It's no secret that a PC can act as an enabler to watch and store TV content - that's why TV tuners and PVR recording software are starting to really go mainstream.

Nero teamed up with TiVo to create LiquidTV, the first product to bring the TiVo interface and experience to the PC. It also happens to be the first TiVo in Canada that can record high-definition. The idea was a solid one, but the execution and pricing may be what ultimately keeps your hands off this thing.

The setup includes a USB tuner that plugs into your PC with a cable from a satellite or cable box connected to the other side of the tuner. It also comes with a small antenna that you can use to pull in free over-the-air TV channels. But first, you need to load and install the software where it will localize your program guide based on where you live and what device the TV signal is coming from. The process is simple enough, thanks to a fluid TiVo interface that pretty much spells everything out for you.

While you can use the keyboard and mouse to navigate, you can also use the included remote. It can change channels on your satellite or cable box after you connect the IR blasters, which can be very useful if you want to enable a recording on the fly without having to physically go to the PC.

Given its user-friendly approach, LiquidTV allows you to navigate the interface entirely, while a preview window shows what's playing in the top right corner. This makes it easy to do things like schedule recordings and even convert files without missing anything. Mind you, how effective this is does depend on how strong your PC's hardware is. The minimum requirements might be reasonable for LiquidTV, but you're better off having a lot more power because it's a drain on your PC's resources.

Season Pass is a cool feature that makes it easy to record your favourite shows automatically. Converting those shows to your iPod or Sony PSP is simple enough, though you will have to keep in mind that they're recorded in MPEG-2, so they tend to be really big in size. You could always burn stuff onto DVD or CD as an alternative. If you set up LiquidTV on a laptop, you can also unplug the USB tuner and take your shows with you - provided that your laptop's hard drive is where recordings are saved. If they save to an external drive connected to the laptop, then you won't be able to take advantage of that.

If you already have a TiVo DVR in your home, you do have the added benefit of transferring recordings stored on it directly over to the PC via LiquidTV. But allocate plenty of time to do that because it will definitely take a lot of time.