Now that the fall TV season is starting up again and I seem to be wanting to be in bed during the good shows, I think I'll finally get a PVR. Any recommendations on the state of the art these days? Boris Mann wrote in Oct 2005 on the PVR topic but I haven't seen anything newer. My big thing is going to be ease of use. We don't have time to spend fussing about, so I'm thinking a set top box with a subscription is the way to go, but I'm certainly prepared to be talked out of it.
HD or not?
First major question is HD or not. We have cable and regular big screen TV. I see that shaw's digital service is a whole $2 more per month than "full" cable.
Tivo
The "classic" is Tivo, which claims to work in Canada but I can't enter Canada or Canadian Province postal code. They have a roughly $300 Tivo 2 cable model or a $600 Tivo 3 HD model
Shaw
Matching price with Tivo is Shaw which has a $300 cable PVR or a $600 HD PVR model. The simplest option for us seems to be the $300 cable box..
PC
Another option is the PC Card option, but I don't know about subscriptions? Also, we're in the midst of figuring out a computer replacement plan and seriously mulling a switch to an iMac for downstairs and a Mac Mini for upstairs.
Don't forget about ExpressVU...if you sign up you can probably get a deal on a PVR.
Let me know which one you choose as I have been trying to figure out what to do about that too.
Rob Cottingham and Travis Smith provide a how-to on getting the Tivo to work in Canada. I'm becoming interested in getting a Tivo - just not sure where to get it within Canadian borders at a reasonable cost. I may just need to visit Buffalo.
Chris, there is an etailer out of Calagry called PVR Source. www.thepvrsource.com. I bought my Tivo through them. I absolutely Love It! They're prices are decent and the service I received was great. Just thought I'd pass on what I discovered.