TiVo - Digital Video Recorder Review

TiVO Digital Video Recorder

TiVO sets you free, allowing you to watch any show when YOU want to watch it. It records your programs digitally, and saves them on a hard drive. It has lots of other tricks that are unbelievably cool, and it's all for a small monthly fee, plus the cost of the box. Here are the TiVO features that will change your life:

1. TiVO allows you to search for programming by title, time, channel, keyword, even Actor or Director (film junkies will love this feature).
2. You can set up "Season Passes" for all your favorite shows and save the shows as long as you like. Never again miss a show because you're travelling or have a social obligation.
3. TiVO lets you Fast Forward through commercials, Pause to leave the room or answer the phone, and Instant Rewind to see something again, even in slow motion, if you like.
4. The Series II has lots of cool new features - you can view photos on your tv, using Yahoo Pictures. You can also check movie times, traffic reports and weather. There are games on there as well - all bonus stuff.
5. You can record as little as one minute of any show, so if you're looking for, say, the local hurricane forecast, you can Manually Record the ten minute slot when that happens.
6. Searching by keyword will turn up amazing shows you'd never find otherwise. Save your keywords for easy access.
7. You can put a wish list of movies in TiVO and if they ever come on, TiVO will record them for you.
8. TiVO lets you prioritize your programming so that if there's a conflict it will know which show is more important to you.
9. TiVO is smart. It pays attention to what you choose and records other things for you to watch. Give those shows one-to-three Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down to teach your DVR what you like. I don't use this much, but others with more time might like it.
10. You can save programs from TiVO to a DVD if you have the right equipment.

Watch David Letterman with morning coffee or your fav action show after the kids have gone to bed. WOO HOO! I love this flexibility! Other boxes, like those provided by the cable company, will have some but not all of these features. Take this list with you so you can compare features.

The Series II TiVO box costs $200-$300, but sales and rebates do happen. I think it's totally worth the money! The more you spend on a cable lineup, the more sense it makes to have TiVO catching all the shows you're paying to have access to! A high-def Series III TiVO is now on the market for about $800; Series II will not record in high-def, a consideration for HDTV owners.

LIBBY'S HOT TIPS: Consider hiring a techie to set up your TiVO and integrate it and the remotes with your stereo, DVD player, etc. Setup can be frustrating. Also, be sure to buy a TiVO box made by TiVO and not another manufacturer; this way tech questions and service issues will only be through TiVO. (I learned this the hard way.) TiVO also works well with a wireless adapter (got mine at Radio Shack) to pick up programming from the internet without using the phone jack (how it normally downloads its info). If you're going to download info through the phone lines, note where your phone jack is; builders don't normally put one near the spot for the tv. Going wireless to the phone jack is also an option.

The Bottom Line: LIBBY LOVES IT !