Samsung SIR-S4120R
Samsung SIR-S4120R
David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
Samsung's SIR-S4120R marks the company's first entry into the DVR market, and it's a doozy. This DirecTV receiver with a built-in 120GB hard disk and TiVo service is currently the highest-capacity product of its kind, and it's available now for $499.
Upside: The large hard disk holds 100 hours of programming--more than twice as much as competing DVR combos. TiVo's superb interface is integrated with DirecTV's program guide, there's no degradation in video quality, and the hard drive can record 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks. Best of all, the second tuner allows you to record one live show while watching and recording another.
Downside: The S4120R costs twice as much as lower-capacity DirecTiVo systems such as the Hughes HDVR2. Unless you subscribe to DirecTV's flagship $88-per-month Total Choice Premier package, you'll have to pay an additional $4.99 per month for TiVo service.
Outlook: Nothing beats DirecTiVo in terms of pure convenience, but potential buyers should also investigate the DVR options available from their local cable company. Hard-core DirecTV junkies who have problems deleting their old shows, however, should grab the S4120R in time for winter hibernation.
Upside: The large hard disk holds 100 hours of programming--more than twice as much as competing DVR combos. TiVo's superb interface is integrated with DirecTV's program guide, there's no degradation in video quality, and the hard drive can record 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks. Best of all, the second tuner allows you to record one live show while watching and recording another.
Downside: The S4120R costs twice as much as lower-capacity DirecTiVo systems such as the Hughes HDVR2. Unless you subscribe to DirecTV's flagship $88-per-month Total Choice Premier package, you'll have to pay an additional $4.99 per month for TiVo service.
Outlook: Nothing beats DirecTiVo in terms of pure convenience, but potential buyers should also investigate the DVR options available from their local cable company. Hard-core DirecTV junkies who have problems deleting their old shows, however, should grab the S4120R in time for winter hibernation.