You could get a TV tuner for your computer. It's cheaper than a stand-alone DVR. The disadantage is that it is more complicated to playback your programs (it can be done, see the RoxBox thread).

There is also the DTVPal DVR which goes for $250. It's a one time payment, no paying for program listings. It's just for OTA TV, and for its program listings, it used the program listings that are embedded in the OTA signal. $250 isn't cheap, but if everything you want is OTA, it pays for itself fast vs. cable.

Assuming it's no better than the bottom end Tivo and that you get a really good deal on the Tivo (99 as someone quoted) then it would take 11 months to make the Tivo more expensive. That's actually not bad because I'm sure she'll get more than 11 months out of it.

I'm not anti-Tivo. I just think it's overkill. It does have nice features. I am against paying for a free service however. In that respect I anti-Tivo as in the business model.

skyeye wrote:

So I guess, for now, for Christmas I'll at least swap HBO for a one disc Netflix subscription.

This is a no-brainer and I would not even wait for Christmas, unless you are under contract. I for the life of me cannot see how HBO stays afloat. It is just that they have a couple decent shows I guess, Like Curb. Which of course, is on Netflix. So, I still don't get it.

Whenever I get a new TV provider, they always throw in Starz, HBO and one other I forget. "Free" for 3 to 6 months. When the time is up, I always cancel. Once, they even offered to give me another 3 or 6 months more free, if I would just keep taking it. I said "No". LOL

They were like: Why not? I said- "You can only watch "The Matrix" so many times." They said: "Yeah you're right." Plus I said, "I would just have to call again in a few months and cancel again...it was really not worth my time."

skyeye wrote:

I was hoping for a watch-next-day solution as described here by AeroR1 on his Boxee Box. Have to wonder if his wife can still catch GH now that Boxee Box has been forced to remove standard Hulu.

I

yes she does. once boxee removed the free hulu stuff, she can still catch it with the Navi-X app in boxee.