TV Time Shifters

Lite-On LVW-5045

DVR rating: Fair

Lite-On DVRs, like most you find at your favorite store, don't require subscriptions. You buy it, you can use it--just like any other appliance.

There's a downside: Since it lacks an electronic program guide--which gives you a grid of information on available shows, simplifies searching for shows, and lets you quickly select ones to record--the Lite-On becomes difficult to program. While some DVD recorders do have an EPG, the interface and search features typically don't match TiVo's.

I tried the LVW-5045 ($399 list), which has a 160MB drive that holds 33 to 148 hours of TV, depending on your quality-versus-quantity choices. It also has a DVD recorder, which lets you save programs permanently and get rid of your stand-alone DVD player.

But the Lite-On has its oddities. I pressed the Pause button while watching live TV, and nothing happened. The documentation revealed that I had to press the remote's Time Shift button before I could pause a live broadcast.

Programming the Lite-On to record is like operating a VCR. I had to enter the time and date without an on-screen schedule guide and turn the machine off so that it would record. (If I'd had a copy of TV Guide handy, however, I could have used VCR Plus+.)

Once I recorded a show to the hard drive, however, burning it to DVD was as easy as fast-forwarding through beer commercials. The resulting DVD had a chapter stop every 5 minutes--a nice touch.

Bottom Line: This off-the-shelf DVR requires no subscription fee, and it can burn your saved shows to DVD, but it's as hard to program as a VCR.