My wife asked for a special present for Mother's Day and her birthday. (Yes, I did a little something on each of those days; I did not simply skip them in lieu of this gift.) She wanted a Tivo.
Now, in general, I abhor anything that requires a subscription to use. What happens if the company goes out of business? You're stuck with a doorstop that you can't use, you can't sell, you can't return, and you can't just throw away (unless you're willing to completely ignore environmental hazards; something I at least make an effort to obey, although I'm sure I'm not perfect). Plus, there have been great strides in Linux-land in making a user-friendly PVR system. I had originally kicked around this idea almost three years ago, but at the time I had not the time, motivation, or skill to put one together with the tools at the time, but a quick search turned up whole communities built around this concept. Build Your Own PVR was the one that stood out by far.
So, with permission from the wife, I began research on what it would take to build a PVR.
