Wouldn't it be great if you could automatically record your favorite shows without having to worry about setting up the VCR? What if you could easily skip from recorded show to recorded show without the tedious rewinding and forwarding of tapes?

Satellite TV has made old-fashioned cable obsolete, and the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) has made VCR's obsolete. Digital Video Recorders, sometimes known as Personal Video Recorders are the sophisticated cousin of the VCR - with a lot more options.

Digital Video Recorders work by receiving the video signals from a satellite TV system. The digital video recorders record the specified television show onto a hard disk contained within the DVR. The hard drives are similar to the hard drives found in computers, with a typical capacity of 40, 80, or even 120 gigabytes. The larger the capacity of the hard drive, the more television shows you can record and store on the hard drive.

An internal hard drive allows you to record many shows without changing tapes or disks - you just save them onto the hard drive. And when you are ready to watch the shows, you just retrieve them with the touch of a button.

Some of the typical features included in a digital video recorder are:

• Record your favorite shows easily
• Program to record any show or movie with favorite actors
• Program to search channels and record every occurrence of favorite show
• Pause live TV
• Standard features of play, stop, fast forward, fast reverse, skip forward
• Some units will record High Definition TV
• Some units allow you to record two shows simultaneously
• Unit 'remembers programming' - if a show is a favorite, you don't need to program it each week to record the show, just one initial set-up

Digital video recorders are not only a great convenience but free the consumer to further enjoy the TV viewing process. It can also eliminate many family feuds, with the ability to never miss a favorite show. And finally, many satellite TV contracts offer a digital recorder free with service.