14 DAY TRIAL // The TiVo series represents perhaps the best-known and most popular brand of digital video recorders across the US, so it's really no wonder that American consumers are looking forward to any bit of information regarding the upcoming Series3 models. And it would seem that their "thirst" for knowledge can finally be "soothed", as what appears to be a list of the most important specs (photo included) has just been posted on the TiVo community forum.
According to the various posts on the respective thread, the users managed to dig deep into the cache of various websites (as any official information from TiVo has yet to be released) and discovered several of the most important features the Series3 models will provide. Thus, it would seem that the DVRs will be able to control cable TV with record, pause, rewind and fast-forward in HD, record two HD channels at once, while watching another recorded show as well as record up to 20 hours of high definition programming (or 180 hours of standard definition). Moreover, the devices will provide 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i video output modes and will support quite a wide variety of sources, including digital cable, analog cable, digital antenna (ATSC), analog antenna and broadband content.
One of the users, bkdtv, actually managed to get his hands on what appears to be some of the Series3's hardware specs, which we'll list below:
Tivo Series3 Specifications (TCD648250B) - BCM7038 DVR CPU with MPEG-2 decoder - BCM7411 MPEG-4 decoder - 2x BCM7042 MPEG-2 encoders - 2x Samsung S5H1409-based tuners (analog/QAM/8VSB) - 128Mb SDRAM (plus SDRAM for BCM7042s) - 250Gb SATA HD - relatively large, 4-layer PCB - THX certification - Front panel OLED display - Glossy, backlit learning remote - Made in Mexico - $799 MSRP
Unconfirmed Series3 "Lite" Specifications (TCD652160) - BCM740x DVR CPU w/ integrated MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoders - 1x dual MPEG-2 encoder (BCM7041 or possibly an encoder from LSI) - 2x Samsung S5H1411-based tuners (analog/QAM/8VSB) - 128Mb DDR SDRAM - 160Gb SATA HD - Smaller, lower-cost PCB - Cheaper power supply - No THX certification - No OLED display - Standard Tivo remote - $299 MSRP
Of course, as mentioned earlier, this is strictly leaked info, so it's hard to tell whether they are real or simply fabricated by over-zealous TiVo fans (and the same goes for the picture). In any case, should they prove to be real, they'll surely mark a whole new step in the evolution of TiVo DVRs and help the company maintain its huge level of popularity on the US market.
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is 
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