Yeah there's lots of standalone options out there, thanks for giving us a tiny shred of info to help you with. Actually last time someone asked for a DVR someone posted a link for a
DVR which is the wrong thing since the fellow really wanted a
PVR.
The best free ones are a bit fiddly, requiring some setup skills. GBPVR is one of my faves but the setup is nuts. http
/www.gbpvr.com/
Descaler is super simple (it's just a TV tuner app) and may be the best option if she's not going to want any frills? http
/deinterlace.sourceforge.net/
SageTV has a 21 day trial, but it's commercial software. http
/www.sagetv.com/
And finally if you go with Vista or Win7 there's a Media Center built in.
Hope that helps!