Gadget Of The Week: TiVo HD XL

I remember being forced to abandon my TiVo when I upgraded to HDTV, and how sad a moment it was: my beloved TiVo interface and cuddly features ripped from my hands because I couldn't allow a standard definition DVR to interface with my precious 1080p baby. TiVo had everything but the excellent picture and audio standards that I demand from my technology, and so the branded baby had to go. In its place arrived a clunky, cheap cable-provided DVR from Scientific Atlanta that was less desirable in almost every way - except that it could record two shows at once and could handle HD shows with aplomb and a single HDMI output.

So when Den Den announced the TiVo HD XL last week, I was pleased, even if my own TiVo window had long since passed. TiVo has finally come home to roost by iscontinuing TiVo Series 3 and replacing it with a whopping 1TB HDD packed with a back-lit TiVo Glo Remote, bundled HDMI cord and THX certification.

At $599.99, it's not gonna replace my cable company's HDTV DVR, which costs pennies a month and can be exchanged for an upgrade at any time, but for anyone entering into the HDTV DVR market who'd rather pay up front and not have to learn any new sciences to record a simple TV show, TiVo is finally ready for prime time.