Best HD-DVR?
 

I'm wanting a DVR to record OTA HDTV. If possible, I'd also like to be able to archive the HD to DVD. What is considered the best DVR for this purpose?

I figure my options are:

- Set-top box routed to DVD recorder
- Home Theater PC

It seems every review for a set-top box (like the Toshiba Symbio and RCA DVR10) make the boxes look bad. Is there a great set-top box out there I am missing? How are the programming guides?

Perhaps the HTPC is the best option? I do worry about noise, but could use something like a Mac Mini coupled with a 3rd party HD-DVR firewire unit. HP also sells an interesting looking unit(Digital Entertainment Center but it's a little more than I wanted to spend.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling above... what do you all use to record (things like season-pass, time-shift, pause, et cetera) and archive your HDTV?

I never found an economical or good way to do this. I gave up and got a Comcast HDDVR since it was so little extra added onto my cable bill which went from a shade under $100 with basic cable to about $125 with digital + HD + HDDVR. As for moving it off there, I would archive on a PC since you will not get much on a DVD. Pioneer in another article in the Pioneer thread hints at a BR burner with DVR built in the future, but you get the impression we are over a year away, possibly two.

TiVo Series 3. :D

When are they expected to hit the market? I saw one report that said mid-to-late 2006.

I don't want to pay for cable/satelite because most of what I watch on TV is OTA programming which I now get for free. I'll often wind up missing a show a week (or so), thus the need for a DVR. I guess, unfortunately, no great solution yet exists.

Mid to late 2006 is the projected date. I would fully expect it won't be until 2007.

Anyone know if the Pioneer DVR outputs 16x9 via s-video AND has firewire?