I just bought a 3000 without the docking station. Is the docking station a must for the 3000? I know that battery life will differ per unit due to the amount of processing that is used per configuration and the amount of time the backlight is used. Can some ppl give me a guess as to how long 4 batteries will last for the 3000(approx) based on your experience?

Between a few days a few weeks depending on how you use it and how it is set up.

I found that the rechargeable battery pack that comes with the docking station last so much longer than disacardable batteries.

Before going with the docking station, I drained a set of discartable batteries in one evening! Sure, I was in learn and test mode; I'd just gotten my TSU3000. And, yes, I was downloading my PCF every half hour or so.

Under more normal usage, you'll get better milleage. One advantage of the docking station is that I never get caught with a dead unit just after I hit the fast forward button while watching a movie. What I do is hook up the TSU3000 to the charger once a week, at night. No worries.

I swapped rechargable batteries in my 3000 for a few months and finally broke down and bought the docking station. I was changing the batteries every other day, I finally just got sick of it. Now the pack lasts maybe a week if I leave it off the dock, but every other day or so, before I go to bed, I just place it on the dock, and in the morning its ready to go. No battery swapping, no running out of power while I'm in the middle of a show, and no resetting the clock all the time. Anyways I love it and I think its well worth the $$$.