Hughes GXCEBOT - DVR - TiVo - DIRECTV
A remarkable, and disturbing, device
TiVo is more than just a glorified VCR.  It is a fundamental change in the way television and viewers interact.  TiVo enables you to control what you watch and when in a easy, simple format.  Now that DirecTV and TiVo are offering this machine for around..., it is an excellent value.<br />Technically, the Hughes receiver with Tivo is well-made.  The box is clean and stylishly designed.  The remote is very good, although it lacks more sophisticated controls for the television, such as an input button.  I found it to be whisper-quiet.  The packaging rivals that of a Dell computer in ease of set-up.  I have to mention that the cables included are so good I used them instead of the standard connections I already had.<br />The picture quality is excellent. Video and audio reproduction is vastly superior to a VCR. The on-screen menus and programming guides load a bit slower than the Hughes DirecTV receiver I previously had, but it is bearable.  <br />What is disturbing is the way TiVo wants to take over your TV watching.  For example: your TiVo video library is referred to as \\"Now Playing\\".  Beneath that listing is \\"Watch Live TV\\".  TiVo isn't really \\"playing\\", it's waiting for you to watch it or delete it.  This may seem like semantics, but it is a revealing use of language.  <br />My wife thinks that I watch more TV now.  She's right.  I watch all the stuff I'd watch if I was home from work sick.  It's a great product, but I hope I tire of it soon.