We have bell satellite with a pvr so some of this might not apply.
The pvr I have allows me to pause one channel and watch another. For me that means I never have to watch commercials, the down side is if I am watching sports at someone else's house I get very frustrated with watching commercials.
With two kids under 4 (and OFC) I'm rarely able to be in front of the tv when the program I want to watch is on. With the pvr I can set up re-ocurring timers to record shows and then watch them whenever I get a chance and skip through the crap.
I hate leasing/rent most things but we lease ours and twice in five years we've had to get a new one. It was replaced at no cost. I don't know if buying one gets you better quality or if roger's are better.
Can't say if it's right for you but it is something I find useful.