TiVo - Series2 TCD649080 Video Recorder Review

I LOVE my TiVo!! I don't know how I ever got by without it. The model I have is a dual tuner, which means you can record on two channels at the same time, plus still watch live tv.

One of my favorite features is the Season Pass option. You can program your favorite shows and have it record any episodes of that show automatically. You can also tell it to just record new episodes or all of them. No more scrambling to record a show the same night it's on. Also, if the time changes due to another program (for example, a sporting event), TiVo knows to record it at the new time, which a VCR wouldn't know to do.

TiVo Suggestions is also pretty cool. When you watch or search for shows, you can give a "thumb" rating to the show...up to 3 thumbs up or down, or leave it neutral. If you give something a thumbs up, it will record episodes of that show for you. It "learns" what kinds of shows you like and will suggest them. If you don't want it to record, you simply take it off the list.

Having an on-screen guide available during live tv watching is a handy feature. Also, if you are on a channel for a while, it will cache that channel and you can rewind it. Another thing you can do with live tv is pause it and let it cache so you can watch it and forward through the commercials (only for half an hour though). As an example, you can start watching an hour-long show 15 minutes it and finish at the same time it would normally finish, only without watching the commercials.

Definately a great invention!!!