Here’s yet another review of the new Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder from TiVo over at PC Magazine. Reading the review, we found out some more information about the Series3 system. First off, digital channels recorded are stored in a raw format for maximum quality. Any analog based signals are encoded into MPEG-2 by a pair of Broadcom based encoders. Inside the box is a 250GB SATA based hard drive which is practically screaming for an upgrade hack. (For $799, you’d think you’d get a 500GB drive instead! sheesh).

Now – why is TiVoToGo not working on the Series3? Well it turns out that the folks at Cable Labs group have some content-protection concerns, a.k.a., DRM related concerns. Yes.. what a pisser.

PC Magazine also noted that the famed TiVo user interface looks a bit awkward in HD since it appears no one updated the look and feel for high definition. Fonts have jaggies and things just look a bit stretched out. Couldn’t someone hire some graphic designers to update the look ?? Come on now.

So finally, here’s the verdict from PC Magazine:

The TiVo Series3 is a solid, dual-tuning HD recorder that can be used with off-air and cable sources, but this early version is expensive and its menus are not completely optimized for HD displays.

PC Mag gave the Series3 a “Very Good” rating – 4 out of 5 stars.

[Check it out]

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