These days, DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) are virtually everywhere. Made famous by services like TiVo®, DVRs let you easily record your favorite shows, watch them whenever you want, and most even let you pause, slow down, and rewind live TV. With all the flexibility they offer, it's no wonder DVRs are appearing in lots of cable boxes, satellite receivers, and some DVD recorders. With an ever growing number of options and expanding capabilities, this versatile technology can fit just about anyone's budget and needs.

TiVo made DVRs popular. Now you can get similar functionality from your cable or satellite provider.

DVRs, also known as PVRs (Personal Video Recorders), team a vast hard drive with an on-screen program guide like TiVo, TV Guide On Screen®, or one provided by your cable or satellite provider. This combination makes recording and accessing your shows quick and easy. Capturing single episodes or whole seasons of your favorite programming can happen at the touch of a button. Plus, many DVRs feature dual tuners, allowing you to watch one show while recording another. And since the DVR automatically finds empty space on the hard drive and gives you easy options for managing your recorded content, you don't have to worry about accidentally recording over something.

HD-capable DVRs: Recording in high-definition

Many of today's DVRs can also record high-definition programming. With an HD programming source, an HD-capable TV, and an HD DVR, you can record a show broadcast in HD, then watch it later in all its original, stunning detail.

Keep in mind though, if you transfer recorded material from your high-def DVR to DVD or VHS, the recording will be made in standard definition since these formats were not designed to support high-definition.

Choosing a DVR

Most people today get a DVR from their programming provider since cable boxes and satellite receivers with built-in DVRs offer convenient, space-saving solutions. The month-to-month rental price of a cable box with a DVR compared to one without is typically relatively small. Satellite providers include DVRs with some of their programming packages, or let you upgrade your satellite receiver to a DVR for a small monthly fee. Getting a DVR from your programming provider may not give you a whole lot of choices in which one you get, but if you do have options, here are some questions you may want to ask your cable or satellite company:

• What hard drive capacities do they offer? As a general rule of thumb, 1GB = approximately 15 minutes of recording time at the highest quality, or 1 hour of recording time at VHS quality. You want to make sure you don't run out of space during the season finale of your favorite show.
• Do they offer an HD-capable DVR? As mentioned earlier, a high-def DVR let you watch and record HD programming without losing any picture detail. It's essentially a must-have for a die-hard HD fan.
• What kind of outputs does their DVR have? Make sure the DVR fits in with the rest of your system. For example, you don't want to get a DVR with a coaxial digital audio output when the only unused digital input on your receiver is optical. (See below for more information on connections.)

Media Center PCs

Media Center PCs offer another way to enjoy a DVR's flexible recording capabilities. These living room-friendly computers come with pre-loaded software that makes it easy to record TV shows to their hard drives. They also let you enjoy a wealth of other digital entertainment options, including digital photos, videos, music, web surfing, and more. They're also very capable computers, and many include a built-in DVD recorder for easy archiving of your favorite shows.

Getting connected

Whether you have a stand-alone DVR or one built into your cable box, satellite receiver, DVD recorder, or media center PC, the connections are essentially the same.

Video
For video, you'll want to use the highest quality connection your DVR and TV have in common in order to get the best picture. If you don't have a high-definition DVR, any of the familiar analog connections will do, but component video delivers the best picture. See our article on common video interconnects for more information on component video and other analog connections.

If you have a high-def DVR, you can either go with component video or HDMI. The all-digital HDMI interface yields an excellent picture and also carries audio, letting you make a simple, one-cable connection between your DVR and TV. Plus, HDMI is backwards-compatible with the older digital video connection, DVI. For more information, read our article on the ins and outs of HDMI.

Audio
Of course, the picture is only half the experience — you'll need to make an audio connection as well. If you're connecting your DVR directly to your TV, regular stereo patch cables cables will do the trick. However, many programs today are broadcast in surround sound, particularly those in high-definition, so why not take advantage of it? Just connect your DVR to a home theater receiver via an optical or coaxial digital audio cable.

If your DVR doesn't have a digital audio output, but you have a receiver with Dolby® Pro Logic® II or Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoding, you can also enjoy wraparound sound using stereo patch cables.