The DSTV PVR should be out soon, from what I can tell this is what it will be: http://www.uec.co.za/products/DVR830.htm

There hasn't been much public information provided about it but it seems like it will offer the basic features the TiVo series 1 does plus the very nifty picture-in-picture ability. The release date hasn't officially been announced but expect it sometime around the Christmas season.

The big advantage the TiVo has over the DSTV PVR is the fact that it has been around for such a long time and there are many apps & hacks for the it. Its unlikely the DSTV PVR will support running any apps other than what it already comes with as standard.

Such TiVo apps & hacks allow for the extraction of recording allowing you to transfer them to DVD, stream of recordings to your PC, setting up of recordings over the internet, and much much more. If you manage to get a Tivo Series 2 working (via a NTSC -> PAL converter) you can also get the Music and Photo sharing features as well as being able to upload mpeg files to your Tivo.

So if all you are after is a simple lite solution then the DSTV PVR will meet your needs. If however you would like home entertainment features and the ability to add your own hacks and to do with it what you wish then TiVo is the way to go.

The decision is yours