Pioneer DVR-533H-S Slim Design DVD Recorder with 80 GB Hard Disk Drive
Great DVR, much better and easier than TIVO!
We gave up on TIVO and bought a Pioneer DVR-533. It is SO much easier to use than TIVO. Setup took only a short time and it was up and working. We've waited a full day to get TIVO back up and running after changing the setup! If you were considering TIVO or a stand-alone DVR (Digital Video Recorder) then definitely go with a stand-alone DVR like this Pioneer 533. It works just like a vcr and you DO NOT need the TV Guide to record programs. All you have to do is go to manual recording, set the date/time/frequency/etc and it is ready. And it works just like a vcr. I really like the preview aspect when looking at the recorded programs list, it shows the recorded program running in a small window. This lets you quickly see what was recorded.  And it also will tell you how much record time each program took and how much time is left. That is something TIVO never did. There are so many more plusses to the Pioneer DVR-533 vs TIVO. The picture quality is better with the Pioneer and that will allow us to record probably double the time vs TIVO, both with 80gb hd's. The only negative is that the remote functions are not 100% intuitive but relatively easy to learn.  <br />Overall we are very satisfied with this Pioneer DVR-533H and would recommend it to anyone.