Sony DHG-HDD250 30-Hour High-Definition Digital Video Recorder (250 GB)
Bought-back by Sony
I am generally very happy with this DVR. The picture quality is excellent. Analog cable channels look much better than they did on the cable co's own Motorola DVR. It is nice to be able to combine antenna reception with cable reception since most cable co's don't carry all local HD channels. Most complaints with this unit come from the TV Guide On Screen software. I haven't had any major issues with that aspect. I do wish it was a little more like a Tivo so that it would skip reruns and grab the same show from multiple channels at multiple times. The software is also not very intelligent about resolving recording conflicts. There is no way to give one show a higher priority if two scheduled shows come on at the same time. But TV Guide On Screen doesn't cost 13 bucks a month like Tivo does. It also would have been nice if Sony had included dual tuners as the cable co's Motorola box has. Overall, this is a very nice product if you want to record HD programs without paying a monthly fee to the cable co.  If it had dual tuners, the ability to skip reruns, and didn't cost so much, I would have given it 5 stars.    UPDATE: After owning this piece for a while longer, I have discovered that Sony is not the company they used to be.  My DVR has already been in for service once (they told me there was nothing wrong).  And the next call to Sony I was on hold for 2 hours!    UPDATE 2: Unit has been to Sony twice and is getting ready to go back again.  These people are clueless.  They don't even understand how the thing is supposed to work until I explain THEIR product to them.  The last time the unit was in, they told me the problem is with the TV Guide software the unit runs and that they couldn't do anything about it.  I told them that is BS.  If that was the way things worked, GM wouldn't have to fix anything on their cars since many of the parts are outsourced.  Sony's name and phone number are the ones on the warranty card.  And, if you try to contact TV Guide, they tell you to contact the manufacturer.    UPDATE 3: Sony sent me a brand new unit.  I was hoping this would resolve the issue since I really like the DVR when it works.  However, this replacement unit has now behaved the exact same way twice dropping scheduled recordings of Law and Order.  There is a software problem with this model and Sony apparently can't figure that out.    UPDATE 4: Sony has bought the DVR back from me.