TechTV Labs picks the best personal video recorder.

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It's been 30 years since the introduction of the VCR, but only recently have we seen another device that can change the way we watch television. The personal video recorder, or PVR, is the result of several technologies converging to become more than the sum of their parts.

The first PVRs, introduced under the brand names TiVo and ReplayTV, took advantage of the latest video-encoding standards and the increasingly spacious hard drives flooding the market. Microsoft later entered the PVR arena with UltimateTV, which supported the recording of two channels simultaneously.

A PVR serves as a buffer between the overwhelming flood of broadcast television content and your personal schedule. PVR owners are no longer tied to watching a particular show at a particular time. It is true that VCRs have offered this option for some time, but PVRs' massive hard drives give them impressive and unique features, such as the ability to "pause" live television.

When you combine the PVR's hard drive with an upgradeable software interface, you end up with content available how and when you want it. During the past two years, TechTV Labs has seen the field of PVRs mature with offerings that include increased storage capacity and improved functionality. After comparing the merits of each competitor, we chose TiVo as the best PVR for the money.

The PVR players

  • TiVo

    TiVo-based PVRs are sold by a variety of manufacturers, including Sony and Philips Electronics. A recent free software upgrade enables certain DirecTV-compatible TiVo units to record two channels at once -- just like Microsoft's UltimateTV. Perhaps best known for the "thumbs-up/thumbs-down" content ranking buttons on its remote controls, TiVo achieved its success by offering good technology in a friendly package. TiVo takes our top honors by offering the best service plan, best personalized content suggestions, and support for a greater range of home theater hardware setups.

  • UltimateTV

    Microsoft's UltimateTV was the first PVR to offer the ability to record two shows at the same time. Exclusively available with DirecTV satellite service, UltimateTV leverages Microsoft's user interface expertise and the quality of DirecTV's digital content. UltimateTV PVRs are manufactured by RCA and Sony. TiVo offers DirecTV-compatible units and more storage space than does UltimateTV.

  • ReplayTV

    PVRs based on ReplayTV's technology are sold by Panasonic and Sonicblue. ReplayTV distinguishes itself from other PVRs by offering its channel guide services at no cost. However, ReplayTV PVRs are typically more expensive than PVRs from TiVo and UltimateTV. Sonicblue recently set a capacity record by offering a ReplayTV model with 320GB of storage -- room for about 160 hours of decent-quality recording. However, Sonicblue's price gouging on additional hard-drive capacity, and its requirement of a network connection in order to receive programming updates, sent us looking for better options.

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