TiVo HD DVR (20-HD hours)

Pros: best in class user interface; expandable;amazing customer support; youtube on your TV; two HD tuners; Amazon UnBox video rentals; Internet radio; podcasts; home movies; new features added all the time

Cons: box + service + cable card rental can be pricey; returns for defective hardware are annoying; HDMI glitches; doesn't work with sat.; no onDemand support

Summary: TiVo has been making great DVRs for quite some time, and the TiVoHD just makes it better. The UI is clean, easy to understand, responsive, and has a great remote. While other DVRs are starting to catch up (See FiOS's DVR for an example) TiVo keeps pushing the bar higher.

But what many people don't understand is that the TiVoHD isn't just a DVR -- it's also an Internet media center. You can listen to any Internet radio station, watch Youtube videos, play multiplayer games, rent videos from Amazon, etc. all from the same unit. And TiVo keeps pushing out updates to the software which add new functionality. (The Youtube videos just arrived this month.)

So what's so cool?

The channel listings are great. You can easily see the next 10 shows coming up on a channel and the shows on the next 10 channels.

Searching for TYPES of programs (Sports, Action Movies, Talk Shows, etc.) is simple and quick.

TiVo recommendations are fun and often great.

You can add more hard drive space just by plugging in a compatible (eSATA) external hard drive.

Customer support is easy to reach, knowledgeable, and friendly.

Amazon Unbox rentals (12,000+) are convenient, easy, and usually cheaper than PPV.

I love being able to listen to Internet radio through my stereo. (My house blocks most local radio stations, so it's the only radio I can get.)

You can also transfer shows from your TiVo to your computer and back again for additional storage and backup.

The downsides?

Well, the box can be pricey. $250 for the unit, and TiVo charges a service fee. Then your cable company will likely rent you the cable cards to make it work for an additional fee.

Also, returns are hard and annoying. You effectively buy a second unit before shipping the old one back. Once they get the old one they will refund your second purchase price.

There also seems to be a bug with HDMI video timing when switching resolution on certain televisions. This hits me. The work around is to lock the video resolution, which is annoying.

And, of course, the TiVoHD doesn't work with satellite television. (Sat. TV uses a different technology to descramble the picture and receive channel listings.)

You will lose onDemand from your Cable Provider. While not a problem for me, (I rarely used it) others can make due with Amazon Unbox, Youtube, and podcasts.