Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder - Is it worth $800?
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The Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder (S3) has finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for over 4 years for this device. As a big high-definition (HD) fan, I’ve been wanting to upgrade my Tivo Series2 DVR with an HD recordable...
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The Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder (S3) has finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for over 4 years for this device. As a big high-definition (HD) fan, I’ve been wanting to upgrade my Tivo Series2 DVR with an HD recordable Tivo. Before the S3’s release, my only option available to record HD programming was through Comcast’s DVR since I’m a Comcast cable subscriber. My excitement of the Series3 (S3) has been tempered by the $800 price. If you are a current owner of a Series1 or Series2 DVR with lifetime service you can transfer the lifetime service to the S3 for $199. The offer is good until December 31, 2006. Is the S3 worth $1,000? My immediate reaction was no way. I’m usually an early adopter of new gear but the total price tag of $1,000 is too much for the benefits over my Series2 DVR. If you add in the hassle of scheduling an appointment and installing cablecards by Comcast technicians, forget about it. I would definitely wait until Comcast and other cable provider technicians iron out the issues of cablecard installation on the S3. Despite my reservations on the Tivo Series3 DVR, I did a little research and found several good reviews. * Tivo Lovers Review by Megazone - this is the best and most comprehensive review I’ve read. They also have a Series3 FAQ page. Just ignore the awful frame-based user interface. * CNET Review - 8.3 out of 10 with a video review. * Gizmodo Review - good review with a short video review shown below. * SeekingAlpha - this is a great list of reviews from editorial sources and bloggers. Here’s the short Gizmodo video on the S3. After reading a couple of reviews, I’m a little more excited about the features of the S3. The key benefits that I like are: * “Quietest DVR available” - my Series2 DVR’s fan is very loud. * THX certified - improved sound quality recording for HD channels and digital channels. * Capable of recording two HD channels while watching a previous recording. * Future ability to add additional storage device to increase capacity. * Digital Media Receiver moniker - if Tivo and Netflix can get their act together, I would love the ability to get my Netflix movies from the S3. Despite the great features of the S3 and the potential features, there are still some negatives for the device. * No TivoToGo, TivoToComeback or Multi-room viewing in the initial release. * $800 price is very steep. There are other drawbacks to the S3 but it’s due to the one-way communication limitation of cablecards, which means no pay per view (PPV) or video on demand (VOD) services. So you’ll have to retain your cable company’s set-top box for those services. The bottom line is a $1,000 total price (including Tivo service) is too much for me. If all of my TV programming were in HD, then I would have to seriously think about getting the S3. But I only get a dozen HD channels right now. So, I’m sitting on the sideline for the S3 until the price drops. I’ll update this post with pricing information when our merchants start offering the Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder.
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Tivo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder - Is it worth $800? - Find products, read reviews and compare prices - Sprenzy.com
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