TiVo, the company whose has name has become synonymous with the act of recording television shows, finally touched down in Canada last fall, marking the first time their lauded television programming management service and popular DVR box have been officially available outside the U.S.

And, after spending a couple of months playing with the TiVo Series 2 DT DVR and monkeying around with the service, we can happily report that TiVo is, more or less, everything that it's been cracked up to be. That said, there are a few limitations to and costs associated with TiVo's Canadian offering that keep it from being a no-brainer purchase for every couch potato.

But first the good stuff:

The programming management service is second to none. TiVo does an amazing job of giving users the power to quickly and easily find the programs they want to watch and record, whether it's individual episodes, series, or special one-time showings. It also does a respectable job of recommending shows based on the kind of programming you regularly watch, and keeping an eye out for programming you've indicated you'd like to watch but have yet to see broadcast. Plus, we've never seen another PVR that pauses, rewinds, and fast forwards live TV as accurately and quickly as the TiVo Series 2 DVR.

The unit sports two tuners to allow simultaneous recording of multiple shows and an 80GB hard drive capable of storing 80 hours of programming. It also offers the ability to download programming to handheld devices (like your iPod or PSP), and provides some nifty networking features that enable users to grab pictures and music off local PCs.

In short, there's no other off-the-shelf PVR that delivers as many useful and original features as the TiVo.

Now the negatives:

The biggest drawback is cost. The box itself, priced at $199, is actually a great value relative to other 80GB PVRs in the Canadian market. The service, however, will tack on $13 per month -- or $156 per year -- to your TV viewing habit. That's a lot to pay just for the convenience of easily finding and recording your favorite shows, especially when anyone with a Microsoft Media Center PC hooked up to his or her TV can access a very similar service at no monthly cost.

The next issue is lack of support for high-definition -- though this one isn't really TiVo's fault. A company spokesman we talked to (rightfully) attributes this issue to our country's shameful lack of a high-definition television standard equivalent to the U.S.'s CableCard format. That means we'll either have to wait for our regulators to get off their butts and do something about it (not likely) or for companies like Rogers and Bell to hammer out deals with TiVo to make machines that function with their particular services (even less likely).

TiVo's final hitch is presentation. At the risk of sounding a bit nationalistic, TiVo has an American flair that some Canadians might find grating. Whenever the machine is switched on we're subjected to a loud and annoying brand identification video that is wholly devoid of elegance. This showy flamboyance is part and parcel to the whole TiVo experience; the user interface is full of bright colors and cartoon-ish icons, and audio cues include annoying popping sounds for menu selections. The garish aesthetic will make TiVo stick out like a sore thumb in any modern and chic home theater setup.

Now these might seem like significant detriments, but consider the alternatives in Canada. High-definition PVRs from cable and satellite companies wholly lack the attractive accessibility of TiVo, as do most off-the-shelf units available at electronics stores. And while Microsoft's Media Center software has the advantages of a graceful interface and no monthly fee, it, like TiVo, lacks HD support -- and requires a PC.

Put simply, TiVo, while not perfect, is one of the best options available in our flawed television market, and we can expect this successful American company to become a serious player north of the 49th over the years to come.