TiVo has hooked up with Entertainment Weekly to let users automatically record shows recommended by the print magazine. The move is part of an ongoing push as TiVo tries to distinguish itself from DVRs offered by cable and satellite companies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TiVo entered into a similar recommendation program with The Chicago Tribune that included some revenue share for the newspaper.

TiVo has just 1.7 million subscribers out of the estimated 26 millions DVRs in the country, and has been making a full-court press to stay relevant, offering web videos, partnering with Unbox and CinemaNow and rolling out its YouTube functionality.

But even with all these bells and whistles, TiVo faces an uphill battle against not only cheap DVR service from the cable and satellite companies (with no hardware to buy), but also the scores of set-top box makers and increased functionality built directly into the televisions themselves.