So I finally decided to jump into 2001 and upgrade our cable package to include HD programming.  After creating a spread sheet and running the numbers of my current Comcast cable/internet package and moving to DirectTV I found that I save a whopping $6/month on service and I get all the HD channels and an addition 50 channels.  I decided to keep my internet with Comcast as unfortunately that is one thing that they actually do very well.  I picked the choice package which has 150 channels and then picked up the HD package and an HD DVR.  The DVR has a 500GB HD and holds 40 hours of HD TV and 200 hours of standard def. It also has 2 USB ports and 1 eSATA port so you can easily add an additional external drive.  And yes they actually work unlike the Comcast or Tivo boxes that you have to kinda hack to get those ports working.  HDMI out makes super easy installation to the TV and it has 2 ethernet plugs (not sure why, wish I had a redundant internet connection!) so it is hardwired to my network.  The internet is how it downloads the On Demand features.

After waiting all day for the installer to get there (hey at least they gave me a discount afterwords) and watching him install the satellite and then plugging everything in a setting it all up I am very happy.  I was sad to call Tivo and let them know I needed to cancel my account but running the numbers on a new Tivo box and staying with Comcast and doing a cablecard was just too much money and sounded kinda complicated.  One nice benefit that I didn’t even take into consideration was the dual tuner of the box.  This was something we have fought with on our Tivo for as long as we have had it, we could only record one show at a time.  Well not anymore so finally we can capture just about all the shows we can throw at it.

The navigation of the menu and moving around is a little slower than I would like but nothing that is a deal breaker.  I actually found it easier to use my iTouch and download the DirectTV app and browse the shows that way to decide what should be recorded.  Then go on the DVR and just search for the show.  It is also nice to have On Demand type features so we can download via the internet certain shows and not have to worry about recording them.  The downloads work pretty fast and you can queue up as many as you want and it just pulls them down in about 10 minutes or so for a 30 minute show.  One funny thing we noticed is all the adult channels and porn they have that you see while searching for just about every show.  Chances are I will play with the parental controls and try and remove those from the search as it just makes it more cumbersome.

The Tivo like functions work as expecting and the video output is set to the highest of 1080i which looks a little bit better than my old standard definition basic extended cable!  I took a $12 increase on my internet because I dropped the cable package but thats alright as I get $13 back from cancelling Tivo so it’s basically a wash there.

All in all if you are looking at an HD package I would suggest DirectTV.  Of course we only have one TV in our house so setup was pretty easy and our house isn’t pre-wired seing as our house is older than me!

Tivo adds Music Choice streaming digital music to all broadband PVR’s

So for those of us who cannot afford the full Tivo Series 3 there is the new Tivo HD Lite which holds 180SD TV and 20 hours HD TV.  It doesn’t have the nice OLED readout on the front of what is recording but it does support cable cards and has an eSATA port on the back for extra capacity.  I think this is a strong contender when you look at the crap recorders Motorola has for Comcast.

Ahh yes CES is good for many reason other than the porn convention next door! Looks like Tivo is coming out with a series 3 DVR which has 2 tuners and HD recording capabilities along with a 250GB hard drive. Also has a LCD readout panel on the front for easy checkup on what is being recorded. Looks like it also has built in networking capabilities. Pretty cool check it out.

Hmmm…pay a monthly service for Tivo or do a cheap linux box with Freevo, Ill have to try Freevo before I am convinced.

Tivo Series 3