Newbie DVR question
 

What is the difference between a stand-alone DVD recorder with a hard drive (such as the Panasonic DMR-EH55S) against a TIVO? I know with TIVO you can automatically set it up to record all episodes of a show (I believe this is called a subscription) whereas with a DVD recorder DVR you will have to manually set it. But is this the only difference because if it is then I don't understand why people would pay the monthly fee of $15 (or however much it is) just for this convenience.

Until you see a TiVo in action or try one yourself, you will not understand.

Once you get it, there is no going back to regular TV again.

The fee TiVo gets covers software support and updates. Directv-TiVo combo users pay only $5 or $6 a month which covers every DirecTivo on the account; stand alone TiVo users pay more.

TiVo's Season Pass and Wishlist functions are what keep TiVo at the top of the growing DVR heap. Season Pass can sort reruns from new episodes, then automatically schedule recording only the new episodes - all with a half-dozen button presses perfomed one time. It also automatically finds special episodes in a different time slot, adjusts for super-sized episodes, and even adjusts itself for pre-emptions like a presidential address.

SP's are tied to a single channel for their auto-scheduling, but Wishlists search and schedule from the entire program guide regardless of channel. Got a movie you want to see but it's not showing any time soon ? Set up a title Wishlist and the next time it airs TiVo will auto-schedule and record it for you. Try that with a VCR or DVD recorder.

TiVo is kinda like a servant whose job is to record what you like whenever and wherever it airs. You don't set it by day / time / channel the way you do a dumbass VCR. You tell it what you like by title, actor, director, keyword/phrase, or any of dozens of other variables, then turn it loose to do the grunt work you don't feel like doing. THAT is the power of TiVo.

Get one. You won't reget it.

Exactly, couldn't have said it better myself.

I would say a DVR is ideal for heavy-duty recording. Plus if you have HD, there is no alternative to a HD-DVR (at least I'm not aware if there are HD-DVD Recorders yet).

A DVD Recorder would be nice for programs you know you want to keep indefinitely.

They really are 2 different animals IMO. I couldn't live without my (3) DVRs.

i have a Direct TV DVR with Tivo and its 4.99 a month and its well worth it, Tivo is amazing

I have had Tivo in the past and I loved it. Got rid of it when my cable company started offering HD DVR cable boxes, couldn't justify paying Tivo when I could get it through the cable company much cheaper.

The Tivo software was much more user friendly than my cable company's (Adelphia) set-up, but they basically offer all of the same features. The only thing the Adelphia software really screws up is when you have a season pass and the show is on simultaneously on an HD channel and a regular channel. It records both of them as a new episode and the software doesn't allow you to tweak the settings to stop that (unless you manually enter every episode in the first place). It defintely beats using a DVD or VHS recorder.

Whether or not Tivo is worth it really depends on what cable/satellite provider you have, and what DVR they offer if any.

An alternate is to build your own DVR:
http://www.makezine.com/extras/4.html

That uses this software:
http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/default.asp

The result seems to be a machine with Tivo like features, but no monthly fee.

Thanks for the responses guys (especially to NC-36 for that well thought out explanation).

And without Tivo's patented auto-searching, auto-scheduling, conflict-resolving, rerun-skipping auto-recording Season Passes and Wishlists, you are getting exactly what you pay for :D