The digital video recorder has to be the best add-on to my television. Ever since I got hooked up with the DirectTV Russian package and their top of the line digital video recorder, my TV viewing habits have been altered.

Let me give you a brief example.

If you have not watched television with a DVR, or a TiVo, you don’t know what you are missing. You have complete control over all the programming you decide to watch. If you are watching a show, and all of the sudden you realize that you are starving, you can just hit the pause button. Go make a snack, and come back when you’re ready, even if it takes 15 minutes!

Then when you start viewing your show again, you will have the added bonus of fast forwarding through any commercials that come up. Pass right through them each time they come up! Some days I don’t even see a single commercial.

Now here is how to get the most out of a DVR. I don’t surf through channels anymore. I simply set up my DVR to record the shows I like. Even with sports programming, I set the DVR to record, then I sit down about an hour after the game actually starts. That way, I can fast forward through all the commercials, and watch the game in about half the time.

Lastly, I can always see new episodes of my favorite series. An example, new episodes are coming out soon of Friday Night Lights on DirecTV. On the digital video recorder, all I have to do is pick the record series choice, and each time the show airs, my Direct TV DVR finds it night or day, and saves it for me. I can set it to save all of the episodes, or just the first-run episodes. All of this in high definition too!

Then, when I have the time to watch TV, all of my favorite shows are ready and waiting there for me to watch. No need to rearrange my schedule around the networks, not with my new TiVo and Direct TV.

While other companies like AT&T U-verse and Verizion Fios have also begun to offer DVR service, satellite TV companies like DIRECTV pioneered the product.

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