In a recent post, I lamented the evils of Time Warner and their CableCards. The gist: they didn't work. I had them replaced five times and they were still broken when I gave up. So, I cut my losses and moved on.

The biggest problem was leaving behind my Tivo Series3 (if you want it, I'm selling it below). I love it dearly and spent a pretty penny on it, but what good is it if it doesn't work? The good news is that DirecTV's HD DVR, the HR20, has almost all the same features and it works. If you're considering making the switch the only drawback is the lackluster interface and nothing like TivoToGo or Tivo Desktop, which are coming to Series3 soon, supposedly).

Even better is that I convinced DirecTV to give me the Sunday Ticket deal (pay for NFL Sunday Ticket, get 4 months of free programming), a free HD DVR (normally $300) and a free upgrade to the Sunday Ticket SuperFan package. As another bonus, I got a $100 rebate check in the mail today. In the end, I will make money on this deal.

Buy My Series3

While this post was primarily a bitchfest, I did love my Series3. There was nothing wrong with the box itself, just the hardware it relied on. If you're interested in buying it from me, I bought it in January for $650 and paid another $200 to transfer the lifetime service (which follows the box, not the owner). They're going for $600 new on Amazon right now. Make a good offer and it's yours. I'll even ship it for free. You can email me at capn (oot) capndesign {doot} com.