I was looking at Directv's new MPEG4 DVR. The pipedream now has innards and according to the map they had posted, Hartford and my zip code are eligible to get the box! What a perfect last visit for me. I'll be ordering this as soon as I can, but I hear there's about a four to six week wait to get them. I had other questions.

Q: Can I record off-the-air hidef to the DVR? A: Yes!

Q: What's that SATA port for on the back? A: You can add an expansion box for SATA drives. The unit's 250 GB drive will hold about 30 hours of hidef MPEG2 or 50 hours of MPEG4 or 200 hours SD. Add the SATA expansion box and you triple that number with a couple of extra (and inexpensive) 250 GB Sata drives.

Q: Okay, how much does all this cost? A: $299 for the DVR. If you have one of the older MPEG2 hidef DVRs, and they call you, it's a free upgrade. If you call them, you impatient hidef junkie, it's $100 bucks. But remember, you have to be in an area that has the service available. And that's a whole lot more complex than "just being able to see the southern sky."