Jim Louderback discusses the differences between Tivo and cable DVR. Anything having to do with the TV has to pass the wife and kids test. Tivo aces this test. Other DVR’s I’ve seen are not in the same league. Maybe these wannabes would work if you have never seen a Tivo. But since we’ve enjoyed the simple elegance of Tivo, nothing else compares.
My first DVR was the Dishplayer 7000 from Dish Network. The best thing I can say about it is that it worked about 70% of the time. The night it failed to record the final espisode of Survivor was its last night in the house. It was promptly kicked to the curb for Tivo. I’ve been a huge Tivo fan ever since. My 4 year old daughter can navigate the menu system with ease. My wife can record shows and setup Season Passes with no problems. I don’t ever recall a time when she’s asked me to help her program the Tivo which is the best praise I can give. The Tivo is intuitive, simple to operate and it just plain works.
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