I have 2 TIVO's. I've had several DVR's over the years but since TIVO is king right now, I don't have another choice really.
But let me tell you...
once you use a TIVO, you will N E V E R want to watch TV without it. I got my wife hooked on it too. You can make it your personal TV secretary and have it search for and record shows that you are interested in. And the ability to record 2 programs at once or watch live tv while you record something else is PRICELESS!
Ofr course you know about the ability to pause and rewind live tv right? Comes in handy whenever.
And unless there's something that comes on TV that you absolutely have to see live, you can watch TV on your own time. Check out this TIVO forum:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/ (My advice is to use the search feature heavily b/c just about any question you have or will ever have has already been posted and answered there).
If you don't need to get DirecTV, check your local cable company. Many of them are offering their own DVR. As I'm sure you can tell, I swear by a TIVO. Hope you get it man, you won't regret it.