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Its the digital picture quality. And a big hard drive (the prices have dropped and are still coming down) can hold a LOT more programs than any analog VCR tape can. The longest VCR record time at extended play mode is 10 hours. By contrast, a DVR can record up to 200 hours of programming. Think of going on vacation and NEVER having to miss a single show again. That's what's making devices like TiVOs so popular.

There is SO much more you can do with a DVR than a VCR. One great feature is that you can pause or rewind anything (realtime and live, not just what you recorded) you're watching at any time because the device is always recording.

Watching a big game and need to use the restroom? Just hit pause, then "unpause" when you get back. Missed some dialogue because the kids were screaming? Just hit rewind and see it again. Remember I'm talking real time and live TV, not just what you've already recorded.

Also it's all digital. The recording quality is exactly as good as when you first watched it from the source ..... forever.

The ones that are designed for cable are OK, but IMO you're missing the boat if you're not using them with a 32 bit digital satellite signal. With a digital satellite signal there will NEVER be any snow, interference or static ever. You either get it or you don't.

Some cable companies are now hawking a "digital" signal. What they don't tell you is that it's a 16 bit signal as opposed a 32 bit signal from satellite. Like your video card, 16 bit allows several thousand colors, while 32 bit allows several million.