I have had this unit now for approx 2 months and I've enjoyed every moment. I was a previous DirecTV customer for about 1 year, and I was new to TiVo. This unit replaced my Sony standalone DirecTV receiver. TiVo is an incredible addition to the T.V. watching experience, and is well worth every penny. I echo everyone else's praise and I think anyone will come to love what this recorder can do for them. You can read more about it here: http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true

You can get more information about TiVo subscriptions at www.tivo.com

I had made a comment above about slow menus. The TiVo records *everything* you watch in a 30 minute "live" buffer, which provides the ability to pause live TV. As a result, every time you change the channel the TiVo unit has to 1) purge the buffer 2) start recording the new channel and 3) decode the recording so you can watch it - this take s 1-2 seconds and can appear that the channel is changing "slowly". Not a big deal, just be prepared.

One other thing to mention. The TiVo subscription is handled through DirecTV. This means that the DirecTV mirroring policy applies to additional receivers (of the same type) in your home. So, if you decide to add a second DirecTV receiver with TiVo built in, you won't have to pay any additional TiVo subscription charges, only the DirecTV charge for an extra receiver!

NOTE: the $99 price I paid was for an "open box" unit ($199) and then also a $100 rebate from Sony. The current promotion this month is a $200 rebate.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 99