Digital Video Recorders, HD DVRs, TiVo DVRs Guide

By Philip P Daniel

Haven’t you ever wanted to watch every single one of your favorite episodes of Star Trek, Stargate SG-1, and Battle Star Gallactica but found out that there is only so much time in the day to do both that, and stay ranked number 186 on Everquest? Well I know that this problem has happened to me, and I though that I was going to lose my flippin mind. Just when I was about to start pulling out my hair after missing a critical and pivotal episode of Babylon 5, my friend called me with news on something that would become my personal savior. It is called a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and allows you to not only record your favorite shows onto a hard drive with complete ease, but will also let you pause, rewind and fast forward live television, making the TV your slave as opposed to the other way around. Just imagine it as a VHS recorder, but without the difficulty of use and the need to purchase pesky and cumbersome tapes. Yes, the DVR is truly a miracle of modern man’s creativity, showing how far we have come since being born by our Elvin Gods. Just keep in mind that there are a few key factors to keep in mind before purchasing a new DVR, and I have outlined them below to make life easier for everyone.

To TiVo or not to TiVo?

TiVo is a not only a brand of DVRs, but also a service that you much purchase when you buy one of their boxes. Service costs are generally about fifteen dollars a month, but can be paid in one lump some that will cover the life of your box. With TiVo you not only get all of the great features mentioned above, but also advanced features that will help you keep track of shows, suggest and record new shows, and easy and smart programmability featuring TiVos own schedule interface. Overall TiVo is very fun and easy to use, but the additional cost for features that you may not need might turn some consumers off.

Bigger is better…at least that’s what she said

When I was shopping for my first DVR, the saleswoman who was helping me brought up a very good point that you should definitely keep in mind…bigger is better. She (of course) was referring to the hard drives that are available with various models and brands that can range in size anywhere from 40 to 200 GB. The larger the hard drive, the more shows that you will be able to store without having to worry about erasing episodes that you may or may not have seen or want to hold onto. The larger hard drive models generally cost more, but are worth it for people like me who like to record and archive entire Twilight Zone marathons for posterity and immediate watching.

HD…Oh Yeah!

If you are one of the many people who have jumped on the high definition television bandwagon, then you know what I’m talking about when I say that you will never be able to go back to regular television. Luckily for you, some companies have heard your cries and have created DVRs that can record, pause and rewind HD TV! These units do not come cheap, but are a necessity for anyone who is on the cutting edge of technology, or has poor eyesight.

DVDs are the best!

Some higher end units (not the HD ones yet unfortunately) sport internal DVD burners that will let you take what you have stored on your hard drive and press them onto DVDs. This will help you keep your hard drive clean, and allow you to archive and store every episode of your favorite TV shows or even professional baseball, basketball, football, or hockey games (as long as you have express written consent…god help you if you don’t have express written consent).

All if all, DVRs are a great gift for anyone who is a TV junky, but doesn’t have time for the required 20 hours a day needed to stay current with all of his or her favorite shows. As long as you adhere to my guidelines, you should be able to find a DVR that is perfect for you. Remember that you can count on none other then Newbie.net for the best reviews and prices on not only DVRs, but also any other electronic component that you need.

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