DVR Shootout Update & Conclusion

As mentioned previously... I'm taking a look at the differences between TiVo and Microsoft's Windows Media Center.

First Impressions
In terms of the unboxing experience, the TiVo box wins hands-down. There's no keyboard, mouse or other extraneous accessories that need to be hooked up. Audio can be run through a receiver or directly to the TV.

In terms of fit and finish, I'm going to say that this is up for grabs. The TiVo comes in a beautiful case but it's effectively a single purpose appliance that wouldn't be out of place in any home theater set up. A well made home theater PC (HTPC) can also be made to fit into a living room but it typically runs into a number of issues that prevent it from being an ideal addition to your television room.

Getting Started
Once everything's plugged in, I found that the TiVo interface was very easy on the eyes and fairly intuitive. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as intelligent as Microsoft's. Case in point:
TiVo asked me to input my ZIP code then I had to wait as it pulled down the list of available television sources. After what seemed like a couple of minutes, it then asked me to select who my source was (in my case, cable). Finally, the TiVo box began the process of downloading and building the TV guide. As an added bonus, if you have a simple setup (TiVo + TV), the TiVo remote is pre-programmed with many different manufacturers' codes allowing you to control your TV's power and volume from a single remote.

Windows Media Center accomplishes the above in a similar manner, however because the experience was seamless, it came across as far more efficient and effective. One big miss: The standard Windows Media Center remote isn't a universal remote but can control the audio levels coming from your HTPC.

The User Interface
TiVo has done a good job of making sense of things as activities and things to do: Now Playing contains your downloads and recorded shows. Watch Live TV takes you straight to what's on and users can even stream music from Live365 to their TiVo box and into their television or home theater. TiVo has done a great job and includes advertising for broadcasters and media companies to inform users of upcoming shows or events. Additionally, because they are able to collect your viewing information, they can also record shows that may be of interest to you.

Windows Media Center breaks things down into categories: My TV. My Music. Online Showcase. It's not the most efficient use of UI but it is pleasant to use and, again, represents a very efficient and effective means of interfacing with your media.

The Experience
TiVo... It's been a good experience so far. As a DVR, there's no lag when changing channels. Shows that are recorded can be transferred to your PC or laptop to save storage space on the DVR and for viewing when you're not at home. It doesn't have all of the rich multimedia capabilities of a Windows Media Center but what it does, it does extremely well! My few gripes include that I haven't discovered a way to have the TiVo start recording 2 minutes before a show begins and end 3 minutes after a show ends (a default in Windows Media Center). TiVo will also prompt you during commercials (if you're actually watching them) if there are upcoming shows that you would like to record. A very nice add-on feature. Another complaint is that the TiVo attempts to anticipate what shows I would like to have it record and it begins filling up the hard drive with those shows. While I may come across as ungrateful, I would like to state that I prefer to choose what shows I record and watch. Users can change this option in their TiVo settings.

With a HTPC, you aren't limited in your storage choices and can add as many hard drives as you like to accommodate your needs. The HTPC can replace a number of components in your home theater: a DVR, a DVD player, an HD-DVD player (available in select HTPCs) and more. Windows Media Center is extensible with a wide variety of third-party applications and services. One of my favorites is AOL Radio which gives users with an AOL screen name (free) the opportunity to listen to a large number of streaming radio stations including a selection of XM radio stations.

Conclusion
I've packed up my HTPC and placed it upstairs. Instead of operating as the keystone of my living room, it's been relegated to acting as a Windows Media Center server and I'll use the XBOX 360 as a Media Center Extender (which actually doesn't allow for streaming of XM stations). Why? Well, to be honest, a PC in a living room isn't for everybody. More importantly, the noise generated by a PC in the living room isn't for ANYBODY. And that is the real reason why I've decided to keep the TiVo and use the HTPC as a fallback with its larger storage capacity.