WSJ's Walt Mossberg: Comcast DVRs Suck Ass

Personal Technology - WSJ.com:

"So, why not just stick with the high-definition DVR supplied by the cable company? After all, while it isn't free, it's cheaper than the TiVo.

The answer is that, at least in my recent experience with the nation's biggest cable company, Comcast, the high-definition DVR it supplies is just awful. If cable boxes were sold at retail like consumer-electronics devices, the Comcast DVR I tested, built by Motorola, would get creamed by better competitors.

My Comcast box, a Motorola DCT3412 I, which Comcast rents for about $12 a month, holds a maximum of 15 hours of high-definition programming or 60 hours of standard programming. The TiVo holds up to 35 hours of high-definition programs or up to 300 hours of standard.

Also, the user interface on the Comcast box is crude and confusing -- nothing like the elegant interfaces people have become used to on their personal computers and devices like iPods. The TiVo interface, by contrast, is effective and attractive.

The worst problem is that the Comcast box flubs the basic functions of a DVR. It is maddeningly slow at responding to commands sent by the remote control to pause, play, fast-forward and rewind. You press pause and nothing happens. So you press it again. You try to return to normal speed after fast-forwarding through commercials and the unit takes so long to obey your command that you badly overshoot the resumption of the program."

Mossberg does mention the TiVo/Comcast deal which is supposed to provide a TiVo option for Comcast users in 2007. I'm hoping to get to try this out at CES this year.

Mossberg's criticisms of the new TiVo Series 3 by contrast include that it doesn't provide show portability (the TiVo2Go functionality on earlier Series 2 generation boxes -- you can thank your friends in Hollywood for that one) and the higher price.

Still, if money is no object for you (yeah, right), there is simply no comparison between the crappy generic DVR offerings and the Series 3 TiVo right now.

The new Vista CableCARD Media Center PCs will likely give the Series 3 a run for it's money but those won't be out until later this month. I probably won't buy one right away because I already upgraded to a Mac last month and all... (well unless one shows up on my doorstep without a return address, Microsoft, Edelman, are you listening? -- just kidding of course) but it will be interesting to see how they compare with the Series 3.

For another classic rant on the Comcast crappy DVR check out John Battelle's from a few months back.

Having people like John Battelle and Walt Mossberg call your DVR a smelly pile of poo just can't be good for Comcast. Now, if Comcast was smart, maybe they could just contact a bunch of bloggers and offer them free high def units and free service for a year to... uhhhh... check out... ummm.. their new HD "review" box. (again, just kidding, seriously, Comcast, don't do it, you'll get creamed).