Digital Video Recorders - who's got 'em?

NsXMas · 4 February 2006

After being a super late adpoter in the home entertainment department (I waited to buy a DVD player until just a few years ago), I finally entered into the DVR space.

I am renting a couple DVRs from my cable provider. 2 tuners = 2 recording capability at once.

Wow I love my DVR.

The biggest difference it has made is that I no longer watch TV aimlessly.

I always use the guide, and find shows I want to watch, and set the DVR to record it. Now my TV is on much less often.

I also like the Picture in Picture, which allows me to watch 2 premium channels at once, which a regular TV w/ PiP can't do.

Love the DVR!!

FuryNSX · 4 February 2006

I would have gone with a Time-Warner provided DVR if I wasn't already a multiple TiVo user.

Digital time-shifting rocks.

I never bothered recording shows for later viewing when I relied on VCRs. But now, I do it all the time. I also like the fact that you can start watching a show while it's recording, unlike a VCR, where you had to wait for the show and its recording to end.

heySkippy · 4 February 2006

We've had a pair of DirecTiVos since the summer of 2001. Couldn't live without them!

RSO 34 · 4 February 2006

Just got mine from Optimum last month. Great features making VCRs obsolete. 100 hours of recording time plus the ability to record two different channels simultaneously while watching a third. Added bonus is pausing live tv to answer the phone or take a break and then catching up by fast forwarding through the commercials.

I also added a Slingbox to the setup so I can watch my saved shows, or even live tv, from any computer with an internet connection. I had lunch at my desk the other day while watching a recorded episode of the Sopranos on my office PC by controlling my DVR at home through the computer. I have also used it to watch ESPN and CNN on my laptop with wireless aircard broadband access while on a break in court (unless Jerry Springer has a better topic going).

comquat1 · 4 February 2006

I've had my Tivo since 2000-2001. I use it all the time and you are right you find that you will in most cases watch less tv b/c it prevents you from watching it aimlessly. The one thing I recommend is that if you have a Tivo to buy the lifetime subscription, it will last longer than you suspect (so long as it doesn't get hit by lightening).

NsXMas · 4 February 2006

That's cool with the slingbox, Bob. Tell me more about them!

NetViper · 4 February 2006

I have 3 of them from Comcast. I love them. I would never live without them!

RSO 34 · 4 February 2006

NsXMas said:
That's cool with the slingbox, Bob. Tell me more about them!

I made my brother buy one first before I got one. Here is the link: http://www.slingmedia.com/

NSX2398 · 5 February 2006

One thing you should consider is whether or not there is a High Def TV in your future. If there is then it might make more sense to rent now instead of buying. Many of the current DVR's can't handle Hi-def. However, depending on how many TV's you have, you could still use a std def DVR for your non-HD TVs and a HD DVR for your HD TV... which is what I do. Tivo for std stuff and a Motorolla 6412 for the HD stuff. Personally, I don't care for the 6412 user interface as much as the Tivo's but I couldn't live without either one of them

zahntech · 5 February 2006

My wife works on MediaCenter at MS..so we have like 5 of these things running, one has a 300gig hardrive so my wife can record 80 hours of Desperate housewives....

heySkippy · 5 February 2006

Word has it that TiVo and Comcast will debut a TiVo Series 3 hi-def 5 tuner cable card compliant box later this year. I'm anxiously awaiting the reviews of this bad boy - it might be what finally drags me away from DTV and back to cable.

LeftLane · 5 February 2006

I already use a hi-def DVR from Comcast. Pretty sweet - hooked up via HDMI, picture looks great. Although the one flesh trade movie I recorded so far is getting a little boring to watch yet again.....:biggrin:

flaminio · 6 February 2006

A DVR is one of those "can't go back" devices -- once you've gotten used to watching TV with a DVR, you can't go back to watching straight broadcast.

I just love watching my shows when *I* want to watch them, and not when the network decides is a good timeslot. Especially with kids -- I can spend my evenings playing with them, and then catch up on my shows after they go to bed.

And for you TiVo users: Select - Play - Select - 3 - 0 - Select is your friend

.

Arshad · 6 February 2006

What's sad is that I recently took my son to watch a movie at the theater and they were showing commercials/previews before the movie started and my 4 year old says "Dad, can you forward past this so we can start the movie?"

Hah! These little buggers don't even know how it was in the "old days"

comquat1 · 6 February 2006

flaminio said:
And for you TiVo users: Select - Play - Select - 3 - 0 - Select is your friend .

What's that do? I've never heard of it.

Russ · 6 February 2006

http://www.bigmarv.net/how/tivo30secondskip.html

comquat1 said:
What's that do? I've never heard of it.

I've got a MythTV network in my home which has full-auto commercial skipping.

comquat1 · 6 February 2006

Russ said:
http://www.bigmarv.net/how/tivo30secondskip.html

I've got a MythTV network in my home which has full-auto commercial skipping.

Sweet, I just did this, it works with Series1 Tivo's as well which is what mine is.

heySkippy · 7 February 2006

comquat1 said:
What's that do? I've never heard of it.

I believe that enables the 30 second skip.

Digital Video Recorders - who's got 'em?

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