Digital Video Recorder

We opted for the DVR offered by our cable company and I have to say, I don't know how we did without it. It's so darn easy and convenient. No videocassettes to mess with. No operator error of incorrectly choosing AM when I meant PM. No VCR on channel 3 confusion. No more SP or EP madness; "How could the tape run out? Damn, I put it a four hour record on SP two hour mode." We scroll to the onscreen TV guide. Select the program(s) we want to record and select record. We're asked if we wish to record only this program or all first run programs of this show. We make our selection, go on to watch something else or turn the TV off.

When we return days later, our programs are ready and waiting for us to view. It's so freaking convenient and the quality is spectacular. Not warbly like videocassttes. Since our DVR is integrated in the cable box, we are receiving pure digital recordings. The images are crisp and as if we're viewing them live. Oooh the best part, if you're like me and doze off during a live viewing, you can rewind the last 20 minutes of a program to "catch up". Best yet, we're paying $9.95 month for our subscription versus Tivo's $14.95 a month and saving space by not having to fit in one more Tivo box. We discussed this a good long time and figured that with Tivo, we were buying a box that we still had to pay a monthly fee to use anyway. No monthly fee, dead box on TV. What was the point in owning the Tivo? The catchet? We're happy with our choice.