Gadgetry: My TiVo Series 3 HD Media Recorder

Last week I found out that Charter Cable finally added The Tennis Channel to their current lineup, and I immediately called to get this service. Along with The Tennis Channel, I decided to get the HD DVR package ... just because. After the installer came and left, but not before lecturing me that my Monster surge protector/line filter was waste of money, I indulged in the HD goodness. Then I remembered why I got rid of the HD DVR last year ... interface totally sucks compared to TiVo. The next day I end up getting the TiVo Series 3 HD Media Recorder from Amazon.com.


I hooked it up to my cheap $9 antenna that I got from Radio Shack last year and set it to record Law & Order and Saturday Night Live in HD before heading to Austin, TX for the weekend. When I returned home, I was blown away by the quality of the recordings. I usually download shows in HD off the Internet because I couldn't record them ... but never again.

I had Charter Cable at my apartment yesterday to install two CableCards in my TiVo (which only cost $1.50 per card to lease) in order to receive the HD and Digital cable channels. As of right now, its not working because the installer can't read and gave HQ the wrong information to activate my CableCards. I will have to call today and fix the issue because I am missing a lot of good tennis matches.

So far it is economical because if I kept the Charter HD DVR my bill would increased by $37. With the HD TiVo box, my bill is $15 cheaper and I get more services. Over the life of the box it will eventually pay for itself.

Hopefully but tomorrow everything will be straightened out and I can veg out on my couch this weekend watching television. But I have a tennis tournament so, I don't know if it will be possible unless I lose ... and I am trying to avoid that.