Check out the Cnet review.

If you have more than one tivo box you can watch a show from another box. There are quite a few shows with copyright protection so they can’t be shared between boxes- (Hail to the old media!)

Just like every other box out there now you plug in to the internet and can watch media on you PC or Mac (with a little behind the scenes work). Amazon video , Netflix, Pandora….  Also the new Tivo iPad app is out – giving you the rich media selection and guide on the best touchscreen out there.

If you want a little more flexibility there are some options out there for a more DIY PVR experience. If you are a PC the Hauppauge HD DVR plugs into the component video out of your cable box an ir blaster controls the cable channel selection. The video is recorded and compressed to the H.264 format and then you can watch from your PC or a PS3 Playstation 3 or copied to a mobile device. If you are a Mac then the EyeTV by Elgato seems like the best choice. There are 2 products to consider- The EyeTV HD does the same thing as the Hauppauge but with a more elegant Mac interface and direct import into iTunes so you can sync with your iPad and iPhone. The EyeTV Hybrid has a built in tuner, this eliminates the sometimes glitchy control of the cable box. But of course you would not be able to record any of the premium movie channels that you would need a cable box for. Of course it’s probably better to just ditch the extra cost of the premium channels and just put that money toward buying the premium shows you want off itunes store. And EyeTV has an iphone app so you can watch your tv from any wifi connection.

AppleTV has a large variety of content and availability in standard and HD. The HD is only 720p right now. Out of the box the Apple TV is set to provide the HD rental choice only it is usually about $1.00 more than the regular rental, but you can go in and change it. The rental and purchase options are a bit more expensive on Vudu then Apple but they do have the highest quality video so this may be a small price to pay to appreciate the investment in HD equipment.

Of course its nice to own the movie sometimes, but lacking physical media purchasing from Vudu doesn’t seem like a very sure thing. Purchasing from Apple seems like a much safer bet right now given there world dominance.

The biggest complaint most people have is that they still have that annoying wasted screen space when they are watching movies. (Check out this Family Guy video demonstrating the issue – content warning for those of you who have not watched Family Guy before – it’s mildly offensive.)

Home theaters have enjoyed this extra wide format called 2.35:1 for a while using Panamorph lens and adjusting the projector encoding. This year at CES Vizio revealed plans for tvs that will be in this new wide format. It will be available in the 50- 58″ size range. The sets like many others will have internet apps also. We’ll see if others follow…..