Re: good modern DVR to replace Tivo? (AppleTV, MediaCenter?)

In article
<40f3de48-a5fe-4f25-94ab-b98cbef8adad@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
<mad.scientist.jr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I recently got a HDTV (1080p) and cable and Tivo (Series 2)
doesn't look so good on it (however my DVD player has composite
out and connecting that to the TV looks great).

I would like to be able to record movies in widescreen,
and view TV programs with high enough quality so that
I'm not so painfully aware of the low resolution.
Currently my cable box only has composite & s-video out
(as does the Tivo) so I am sure I'll have to call the
cable co & upgrade the cable box.

As for upgrading the Tivo, can anyone recommend a good DVR to

* schedule/record TV programs just using a remote control?
I read with AppleTV you would have to go to your computer
& schedule TV programs or movies and then "sync" the AppleTV
to it. That won't work for me, I need the DVR
to work standalone like a regular Tivo.

* watch YouTube full screen on your TV
(the main reason I am interested in AppleTV -
do any other DVRs or MediaCenter PCs let you do this?)

* connects to the HDTV with composite or HDMI
(sorry for stating the obvious)

* two tuners would be nice, but not crucial

* record at HD quality (not sure if this is crucial,
but I definitely want something better looking than what I have)

* save your recordings to DVD (not crucial but nice to have)
or better yet have access to the video files in a somewhat
popular format (ie watchable on other devices,
can be edited in DVD authoring/video programs like Adobe etc.)

Any advice or help would be most appreciated...

You can do all of that except watch YouTube with a Tivo HD and Roxio
Toast. I have one and like it a lot. The Tivo also provides access to a
number of video services, like Amazon Unbox, but I have not found any I
like and so don't use them. For $300 (plus annual service fee about
$100/year), it is a bargain. For high-def video, you will want to get
the external disk drive for $200. Notice how the $300 bargain has now
cost me $800, since I purchased a 3 year subscription. I haven't tried
transferring videos to DVD yet, but Toast can see the Tivo and download
the video files to my Mac.

(Follow-ups trimmed. Five groups is usually too many.)

--
Jim Gibson

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