ReplayTV RTV5516 160-Hour Digital Video Recorder
They packed more features in the box
I have had my Replay TV 5508 (RTV)for one year and I have not been disappointed.  Scheduling shows, pause, play, rewind those are features that all DVRs have.  The RTV stands out among the pack by offering more features for the same price or less.    Optical audio - I plug in one audio cable into my surround sound system and have instant 5.1 Surround Sound.    Ethernet port - I have a small home network and a broadband connection.  I can choose to give my RTV a static IP or DHCP.  My RTV is pingable over the network and I can even download shows to my PC and edit them if I want.  I can also save shows to my PC and view them over the network. Oh yeah... and for the really geeky peeps like me... I added my RTV to my SMNPC monitoring software.    30 second skip - This feature alone is enough for me to buy this product over the others.  One tap of the button and I have skipped the latest ABC/NFL towel dropping skank commercial with some desperate actress pimping her \\"hit\\" show.    A rich community - Programs like DVarchive and [...] gives me access to the latest tips and tricks.  There are groups of people out there that will let you download a show from them if you forget to tell RTV that you wanted to watch it.    I also like the fact that RTV records what I want to watch and the genre functions are turned off until *I* turn them on.  I never lose a show because RTV THINKS I might want to watch something I don't.    **Edit 12-17-04    I forgot to mention a couple of more things.    The 7 second rewind button - If you happen to skip to far into your show using the 30 second skip button, you can hit the 7 Second rewind button and it will usually take you back to exactly where the commercials end and the show begins.    Veiw your photos on your TV - If have a home network and digital photos this is a great feature.  You can use your RTV as a photo viewer and show the family photos over the TV instead of everyone crowding around your monitor.  They also give you the option of making your photos your sceensaver (did I mention that RTV goes into screensaver mode when it's left on pause to long?).      What fan noise??  If you can hear the fan, you have a problem with your RTV or your head.