Re:Too late! (Score 1)

Because you're not a "prosumer" or videophile.

The Series 3 is aimed at the high-end A/V market.

You may not care about features like "native resolution output" but as a videophile this is a feature I've been begging cable companies to do for a long time.

On top of that, a lot of us don't like our cable DVRs. I use TWC and have a Scientific Atlanta 8300.

From the hardware perspective:

1. The box is slow and has a tendency to crash.

2. Resolution/Aspect ratio control is a pain to work with.

3. Digital non-HD channels don't come out with the true aspect ratio so my video scaler doesn't process the picture properly (the SA8300 outputs them as pillar boxed 16:9 instead of 4:3 480i).

4. The remote control sucks. Almost all of the buttons feel the same. When I want to fast forward I literally have to find the center button then move down 2 buttons and right 1 button (or I have to look at it).

5. Sound problems where the audio cuts out and in at random times (this started when I switched to the SA8300).

From the user experience:

1. The menus are slow and clunky

2. The EPG is worthless. How's a description that reads "(PG-13) 1997. A charming movie about..." supposed to help me decide if I want to watch something or not? TWC consistantly puts forth these worthless EPG program descriptions.

3. Switching to slow motion is very unpredictable and inconsistant - sometimes it takes a few tries

4. When recordings are cancelled, the thing has a tendancy to restart the recording at random times.

From my perspective, the $800, while expensive, is worth it. You get a superior service and a superior device with the best possible PQ. Now if Tivo will implement some way for us to control the unit via a home automation system I'll be in A/V dork heaven.