Finally, a Standalone HD TiVo

TiVo today finally took the wraps off its stand-along HD DVR, a much-anticipated move that took much longer than the company ever planned. It'll set you back $800, but for TiVo fanatics who have been craving the ability to record and play back in high-def, it's likely worth every penny. The new Series 3 has two tuners, meaning that users can record two programs while watching one they have already recorded. There is enough hard-drive space to record 32 hours of HD programming and THX has certified the device, the first time it has done so for a DVR.

To give a brief history lesson, TiVo initially rolled out its first HD DVR about two years ago but it was only available if you subscribed to DIRECTV satellite service. Reviews were favorable; however, as with the new Series 3 announced today, pricing was much higher than anything else on the market. It was never clear to me why TiVo shortly thereafter didn't release an HD DVR that didn't require a DIRECTV subscription, although the most likely scenario seems to be that the satellite giant had some sort of exclusive rights to the technology.

Now, of course, DIRECTV has replaced TiVo with DVR products from one of its sister News Corp. companies, NDS. TiVo needs new innovative products to survive as a standalone business and the Series 3 HD DVR should help fill that void left by the breakup with DIRECTV. But the real question is how many people will pony up $800 for the high-def TiVo when they can get one from their cable company for $10-15 a month with no upfront purchase required? I for one love TiVo's interface and other innovations that have yet to be duplicated by cable DVR offerings. But $800 is a lot to spend after coughing up a few grand on an HDTV, receiver, speakers and DVD player.

Is TiVo's Emmy-winning technology worth the price premium? Consumers will soon decide, as the HD version hits stores next week.