I want my DVR!

The introduction of Digital Video Recorder (DVR) devices in 1999 with TiVo revolutionized the way Americans watch TV. At least I know it’s changed the way I watch TV. I’m not usually home when my favorite shows come on. With my DVR, it’s so easy to program shows – a few clicks got me an entire season of Desperate Housewives.

A DVR is a device that allows you to record hours and hours of television on a hard drive without having to buy piles of VCR tapes. It lets you pause and rewind TV shows even while they are airing. I tried two different services, TiVo and Oceanic Time Warner’s DVR. They each have their good points. With both you can pause or replay a scene as you’re watching TV. TiVo does retroactive recording – if you turn on the television 25 minutes into Oprah, you can rewind into the past while the TV was off and watch it from the beginning. You can control TiVo from the Internet, so while you’re at work and forgot to schedule something in the morning – no problem, just log into the TiVo website and add a show. Oceanic does not have these features.

Oceanic’s service allows you to record up to two shows simultaneously, whereas TiVo allows for only one at a time. Oceanic has the option to record in full resolution, high definition for the few channels that do offer HDTV. With a TiVo box, you can change out the hard drive for a bigger one (drool), and tinker with it. With Oceanic’s box, if you touch its insides, it probably won’t work properly again. TiVo also offers TiVoToGo, which allows you to copy your favorite shows to a PC to burn to a DVD.

Balancing all the features, I’m going to stick with my Oceanic box for an additional $9.95 a month added to my cable bill. I do enjoy the HDTV feature it offers and the fact that you can record two shows at once. You don’t have to pay for the box too. New subscribers must pay a few one-time installation charges that vary upon what extra channels and features are ordered.

For a TiVo, you’ll pay $12.95 a month subscription or a one-time $299.00 for product lifetime. (This fee gives you access to the television listings in order to program the TiVo.) In addition, you still need to purchase a TiVo box, which can be found just about anywhere electronics are sold. For more information, contact Oceanic Time Warner Cable at 625-8100 (or www.oceanic.com) or check out TiVo’s website at www.tivo.com.