You’ve heard of TiVo – Everyone’s heard of TiVo. The problem is, most average people haven’t actually seen a TiVo in action and don’t really understand what makes a TiVo better than their cable or satellite DVR. I think TiVo’s got a PR issue – people use the word DVR and TiVo interchangeably – and while a TiVo is a DVR, that doesn’t make a DVR a TiVo – there are a whole host of features that put the TiVo miles ahead of the other DVRs on the market.
I don’t work for TiVo, and they haven’t paid me for this or anything (although that would be nice in this economy 
). I’m just a long-time TiVo user who’s maybe a little too obsessed with the box… but if you actually own a TiVo, you’d understand.
And here’s another disclaimer: I am not a professional reviewer, there are DVRs out there that I’ve never seen, and there are probably newer software versions for some of the DVRs I have seen. These are just my personal thoughts on TiVo, and while there are good competitors out there that may excel in some areas, there are few that can match TiVo in terms of the sheer breadth of featuers it offers.
I’m going to avoid discussing the features that are common to all DVRs have and focus on what makes TiVo the best DVR available.