Now that you've decided to change your TV-watching habits, the question is not "To DVR or not to DVR?"--it's "Which DVR is right for me?" Both TiVo and ReplayTV can pause live TV, record your favorite programs, and fast-forward through recorded commercials. And both products cost about the same: as little as $250 for the hardware, plus a monthly fee of $12.95. Forward-looking customers can purchase a lifetime subscription for $300 to avoid monthly charges.

We rated the ReplayTV 5040 higher overall than the TiVo Series2 in our reviews. In brief, ReplayTV offers more features and better picture quality, especially for HDTV owners. However, TiVo's more thoughtful design will probably be easier to grasp for members of the family who aren't tech-savvy. There are other subtle differences between the two DVRs, so we're here to point them out and help you decide which unit is the best for you.

Of course, DVR technology is constantly evolving. ReplayTV has emerged from its bankruptcy problems with a new owner, and will be offering a new line of products later in 2003. Word has it that the company will strip out its DVRs' most controversial features, namely Internet show sharing and automatic commercial skip. Replay's new owner, D&M Holdings, is apparently unwilling to face the lawsuits from Hollywood that dogged its predecessor.

TiVo, meanwhile, is working with manufacturers like DirecTV, Philips, Toshiba, and Pioneer to broaden its range of product offerings. At the same time, many cable operators are planning to add DVR functionality to their set-top boxes. Whether this bodes well for TiVo and ReplayTV is an open question, but one thing's for certain: The DVR is here to stay. People will always want to pause live TV and skip commercials. It's just a question of which company can emerge with the most attractive solution at the right time.

Stay tuned to CNET's main home video page for reviews and news on all that's happening in the DVR arena.