Hard-drive-packing personal video recorders (or PVRs) pause and rewind live television as well as record vast amounts of video. As you'll see on "Fresh Gear," the latest PVRs offer increased storage capacity and more functionality, such as ReplayTV's ability to share recorded video with other PVRs. Surprisingly, these new VCR killers are also relatively affordable.

Three popular PVR systems

• EchoStar DishPVR 501
• Philips DSR6000 DirecTV box with TiVo
• Sonicblue ReplayTV 5000

Read Sumi's review of DirecTV box with TiVo.

All three set-top boxes can be set to record future programs and pause, rewind, and replay live TV, but each has features and service plans that make it unique. The DishPVR and DirecTV TiVo have integrated satellite receivers and the ReplayTV is a stand-alone unit (stand-alone TiVo units are also available). One thing's for sure: If you're interested in getting satellite or cable TV, it's also a good time to get a PVR.

Factors 'Fresh Gear' considered

• Features
• Hardware and capacity
• Usability
• Pricing and service