TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder (2008 Model)
Finally! But some important things to know before you buy...
Let me be clear: no other DVR from a cable company can come close to the TiVo experience. TiVo has gotten so many of the fine details right that it's worth every penny of the extra cost. <br /> <br />PROS (especially when compared to cable company DVRs): <br />-- It could not be easier to find and schedule recordings of your favorite shows. DVR's from the cable company make the process soooooo much more complicated.  <br />-- You can schedule your recordings online from anywhere you have an internet connection. I use this feature all the time -- more than I expected. <br />-- The television guide is better than any other guide you can find anywhere else. It doesn't get any better. Period. <br />-- It is so much easier to forward through shows. When you fast forward, it even knows to rewind a few seconds so you don't miss any part of the program. Small detail, but what a difference it makes. <br />-- The TiVo remote is so comfortable and easy to use. No other remote comes close.  <br />-- You can stream music and videos to your TiVo, so no need to buy a separate multimedia network device. When you have people over, you can leave the tv on and show great pictures or artwork. Very cool. <br /> <br />WHAT'S NEW: <br />Compared to Tivo Series2, here is what is new: <br />-- Accepts cable cards, so you can ditch you cable box. <br />-- Dual tuners so you can watch and record two shows at once. <br />-- The new remote has backlighting and is a \\"learning remote\\" <br />-- Nice new look that is sleek sitting near the tv. <br />-- Has a front display that shows the time and other info. You can turn this off if you want. <br />-- You can hook the TiVo directly into your network with ethernet... no adapter necessary. Or you can use a wireless USB router. <br /> <br />CONS: <br />While I'm still giving TiVo 5 stars since it does all the important things perfectly, it is important to know that there are some features not available yet, even though they are on earlier TiVo's: <br /> <br />-- You cannot transfer tv shows to your computer or laptop. I use this feature all the time with my old TiVo since it's great for traveling with your favorite shows <br />-- Kidszone is not available (a great feature if you have kids in the house) <br />-- Ability to transfer shows between TiVo's.  <br /> <br />What to know about CableCards: <br />-- My cable company had never seen a TiVo Series3, so they were a little confused. Hopefully that will change over time.  <br />-- Cablecards are not terribly common yet and the technology isn't flawless. It took three long visits from my cable company to get the cable cards working. But the problem was NOT TiVo's fault. <br />-- With the cable cards, you probably won't need your cable box. Since cable cards usually cost a lot less to rent each month, you can save $10 to $15 per month. It makes the cost of TiVo service a little easier to rationalize. ;-) <br />-- Cable cards do not work if you want to rent movies through your cable company. This is something cable companies are working on, but it could be a while. <br />