Before we had DirecTV with HD, we had Time Warner. Their DVR boxes were reasonable at $7 a month, but boy, were they cheaply made. They had no cooling fan inside, and the hard drive inside would fail due to heat at fairly regular intervals. They replaced the DVR at no additional charge to us, but of course we lost whatever shows were recorded on the DVR.
So far, the DirecTV HD box/DVR seems to be more durable, but we're recording shows on a standalone Western Digital external hard drive (connected to the DirecTV box), as I'm hoping that will survive the longest.
So far, the DirecTV HD box/DVR seems to be more durable, but we're recording shows on a standalone Western Digital external hard drive (connected to the DirecTV box), as I'm hoping that will survive the longest.