Product Review: The Comcast DVR

DVR (Digital Video Recorder) is one of the fastest growing technologies in recent years. Much like Tivo, Comcast has come out with their own version of digital recording and offers it at a very reasonable monthly price. Basically, a DVR unit allows you to record television shows on an internal hard drive that is stored in the digital set-top box. The unit that I will be reviewing in this article is the Motorola DCT3416 I. Some of the features include a Dual Tuner, High Definition capability, and for you serious audio/video buffs, an HDMI and digital audio inputs. Let's discuss some of these features.

The dual tuner allows you to view one show, while another is recording. This is a nice feature because if American Idol is on at the same time as Dog the Bounty Hunter, then you can watch American Idol while you record the other. Simply hit a button and the unit automatically flips you to the other tuner and continues recording the other show. Unfortunately, you cannot record two shows at the same time. The dual tuner does not allow this because only one show can be recorded to the internal hard drive at once.

Pausing live TV might be one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Let's say the Super Bowl is on and you need another soda. All you have to do is hit the pause button on the remote and the live action will stop and wait for you to get back. Once you want to resume action, just hit play and it will pick up where it left off. Also, once you come to a commercial you can hit the "Live" button, and it will automatically catch you up to the live action! If you miss a great touchdown catch or just want to see a play again, you can! The Comcast DVR allows you to rewind live TV (up to 45 minutes), so you can see something you missed. This is an aw some feature for those people that like to ruin movies by constantly asking, "What happened?...What did he say?". However, if you change the channel, that 45 minute "cushion" starts over. So, you can only rewind what you've already viewed.

Setting the unit up for you to record your favorite shows is a snap. Simply go into the Comcast DVR menu, select a "Series Setting" and choose the show you'd like to automatically record. Once this is done, the show you selected will automatically record whenever it airs. So no more fumbling around with VHS tapes or trying to program your VCR to record at the proper time. The Comcast DVR unit will do it all for you, with the touch of a button. Total time to set up this feature literally takes under 30 seconds! It's really that easy!

There is a maximum amount of space on the internal hard drive that cannot be exceeded. If you are recording in high definition, these shows will take up much more space on the hard drive than normal digital shows. There is a convenient feature that tells you how much space you've used up, so that you can delete shows to clear up free space if needed. Personally, I've never come close to using all my space.

If you really want to experience what television was meant to be, try Comcast DVR! The unit works flawlessly and is very easy and user friendly. For right around $10 a month, you can enjoy all your shows and don't have to worry about missing a single minute! In my opinion, it's worth every penny!