• by Wayne Friedman , September 8, 2014

TiVo’s new “Mega” DVR can record and hold 4,000 hours of high-definition (HD) TV content -- 26,000 hours of standard-definition (SD) video. Recording HD equates to about 24 weeks of constant playback -- or 3 years' worth in SD TV/video.

The new unit, which goes on sale next year, has 24 terabytes of hard-drive space with a price tag of $5,000 and a lifetime subscription for the TiVo service.

"Size matters. People hate being forced to delete cool stuff from their DVR before they want to or finding a TV show they had recorded is now gone," stated Ira Bahr, chief marketing officer of TiVo.

He says TiVo Mega offers more than 12 times the storage of any cable or satellite DVR, has six tuners for six simultaneous recordings and streams content to smartphones or tablet within and outside the home.

Recently, TiVo announced its more modest Roamio DVR unit had been remodeled for “cord cutters” -- at a lower price. The Roamio “over the air” unit will sell for just $50. The Roamio unit can also stream media from Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and Spotify. An earlier version of the unit had a $200 price tag. There is also a $15 monthly subscription fee for TiVo service.