The TIVO Series 3. A Great Product with Room for Improvment

It's not TiVo unless it's a TiVo. That's what a recent ad campaign told us, and the truth is that while there are now plenty of basic DVR systems out there, TiVo is the original Digital Video Recorder and the one that continuously offers new innovations and new services to the television watching market.

It's hard to find a family in America that does not watch television, and inevitably that watches shows that are all on at the same time or that are on when the family has plans to be somewhere or do something else. That is why recording live television onto your VCR has always been popular, and that is why the introduction of a system that makes this even easier, and that offers lots of other useful features like pausing your favorite programs, was met with great excitement.

The Tivo Series 3 is an expensive machine, coming in at around $800 plus the cost of the service, however it is a great piece of technology if your budget will allow you to shell out the cash for the fun and convenience that TiVo has always offered as well as the features and user friendliness that you just can't get from other DVR devices.

On the outside, the Tivo Series 3 is the most attractive TiVo unit to date, with a nice, compact case and stylish design. The plastic look of the past is gone, replaced by a metal case that will look great in your home entertainment center with any other black or silver components. The OLED display on the front of the Tivo Series 3 displays what show or shows are currently recording or the time if nothing is being recorded, and the small cluster of control buttons are surrounded by a simple silver frame.

The trademark peanut remote keeps up in the attractiveness area, and is easy to use as well with lighted buttons making things even easier for users of the TiVo device. Although the past TiVo remotes have been hailed as some of the best and easiest remotes to use, the newest remote has been tweaked, incredibly, to make it even more comfortable and simple to use. There are plenty of users who will have to see it to believe it!