I recently got a tivo through DirecTV. [obligatory statement] I absolutely love it and I don't know how I survived without it before[/obligatory statement]

It is the standard 40GB model and the box proudly proclaims "Records upto 35 hours". Now, I have yet to find out what is the factor in determining if it can in fact record 35hrs worth of TV or if it will be less. Does anyone know how much I can really expect the box to hold? Or is there a way to see how much space/time is left on the DVR?

I have the Philips model (I think it is a 702?) if that helps.

Thanks.

It depends on the quality setting. I have a 40 hour ReplayTV but that 40 hours is on the poorest video quality. On medium I have about 12 hours recording time. I haven't recorded on high but I'm guessing it would hold 3-6 hours? Medium is good enough for me though and it can be burned to DVD with no convertion. I think there is a way on TIVO to find out how much recording time you have left. Search some of the TIVO forums or there was a big thread in TV Talk. You could look there. I'm lucky my Replay shows how much time is left.

I have had roughly 12 hours on mine before the box started dumping shows.

I really like it although I will never have time to watch even half of the stuff it records for me.

1. There are no quality settings on the DirecTV Tivos. They just record on one quality setting -- the same one that comes in from the DirecTV satellite dish. What you see on the Tivo is exactly the same as you'd see if you were watching live TV.

2. The number of hours you'll get varies widely depending on what you're recording. A movie with a lot of still shots and little camera movement ("Stranger than Paradise" would probably be a good example) will take a lot less space than something with a lot of movement (an NBA basketball game, for example). The 35-hour label is probably under ideal conditions. You can probably expect more like 25-30 hours under normal use. I'm not really sure though -- never counted the hours on my Tivo myself.

3. There is no "space remaining"-type counter on the Tivo. The best way to monitor how much space you have left is to leave the Tivo Suggestions function left on, even if you never watch the suggestions. Why? Because Tivo will always erase the Suggestions before it erases anything you told it to record. So if you have eight suggestions in your play list, you know you have a lot of space left for your own recordings. If there's one or no suggestions, it means you're running out of space.

4. Doesn't matter what manufacturer label is on your box. They're all the same. They're even made in the same factory.

That's the best advice I can offer...

Let me suggest http://www.ptvupgrade.com/

Yes, crack open that Tivo and add another HD. If you're familiar with the insides of a computer, it's pretty easy.

My original HD was failing so I put in a 120GB drive. I know have ~107 hours of Tivo viewing fun.

I think I will end up doing this.