Hughes HR10-250 (250 GB) 200-Hours Video Recorder

Pros: TiVo functionality for HDTV can't be beat, great interface, the usual TiVo greatness.
Cons: Hardware failure on our first unit required its replacement within the first six months.

My TiVo addiction began when a very good friend who happened to be my roommate practically forced me into buying an open box TiVo, and then helped me hack it into a 101 hour TiVo. I reviewed that box h ere. I fell in ...

Pros: Worth The money. Get many Freebies. Easy to use and understand. Sophisticated yet simple.
Cons: Sometimes cuts your pre-recorded program short.

How in the world did we survive all these decades without it? Now if it is broken it is as serious as our car not running. I have had DirecTV since 2001 and upgraded to TiVo a couple years ago. Fell madly in love and have upgraded Receivers and Dishes ...

Pros: Quiet, reliable, flawless recordings. Built-in ATSC tuners (HDTV off-air broadcasts).
Cons: Too expensive. You'll gain another 10 pounds from watching too much TiVo.

Having high quality, high definition recordings doesn't get any better than this. We have used a prior version of this unit for about 18 months and recently switched to this HDTV model about 3 months ago, and got it just in time for the Summer Olympic. ...

Pros: Mature operating system,upgradable Hard drive
Cons: Currently hard to get.$$$$

My Experience I started with PVR (Personal Video recorders) back in 1999, when Panasonic brought out their "Showstopper" series. Used it until Dec 2005, when I bought the HR 10-250 High Definition PVR unit. I also have been a DirecTV customer ...

Pros: HDTV picture on your own schedule, with no commercials!
Cons: Reports of widespread failure of the HDMI connector.

After using TiVo for a year, when upgrading to HDTV, I couldn't contemplate having to watch live TV again! I considered DirecTiVO HD, Dish, and Voom. Dish with DVR was much more expensive, and Voom still didn't offer a DVR. I did my own satellite ...

Pros: Tivo and the concepts around it, are very cool. The unit has a large capacity.
Cons: Built on the same technology platform as 'The Clapper'.

Imagine taking the 'concept' of Tivo, and transplanting it into ~1990 technology. If you imagine that, you can imagine what its like owning this unit. Perhaps I'm just a little frustrated, because I had a perfectly good Samsung HD receiver and got ...

Pros: Never miss your favorite shows.
Cons: Generates a lot of heat.

Update Ok, I had 2 advisors complain that I didn’t have enough information about the hardware or the HD capabilities of this receiver. Also they wanted to know what experience I had with the receiver. I have installed several of these back ...

Pros: Easy hookup. Setup easy but long. Menus intuitive, remote easy to use.
Cons: Can't record non-digital OTA content. Technical support fair to poor.

I've had a HDTV and deadly serious Sony receiver for over a year and found I had to switch to the Hughes to record the HDTV content--the $200 Tivo box would not work. I get 90% of my HD conent from Over the Air (OTA) sources here in the Seattle area so I ...

Pros: records hidef (of course)
Cons: slow, buggy, ugly, dumb

A lot of people have an affliction whereby they feel guilty about spending a lot of money on anything, and try to convince themselves that whatever they bought was well worth the price. These people also tout the virtues of their expensive toys to ...

Pros: Same great functions you get on the cheaper non-HD models.
Cons: Poor quality at a great expense; slow, ugly, defects abound. Buyer beware.

Poor Quality At A High Price I know a lot of people are raving about this product and don’t get me wrong I really enjoy this product but, overall for the price, it is disappointing. Here’s the good: 1. Pretty much every type of output ...

Pros: Lots of sympathy from tier one and two customer service reps but...
Cons: no ability to address this clear customer issue.

I never had a problem in the past with directv, but clearly this product is treated differently internally by the company. I ordered it from a customer service one night, assured that it would work. A few days later an installer came to our house, ...

Pros: Two HD tuners, TIVO, Seamless and smooth response, DD5.1 sound.
Cons: Noise from hard-drive and fan, weak remote, price

I've gotta admit, I didn't do a lot of research before I bought this unit. But I still love it. Great looking HD recordings. Seamless and smooth fast forward (3 speeds, no sound on any speed), rewind (3 speeds), slow motion (only one speed), and ...

Pros: Ability to record 2 simultaneous HD programs.
Cons: To do simultaneous recordings, both SATELLITE connections must be used.

I have owned a VCR since they were available for the consumer market. The concept of time shifting was something I quickly decided was essential from that point on. Despite all the jokes, they really weren’t that hard to program.. Watching “regular” ...

Pros: Incredible picture
Cons: Doesn't work with new technology. USB ports are useless.

While this unit records and plays back a tremendous HDTV picture, if you like the features that Tivo brags about (such as web-based recording, sharing between Tivos, and use of the Internet to dial-in via USB ports), you will be sadly disappointed. ...

Pros: It will be replaced.
Cons: Poor menu. Freezes often. Super slow guide display. Season pass setup takes forever.

Rarely comes along a consumer electronics product riddled with so many inadequacies. The only logical explanation is planned obsolescence. If you select “record” while watching a program, might as well go for a walk around the block while it ...