At the age of 50, after a decade's absence from the stage, Michael Jackson was in the process of crafting an entirely new concert experience. His only audience was a small group of technicians and dancers who watched him create a show that would have marked his return to the stage. Fortunately, Jackson had a team of videographers on hand recording the proceedings for his personal archive and as original film content for the show. Sadly, on June 25th—eight days before the first dress rehearsal—he passed away due to an overdose of Propofol administered by his physician.

This Is It gives us a glimpse of what would have been an astounding concert experience, and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack exhibits clarity that I've never heard from his masterful music. Here are a few scenes to check out, but virtually every song is demo-worthy.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/tinkerbell.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Journey into the world of Pixie Hollow and discover the origins of Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman). Enter a land of adventure and mystery as she and her four best fairy friends turn winter into spring&#151;and with the power of faith, trust, and a little pixie dust, learn the importance of being true to yourself.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/tinklost.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The head of Disney Animation, John Lasseter, once said, "From the beginning, I kept saying it's not the technology that's going to entertain audiences, it's the story. When you go and see a really great live-action film, you don't walk out and say 'that new Panavision camera was staggering; it made the film so good.' The computer is a tool, and it's in the service of the story."

PRICE $400 + service fees (varies by plan)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Supports 4K/HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
Voice-activated search
Terrific program guide
Minus
High up-front cost
No Disney+ or Apple TV+ support
TiVo+ Network is a work in progress

THE VERDICT
TiVo's next-gen DVR is a timely update that adds support for Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound, along with a more sophisticated voice search feature.

When TiVo burst on the scene in 1999, it changed the way millions of people watched TV. Gone were the days of manually setting up a recording on your VCR and then having to wait for a program to finish. Now, by using TiVo's DVR, you could not just record but pause Live TV in order to answer a phone call or take a bathroom break.