http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/ Engadget Comments for The Clicker: Which DVR should I buy? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
In the future, when writing an article like this, it would be helpful if you didn't "bury the lead" under 450 words of irrelevant personal anecdote. It would also be helpful if, like the title suggested, the reader were actually given several options of PVR to consider, with functionality and price points and such, and then perhaps a recommendation or two from you.

Just a suggestion.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
Could we get some intelligent analysis instead of this "bloop-bloop"?
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
Actually, I don't get the criticisms, it's a perfectly nice little article. Quit harshing on him.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
DTV. MCE is not a good DVR with DirecTV. The Directv/tivo units designed for satellite use are far superior to anything else out there... 2 tuners, guide through the feed... many hacks, etc.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
I too switched to a MCE, but only because I was cancelling DirecTV, and a standalone TiVo box, in and of itself, is just not at all compelling.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
For the TiVo: select-play-select-3-0-select
enables 30-second skip. Not nearly as robust as Replay's but a timesaver nevertheless.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
I have had an MCPC, (many) TiVos, a ReplayTV and SnapStream. My Comcast PVR is as easy to use as any, much cheaper then all, and can record two HDTV programs simultaneously.

Once I had prerecorded HD in my house, my TiVo started to collect dust rapidly (sadly).

Furthermore, Comcast and TiVo have already announced that an HD version of TiVo will be ported to these same boxes, making them even better.

So why spend over $1000 on a PC to deliver non-HD content around your house???? Thats so 2002 of you.

]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/ You know the bashers above are just MSFT haters

Is that so? Here's an article on a "gadget" site titled "Which DVR should I buy?". The article doesn't even answer the question, most of it is a story that nobody cares about.

He doesn't even really go into the differences between TiVo and Replay, not even a little!

Then he just switches to the surprise, "I use MCE" ... TA-DA! No reason is given why he uses this over the other 2 systems. No real details (just a link) are given about how his system is configured.

This hardly qualifies as an "article", it would have been better if engadget simply posted a "Discuss DVRs" topic and let users posts on it. As a post, this would be ok, as an article it makes no sense.

Not to mention, what about all those DVRs that you don't have to buy, and come with your cable provider? Ah, no mention of those either.

Useless.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
Oh and I love my 2 DirecTivo's. Can't beat 2 tuners each, with perfect video, Dolby 5.1, and 120 hours of space each. For $50.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
And Media Center does NOT pass the family/relatives test in my house. I have a second media center machine in my family room (no extender) and my family and relatives are all helpless using it. It's kinda funny... but also annoying cause I have to show them how to do everything (repeatedly).

To all the people bashing this article, go troll someplace else. I found it really interesting because on almost a daily basis I wish I had a replaytv or tivo instead of my mce/xbox extender. Guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
If you don't like the article, don't read it. You probably spend more time filtering spam, pop-ups, and other crap on a daily basis, that you don't want to see. You chose to read this article. Deal with it.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
"If you don't like the article, don't read it."

How is that humanly possible? I can't form an opinion on an article unless I read it! Are you suggesting I adquire some strange precognitive power that prevents me from reading article I consider written poorly?

Hello????

Anyways, what's the problem with criticising an article? We can't form opinions on them? This is a really weird mentality some of you are displaying here.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
Part of the problem here is the title I gave Steve's column. Really poor choice on my part, though in my defense I selected it because this column was written as a response to the numerous emails he's gotten asking for advice about which DVR he uses.

I take full responsibility for any confusion the title might have caused!

Peter]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
I love DirecTV. :) All I need is HMO and I'll be complete :)]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
:)]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
I too have the Media Center PC but it's been relegated to photos and music and an occasional back up DVR job.

HDTV is the Achilles heel of Media Center at the moment. When I can get HDTV on my HDTV TiVo most everything else is insignificant in a lot of ways.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
One thing I like about the RePlay that I don't think that Tivo matches is DVArchive, which is an opensource program that lets me grab shows off my RePlay over my network as mpg files.

http://www.dvarchive.org/]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/07/the-clicker-which-dvr-should-i-buy/
In addition to DV Archive, there is a huge community of ReplayTV users who employ Poopli (www.poopli.com) to send and recieve shows over the internet, pvr to pvr (no need to switch formats or go from pvr to pc to pc to pvr). For example, if my wife forgets about the new Bachelor and does not set it up to record, no problem. I simply request the show from another poopli member and they send it to me. The community has a lot of kind people who are interested in helping each other out, not by just recieving shows, but also kindly sending requested shows.

Then there is commercial advance. While this only works about 80% of the time, it is great to not even have to touch a button and the show continues on. For the other 20%, there is the 30-second skip button, so no loss there.

I am speaking specifically of the discontinued (but easily available on ebay) 50xx series, not the latest 55xx series of Replays. However, there is plenty of documentation on how to make a 55xx perform exactly as a 50xx with an easy hack, since the hardware is exactly the same (only the software changed removing commercial advance).

On the Tivo side, all I hear about are the commercials that pop up while you fast forward and the shows recording that you did not request. But the word "Tivo" has replaced the term "dvr", so I always tell people that the ReplayTV is a better product with worse marketing.

And for the cost (I paid $450 for the unit and a lifetime subscription), it is really worth it. My wife and I both work and have a small child, plus there is housework and thousands of other things that take time away from tv. Being able to watch our favorite shows at any time, and effectively shrinking a 1 hour episode of, for example, Alias or Desperate Housewives to 50 minutes, has saved us time and sanity. If I could convince my wife, who is a financial analyst and die-hard penny pincher, in to a believer and regular user, than that should be testament to the power of a dvr in general, and replay in particular.

Just my $0.02. Good day!]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM