RCA DS4290RE DIRECTV/UltimateTV Satellite System with Built-In 35-Hour Digital Video Recorder and Free Pro-Installationsee Terms and Conditions)
Fun, but oh so slow... get a TiVo instead!
I bought this because I got an open box special at a local store and had been wanting some kind of video recorder for some time. The remote control is very confusing and awkward to use... in addition, the delay between pressing a button and the machine actually doing something seems like eons. IT IS REALLY SLOW! I think the main advantage of this unit is being able to record two things at once or watch one thing while recording another. It even has picture in picture. But aside from the PiP, the new DirecTV TiVo units do this as well (mine got a software upgrade as soon as I plugged it in to the phone line). I can't complain about the recording quality or the on screen display. Both are quite nice.<br />I ordered a Philips DSR6000 DirecTV w/TiVo from Amazon just the other day and I must say I am infinitely thrilled with it. I would never go back to Ultimate TV.<br />Unless you want the WebTV stuff or interactive TV features (really just a call to WebTV too), don't bother with this thing! Get a DirecTV receiver with TiVo instead! The setup process is the same and both services go right onto your DirecTV bill with one phone call. The TiVo software is so much more robust and fun to use. UltimateTV is also seriously lacking one of the best features of TiVo: Season Pass (automatically record a show every time it is on and skips reruns). I also enjoy the optional automatic recording of TiVo suggestions based upon your own thumbs up/down ratings. Sorry, but I wouldn't recommend this or any other UltimateTV unit to anyone.