With up to 20 hours of program recording capacity, the Philips HDR212 is a personal TV recorder that's a tapeless alternative to analog VCRs. The HDR212 uses a 2 GB hard drive and TiVo technology to store compressed audio and video data. This server can pause live broadcasts and resume a program where you left off or return to real time. The remote allows you to rewind and fast-forward pretaped shows or skip recorded commercials.
Setup cables included in the package are a 50-foot phone cord and splitter that connects to an existing phone line. The line downloads TV listings and programming as well as TiVo's Suggestions feature and
TiVolution Magazine, a guide from TiVO on recommended programs to watch. TiVo charges $9.95 a month for its weekly listing service, TiVolution Magazine, and its Suggestions feature, or you can pay a one-time service charge of $249.