Jeff recorded one of his favorite episodes of Star Trek at 1PM and got the message above, giving him a whole 2 1/2 hours to watch it. Last time, the flag was a gltich—it's probably the case here, too, since the TiVo Copy Protection site doesn't even exist. Still, it's a nice reminder your magic box really only has as much as power as the broadcasters generously decide grant it. [PVR Blog]

Note: For the record, Star Trek > Star Wars – Jason Chen
Note: No it's not - Matt Buchanan

Microsoft's had this ability in Media Center to prevent specific shows from being recorded for a while, and the last time there was an error was a few years back during an episode of the Simpsons. It's not something broadcasters usually do. This also isn't a unique thing to Microsoft—TiVo has something similar but not quite as severe—it does illustrate the fact that if the providers wanted to, they could shut down your Media Center DVR right now and you couldn't do much about it. [JustinJas via Ars Technica]

After battling through a gauntlet of appeals and patent re-certifications, earlier today, a US Appeals Court denied Echostar's appeal to overturn an earlier verdict that it infringed on Tivo's patent with its own DVR setup. The ruling gives Tivo ammo to go after pretty much everyone hawking their own DVR, so things could get kind of interesting, in a protracted legal slugfest kind of way. 'Course going around and suing and everyone would probably put a damper on their plans to expand by licensing (think Tivo on Comcast, but bigger). [Thomas Hawk via CNET]

You can rewind and pause TV, record two shows at once (but none while you're actually playing games on it), and stream live TV to your PSP, all from the little box that receives digital terrestrial signals. It's true that this can record a HD signal, but most of us in the States watch our HDTV via our cable or satellite, which this doesn't work with. We'll see what Sony plans to do to address that before they bring PlayTV here. [BBC]

We're not certain just how much 7,200RPM storage comes bundled in this setup (if any), but at $520, it's not a bad looking media hub. [Product via Crave and GadgetGrid]

TiVo and the cable industry have come to an agreement on a blueprint for a retail TiVo DVR using the cable industry's OpenCable Application Platform that will have full two-way cable service functionality. While the technical specifications are still being worked out, such a set-top box will mean TiVo subscribers will be able to get full access to cable VOD and other two-way cable services. This could also mean that a standalone TiVo offering could fully substitute for a cable operator set-top box.

While we have no specifics on encoding bitrates, we do know that the Shinco uses MPEG4 hardware that can not only record and play back single tuner programming, but play back your own MPEG4 movies downloaded from your PC's torrent tracker of choice. At only $805 we're not sure what standard of picture quality or English support you'll get from the television, but we love the open platform for third party media and storage. [product via everythingusb]

Still no support for Series 3 TiVos, showing that the fraidy-cat studios still indirectly control what TiVo programmers can do, and ultimately what we can do with content we've recorded. Does anybody remember that Betamax decision, long, long ago? Some of these crybabies must not have even been born yet when the hammer came down on that one, giving consumers the right to record video in their homes and do whatever they wanted with it. Well, within reason. But then, reason isn't part of this greed-infested equation, now is it? [Zatz Not Funny]

Do you go with a cheap $9 a month rental from Comcast and put up with all its flaws to save money? Do you plunk down a couple hundred bucks and a monthly fee for a TiVo Series 3 because it just works the way you want it? Do you go all out and spend a couple grand for a Vista Media Center that has every single extra feature you could possibly want in a PC? Or do you go to the other extreme and build your own MythTV/SageTV/XP Media Center machine out of spare parts?

Here are the ten things you should know before you decide.

0) Do you have HDTV cable and an HDTV set? The pre-requisite to even getting an HD DVR is actually having high def cable and an HDTV. Make sure you're signed up for high definition cable from your cable provider (it's usually $5-$15 more a month) and have an HDTV to watch it on. The super-cheap EDTV sets you find at Costco won't support up to the 1080i resolution that HD cable brings, which means all those extra pixels are going to waste. Make sure you have the necessary equipment before you go and spend the money on an HD recorder.

1) Are you cheap? This is the biggest and most important question. Admit it, you're cheap. Hell, I'm pretty cheap too. Do you really need to spend $500 or $2000 for a system only to have to keep on paying rental or subscription fees of nearly $100 a month? Do you really want to watch that much TV? If not, then renting a HD DVR from your cable company or building your own Myth TV or XP Media Center Edition box with an over the air (OTA) HD recorder could be for you.

2) Are you familiar with Linux/PCs? If you are cheap (see #1), then you're probably contemplating salvaging an old PC and building a media center out of that. The only problem is that MythTV requires anywhere from slight Linux knowledge (installing some packages) to uber haxor Linux knowledge (recompiling kernels, fiddling with code and compiling), depending on what PC components you already have and which ones you can get your hands on. Even if you're going for a Windows XP MCE-based box, you might still have to go out and look for drivers and download updates to your current software. It's not nearly as easy as buying a TiVo or a pre-built Vista Media Center box.

3) Does someone nontechnical need to use it? If you or your wife/husband/roommates don't know the first thing about computers, you're going to want to go with TiVo. Although Vista's CableCARD HTPC is pretty easy to use (as we saw in our TiVo head-to-head), it's still a PC and still suffers from the same old PC problems like freezing or crashing. If you want the absolute simplest interface while still keeping features intact, you'll want a TiVo Series 3. Also, if you've already owned a TiVo before, you're going to want to stick with TiVo. Learning another system, even if it is easy like Vista's Media Center, is unnecessary if you're already an expert at one.

4) Do you need DivX/XviD playback? If you're often downloading TV shows and movies off of BitTorrent, you're going to want a way to watch them on your TV. And if you don't have an upscaling DVD player that supports DivX, a Vista CableCARD HTPC or a do-it-yourself Myth/XP machine can do the trick. However, most of the time HDTV encodes you find on BitTorrent are of poorer quality than the feeds you get from your cable provider—because they've been re-encoded, naturally. You'll want to watch most of your TV programming from your DVR instead of from BitTorrent if you can help it.

5) Do you have Satellite TV? If you have Dish or DirecTV, your own provider has a box made just to cram down your throat, so you're usually stuck with those. The DIY solutions like MythTV or XP MCE won't work with satellite, but Microsoft and DirecTV said they're going to integrate an app/plug-in into Vista Media Centers that allow reception of DirecTV. In this case, the receiver is your Vista HTPC, which brings with it all the benefits that HTPC systems have.

6) Do you need photos and music? Gaming? Internet browsing? Vista Media Centers trounce TiVo when it comes to viewing photos and playing back your music. To a slightly lesser extent, so do MythTV and XP MCE boxes. If you're going to want to play games or browse the Internet from your couch like some kind of non-shitty WebTV, a PC is the way to go.

7) Do you need On Demand? HD cable in general? This one's a little tricky. For On Demand, the only HD DVR that supports this is the one from your cable company. Both TiVos and Vista machines don't. Also, if you want HD cable, that totally rules out home-made machines like MythTV, which don't have CableCARD support and can only get cable over the air using an ATSC card. Depending on where you live, how big an antenna you use (yeah, you'll have to use an antenna), and what channels your local stations broadcast in HD, you may or may not have the same experience as HD cable.

8) Do you watch a lot of TV? If you record a lot of TV, you're going to need a lot of space. The DVRs from your cable company only have 120GB of space (the Comcast Motorola box), TiVo only has 250GB unless you upgrade it with an external hard drive, but Vista Media Centers and do-it-yourself solutions are almost infinitely expandable thanks to the fact that they're PCs. In fact, you could even store the recordings on another server over the network, or burn them to DVDs if you want to archive them.

9) Can you stand a PC in the living room? We're fine with it, but many people hate the sight of a PC in their home entertainment setups. This is a huge win for TiVo, since it looks like it belongs in your media center. However, you can technically get an extender like an Xbox 360 and get the exact same experience as if you had the Vista Media Center in your living room. This way, you can house your machine in another room and have a (relatively) quiet front-end. The same is true for MythTV systems, which can also be extended with smaller front ends and have larger servers in the back room.

10) Do you love Macs? Although we prefer to go with a TiVo 3 or Vista Media Center, we know of a couple people that are so tied into the Apple ecosystem of iTunes music and movies that they really want that experience in the living room as well. Using something like a Miglia TVMini HD+, you can turn your Mac Mini into a DVR that even records in DivX. Add to that the fact that you have a Mac with Front Row attached to your TV—so you can easily watch iTunes movies or listen to iTunes music—and you have the perfect setup for a Mac head who wants DVR features. The only caveat, like the issues MythTV systems run into on #7, is that you can only record over the air HD and not stuff from cable. (Of course, TiVo's desktop app is well supported on the Mac, so you can stream music and photos from your Apple, and a MCE PC can still run iTunes.)

With all these options, it's probably tough to decide which one is right for you. There's no perfect solution right now (neither TiVo nor Vista HTPCs are great for everyone), so you should pick the features you really, really need to have and choose the DVR that meets most of them. – Jason Chen

For people like Dave Zatz, the choice is clear—TiVo all the way. It's cheaper, has an easier-to-use interface, doesn't require a PC in the living room and people just like it more than a Windows machine.

But for others who want DivX playback, gaming, more than two TV tuners, larger storage and all the benefits of a PC, they'll definitely go with a Vista system.

But what do you think? The ease of use and lower price of the TiVo or the better customizability but higher cost of the Vista HTPCs? – Jason Chen

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

I do have to compliment Debbie on the outstanding work. Each cake is 18-inches tall and I would assume they were laid down to be cut into. To the couple that received these cakes: I would think about re-evaluating the marriage. Pardon my Sex and the City reference, but it is pretty easy to fall in love with a TiVo (ask Miranda) and possibly fall out of love with another, we should know. –Travis Hudson

Picture of the Day: Holy Matrimony [ZNF]

Head over to the forums to find out which drives and enclosures have been confirmed to work—which should be updated frequently—and various other gotchas you should look out for when doing your own upgrade. Brian will get right on it as soon as he's done cleaning the bodily fluids off. – Jason Chen

Series 3 Upgrade FAQ [TiVo Community]

Combine this with a vague quote we found from TiVo's CEO back in March, and we've possibly got something brewing. The quote: "We will be highly focused this year on launching a lower-priced, mass appeal High Definition product." – Jason Chen

Product Page [Via Dealhack]

With Microsoft now including Media Center in just just about all versions of Vista, the average person will become familiar with the Media Center software because it's just there. And with a cheap tuner card—which costs tens of dollars at this point—any old workstation can be a DVR.

But will this be enough to overthrow TiVo?

Maybe.

If Vista's adoption is anything like XP's, within two years most people will have upgraded—whether it's through manual installation or just buying a new computer with Vista built in. And for the people who are purchasing new machines, it's easy to tick that checkbox and grab one with a tuner card for a few extra bucks.

As we saw with the IE vs. Netscape wars, if you've already got a free browser (or in this case, DVR) that comes with your computer, why would you pay for something else (in this case, TiVo)? The Media Center interface is good enough to use even for normal folks, and there's nothing that sells a product better than being free.

But the problem comes from the fact that a lot of folks don't have PCs in their living rooms, hooked up to their TVs. They may be too loud, too ugly, or too clumsy to fit in with the rest of the entertainment setup. Plus, unless they want to make their main machine the DVR, people will have to buy a second PC just to fill that role, which kind of eliminates the cost benefits of using what you've already got.

So where does that leave us? Somewhere in no man's land, to be honest. It's hard to say whether people will want to place a PC in their living rooms or give up their TiVo systems, but if possible HD CableCARD media centers and the fact that there's no monthly fee have any affect, then Vista's Media Center could just be the TiVo killer Microsoft's looking for. – Jason Chen

Today, a Gizmodo reader heard directly from a TiVo customer service rep that the mega expensive Series 3 DVR would receive a significant price drop by end of Q1. As always, we'll take it with a grain of salt, but the reader's wrote from a work email of a well known mega corp, so it weighs a bit more in my mind than the average random hotmail.

This could be good news for TiVo's sales of the series 3 boxes, and good news for the TiVo fanboys. (That's us.) Now, just get those Comcast TiVo boxes out into the marketplace, and DVR nerds will be gulping down the TiVo coolaid like it's 2001 all over again.

Tivo [Gizmodo]

Ever since our good friend moved to the east coast, we've had a hard time watching episodes of 24 together thanks to the time difference. But if he could record the show on EST, I could download it from him (and everyone else on the east coast who recorded it) and be ready to watch it simultaneously with him. With IM or Skype, we can even get real time "oh my god Jack did NOT just do that!"

Of course, there are other uses like downloading shows that you forgot to record from other people, but we're looking forward to the simul-viewing. – Jason Chen

NDS Announces Peer-To-Peer [Yahoo via PVRWire]

More deets and Netgear's Storage Central Turbo after the jump.

Using the same proprietary software to deal with the TV tuner, It also supports iTunes, though the uncomfortable silence from the reps indicates the officialness of that is iffy at best, so we'll see if that particular feature makes it to market. You can, however, hook up your iPod, as well as any other mp3 player or mass storage device. Rounding out the package is the "follow me" feature, which allows you to pause a movie on one receiver, and then resume it on a receiver in another room. Granted, that means you need of two these babies, which is not a cheap proposition at $349 a pop. Or you can use party mode, which plays everything synchronously all of the receivers on the network. Oh, and it has direct access to Youtube. Woohoo? Drops in early '07.

Netgear also showed off the Storage Central Turbo (pictured above), a network storage setup which supports "terabytes of SATA storage" and fail-safe disk mirroring (though you have to supply your own hard drives.) They claimed it's 6x-7x faster than any other network storage device with gigabit speeds, with the ability to transfer an HD movie in about 10 minutes. Same vague release time frame as DEHD, $249. – Matt Buchanan

Combined with the DVR4000, which 20GB of hard drive storage, and a battery pack that's just as big, you'll get 5-7 hours of video at 480 lines of resolution. Not a "spy cam" by any means, this ActionDVR is more for proving to the court that no, I did not throw that baby into traffic. – Jason Chen

Product Page [ActionDVR via Crunchgear]

For specs, the DVR-150 is pretty average—80GB hard drive, dual tuners, twin SCART ports, and the usual slew of audio outputs. This DVR retails for a very unfriendly $350 or so. – Travis Hudson

TVonics DVR-150 eco-friendly PVR [Tech Digest]

During the test period, not all the programs can be rewound. While many network programs are currently able to use the service, laggard greedmeisters such as Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema haven't been convinced yet. Good luck with that, Time Warner.

It sure would be nice to have a hardware-free way to time shift, pause and even fast-forward video, but those who wish to cram commercials down our throats won't like that idea a bit. – Charlie White

Time Warner Cable Launches Network DVR (Sort Of) [Zatz Not Funny]

Another great feature of this recorder is its ability to record television programs in color. Hello, Bang & Olufsen? Consider high-definition—maybe you've heard of it. It just might catch on. Good luck with this 980 ($1830) brick. It's just laughable. – Charlie White

Bang and Olufsen unveil the HDR 2 hard disk recorder [Pocket Lint]

A little bird dropped a TiVo Series3 into our laps early, just in time for the official launch, right now. The Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder is going for the sky high $799.99 we reported earlier. The good news: it may be worth it. The 720p/1080i resolution digital video recorder packs in two CableCards, letting you record a couple of channels of HD digital cable or over-the-air HD programs at the same time while watching a third recording.

Here's an exclusive hands-on review with pictures and video, after the jump. – Charlie White

This TiVo feels just like the ones we've grown to love over the years, but now it records HD in a way that can only be called flawless. Its Dolby Digital audio isn't too shabby either, thanks to it being the first THX-certified personal video recorder in the world. It definitely sounds and looks the part. Plus, it has an HDMI port, a shiny piano-black case, a revamped remote control with backlighting, and of course that unparalleled usability of its famed TiVo interface.

Check out the back of this Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder and you'll see it's loaded with connectivity options. Of course, there is that HDMI output, optical digital audio output, and if you look over on your right, there is an E-SATA data output so you can expand that disk space ad nauseum. Too bad there's no coaxial digital audio output, something that we use quite often with some of our other home theater gear.

We also had a great experience with the Time Warner cable installer, a dude named Adam Jahnke, whom the company sent over with two CableCards. After carefully and precisely calibrating our video signal, he popped those two suckers into the TiVo and after a couple of minutes they were all registered and ready to go. Who says Time Warner is reluctant to install CableCards? Nothing doing here, and they sent one of their best guys to help us out. Thanks, Time Warner. Now take this Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD PVR piece of shite outta here and eliminate its command with extreme prejudice. KBye.

Next, I sat down to fire up this box to see what it could do. I quickly noticed how nice and quiet this TiVo is, and it has a cool-looking OLED display on the front that tells you the name of the program that’s being recorded. I plugged in the wireless G USB network adapter and the TiVo immediately recognized our network here. Not long after that, it was all ready to go and started downloading its program info. After installing the TiVo desktop on another one of our workstations, the TiVo was eager to exchange MP3s. It wasn't quite so happy about some high-rez photos I had, though, and TiVo reps say that's a feature that will be implemented later this year.

Another feature that was sorely missed is TiVo2Go, where you can rip programs from the TiVo onto a computer, a mobile device or an iPod. There's no sign of that on this latest TiVo yet, and TiVo officials say they are investigating this and working on getting it certified, but couldn't say when that would happen. But you're still able to program the TiVo via the Web, a great feature that can save your ass if you've, say, forgotten to program one of your favorite shows after you've gone to work.

What I didn't really miss were the two features that you can't get when using these first-generation CableCards: Video on Demand and the Program Guide service. That's because CableCard is currently only a one-way service, and for true two-way functionality we’ll have to wait for CableCard 2.0. But so what? If I record whatever I want to watch on TV and BitTorrent the rest, what other on-demand programs will I need, anyway? And the program guide from Time Warner? Puh-leeze.

The usability of the TiVo, even in HD, is all there. There is that exceptional TiVo interface, with its thumbs-up/thumbs down rating system, Season Pass, WishList—all that is still there and it all works very quickly, just like in a standard-definition TiVo. Some of the menus appeared a little stretched on the 16:9 screen, apparently holdovers from TiVo's 4:3 standard-definition models. But overall, very little is lost in the TiVo interface in the translation over to multiple-tuner-HD land.

I'm also digging the remote, which is now a shiny piano black color with easy-grip ribbing on the back, but still has that lovable dog-bone shape. When watching our projector in the dark home theater, it's especially useful to have those backlit keys, particularly when we're just becoming accustomed to this remote.

Another coolness is the way you can still program in that 30-second skip function using the secret combination of keys (okay, okay, hit Select - Play - Select - 3 - 0 - Select on the remote while playing back a recorded program—you won't hear that little dinging noise to confirm it, as it was in the past). It took multiple attempts, but it finally worked and now I can quickly bounce from one commercial to the next, precisely mowing down entire commercial breaks with just a few button pushes.

This latest HD version of the TiVo with its two CableCards is a huge hit. Even though it costs just a penny shy of $800. No matter, it's worth it. We simply love it. It's going to be hard to send this back to TiVo at the end of the month. If you're a TiVo fan, you will be doing back flips over this unit. It's positively excellent. Thumbs up all around. – Charlie White

That $799 price sounds like a lot of dough, but we were thinking it was going to be even pricier, more in the range of $1000. We saw this machine in its early stages up close at CES last January (see our photos above), and can't wait to get our hands on one with its dual-CableCard, HD-packing capabilities. Anything to finally send our disgraceful Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD PVR to the ash heap of history where it so deservedly belongs. – Charlie White

Series 3 to be released September 17th, for $799? [HD Beat]

Keep in mind, the Orb Networks software is what actually makes the streaming happen; the Hauppage box is simply turning over-the-air broadcast signals into MPEG-2 files and placing them on your PC. Too bad it only works with a TV antenna, and if you think about it, who is still receiving broadcast signals over-the-air, anyway? It's $190. – Charlie White

Hauppauge's TV Anywhere promises free mobile TV [Tech Digest]

"TiVo was the very first offering in the DVR space and it is great that they are still leading the way," said Brian Seth Hurst, Governor of the Television Academy's Interactive Media Peer Group. "The TiVo service is certainly impressive in both its offering and user experience and meets the standard of excellence. It's easy to see why the voters deemed it worthy of the Emmy."

Press Release [TiVo, via Zatz Not Funny]

The DMR-XW50's hard disk will quickly prove itself too small for 1080p recording, at a mere 500GB—sounds like a lot, but not when you're talking about that mountain of data necessary for 1080p. It can also record audio on SD (secure digital) flash memory cards, onto which you can rip an audio CD and play it on a Panasonic MP3 player. No pricing and availability information was forthcoming. – Charlie White

DMR-XW50, the HD Media Recorder with SD Audio from Panasonic [Akihabara News]

Archos launched its 404, 504 and 604 players a month ago, and now here's a bit of information about its upcoming 700 TV model, a fine-looking porto-player that promises over-the-air digital television using the Freeview format. It's equipped with a 4.3-inch screen, WiFi, GPS and a cellular modem. Maybe all that connectivity is why the thing needs four ugly antennas sticking out the back; we're hoping that's just a preproduction model.

In the company's "Investor Kit", there are some intriguing technologies, including a digital video recording docking station into which you can place this 700 TV player, resulting in an MPEG-4 TV recorder for your time shifting enjoyment. The docking station can also record video from a satellite-based PVR-equipped set-top box. However, talk is cheap. These products aren't available yet, and the company didn't say when they would be. – Charlie White

Q2 Investor Kit [Archos]

Just how Shaw thinks he's going to get PVR manufacturers to cooperate with this "request" is not revealed, but we're certain there must be some serious arm-twisting going on behind the scenes. In the meantime, TiVo users, you're probably aware that the following key combination will activate a hidden, semi-secret easter egg, a 30-second skip function: Select Play Select 3 0 Select. For a 60-second skip, just key in Select Play Select 3 0 Select Select Play Select 6 0 Select. Just trying to be helpful.

Anyway, killing ad skipping? Let's just see them try. The bastards! There would be a revolt, no question. – Charlie White

ABC wants to kill DVR ad-skipping [Ad Jab, via The Consumerist]

Yesterday, I watched a Frontline documentary called "The Dark Side," which covered Dick Cheney's efforts to expand executive powers after 9/11. That's not such a big deal, but the fact that I watched it online at www.pbs.com, I think, is. Here it is, weeks after originally the original airdate, and I can go to a website to see a show I missed last month. I like that kind of convenience, but as you've heard me say before, the option to aggregate those shows in one central location is something I want even more.

Well, this week, I may have seen another step toward that kind of integration when ReplayTV, which was first to market with digital recording, announced it had an Alpha version of DVR software for the PC. ReplayTV lost the initial DVR Wars to TiVo. But the company is shifting its focus to concentrate on allowing PC users to do all the same things you used to be able to with their box.

Well, this week, I may have seen another step toward that kind of integration when ReplayTV, which was first to market with digital recording, announced it had an Alpha version of DVR software for the PC. ReplayTV lost the initial DVR Wars to TiVo. But the company is shifting its focus to concentrate on allowing PC users to do all the same things you used to be able to with their box.

So last week, while TiVo was touting its new Series2 DT DVR, ReplayTV was demo-ing its PC Edition software, the company's latest foray into digital recording. ReplayTV claims the program "offers TV enthusiasts the ultimate DVR experience." Bill Loewenthal, ReplayTV's vice president and general manager gave me a walk through the software, which, at the moment, only works with Hauppauge WinTV/PVR tuner cards. "We had to look at where we were headed as a consumer brand," says Loewenthal. "And we believe TV and video will follow the path of music and photos, and migrate to the PC."

Given the emergence of sites such as YouTube, which just signed a partnership deal with NBC, and Guba.com, which recently signed a pact with Warner Brothers to distribute films via their site, it appears the company is on the right track.

The software is a lot like ReplayTV's box. It lets you discover and record shows and movies by genre, actors or director. It also allows you to record programming on one PC and watch it on another. The interface is clean and intuitive, and features a Recorded Shows screen that groups your latest recordings, and an overlap manager that allows you to record a second show even if the one your already recording runs a few minutes long. And Quickskip (a 30-second skip forward) tries to preserve one of ReplayTV's best features—the ability to de-commercial your television viewing.

Cool as ReplayTV's PC Edition is, however, it still doesn't allow me to record the Internet broadcasts I want. Loewenthal assures me that's coming, but can't offer a time frame.

Back in the day, when TiVo and ReplayTV were battling it out for DVR supremacy, I always liked ReplayTV better. Then the company's troubles began and I never bought one. But now, I'm being given a second chance. And when the folks at ReplayTV add the ability to record Internet broadcasts, I'll be among the first in line.

Folks interested in the ReplayTV replay can go to www.replaytv.com and download a free trial version. (Remember, you have to have a Hauppauge video tuner card.) If you like it, you can buy the ReplayTV PC Edition for $99. That covers the first year of service, which is $20/year thereafter.

Update: This week, the Senate Commerce Committee took up John McCain's pet project, cable a la carte, and roundly rejected it, 20 to 2. Ironically, the provision was part of a bill that allows phone companies to get into the television business. In short, the Senate gets to keep everyone—except consumers—happy. While Olympia Snow and McCain were the only two to support the amendment, Senators Ted Stevens and Trent Lott both promised a la carte pricing would come and encouraged cable providers to "get on with this." Lott even went so far as to say this was the last time he would vote against it. Kind of makes you wonder why, no?

Brian L. Clark is a reporter and consultant on all things digital, runs the The Tech Enthusiast's Network, and writes for Inc., Men's Health, and Laptop. Read more Tuning Fork here.

Of course, to get this deal you are required to subscribe to TiVo service, which will run you $19.95/month with a one-year plan. Buy.com will offer this deal until July 29. – Charlie White

TiVo R54080 Series2 Digital Video Recorder [buy.com]

This small notebook is just about the optimal form factor for road warriors, in our experience. This unit will be perfect for catching up with four hours' worth of TV while on a coast-to-coast flight. With pricing starting at $1400 for the Core Solo version, the Vaio T series will be available in Japan on June 24. No word about when we'll see it here in the United States, or even if that digital TV tuner will work here. – Charlie White

Sony Vaio T with digital TV tuner [Newlaunches]

The unique feature of this box allows two rooms to watch TV through the device without having a separate receiver in the second room. How it works: connect the tuner in the first room, set the TV to a specific channel in the second room, and the tuner sends signals through your home's coax cable wire. The second room even gets its own remote so the two rooms don't need to be watching the same program. With this, you can watch one HD channel and record two separate standard definition channels.

The only downside is the cost. TiVo is much cheaper if you don't need the two-room functionality. An MCE machine with a separate MCE Extender may also be around the same price and offer extended functionality without the HD tuner capabilities. All in all, the feature set makes this DISH DVR worth the price.

DISH Network ViP 622 Review [i4u News]

You'll have to have a Windows PC in order to use this, and you'll have to have a TV Tuner in order to use the DVR features. The software has a fairly slick interface that looks nicer in screenshots than open source solutions (we couldn't test this for ourselves because our XP machine with a Tuner card is busted). With free almost always beating out not free, Yahoo may just have a competitor for MCE that people will jump on.

Check out Zatz Not Funny and Eirikso for some first takes.

Yahoo! Go for TV [Thanks Mike!]

EyeTV 250 [Elgato]

The preorder page for the upgraded Series 2 TiVo has vanished from Amazon. This is one of the few times that an unreleased product disappearing may actually be a good thing.

No TiVo Series 2, Series 3 approved by Cable Labs [PVR Wire]

The 37-and 42-inch screens are plasma displays, while the 32-inch model is an LCD panel. The PVR-equipped units will ship on April 29, and those without hard drives will follow on May 15. We say Hitachi is off to a good start with that snazzy styling, but the company might want to work on that "Wooo" name, which makes us feel like giggling rather than being awestruck. Price range is estimated to be from $2964 to $4318.

Hitachi preps quad-tuner HDD-equipped TVs [via BornRich]

We told you Sunday that Dual Tuner TiVos were on the way but that release date was still TBA, probably later this year. Now we've got a photo—we think they look pretty slick—and rumors that they'll be out fairly soon, maybe later this week or maybe in May. Will they be out in time for you to get a lifetime subscription before the deadline?

New TiVo TCD649180 Series2 DT 180-hour DVR!!! [Tivo Community, via Michael]