TiVo's HD DVR Steals the Show

The affordable, standalone digital video recorder proved a big hit with this reviewer. Too bad it only works with cable

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: High-definition recording; detailed program search; seamless Internet movie and music links

The Bad: Incompatible with satellite broadcast services; limited capacity; confusing room-to-room streaming

The Bottom Line: A bargain-basement set-top box that melds Internet content with broadcast television to perfection

Reader Reviews

TiVo, the pioneer of digital video recorders (DVRs), has struggled for years with a thorny problem: Many potential customers would have been willing to spring for its pricey set-top box or its $12.95 monthly subscription—but not both. Indeed, the majority of the company's customers came from a partnership, now winding down, with DirecTV that bundled TiVo's service into the satellite broadcaster's monthly bill.

When TiVo (TIVO) introduced its $299 TiVo HD standalone box last year, the huge price drop, compared with the $599 TiVo Series 3, aimed to remove some of the sting from the equation. The jury's still out on whether the strategy is luring first-timers to TiVo. But after reviewing TiVo HD for the past few months, I'll wager that anyone who does buy the box will be more than happy with the purchase, especially with the company adding more and more features to the service. One unfortunate caveat: TiVo HD only works with regular cable TV services, not satellite providers.

To make the price friendlier, TiVo has dropped the THX sound certification included in the Series 3, the neat OLED screen that tells you which shows are being recorded, and the backlit remote control.

Like the Series 3, TiVo HD records high-definition video in the 720p or 1080i formats, as well as DVD-quality standard-definition programs. The device is equipped with multiple tuners that let you record two shows at once from a cable signal, while simultaneously playing a show already recorded to the drive.

For the Record

If you're a video junkie like me, you might be concerned about the TiVo HD's recording capacity. It stores 20 hours in high definition or 180 hours of standard definition, compared with 32 and 300, respectively, for the Series 3. Happily, though it'll add $200 to your cost, there's an eSATA data port on the back that lets you connect a Western Digital MyDVR Expander. This 500-gigabyte external hard drive will add 60 hours of HD or 300 hours of SD recording capacity, with a fairly easy installation process that takes just minutes to complete.

The basic TiVo service is enough reason to make me a big fan. Competing cable and satellite DVRs let you find shows by keyword and schedule, but only TiVo has the artificial intelligence software to identify and automatically record other shows based on your previous viewing history.

More recently, TiVo added another nifty feature called Universal Swivel Search that can scan hundreds of cable channels and, through its wired or wireless Ethernet connection, the Web for content. It's especially nice because of TiVo's partnership with the Amazon Unbox video download service, which offers rentals for about $4 and purchases for about $16. For instance, if I wanted to watch, rent, or purchase Will Smith's I Am Legend one night, TiVo would search cable listings and Amazon.com (AMZN) to see if one or both have it. In some cases, you won't get a fully correct answer because TiVo HD is not able to scan the pay-per-view offerings from cable providers.

But the real beauty of Universal Swivel Search lies in its ability to offer alternative programming that might interest you, based on the keywords you typed in, such as a genre or the name of an actor or director. It also lets you add a particular program to a wish list that automatically records it when it airs.