I am reaching out to the smartest people that I know (OK, perhaps I need to get out more lol). I noticed that I currently pay $20 per month to have DVR in my Time Warner digital box ($9/mth) and the DVR service ($11/mth). This amounts to $240 per year. For this I allow my daughter to watch SpongeBob and The Fred Show when she wants. Yes, I do not record anything! But I love my daughter.

If I purchase a DVR box (around $200+) from Wal-Mart or elsewhere, will it work with my digital cable box (which will now be the one w/out DVR) free-of-charge? Or will I still need to pay Time Warner the $11/month for "the DVR service"?

I am trying to figure how much I'd save if I buy my own rather than getting nickel-n-dime'd by the wonderful Time Warner. I breakeven in about 1 year if it "works on its own". If I still have to "pay for the service", then it'll take 2 yrs to breakeven. Thanks for any advice!