The biggest advantage of all-in-one units is multiple tuners. Most cable or satellite DVRs have at least two tuners. This means when two shows you enjoy watching are on at the same time, you don't have to choose which one to record.

The second advantage comes in the form of ease of use. With an all-in-one unit, you don't have to mess around with IR controllers, extra boxes or special data cables. Everything is all in one box, which also means it takes up less space. While standalone units work well with analog cable or over-the-air broadcasts, they can be a hassle with digital cable or satellite service.

Another point in favor of all-in-one boxes is some record HDTV. If you have an HDTV set, it hurts to have to view your recordings in SD.

Finally, if your service provider rents equipment, it costs you nothing to replace a broken unit or upgrade to newer hardware as technology changes.