TiVo HD

958 reviews

May, 2013

Positive
Usability (3)
Design (1)

Negative
Value for money (3)

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

alaTest has collected and analyzed 958 reviews from magazines and websites. Reviewers really like the design. The usability is also appreciated. Reviews are divided on the image quality. Some have doubts about the value for money.

usability, design

value for money

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Video Recorders (DVR) the TiVo HD is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 958 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(44% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (29% of reviews)
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Features

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Showing 973 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 973 Show Reviews: in English

Expert review by: Joe Brown (wired.com)

TiVo HD XL DVR Proves Bigger Is Sometimes Better

Everything's getting tiny. The once sexy V-8 engine is now an automotive pariah while the Smart Car gets all the chicks; HD video cameras are now damn near

Western Digital hard drive is nearly silent. THX-certified audio and video (finally). Say goodbye to the ugly stick — the XL gets the same slick programmable remote as the Series 3. TiVo-easy, as expected, with the company's ever expanding catalog of...

Remote collects more greasy fingerprints than a secondhand sex-bot. Annoying info screen hovers over the picture a few seconds too long with each channel change. Cutesy TiVo noises are a little grating, and your only other option is to turn all the...

Sep, 2008

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Expert review by: Joel Santo Domingo (pcmag.com)

TiVo HD XL

The TiVo HD XL is the successor to the TiVo Series3, but in the TiVo HD's shell. Offering a lot more recording capacity, this model adds THX certification and includes the backlit TiVo Glo remote. I just wish the price wasn't quite so steep.

Easy to use. 1TB hard drive. Dual HD tuners. eSATA port. Backlit TiVo Glo remote. Includes an HDMI cable.

Pricey. Cable TV DVRs can be less expensive in the long run. YouTube videos often don't look too hot on a large HDTV.

Sep, 2008

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Expert review by: Rick Broida (wired.com)

TiVo HD

A year ago, we gave the $800 TiVo Series3 our Best of Test award. Now, you can get most of its top-of-the-line features for $500 less. The hard drive is a

Dual HD tuners. Downloadable movies and TV from Amazon Unbox. Streams MP3s and photos from PCs. Mobile access to scheduling from some Verizon phones. Traffic information and weather forecasts from Yahoo

Monthly fee is a little steep on top of your cable bill. Requires digital antenna or two CableCard decoders for dual-tuner use. No THX support

Oct, 2007

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Editor's Choice!

Expert review by: Joel Santo Domingo (pcmag.com)

Tivo HD

TiVo fans and fanatics rejoice! The TiVo HD gives old and new TiVo users the HDTV quality they want without the steep $800 price of last year's TiVo Series 3 HD. That's because it's basically the "TiVo Series 3 light" that has been rumored since the...

The best HD-capable TiVo ever. Dual HD tuners. Still easy to use. Online scheduling via Web site or cell phone

Menu operation is a little slow at times. No TiVo to Go. No satellite support. Cable TV DVRs can be cheaper in the long run. Great for fans, may be too late for novices. Cell-phone scheduling is only on Verizon Wireless

Combining the best of the legendary simple-to-use TiVo interface with dual CableCARD readers and an affordable price (finally!), the new TiVo HD delivers the promise that the TiVo Series 3 HD made.

Jul, 2007

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Expert review by: (cnet.com)

TiVo HD DVR (20-HD hours)

When the TiVo Series3 finally arrived in September 2006, it was the first cable-compatible TiVo to record high-def programming. But that long-awaited Holy Grail of TiVos came with a prohibitive $800 price tag that, in a world where cable companies...

Includes nearly all the features of previous Series3 model at a lower price; can record two HD programs simultaneously while playing back a third, previously recorded one; accepts cable TV and over-the-air signals; 30-second commercial skip; excellent...

Requires monthly fee in addition to cable bill; sluggish transitions between menu screens; does not work with video-on-demand and switched digital video services; must program 30-second skip; no picture-in-picture; TiVo To Go requires long, slow...

While it's not compatible with your cable company's interactive and video-on-demand services, the TiVo HD's excellent onscreen interface and long list of network and Internet features puts it in a class above the generic high-def DVRs offered by most...

Jul, 2007

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Expert review by: (electronicsme.com)

TiVo HD XL

If you need the storage space for HD programming, or you record an awful lot of regular programming and like to keep it on hand, then you can probably justify the price of the HD XL. It's got more storage space out of the box than any other available...

150 hours of HD video storage1 TB of storage spaceTrue HD 1080i outputBacklit, programmable remote controlCableCARD support replaces digital cable box

Including 1TB (yes, that's 1 Terabyte) of video storage, enough for 150...

Jun, 2009

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Expert review by: David Birch-Jones (hemagazine.com)

TiVo HD XL DVR Review

THX'd and Super-Sized Throwing down the HD DVR gauntlet, TiVo's top HD XL model ups the storage ante by including a comparatively huge one terabyte hard drive, making the typical cable HD DVR's 160 GB capacity look downright puny.

On to Switched Digital Video (SDV) and Conclusion...

Dec, 2008

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Expert review by: Aaron Broverman (askmen.com)

TiVo HD XL DVR

Get the TiVo HD XL DVR with simultaneous HD recording and never miss your favorite show again.

Sep, 2008

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Expert review by: Adam Berger (gadgetell.com)

Gadgetell Quick Review & Peep Show: TiVo HD DVR

The Tivo HD takes most of the Series3 features but packs them in a lower priced model. The HD has the ability to record up to two HD programs while watching a third, via CableCards, cable, or over the air signals. It can record a maximum of 20 hours...

Dec, 2007

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Expert review by: Isaiah Strom (arstechnica.com)

Nine months with HD TiVo: the Series 3 platform

With nine months under its belt, eSATA expansion unofficially supported, and the promise of TiVoToGo's return, Ars examines the Series 3 TiVo to see how it fares as the first third-party native cable HD DVR solution.

Jul, 2007

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Product Specifications

TiVo HD is a smart addition to any high-definition TV, combining the clarity of high definition with the smart, easy-to-use TiVo Service. It works with any cable set-up. It connects to any home network, so you get access to the best of both broadcast and broadband content. It downloads the latest movies straight from the Internet to your living room. It can pause, rewind, and slow motion your favorite moments with razor-sharp HD clarity. Plus, TiVo HD connects to virtually any cable service via CableCARDs, so it replaces your existing cable box.