Forget TiVO, Rogers Now Offers PVR in Canada Too

For a long time, many Canadians have wondered why TiVO has not operating in Canada. But now Rogers offers PVR (Persoanl Video Recorder) service, integrated with the regular digital box, for either a monthly rent of $19.95 per month, or a one-time purchase of it for $588.

According to the Rogers website, its PVR has these rare features:

• Record two shows at once
• Record one show while watching a different channel
• Pause, rewind, and instant-replay "LIVE TV"
• Record up to 50 hours of programming
• Automatically record "ALL EPISODES" of your favourite shows
• All-in-one Digital Terminal & Digital Recorder
• Get Picture-In-Picture on any TV

HUB magazine has more detail about Rogers PVRs and their advantages over some similar services like from Bell ExpressVU.

There is also a report by a user experience studio, called Teehan+Lax, in which Bell and Roger's PVRs have been compared(PDF) in terms of user experience.

As for the recorder machine itself, which seems to be Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000, PVR Blog reports a wierd bug related to the leap year. It has also pointed to an interesting blog in which, Joe Clark, a technician, keeps track of his own Explorer 8000.

Some features of the Explorer 80000 include:

• 80GB Hard Drive
• Pauses Live TV For Up To One Hour
• Supports Alternative Languages
• Built-In Dolby Digital Technology
• Channel Favourites List
• Supports Closed Captioning
• On-Screen Channel And Program Banner
• On-Screen Pay-Per-View Purchase Summary
• S-Video Output Jack
• One Set Of RCA Type A/V And Output Jacks
• Coaxial Digital Audio (Dolby Digital) Output
• Software Upgrades

After I get my PVR tomorrow morning, the question for me would be whether to rent it or purchase it. I guess I'm going to rent it until an stable model comes out with minimum bugs.

Additional links:
- FutureShop sells three types of PVRs
- Explorer 8000 on Scientific Atlanta's official website