For as much grief as television providers get for their lackluster set-top-boxes / HD DVRs, we wonder why everyone doesn't own a TiVo? Actually, that'd be Tyler who's wondering:

"I'm using an HD DVR provided by my cable company, and most times, it works well enough. I've heard that TiVo boxes are superior, though I'm having a tough time justifying the additional monthly cost. I'd love to hear some pros and cons from current / former owners, as well as whether or not they think it's worth it."

Time to take a stand for your box, TiVo owners. What makes it so worthwhile? Is now a good time to buy one?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

For all of our complaining about the long run-up to the analog shutoff here in the US, this story illustrates the benefits of taking time to do a little consumer education. In Australia, it turns out that not everyone was aware that TVs with analog-only tuners are unable to receive the HD programming that Seven and Ten are advertising so heavily. This all came to a boil with Ten's HD-only Masters golf broadcast, and some customers returned to stores with talk of "misrepresentation." Retailers are giving away digital set-top boxes to smooth things over, though, so hopefully things are cleared up for now. This sounds exactly like the kind of thing US big-box retailers avoided by clearing shelves of analog-only TVs, and we might suggest some similar action for other global HD citizens.

With apologies to Shakespeare, something is brewing at VUDU. With CEDIA just around the corner, the company has laid off some of its staff, most notably some of its marketing higher-ups. Additionally, rumors are swirling regarding just about every aspect of the upstart company's future. CEPro got some talk-time with the VUDU's national dealer channel manager, and a theme of decreased emphasis on the retail channel seems to run throughout the conversation, punctuated by a end-of-life status on the VUDU X100. Meanwhile, the company is making some CEDIA promises for its custom-install-targeted VUDU XL: more HD content (1,000 titles), more connectivity (HD over component) and lifetime warranties on purchased titles. It's all rumor, but we wouldn't be surprised to see VUDU move exclusively into the custom-install market where it seems to have a toe-hold. So what say ye -- is something rotten in VUDU, or should we hang up the codpiece and get back to work?

[Image courtesy Blog of Wishes]

Read - CEPro's VUDU interview
Read - VUDU CEDIA plans

It's black, it plays nice with your PS3 and it enables owners in DVB-T territories to watch live TV via their PlayStation 3. Yep, it's Sony's PlayTV, and it has recently been reviewed on video by Stuff's Ruth Owen. We'd go into elaborate detail about exactly what she thinks, but then you might be discouraged from actually clicking through and hearing her most delightful accent. So we won't.

[Thanks, JimB]

Take this one with a hearty helping of salt for now, but we've received a bit of information that hints strongly at AT&T revealing a whole home DVR (possibly dubbed Total Home DVR) in the very near future. Unfortunately, details about the unit itself are still few and far between -- we've no idea who will be manufacturing it, and we can't confirm / deny whether it'll revolutionize your life (or the way you see U-verse TV). Still, we've reason to believe that the provider will be coughing up the official verbiage soon enough, so keep an eye out.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

The cable industry keeps going out of its way to mention tru2way is open to all, so after Verizon blasted the tech in a letter to the FCC as inhibiting technical innovation, here's National Cable & Telecommunications Association CEO Kyle McSlarrow's waved his hand and sent over this bit of suggestion. Apparently the NCTA is happy to have Verizon as a friend in attempting to rid cable boxes of those icky FCC-mandated FireWire ports (since Ethernet is a suitable replacement, according to them), but wants to clear up the misconception that tru2way devices are incompatible with cable alternatives (satellite, fiber, etc.) since hey, you can still use a set-top box just like you do now. Unfortunately since many of us have the "misconception" that we'd prefer devices that worked with any provider without requiring additional hardware, that's probably not going to cut it. Empty gesture or a real effort towards a unified set of standards across all providers? Take a look at the letter (warning: PDF read link) and decide for yourself.

[Via Cable Digital News]

When DISH Network and EchoStar split, it really had us scratching our head, but more recently the plan has started to become apparent to us. The latest revelation is that EchoStar has signed on to produce tru2way boxes. Evidently it hopes to steal away some of the business away from Cisco and Motorola. Although many seem to really like the DISH DVR, we're not sure what additional value EchoStar intends to bring to the tru2way scene since the magic of the DISH DVR is in the software. We suppose EchoStar could be offering a package deal that includes the software as well, but really who knows. One thing that does seem apparent -- and a trend -- is that there aren't intentions to sell the box directly to customers, which to us, kinda defeats the entire purpose of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Shortly after picking up its very own adult channel, VUDU is announcing a more, shall we say, family friendly bit today. Effective immediately, VUDU users will be able to renew any SD rental for $0.99 within seven days of first viewing the film, while renewals of HD rentals will cost $1.99. Additionally, VUDU has launched a new "99 for 99" movie channel which contains a rotating list of 99 films that can be rented for -- you guessed it -- just south of a Washington. Interestingly, VUDU calls the deals "summer blockbuster specials," though there's no sign of an end date for either. Can't say this totally changes the way we see the movie set-top-box, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Full release after the jump.

Verizon's latest push to get you to switch from your current carrier revolves directly around high-def, as it's offering new customers a HD DVR or HD Home Media DVR for a full year should they sign up before October 4th. According to Shawn Strickland, vice president of video solutions for Verizon, FiOS TV is "delivered over the network that's built for HD," and it's doing its best to ensure that everyone out there knows it. So, do any of you other providers care to match this, or will the leapfrog game end here?

[Image courtesy of PCMag]

We'd stop short of calling it inevitable, but we aren't shocked one bit to hear that on-demand porn has landed on VUDU's set-top-box. Adult Video Network (AVN) has developed a channel for VUDU which enables users to rent and purchase SD or HD films just like any other less explicit title. As expected, users would be asked to first "verify their age" and clear parental controls before anything on the channel could be viewed. Interested in pricing details? Try $6.99 / $19.99 for SD rentals / purchases and $8.99 / $29.99 for HD rentals / purchases.

[Via CEPro]

Although everyone isn't on board the tru2way train, those that are excited about it, are pushing forward. Today Motorola officially announced its tru2way toolkit. The kit will includes software to run on Windows XP, as well as a Motorola tru2way STB for real world testing. So whether you work for a cable company that's ramping up for deployment, or just an independent developer hoping to break into a walled garden near you, you'll be able to test your application without all the normally insanely expensive equipment like a your own personal headend. The exact price wasn't included in the release, but whatever it costs, Motorola assures you there won't be any 3rd party licensing fees as the kit is based on open source tools.

Ever since personal computers have been capable of displaying full motion video -- almost ten years now -- we've wanted the same great content we have access to our TV, on our PC. Intel has been on board with us since day one -- for obvious reasons -- and was a big reason why the FCC currently requires cables companies to provide us with a HD STB with a functional 1394 port (upon request). But as we all know, 1394 isn't all the rage these days and thanks to all the DRM -- and the lack of 5C support on PCs -- going through the trouble of requiring your provider to comply with the mandate, just isn't worth it to access the same channels you can already get with a clear QAM tuner. So for the reasons mentioned above, Intel has petitioned the FCC to replace the 1394 requirement with a IP one. While we agree that IP is more widespread than 1394, we aren't so sure about the DRM that would be used to protect the content; DTCP-IP. So while we want HD on our PC as much as the next, if the FCC doesn't also require CableLabs to license DTCP-IP to computer software and hardware manufactures alike, we really don't see how this change would help.

Finally, a multi-system operator that see this whole two-way CableCARD problem the same way we do. Don't get us wrong, we want to get rid of our providers STB as much as the next, but the way we see it is tru2way isn't that great, but is better than nothing. Just like Verizon, we'd like to see "a cable-centric approach to interactive connectivity [that] does not inhibit technological innovation... or disadvantage other segments of the video marketplace." Or in other words, having the choice of what hardware that we may use on our provider's network isn't good enough, we want to choose the software too. While the rest of the cable industry thinks tru2way is open, we think it is about as open as AOL Internet access was-- so yeah, it's a walled garden. The other thing that really hit home with us about Verizon's statement, was that it thinks the approved solution should be an "all-provider" solution, meaning it should be the same no matter if the provider uses coax, fiber, copper or satellite to deliver services. We couldn't agree more, and would love nothing more than to be able to use an HD TiVo (for example) on any provider we wanted without being forced to give up any features such as HD or VOD.

For those of us who have been around the block a time or two, we can distinctly remember just how hard WebTV fell. Granted, it is still around as MSN TV, but when is the last time you actually saw one being used? A new report put forth by ABI Research is asserting that web-based interfaces will soon become more popular than ever, potentially finding their way into set-top-boxes, standalone players, media streamers, etc. We've already seen RSS feeds and the like appearing on HDTVs, and the integration of Ethernet ports is certainly noticeable. Still, there seems to be a good deal of disconnect even now between bona fide internet content and HD programming, leaving us to wonder how accurate these suggestions really are. And furthermore, to what extent will being connected to the internet affect the way you utilize your living room TV?

[Image courtesy of Ruel]