One common complaint I hear with cable company-provided DVR equipment is that the ability to store more movies locally is very limited. You can store a few programs, but try and store a whole season of Heroes, and you'll run out of space before you can!

If your DVR provided by your cable company happens to be based on the Scientific Atlantic 8300 or 8300HD DVR, now you can expand the amount of stuff you can store on the DVR past 80 or 160GB. Western Digitial makes a device called My DVR Expander, which adds 500GB to your DVR! Plug it in, turn it on, and record and keep your shows with Reckless abandon!

I personally wouldn't get a DVR from the cable company. I'm a buyer, not a leaser. Unfortunately, standalone DVRs either require paying for some service or are a little bit too DYI for my own tastes. However, if you're happy with what the cable company offers and want more space, this is the device for you!

You can hear a bit more about this device by listening to The Daily Giz Wiz episode #363.