Earlier this week, we reported that TiVo was entering into a licensing agreement with Toshiba American Consumer Products for TiVo's technology that records pre-selected television programs onto a hard drive, rather than to VHS tapes. Two additional large companies, RCA and Panasonic, are reportedly entering the ring with hard drive television recording devices that are also DVD players.

RCA's Scenium DRS7000N Digital Media Recorder is both a DVR and DVD player, as well as a progressive-scan DVD player for high definition-enabled television sets. One major difference between the DRS7000N and TiVo is that the DRS7000N selects its listings of available programs directly from the television signal, at no charge. TiVo users must pay a fee for TiVo's listings, either a one-time fee of $249.99 US, or a monthly fee of $12.95 US for eternity, or at least as long as you use the TiVo. Even more appealing is that the DRS7000N does not require connection to a telephone jack, as TiVo does, which means that you are not dependent on the manufacturer of the DVR for service. And, the DRS7000N can be sold to a third party without having to transfer the license and the subscription, a big plus. But the DRS7000N has its drawbacks: it can only record a limited number of sequential days of programs, unlike TiVo's two-week recording time frame. And, since there is no monthly fee, the viewer must endure on-screen advertising that is a part of the listing guide, which can be annoying. The DRS7000N costs $600 US, which is more than TiVo, but the DRS700N includes a DVD player, which TiVo does not, and the DRS700N has no annual or monthly subscription or license fees. The DRS7000N does not have a 'matching list' for recording favorite programs automatically, but it does allow transfer of digital-camera photos and MP3 files from a CD onto its hard drive, so you can play music and view slide shows on your television. While TiVo has clear text that indicates the program you are watching as well as a content summary, the DRS75000N displays only the time and television channel. The DRS7000N reportedly has some features that TiVo does not have: it provides a 24-hour text-only news screen, the ability to rename a program you have recorded, and a 30-second advertisement skipping feature. The DRS7000N is much more 'bare bones' than TiVo, and is probably better suited for the technologically capable.

The Panasonic DMR-HS2 may be more appealing to the home theatre crowd, as the DMR-HS2 matches a hard drive with a DVD recorder, rather than a DVD player. The DMR-HS2 allows video recording onto a hard drive, a blank DVD or to a DVD-RAM disc. The DVD-RAM resembles a blank DVD, but costs about $30 US per DVD. While you can erase and reuse a DVD-RAM disc repeatedly, it won't play in standard DVD players. Rest assured that the DMR-HS2 has copyright technology that prohibits duplication of commercial DVDs. But you can record a television program onto the hard drive, copy the result onto a DVD for storage, or edit out the commercials before viewing and sharing your program with friends. The DMR-HS2 can also be used for transferring home videos from VHS tapes, has a PC card slot adapter for a digital camera memory card. However, the DMR-HS2 has no television program listings and must be programmed like a VCR to record television programs. It also lacks an instant-replay feature, stop and replay of a program in live broadcast, and no program information button. And the MSRP of $999.95 US is a 'stop sign' for most enthusiasts. The DMR-HS2 reportedly has a highly technical, graph intensive 95-page users' manual - when coupled with the exorbitant price, this is not a product the average consumer will likely be interested in buying.

For more details on the RCA you can click here.
For more details on the Panasonic you can click here.