The latest craze among TV fanatics is the digital video recorder (DVR). The DVR allows viewers to record and save hours of the hottest shows and movies, all in digital format, without the hassle of videotape. Like magic, the DVR lets viewers pause live TV and do instant replay and slow motion of the best scenes. Best of all, the digital video recorder gives a TV watcher the one thing he’s always longed for: the power to eliminate annoying commercials from his favorite programs. TiVo represents the latest in DVR technology, offering a wide range of capabilities to TV watchers. All content recorded by TiVo is digital quality. None of the crisp vividness that characterizes digital viewing is lost due to the recording process.

TiVo itself is made up of a hard drive and special software for recording digital TV. The software is intuitive: with a little programming, it will automatically record movies and shows it thinks the viewer will find appealing.

Recording and storage capabilities depend on the TiVo’s hard drive and differ from model to model, ranging from 30 hours to 300 hours. Recorded content can be transferred from the TiVo box to a desktop computer, a laptop or handheld video device.

TiVo offers a wide range of special features to enhance the digital TV experience. TiVo lets viewers watch a pre-recorded program while another program is being taped. Live television can be paused for up to 30 minutes, at which point the show will continue regular broadcast. A setting called Season Passes prompts TiVo to record every episode of a program whenever it comes on TV. If an episode of the show is repeated, TiVo can be instructed to skip it. Using TiVo’s Wish List option, viewers can record movies featuring their favorite directors and actors. Wish List will also do searches for favorite sports teams or athletes and record related programs.

Online scheduling with TiVo’s Series 2 box makes the recording of programs easy for the busiest TV fan. Using the Internet, Series 2 box owners can program TiVo to record shows in advance. So if you’re stuck at the office and can’t get home to catch the latest episode of 24, use the Internet to connect to your TiVo, and it will record the show for you.

Keep in mind that TiVo doesn’t function with C-band satellites, although TiVo boxes can be used with antenna, cable, digital cable and satellite TV receivers. DSL users shouldn’t have a problem using Tivo, although a DSL filter may be needed. Broadband connection also supports Tivo. Another point to remember: TiVo needs a landline phone connection in order to function to its fullest capacity.

If you haven't been paying attention to TV technology lately, you've been missing some pretty impressive developments and the cable TV provider, Comcast, can bring them all to you. One of the most radical advances in TV technology in the past couple of decades- but the one that probably gets the least recognition- is digital TV. With digital TV, the picture and sound of TV are converted into ones and zeros that can be transmitted over a wire or over the air and then converted back into the TV picture and sound by a digital TV tuner.

The fact that the signal is all digital makes it very easy for the tuner to separate interference from the actual television signal, and that in turn allows the tuner to clean up the signal and produce a very crisp, clear, and clean picture as well as sound that can then be delivered through the TV. Another benefit of digital TV that Comcast takes advantage of it the fact that when TV programming is delivered digitally, a variety of other information can also be delivered along with it. This information, which is commonly called meta-information, can be used to assemble an on screen program guide and can be used by parental control software to determine whether or not the program is suitable for a household's children. Both of these are features that Comcast offers to its subscribers.

The on screen program guide is sure to save time and energy while avoiding the frustration of clicking up and down the channels in order to see what's on and decide what to watch. (This can be a real life saver when you look at the fact that Comcast can offer over two hundred and seventy five channels in its largest programming package.) Comcast's parental control software is just as valuable because it allows you to make the rules about what your children can and can't watch. Once you've made those rules, the software will then look at the meta-information of the programs that are about to come on the screen and then block any of them that break your rules. This provides real peace of mind for parents everywhere, and best of all it works with teenagers as well as with toddlers.

Of course Comcast offers a lot of other types of advanced technology with its digital cable TV service. For example, it also provides HDTV. HDTV is a high resolution, wide screen version of digital TV that was designed to provide a cost effective way to get the same quality viewing experience that you'd get in a real movie theater. While HDTV was designed to show movies, it's also very good for enjoying everything from news programming and programming about personal hobbies to sports and educational programming.

Video on demand is another cutting edge technology that Comcast can provide for you. Video on demand will allow you to enjoy things like recently released movies through the ON DEMAND pay per view service and special content from some of the best sources of programming through a special subscription service called Premium On Demand.

These are just a few of the ways that Comcast Cable provides you with lots of the latest technology.

I started out to write a straight review of Dish Network for you, but I did want to mention there’s a little secret buried in here about how to save a ton of money when you order the Dish service. So pay attention, okay?

This review is going to start with a little story about my buddy Tim.

Tim is the most stubborn person I’ve ever known. Even when we were kids, I told him about a shortcut he could take through the woods to get from his house to mine a lot faster. Did he listen? No, he continued to go the long way around.

I told him not to use the rope swing over the river, the water was down and it would be too shallow. Did he listen? No, and he spent most of that summer in a cast from the knee down.

Even though I know about his stubborn nature, I still try to help him out when I can. The most recent example was when he finally got tired of the cable company raising his rates and decided to switch to satellite TV.

Every time I called him, he was scouring the Internet, searching for the best deal and who to place his order with. I told him about the place I’d found and how easy it was to use. “Do not buy Dish Network without checking out this site first,” I said. But did he listen? Of course not. I’ve put the link at the bottom of this story, so scroll down there and check it out. Hopefully you’re smarter than Tim and will take my advice and go there.

Anyway, back to the review of Dish Network. I told Tim how I’d already done all the research. I’d already learned that Dish Network offers the most channels for the least amount of money. It could have saved him so much time and aggravation, if he wasn’t such a stubborn SOB. If he’d listened to me, he could already be enjoying all the movies and sporting events on their pay-per-view channels. He could choose from 200 hours a day of HD programming. He could get an HDTV receiver, a DVR and 4 rooms installed for NOTHING! It’s all free! If you know WHERE to get it from, that is. And for that, you’re going to have to click on those links down at the bottom.

Now, Tim has to do things his own way, even when his own way is costlier, more time consuming and sometimes just downright stupid.

In fact, he’s just about ruined me for trying to help people. But I believe when you find something good, especially if it saves time and money, you should share it with others. That’s why I included those three links down at the bottom. I clicked on dozens of websites about Dish Network (and there are millions online) before I landed on those three, and believe me, they are the ONLY ones worth your time.

Now, let’s get to that dirty little secret I uncovered quite by accident. Some of the websites you’ll go to will bury their best deals on the inner pages of their websites. A lot of people don’t look beyond the first page or two of details and never even see them. While they may think it makes for good business, it doesn’t make potential customers very happy.

You can stop spinning your wheels and wasting your valuable time by following my advice and clicking on the links below. Why, because these guys are the ones who spend all day long finding those “secret” pages and keeping on top of the best deals. That’s the only way I was able to find the most current promotions and the simplest way to order your Dish Network system.

Or you can be like Tim, determined to do things your own way and spend days, even weeks, trying to sort through a maze of hype.

Tim called last night. After 3 weeks, I guess he’d finally had enough, though he’d never admit that to me. But he did ask, “Hey man, what was that website you said you found?” He tried to be all casual about it, like it didn’t matter much, but I knew better.

Don’t be like Tim. Listen to someone who’s been there and done it. Just click the links at the end of this story. You’ll be glad you did.