Call in the band and strike up the fanfare; there’s finally a high definition TiVo that doesn’t cost as much as one month's rent! In fact, at $299, you could call TiVo's newest addition, the TiVo HD DVR, affordable! If all you needed to hear was HD TiVo and $299 in the same sentence, then don't hesitate. Go get one while the getting is good. If you want to learn more, read on.

Not much less than a year ago, TiVo introduced the TiVo Series 3, their very first DVR capable of time-shifting high definition television. Considered by most to be the ultimate television recording device, the Series 3 appeared to have nearly everything going for it… including a lofty price tag.

Rumors have been circling the web that TiVo would be introducing a lower cost alternative to the Series 3, called the "Series 3 Lite" by various bloggers and websites. Those rumors turned out to be true: TiVo has officially unveiled its latest high-definition capable DVR, simply called the "TiVo HD."

Comparing Series 3 and the new TiVo HD

By most respects, it's remarkably similar to the original Series 3. Dual CableCARD slots, twin HD channel recording, home networking, and component and HDMI outputs (all the big features) are all present and accounted for. However, the Series 3 included 250GB of hard drive space. TiVo HD includes 160GB, which is good for about 20 hours of HD programming.

That much of a price cut hints that something’s missing, and you would be correct. Not everything is identical to the Series 3. For starters, TiVo has removed the fancy OLED display from the front panel, which was a feature most found silly anyway considering the whole point of TiVo is their easy-to-use on screen interface.

You also won’t find fancy Series 3 'Glo' premium backlit remote here, and instead the traditional plastic 'peanut-style' TiVo remote you’ve probably seen before… again something that most people won’t notice. If you had your heart set on the sleek 'Glo' remote, it will be available for purchase separately.

THX certification, something that only the most hardcore power users would care about, is also off the list.

Bottom line: there isn't that much difference between them, except for in the price tag. The current MSRP on the Series 3 demands a whopping $799, while list price on the new TiVo HD is a much more reasonable $299. Even at street prices, there’s at least a three hundred dollar difference in price between the two.

Build yourself a quasi Series 3… for way less than the original.

If your heart's set on a little more record time than 20 hours, DVRupgrade is selling customized TiVo HD units in a variety of sizes. For example, $399 gets you back up to 250GB, a $400 savings over the Series 3 at list prices. There's also 320, 400, 500, and 750GB offerings. And if that's not big enough for you, you can even grab one at a mind-boggling 1TB size.

TiVo HD DVR specs

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