Rating: 
Summary: revolutionary hardware, so-so software
Review: This is one of those purchases that will change your (tv viewing) life. This package arrived very quickly and was easy to set-up .... about 30 minutes including the call to start the service. Basic service started immediately, but some features began the next day because they needed the daily TiVo dial-update (which takes place at 4:22 am or some such thing). The hardware is incredible. We will never watch television the same way! We are constantly getting up to retrieve our two-year old from climbing furniture or rescuing cat from same. That used to mean one or both of us missed a lot of the shows we were purportedly watching. Also, we would have several VHS tapes we'd be trying to keep track of -- one with kids' shows, one halfway through with shows we'd recorded while on vacation, a couple with shows we'd recorded but weren't sure if we'd watched them already or not. Nothing labelled because all of it was temporary. That is over. With the 30-minute buffer, if we need to do something fast we just get up and go (most useful for the toddler climbing furniture scenario) and when we come back we press the Reverse button and catch up with what we've missed. Or, if the cat is being chased, we can take the time to Pause the show before we jump up. And the instant replay feature has already gotten a lot of use at our house now that the NCAA basketball season has begun. IT'S AWESOME. We've also set up the system to record our favorite shows during the week, so now we don't even worry about what day or time it is. Setting up to record a single show is fairly standard; setting the system up to record a show whenever it's on is *very* easy -- no plugging in days and dates and times -- just find the show alphabetically, highlight it, and press the Select button (though this has been problematic with some cable shows, which replay shows multiple times). Then we sit down when we are ready, check the Now Playing list (which shows what has already been recorded for you), and watch whatever we want to watch. And we skip right past all the commercials. It's very liberating. The TiVo layout of the simulated keyboard (for entering keywords) is better than on DirecTV. On the down side, we'd had an RCA DirecTV receiver before this and preferred their online software and the remote. Well, *I* preferred that remote. My husband likes the Philips remote because it is smaller. I contend that this remote is more confusing -- with fewer buttons to work with, sometimes you have to go through a series of menus to find a feature instead of just pushing one button. As with other software differences between the two systems, sometimes it is just a matter of taste. But sometimes they are easily quantifiable; for example, with DirecTV we could define 5 user lists and could access these lists with one button -- when I was looking for kids' shows I pressed a couple of buttons and then kids shows I had selected were the only ones that showed up on the grid. My personal list had movie channels and news shows, my husband's had a lot of sports and travel shows, etc. TiVo gives you ONE list to customize. Yikes. Also, menus are not wrap-around. And sometimes buttons are context-dependent, so they do one thing in one type of menu but something else if you're watching live tv, for example. In addition, it would be nice to have some tally of what amount of time is already stored. In other words, the software needs work. This is one of those times when you wish a focus group *had* been brought in. We tried having the system record things based on what it thought we would like, but found some truly odd shows using up our 35-hour drive, and so have turned that feature off for now. Overall, the system is very powerful but the user interface is clunky. That isn't a dealbreaker, but it *is* curious. I give this receiver 4 stars: 5 for the TiVo service, 3 for the TiVo 2.0 software. The monthly (or, if you choose, one-time) fee for TiVo service is quite reasonable. We have been using this component for about a month and, with some slight reservations about software, think it's fantastic. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad for the price !
Review: Just picked up my unit before Thanksgiving. The setup and hookup was fast and simple. With my I/r whole house link I can control and watch Tivo/Direct-TV from any TV. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Just bought one today -- pretty excited about it
Review: Based partly on the reviews on this site, we just bought this unit at Circuit City (wanted to buy at a store rather than website for various reasons.) VERY happy we did, since Circuit City just put this item for sale for less than one hundred dollars, and it included a free dual LNB Dish! We can't wait for our installer to come and enable our entry to the DirecTV/TiVo world of TV viewing. We have a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old, and could really use TV at our convenience. I will update this review in a few months after we've used it awhile.
Rating:
Summary: Great, just don't buy w/o an extended warranty
Review: The product is fantastic. My wife who typically despises my CE purchases told me this is the best purchase (aside from the house) that I've ever made.
One word of caution though, don't buy w/o purchasing an extended warranty (not offered here) because the thing is bound to die on you like mine and other's within the year.
Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag...
Review: The Philips recorder is a well made, well designed unit. The setup with DirecTv could not be better or easier. If you want a Tivo or UltimateTV unit, stop reading and buy this one. The downside here: First off, something you won't see in other reviews and which you may not care about. We have two TVs, one with Tivo and one without. They aren't that far from each other. The Tivo unit runs just slightly behind the signal from the other TV, so if you have both going, there is a noticeable echo. This is REALLY annoying, especially for stuff like baseball or football games (where you're likely to have the TV in the kitchen and the living room going). Second, the display (menu of shows) is glacial. Since this unit downloads the schedule in advance, it should be lightning quick, but it is noticeably slower than the RCA settop box it replaced (which was worse than the original RCA settop I had years ago). If you're nearsighted, be prepared to get your glasses out. There are more entries shown in the menu (good) but of course, the screen is still the same size. Generally, having used both Replay and Tivo, I prefer Replay's menus (which aren't so glitzy and splashy, and thus not so intrusive---I like my devices to do their jobs and get out of the way), but this is a fine unit. The remote is easy to use and works with our obscure NEC brand TV. The recorder works perfectly. If you want a Tivo, get this one. But be aware that a new "TV paradigm" comes with some odd tradeoffs.
Rating:
Summary: Born to Die
Review: I have nothing but praise for the concept and operation of the Tivo. Going back to find out what the heck that person in the previous scene said; watching a favorite show when you want (without going to the trouble of actually doing anything). What could be better? BUT, I think this model is poorly engineered. It gets too hot! I thought so when I first installed it (Nov. '00). Although I was careful to situate it away from any sources of heat and in a well-ventilated area, it died in nine months. Since I had purchased a three-year extended warranty, I figured that if my fears were realized, I could simply replace each model as it died. But I discovered that a three-year extended warranty with The Good Guys (the retailers) was "fulfilled" (read "canceled") with the first replacement. The next time the DSR6000R dies I will replace it with two units, a separate satellite receiver and a separate Tivo. I would recommend this option to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't go wrong
Review: Best electronic purchase I have made since DirecTv. Sure the channel browsing is slower than current receiver only models, but look at the processing for selections it does. Buy it, you will love it!
Rating: 
Summary: RETURNED IT! Did not like it. Not what I expected.
Review: I purchased this unit after upgrading my old RCA Directv system with a dual LNB RCA system. Not even a week later I thought it would be nice to have the recording capability to upgrade my RCA Directv system's master receiver. I was very disappointed. The channel information on the top of the screen was not as instantanious as the RCA, and when you did select a channel to watch, you had to wait a second or two for the picture to display. The remote was not as universal as I would have liked. It seems you can only control the TV and the Tivo unit from the Tivo remote. That meant one more remote to go with the other 6 we have. There was some good things about it such as the quality of the recorded show. It was exactly the same as watching it live and the ability to replay and rewind live TV was great. The downfall of this product is that it is not compatible to record non-directv programming. It really leaves us subscribers in the rural areas left out as we cannot record the local programming shows with this unit because we are unable to get that service in our areas and we are probably the ones that need it the most. I feel that there still needs to be more advances in this unit before I even consider another digital recorder unit. I returned mine and I am just happy to be able to view different Directv programming in 2 different areas and be able to flip channels a lot faster. I hope Phillips makes it more compatible and faster.
Rating:
Summary: Changes how you enjoy TV
Review: Never before have I purchased an item that has improved something as simple as watching TV as much as this box has. Everyone I know has a VCR with about a dozen unmarked video tapes next to it, with various shows on them from various times. Even if you remember that you had something on tape, it's a mystery as to which tape it was on, and where on that tape it is located. Have you ever needed to set up the VCR before work to tape something because you weren't going to be home in time? Invariably, the stack of video tapes that you have (unmarked of course) are all in various states of being used, so you can't use one of them, and the one you do find doesn't have enough recording time left on it. Most of the times, it is just too inconvenient to record something, so you would rather miss the show than deal with the hassle of recording it. That was our life before we bought this DirecTV/Tivo combo box. This unit is designed to store the signal as it's broadcast from DirecTV, so the quality is the same as it is with watching it live. No recording speeds that trade off time for picture quality, like a VCR or even stand-alone PVR's. This isn't a deficiency, it's a feature (and one of the reasons I bought a combo box). You can record up to 35 hours of programming (less if you watch high-bandwidth programs, like Pay-Per-View), so recording space isn't an issue. That's more than 17 video tapes if you use the highest quality SP speed on your VCR, and if you use the 6-hour EP mode on your VCR for maximum recording time, you would still need 6 video tapes to equal the recording time of the DSR6000. And if you need more storage space, there are ways to increase the storage if you are technically savvy. You can also send it to an upgrade service that will increase the storage for you. The integration of the Tivo features with the DirecTV receiver is the key feature, in my opinion. It gives you the ultimate level of control over your viewing habits, and if you get local channels over the satellite (like I do), you'll never use your VCR again. If you don't have DirecTV, or if you can't/won't get local channels on the satellite, I recommend checking out the stand-alone TiVo. With the recent free software upgrade, we now have the ability to record two shows at once, all while watching a third show that was already recorded. Additional minor features were added, all at no additional cost. Once you get used to the ability to see a listing of shows that you've recorded, select shows to record from easy-to-understand menus, and the convenience of Season Passes which pick up every episode of your favorite shows without any extra work on your part, you'll be hooked, too. Some say that they don't watch enough TV to make such a purchase worth it. I say that if you watch any TV at all, doesn't it make sense to watch it on your time schedule, instead of the networks? My parents often don't get to watch TV until later at night, and not much is on at 11pm. The TiVo gives them the ability to tell it what to record for them, and they can watch it when they're ready. Owning a TiVo is an experience that's difficult to describe, because it changes your viewing habits for the better. You may find yourself watching more TV, but nonetheless, it's what you want to watch, when you want to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: This is an excellent product, an affordable product
Review: If you're one of the 10 million+ people into Directv, there's no other way to take your viewing to the ultimate than to augment it with TiVo. For $... (after $... rebate) I purchased this unit, which includes both Directv and TiVo. $... is not bad at all, even for a decked out traditional VCR. But wait, TiVo offers so much more than a traditional VCR. Can VCRs be difficult to program to record? Yes. Are they 100% reliable? No. How many times do you have to program your VCR to tape that same show over and over again? In most cases, seemingly infinite. With TiVo it's a done deal; you find a few shows you like and "sign up for the season pass" (in TiVo's words). Just set your TiVo to record for the show's season and you're done. It will automatically record every showing (you can tell it to only record new episodes) without your further interaction. Pause LIVE TV? Yes; this is no marketing gimmick. This feature of TiVo has come in handy for me a number of times since I got it (few months ago). For example, say my show comes on in ten minutes, but I still haven't made myself supper. I really need to eat something, but do I wait until after the show or miss some of my show? Neither; just set the show to record and can jump in any time while it's recording and watch at my own pace. Take twenty minutes if I like, to prepare my supper, then go back to the TiVo and un-pause it. Watching an HBO show and don't want to miss a minute? Need to get up and go to the bathroom? No problem. Hit pause, do your thing, come back and hit play. About a year ago one of my professors told me the two greatest inventions of the 20th century were Directv and TiVo. After dismissing TiVo for its cost, and finally getting one and seeing how it works, I now know how he was thinking. Drawbacks: with TiVo you have to pay for the service on a monthly basis ($...), on a yearly basis ($...), or pay up for lifetime ($...). If you buy Microsoft's Ultimate TV or Sonic's ReplayTV, you pay nothing for the content and service (of course, those units cost about $... - ... more than TiVo units).
Because of the uncertainty of the future of TV viewing habits, I decided to go with TiVo, because I look at it as a short-term investment that could turn into a long-term investment. Eventually I'd like to be able to archive my favorite shows on my computer or some other storable medium. Right now, unless you're a hacker you cannot save more than 35 hours worth of TV on this unit. One can't just keep swapping new VHS tapes. Overall though, this thing is awesome; it adds tremendous convenience to TV viewing (which is MUCH needed these days), it doesn't cost upwards of $... - ... like ReplayTV or UltimateTV, and it fully integrated with Directv. Nab one of these things, especially at this price!!
| 
