TiVo is one of those things that you have to use in order to understand (GPS in your car, cellphones, and email are other examples). I can describe the technical characteristics of my TiVo for you in the tiniest detail, but until you've set up a TiVo on your media totem, you'll never understand just how transformative it is to own one. I've completely forgotten what it's like to watch dumb TV. When I check into a hotel and put the tube on, it's like I've travelled back to some dark age where TV sucked.