I can't speak about Charter. But I can tell you that I checked in to getting an HD TiVo and found that the only HD choice was a $799 box. I went with the Comcast DVR instead.
~m.

I have the 80 GB model from Charter and it works great. Record two shows at once and can still be watching a show that was already recorded. So you have three shows in process, two recording and one being played. You can record one show and watch another also.

Decent user interface and reliable hardware. In a years time I have power cycled maybe five times to reboot the system mostly after a prolonged power failure.

Two thumbs up put I wish I had the 160 GB model. I have the Moxi model from Motorola. Mine is not HD.

I also can't comment on Charter's box, nor can I compare it to Tivo, but Knology's HD DVR receiver is pretty nice. It's the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000HD. It has two receivers built-in so I can record two shows at once, playback another that I previously recorded and, if I'm that desperate, I can even pipe another signal to another TV using the "copy to VCR" feature.

I switched from DirecTV to Knology about 2 years ago. Mostly just to save a few dollars and have 1 bill to pay instead of 3. Having recently upgraded to HD, I'm glad to be back on cable.

I'm pretty sure that DirecTV just found out recently that they're not going to be allowed to carry local HD channels. Their HD lineup isn't that great as it is, you have to upgrade your dish and receiver to get HD and if you want a DVR it's way too expensive. The only reason I can think of to go with DirecTV for HD is for the HD NFL Sunday Ticket package. I have the standard Sunday Ticket package (go Bengals) and I really wish the games were in HD.

My advice would be to go with Charter and get the DVR.

Thanks, all. #9, does Charter's DVR have "season pass" (that's what Tivo calls it) where you can tell it to record all episodes of a show? Do they keep their schedule updated to allow for extended broadcasts or showings at a different time? Tivo is pretty good about this, but on Sunday all bets are off on the networks because of sports.

I'm with Uncle on the DVR front. I use DishNetwork with HDTV and 2 DVRs with a third video-only unit. Other than the occasional "fooled-you-we're-actually-showing-something-else-this-hour", I've been quite pleased.

The signal is crisp, even during most storms. I'd like more capacity on my DVR, but we plan to use a portable device called PocketDish for that (think iPod meets DVR).

And the cost, when integrated into our phone and data package, is about $55/month with the DVR fees waived. That's about 30% less than our local cable provider, so it was a no-brainer for us.

I am using the Tivo wireless for updates, etc. and don't want to mess with using an analog phoneline. Can anyone tell me if the Charter box supports wireless or does it use only a phone line?

Greg Baker:

The charter box that i have doesn't use wireless or a phone line...Charter offers internet through the cable, so it uses the high speed internet through the cable to do its communications.