Tivo

I love Tivo. If you don't love Tivo, you've probably never used it.

Tivo has two parts, the service and the Tivo box. Concerning the box, you have three options that offer different features and price points. However, all the boxes function as DVRs (Digital Video Recorders). Basically, your favorite shows record to a hard drive just like the one in a computer.

The mid-range Tivo HD DVR features:

* The ultimate HDTV DVR—all-in-one cable box replacement
* Works with basic cable or digital cable using CableCARDs
* Control Cable TV with pause, rewind, fast-forward and slow-mo
* Record 20 hours in HD (or up to 180 hours in SD)
* Record two shows at once in HD
* Easily expand your storage capacity

TiVo Service features:

* Automatically record every episode of your favorite shows
* Schedule your favorite shows online
* Download thousands of new release movies
* Search for HD shows by keyword, actor, title or sports team
* Easily transfer recorded shows to a laptop or portable media player using TiVoToGo
* Access millions of your favorite songs
* TiVo® KidZone—displays only the programs and channels that you pre-approve for your kids

Sure, you can get DVRs from the cable company, but you have to rent them for $20 a month, and pay an extra $15 to upgrade basic cable to digital classic.

So, you could spend $35 a month and lease a box from the cable company, or get Tivo and pay $10.75 a month (if you pre-pay for one year). Plus, cable company DVRs don't do squat compared to Tivo.

If you want Tivo to record two shows at once, you will need two CableCARDs, but the first one is free, and the second one is only $1.79 a month.

When I purchased our first Tivo box, Nancy thought I'd lost my mind. She didn't understand why we needed it. She quickly saw the light, and has even become a little Tivo crazy. She sometimes forgets real life doesn't have a DVR, and tries to Tivo back to see something one of the cats just did.

Anyway, if you don't have Tivo, you should look into it. I love it.