Tivo today officially debuted a new Series2 digital video recorder which adds one of the most long awaited features by fans of the set top box: dual tuner support. The new Tivo Series2 DT DVR will be available for purchase beginning May 1 as an 80-hour model priced at $99.99 after rebate and service activation.
The Tivo Series2 DT DVR (available with one year of pre-paid service for $254), said Tivo, is targeted towards households with cable and allows basic cable (analog) subscribers the ability to watch one show while recording another as well as record two shows at the same time. Digital cable subscribers can record one analog and one digital channel at the same time, but not two digital channels at the same time.
Other features of the new Tivo Series2 DT DVR, besides the usual assortment of goodies already loaded on a Tivo, include built-in Ethernet and USB ports for adding the DVR to an existing home network.
“We’ve been hearing from our subscribers that they wanted a Tivo DVR that could record two shows at once,” said Jim Denney , Vice President of Product Marketing at Tivo, in a statement. “With the Tivo Series2 DT DVR, we’ve delivered that capability to our customers at a very affordable price.”