Last December, DIRECTV made the TiVo HD DVR available in 10 large markets across the U.S. including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Now, the service is available nationwide to DIRECTV customers who may want to switch from their current DVR and “upgrade” to the TiVo HD DVR. We use the term “upgrade” loosely not because a TiVo set-top-box is deemed any better than a DIRECTV box (in fact, it lacks several features of the DIRECTV HD DVR), but because of the extra $5 per month service fee and $199 TiVo HD DVR purchase price. In addition, DIRECTV customers will still need to pay the $7 DVR fee and $10 HD up charge. So why would customers want to “upgrade” to TiVo? The peanut remote? Just to be different? The co-branded HD DVR does offer up to 100 hours of recorded high-definition content and lets you record two shows at once. The TiVo HD DVR also integrates WishList Searches (allowing you to search and record content by actor name, sports team, etc.), and supports HD formats in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p(24fps) resolution. Want to know more about TiVo? You can compare all the features on DIRECTV’s receiver comparison chart.
