I'm a huge fan of the video hard-disk recorders (HDRs), also known as digital video recorders (DVRs), that have revolutionized the TV viewing habits of millions. As the ads say, you can watch what you want when you want. But the options for time-shifting high-definition programs have been limited. There are now three types of hard-disk-based HDTV recorders, though: free-standing models for over-the-air broadcasts, integrated cable tuner/recorders you lease from your cable company, and integrated satellite tuner/recorders you buy.
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I like the last type the best. Why? The others have to convert all of the analog cable or over-the-air programs from analog to digital before they can be stored on the hard drive, which can degrade the image. But all of the programs delivered by a direct-broadcast satellite system are digital, so the receiver simply stores and plays them back with the same quality as the original broadcast.
TiVo teased HDTV lovers with a prototype satellite receiver/high-def recorder way back in January 2003 at the Consumer Electronics Show. After a year and a half of waiting, these machines have slowly begun to trickle into electronics stores. So was it worth the wait?
INSTALLATION AND SETUP Unpacking the HR10-250, I was pleased to find that DirecTV includes both analog audio and video cables and a telephone cable (for pay-per-view billing) as well as two digital video cables — the first with an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) and a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connector; the second with an HDMI connector on both ends. If your HDTV has an HDMI or DVI input, use it — the all-digital connection will provide a better picture than you can get with an analog connection. The HR10-250 also includes an optical digital audio cable.
There are two F-type satellite connectors and one antenna jack. By connecting all three and activating the DirecTV service, you can use one of the two built-in DirecTV satellite tuners or one of the two over-the-air tuners for local digital TV (DTV) broadcasts, including free HDTV programs from the commercial networks. Even better, you can use one of each to record two different programs at the same time.
With all of my connections made, I followed the easy step-by-step Guided Setup screen and called DirecTV to activate my service, which took only a few minutes. I was now ready to do the TiVo tango — or so I thought. I tried to pick an upcoming show to record, forgetting that you have to wait a day or so for the complete electronic program guide to download from the DirecTV satellite. So much for instant gratification!
The HD10-250 contains a full set of video features, including a signal-strength meter for DTV reception and another for aiming the supplied oval satellite dish. You can set the output for 480p (progressive-scan), 720p, or 1080i (interlaced) to match your display's native resolution or scan rate. (You can also set the output at 480i for an analog TV or recording device like a VCR — but that will change all of the receiver's outputs to 480i.)
If your HDTV has a 4:3 screen, you can switch the receiver to display pictures with that aspect ratio. You can also choose between gray or black sidebars for watching 4:3 programs on a widescreen TV (gray bars minimize burn-in with phosphor-type displays like plasma and tubes) or opt to stretch a 4:3 image horizontally to fit a wide-screen display. All functions can be controlled from TiVo's peanut-shaped remote, which is a favorite of mine for its excellent button placement and hand fit. Its only shortcoming is that the keys aren't backlit.
USING TIVO This high-def model includes all of the convenience features that make using TiVo so empowering for viewers — and so discomforting for network TV executives. You can pause or replay a live broadcast, watch anything in slow motion, or fast-forward through commercials. TiVo comes with a 15-minute skip function, but you can change it to a 30-second instant skip simply by hitting Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select. (To make sure network executives don't blow a gasket, the feature isn't documented in the owner's manual. You'll have to reset it if the receiver loses power.)
When I checked the program guide the next day, all the information had loaded. Though TiVo's manual says the receiver will hold 14 days of guide data, it never contained more than 12 days' worth. One of my favorite TiVo features is Wish List. Select an actor or director, a category like Award Shows, or a keyword like “crime,” and TiVo will list every upcoming program that matches the selection. There's also an option for automatically recording shows based on what you've previously recorded or in genres you've indicated by pressing the remote's thumbs-up button. TiVo also has a feature called Season Pass that automatically stores every episode of a program (with or without repeats).
DirecTV offers a high-def package containing ESPN-HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, and HDNet Movies for $11 a month. Pay-per-view high-def movies are $5 each, and you can subscribe to packages that include the HBO or Showtime high-def channel, or both. You might also be able to receive CBS in high-def from New York City or Los Angeles if you live in an area served by a CBS owned-and-operated station or get permission from your nearest local station.
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You can choose between DirecTV's grid-style guide and TiVo's vertically oriented guide, both of which display eight channels at a time. The DirecTV guide shows 1 1/2 hours of programs for all eight channels, while TiVo shows the next eight programs on one highlighted channel at a time. During setup, TiVo asks you where you live in order to select the appropriate guide list. You can override its choice and pick a different primary and secondary area — a good feature if you live in a neighborhood that can receive digital over-the-air signals from more than one city.
With the guide data downloaded, I picked a number of shows to record. DirecTV says the 250-gigabyte (GB) hard drive can hold 30 hours of high-def programs or 200 hours of standard-def programs. In my experience, the high-def capacity was closer to 35 hours (due to the data rates used by my local broadcasters, which range between 6 and 7 megabytes per hour). Unfortunately, there's no “time remaining” counter to let you know how much space is left on the hard drive. When the drive is full, the recorder automatically erases old programs, though there are override options.
PERFORMANCE The HD10-250 performed flawlessly throughout my evaluation, never missing a selected program and always providing playback that was identical to the original. And the quality of standard-def programs seen on my 1080i-format HDTV confirmed that the HD10-250 does upconversion right — there were no digital artifacts or pasty faces, and moving images never broke up. The over-the-air digital tuners pulled in every station I've ever been able to receive — and I live about 25 miles from the high-def transmitters in New York City . (There's no terrestrial analog tuner.) TiVo's program guide conveniently integrates satellite and over-the-air digital channels and lets you delete stations you don't want to receive.
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HDTV programs looked outstanding. My favorite high-def channels on DirecTV were ESPN-HD and HDNet. A high-def Yankees/Dodgers game on ESPN let me keep my eye on the crystal-clear ball and do my own instant replays. My consistently favorite channel for HDTV time-shifting, though, was HDNet. I found myself watching reruns of failed CBS series I'd missed as well as much older ones like Hogan's Heroes. I felt like I was swimming with the fish watching a nature documentary I'd recorded from Discovery HD Theater. Later, I replayed Jay Leno's monologue during a “live” broadcast of The Tonight Show. Jay's jokes may not be funnier in high-def, but his studio and set look immaculate. And by delaying the real-time broadcast, I was able to skip over the commercials whenever he chimed, “We'll be right back.”
Aside from the lack of a time-remaining indicator, my minor complaints concern the HR10-250's inability to deliver a 480i signal simultaneously with a higher-quality one from another video output and the lack of a FireWire interface that would enable me to archive high-def programs to my D-VHS recorder.
Unfortunately, if you just want a TiVo high-def recorder and are unable or unwilling to subscribe to DirecTV, you're out of luck. You can't use the hard drive without a DirecTV subscription, and TiVo hasn't announced a standalone version. Still, most of the TiVo recorders out there are built into DirecTV receivers, and many of their owners have been chomping at the bit to go high-def. For them, the promise of pristine viewing and the convenience of a TiVo-powered hard drive have finally merged into one indispensable HDTV receiver.