The new Tivo boxes are really the ultimate compliment to your HD TV or projector. Cable and satellite providers have continued to provide sub standard pvr dvr solutions on their customers. Amazingly their products have all the innovation of pre-1989 Soviet bloc innovation. Turn on your cable and satellite and feel the code. That being said satellite makes cable boxes look like the original Atari. Tivo on the other hand is a bright and colorful interface with all the new media features.
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.
