DirecTV's New HD DVR Getting Good Marks

Reviews posted online for the DirecTV Plus HD DVR have been generally favorable since the product's intro last month. CNET, for example, gives it 8.1 out of 10 (rating it "Excellent").

CNET's reviewer said the new DVR from the DBS firm is not a TiVo, for better or for worse, and does a good job of receiving and recording new MPEG-4 AVC programming -- "including local and other HD channels not available on older receivers." The DVR can record two HD shows simultaneously while playing back a third, and has an "excellently designed interface" and "impressive image quality," CNET said.

On the downside, the reviewer notes the unit "lacks true 30-second delay function," has no picture-in-picture, and the ATSC tuner currently is disabled.

The Plus HD DVR will be the first product to recognize Viiv technology from Intel, and will permit the wired transfer of PC content (currently restricted to mostly music files and personal digital photos) from a Viiv-equipped PC to a larger HD screen.