can catch up on the shows you haven't been able to watch, and Tivo even suggests shows you might like, based on the shows you already watch.  No other DVR does that, or even comes close to the advanced features of the Tivo software.  We connected it to our home network, and have used it to view our digital pictures.  More advanced functions are on the way, and we can't wait. <br /> <br />Tivo has delighted our family.  I can't praise it highly enough.