EmailDVRs record TV programs to a hard-disk drive, letting you save shows for later viewing. You can pause and rewind live TV, and if you let the show run on for a while, you can also speed through commercials. DVRs also let you schedule programming, including recording a whole season of a particular show. The most famous DVR is TiVo, but another option is to rent a DVR from your cable or satellite provider.
Reviews say the following about shopping for a DVR:
- Advertised capacity is a best-case scenario. Most DVRs only have one record-quality setting, but some standalone standard-definition products, like the TiVo Series2 DT, can record at different video qualities just like a VCR, and the hours cited by the manufacturer refer to storage at the "basic" speed, which most experts find unacceptable. On the other hand, satellite, digital cable and TiVo's HD DVRs don't have quality settings, because they record the digital signals directly. But the provider can compress digital programming at different rates, so a digital DVR's capacity can also vary.
- Consider pairing a rented DVR from your cable company with a basic DVD recorder to archive shows. Most cable companies rent DVRs to subscribers for $8 to $16 per month, which includes the programming guide and equipment fees. A standalone DVD recorder will let you transfer shows from your DVR and archive them to DVDs.
- TiVo is excellent, but pricey. Experts are unanimous in concluding that TiVo DVRs have the best interface. However, cable and satellite providers are catching up fast. In addition, TiVo's HD DVRs require one or two CableCards, an added monthly expense. HD TiVos won't work at all with satellite TV.
- Cable company DVRs have their own advantages. While they are a little harder to use and lack some of TiVo's features, cable company DVRs are less expensive as there's no upfront cost. In addition, cable company DVRs can take advantage of interactive features -- such as video on demand -- that TiVo DVRs can't because of their reliance on one-way CableCards.