Friday, October 7, 2011

Not All Satellite TV DVRs Are Created Equal

Similar to the fact that not all satellite TV providers are the same, not all digital video recording devices are the same either. There are a number of features that could potentially be included with them that you should be aware of, otherwise you might end up making the wrong decision when it comes time to getting one. In any case, you need to have some sort of recording device attached to your satellite service or you probably won't be able to take full advantage of all that it has to offer. Even though any sort of DVR is better than nothing, you should probably try to get the best one you can. The following are some criteria that you should take into consideration.

It might be helpful to think of DVRs as mini computers that are used to record TV shows. As such, it can have a variety of different capabilities. For example, depending on how advanced your particular model is, it may or may not be able to record and play HD video. Just like your computer at home, if your DVR is too old it won't have what it takes to handle high quality video playback, but if it's relatively new it should have no problems with that kind of application. If you want to take full advantage of that expensive TV set you have in your living room, it's important that your DVR is up to par.

Your DVR could be extremely advanced, but if it doesn't have enough storage space available then it wouldn't be all that useful to you. Just like with computers, the more storage space you have access to the more information you will be able to put on it, which equates to being able to schedule in more shows to watch at a later time. Not all satellite TV providers will give you access to a DVR with plenty of space, so be on the lookout for ones that do.

Although the previous two points are probably the most important for a DVR, you also have to consider how it will interact with your provider. Sometimes, DVRs have straightforward functionality in that they will be able to only record one show at a time and you won't be able to watch anything else while that's happening. Other times, you will be able to record one show while watching another. Ultimately, it just depends on the DVR you have. Therefore, you should see what kind of extra features would be available on the recording device supplied by your satellite TV provider. One popular trend that's start to be recognized as such as is known as whole home DVR service. The basic premise is that it allows you to pause the shows you're watching anytime and resume them in a different room in a seamless way. Not all providers offer that kind of usage, so you should investigate further before signing up. You could be in your bedroom watching a recording when you feel like eating something in your kitchen. If you don't have whole home DVR service, you'd have to wait to finish watching your program but if you do then you could continue watching it over there.

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