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TiVo Series2 DVR

DVR rating: Very Good

I looked at a bare-bones, low-priced model, the TiVo Series2 DVR. This one comes with a 40GB hard drive that holds about 40 hours at the lowest recording quality setting (unlike cable- or satellite-provider set-tops, off-the-shelf DVRs typically let you choose between quality and quantity). It lists for $199, but you don't get off that cheap. To actually use it, you must also fork over a subscription fee--either $13 per month or $299 for the lifetime of the product.

This was the only off-the-shelf DVR I examined with a way to successfully change the channels on a set-top box. Two ways, actually: a serial connector and an infrared blaster for set-tops that don't support the serial connector. I tried the IR blaster--basically a set of doodads that send remote control-like signals to the set-top box to change its channels. Much to my amazement, it worked (unlike similar methods I've seen before).

Once set up, this box proved almost identical to DirecTV's TiVo. Same easy recording, same wonderful search capabilities, same lousy design for selecting favorite channels.

But even this low-end model has one cool feature that the DirecTV TiVo lacks. It connects to a home network (you'll need either a USB-to-ethernet or a USB--to--Wi-Fi adapter for this), which lets you access photos or music stored on a computer, or use TiVoToGo to transfer shows on the TiVo to your PC or notebook and then burn them. And if you have two TiVos, they can share each other's recordings.

Pricier TiVos, many made by other companies that license the name and technology, are better equipped. Some Pioneer and Toshiba models bundle TV recording with a DVD burner. Another, the Humax Series2 DVR, has a huge drive that can hold up to 300 hours of programming.

Bottom Line: This basic TiVo model gives you the same search capabilities as the DirecTV version, plus networking and the ability to control many set-top boxes; TiVo units from other vendors include more options.