Re:DVR (Score 2, Informative)

My local cable company (Comcast) also offers a DVR, with HD compatibility no less. And it's free. So after moving recently, I temporarily shelved my Tivo and tried it. In a word, it sucked. Compared to TiVo, compared to live TV, compared to smashing my thumb with a hammer, it just sucked. The "menu system" was devoid of all but the most basic of functionality - minimal search and scheduling. The fast-forward and pause were useless - multi-second delays between button press and STB response, so skipping commercials was an exercise in profanity, which was a charming introduction to my new neighbors. And the list goes on and on. For three days I tried to make the best of it, and in the end plunked down $600 for a new Series3 Tivo. No regrets. The value of Tivo is in it's ease of use. More than easy, it's pleasant to do just about everything. And it just works, and works extremely well. True, it is not very upgradeable, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than building a decent box for MythTV(plus no configuration headaches), I haven't heard much in the way of incompatibilities, and in my opinion it looks quite stylish.