TiVo, the pioneer of digital video recorders [DVRs], has struggled for years with a thorny problem: Many potential customers would have been willing to spring for its pricey set-top box or its $12.95 monthly subscription — but not both. Indeed, the majority of the company’s customers came from a partnership, now winding down, with DirecTV that bundled TiVo’s service into the satellite broadcaster’s monthly bill.

When TiVo introduced its $299 TiVo HD stand-alone box last year, the huge price drop, compared with the $599 TiVo Series 3, aimed to remove some of the sting from the equation. The jury’s still out on whether the strategy is luring first-timers to TiVo. But after reviewing TiVo HD for the past few months, I’ll wager that anyone who does buy the box will be more than happy with the purchase, particularly with the company adding more and more features to the service. One unlucky caveat: TiVo HD only works with regular

cable TV services, not satellite providers.

To prepare the price friendlier, TiVo has dropped the THX sound certification included in the Series 3, the neat OLED screen that tells you which shows are being recorded, and the backlit remote control.

Like the Series 3, TiVo HD records high-definition video in the 720p or 1080i formats, as well as DVD-quality standard-definition programs. The device is equipped with multiple tuners that let you record two shows at once from a cable signal, while simultaneously playing a show already recorded to the drive.

For the Record

whether you’re a video junkie like me, you might be concerned about the TiVo HD’s recording capacity. It stores 20 hours in high definition or 180 hours of standard definition, compared with 32 and 300, respectively, for the Series 3. Happily, though it’ll add $200 to your cost, there’s an eSATA input port on…

Orginal post by Top Tech News