Philips HDR212 TiVo 20 Hour Digital Video Recorder
Cannot watch TV without it.
Sales people talk about pausing live TV. If you are really using TIVO you do not watch any live TV. (You cannot fast forward in live mode because that part of the program has not arrived.)<br /> TIVO is used to RECORD the BEST of the BEST of the BEST programming on your set of channels and have it ready for you. (The best of 35 channel is better than finding somthing in real time on 200 channels) <br />TIVO Comes down to time management. There is not enough time to watch all the TV there is, so you only want to watch YOUR BEST shows, TIVO will have them. Check now playing and watch what is there. If you have set thing up correctly there should be better programming  in Now Playing than on all your tapes. If not you have other things in your life than TV. Tis better to watch a good show you have not seen than rewatch one have.<br />People talk about how channel surfing is slower. With TIVO you should not be channel surfing at all. It is a waist of time (TIVO has found lots of good shows on channels I never watched before. They did not have enough shows I like to make reading the guide worthwhile). You should never wait for anything. You should spend very little time (5 min. per week is a lot) deciding what to record or how much space is on the disk (TIVO keeps what it can as long as it can). Leave your season passes in, that way when battel bots comes back next season TIVO will have it for you. Most one hour shows can be viewed in 40 min. and rewound in 60 seconds if you do not use the skip to 15 min. mark or skip to end function. I shave at least on hour off a football game, even with my own instant replays.<BR>I have the 49ers on a wish list. I get all the games, that is easy but if they have a spot on NFL films TIVO will record that for me too.<BR> <BR>Can you imagine TV without a VCR?  Replacing your VCR with TIVO  is a bigger improvement than adding a VCR to your TV. I have 3 Super VHS VCRs, which I paid more than $400 each, and 500+ tapes. I used the VCRs to \\"time shift\\". They can all change cable box channels just like TIVO. Unlike TIVO  tape  cannot play and record independently at the same time.<BR>  <BR>I have not used any of the VCRs in the last year. My grand son has played some of his tapes. I quit renting movies, TIVO has more good stuff than I have time to watch.<br />My first TIVO is over a year old and still working fine. I added 2 more units 2 mo. after the first one.<BR>The last addition is a second TIVO remote for in our bedroom. That way I can have a remote of my own to fast forward or turn the TV and Sound system off after my wife has fallen asleep.<BR>Last night she was still gripping the thing 3 hours after she fell asleep.