Philips HDR112 Tivo Digital Video Recorder
Liked so much, I bought another one....
I must admit I was skeptical of this new technology, but, after having Tivo for two months I can't ever think of going back to the old VCR days. It is a similar to the difference between the old 8mm movies and VCR tapes.  Really.<br />What I like best is that I can watch TV without those annoying,  time wasting commercials. I love to fly through them. All I do, is start  watching every show I want to watch 15 minutes after Tivo starts to record  it. I then zip through the commercials and am caught up with the show by  the end of the show. Of course, if I wish to watch a recorded show, I can  do the same thing. I now realize that we get about 40 minutes of net TV in  an hour due to those commercials. <br />If you get that phone call in the  middle of the best part of the show - no problem - just hit the pause  button and get back to it after the phone call without missing one second  of your program.<br />I record all my shows in the 14 hour mode. Quality is  very acceptable for 99% of what I record.<br />The remote is very well  designed. In a short time, you can &quot;work it in the dark.&quot;<br />Ease  and speed of setting up shows to record is second to none. <br />Sure, the  initial setup took three to four hours, but, you only do that once, and it  is easy to do. Most of that time it spends downloading the initial program  guide for your area. Your actual part is about 20 minutes.<br />14 hour mode  unit is the price performer. Imagine having 14 hours of TV to watch. Hard  to do. This forces a &quot;watch and dump&quot; and you stay current, or,  it autmatically erases oldest shows when it needs room.<br />What's the proof  of my satisfaction?<br />I just ordered my second Tivo for my wife. <br />She is  a &quot;tape collector&quot; and has about 100 old tapes that I know she  will NEVER watch. I hope to break her of that habit.<br />By the way, those of  you that paid $499 (last year's price) don't forget that some credit cards  will refund price differencesif they are within 60 days. My Amex  did.<br />Also, since the hard drive in the unit runs 24 hours a day, extended  service policy may be a good idea. You never turn the Tivo off. Or, at  least buy it with a credit card that extends your warranty to match  original warranty.