Remember How TiVo Changed Your Life?
- It records all the favorite programs broadcasted at hours that don't suit you;
- If your door-bell or phone rings in the middle of your favorite show, you can switch to recording mode, and then play the recording while Tivo continues to record the live show up to the end; you don't have to miss a second of it;
- TiVo searches shows that you might be interested in, according to some keywords that you pre-defined;
- TiVo service brings the TV programs up to date using your phone connection a few times every week;
- TiVo lets you “pause live TV”, replay a scene and at the same time switches to recording mode using a tuner.
DVD Recorders with TiVo Will Change It a Bit More
Having the TiVo box included in a DVD recorder is great news for most TiVo lovers. Now they can select among favorite TV shows the ones they can immediately burn on DVD support, and store in their personal digital archive. All they have to do is follow three easy steps:
- Search for the shows they want to see
- Save them on the TiVo DVR
- Burn the favorite ones on DVD discs using the incorporated recorder
Another advantage with this combo is simultaneous playing/recording option. You can play a DVD while at the same time recording what TiVo brought in.
There are a few DVD recorders with TiVo on the market that you can choose from:
- Humax DRT-800
- Toshiba TX20
- Toshiba TX60
- Pioneer DVR-810H
- Pioneer DVR-57H
The combo from Humax urges you to opt for full TiVo service. Both models from Toshiba feature basic TiVo service, while upgrading to full service remains strictly optional.
Humax DVD Recorder with TiVo
This is a three-in-one product that features:
- 80-hour TiVo digital video recorder
- A DVD-R/RW recorder
- DVD player
The progressive scan DVD player on this unit supports MP3/VMA audio files, digital photos and digital music.
The DRT-800 Humax also features a FireWire port that allows you to transfer video footage from your camcorder at the original video quality. The other outputs are component video.
The main dislike you might have with the DRT-800 is you have to buy full TiVo service, at a $12.95 monthly fee (or one time $299 pay for the product's life-time). Similar combos available on the market offer a basic TiVo service that is free. Of course, you can upgrade to full service any time you want to. The DRT-800 combo will cost you $399.99 according to TiVo website, but adding the TiVo service will result in a $700 final price.
Toshiba DVD Recorders with TiVo
Curently there are two TiVo Toshiba combos available on the market:
- RS-TX20
- RS-TX60
They're both highly competitive and the only difference is made by the memory capacity of the DVR component. While RS-TX60 can store up to 200 hours of live TV, the RS-TX20 features a 120-hour capacity.
If you can settle with the basic TiVo service, the Toshiba DVD recorders with TiVo are the best option on the market today. If you want full TiVo service though, you have to pay the standard monthly/one time fee.
Other features of the Toshiba combos:
- They record in DVD-R/RW format;
- They feature FireWire ports;
- They have more hard drive memory than their competitors;
- The material recorded on the TiVo hard drive can be burned on DVD at a touch of a button;
- The main inconvenient is it cannot edit the recorded material before burning it on DVD support;
- The RS-TX20 is $599; The RS-TX60 is $100 more.
The first DVD recorder that incorporated a TiVo box was DVR-810H from Pioneer. Later on, Pioneer released the DVR-57H. Though the reviews often rate the Pioneer's DVD recorders with Tivo as the best on the market, both models are discontinued at the moment.