The TiVo HD XL is a fantastic device. I had a TiVo years ago when I had DirecTV. I had to leave it behind when I switched to cable and have missed it ever since. After getting fed up with Verizon’s DVR, I broke down and bought the TiVo. I quickly remembered the great things about it. The set up was a snap and they even provide step by step instructions for the cable installer to set up the CableCard. TiVo’s help and support were so good, they even helped me get the CableCard working when the Verizon installer screwed it up. I simply checked the TiVo website where I easily found troubleshooting instructions. Even though the detailed diagnositics the TiVo displays can be confusing, their online help documents make it easy to find the right information. This allowed me to call Verizon tech support and tell them what was wrong. Once Verizon fixed the problem on their end, it worked beautifully. Hopefully, you won’t have similar problems with the installation, but at least if you do, you know TiVo will help.

As far as features and functionality, it’s almost endless. The TiVo interface is much more intuitive than any other DVR, down to the sound effects that give you hints on whether you’ve done something wrong and which direction you’re navigating through the menus. Customizing the guide, channel list and favorites is also simple and well explained. Not only can you create a list of favorite channels, you can also remove channels that you don’t watch from the standard guide so even when you’re not browsing your favorites, you don’t have to sift through channels you don’t care about. TiVo also knows what channels you don’t subscribe to from your cable provider and automatically removes them from the channel list. The Verizon DVR didn’t do that (but that was probably on purpose to try to show you what you were missing).

Recording on the TiVo is also easy. You can record from the guide, search for programs, record by time or set up wishlists to allow you find and record shows by your favorite actor, director, etc. You can also easily record programs from the web even if your TiVo is connected via a phone line. A number of web sites provide Record to TiVo features including Yahoo TV and Zap2It. There are also iPhone and BlackBerry apps that let you set up recordings. All of these online apps use TiVo’s default settings so you can usually record with 1 click.

In addition to recording from cable (or antenna), TiVo gives you access to lots of online content including YouTube, Amazon on Demand, Netflix and more. You can subscribe to podcasts from a number of directories integrated into the TiVo interface or even create a custom subscription using RSS. TiVo also works with your Mac or PC, allowing you to download videos for watching on your computer or syncing with your MP3 player or iPod. You can also share content from your computer with your TiVo.

The one feature I would like to see added is the ability to access content on a network without having to rely on a computer. TiVo can show photos or videos directly from your Mac or PC, but if you have a network-connected hard disk (or NAS device), TiVo won’t be able to access the files directly. A pretty minor issue given all of the other features.

The only other drawback is the service fee. TiVo is no good without the service. The lifetime fee was the most logical choice for me and while it is a fair chunk of change ($400), I compared that to the $19.99 / month for the Verizon DVR and found it would only take 3 years to pay for itself. Given the added functionality of TiVo, it is well worth it.

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