Rating: 
Summary: Still Waiting for the International version
Review: A really great idea, unfortunately taken only part way. The machine can only work in the USA. This is really frustrating for potential customers elsewhere in the world. Worse yet, an international version for a world market would only take some simple software changes. A simple user programmable function, much like that in existing video recorders, would allow anyone to set up a schedule of favorite TV/cable channels that could be recorded automatically. The stored shows could then digitally managed so that only the last say 10 shows of a program would be kept and new recordings would constantly overwrite older shows. This simple ability alone would make the ReplayTV unit usable anywhere in the world. Of course to take advantage of the present max 60-hour capacity the unit would need to be able to handle at least 60 to 120 program events. A lot to set up to be sure but this would be a one-time effort and based on the user interests. Just imagine when 100 - 1000GB hard drives become available. It may be posible to keep every episode of a favorite TV series online and immediately accessible. If the ReplayTV schedule was desired as well, a few simple changes could take of that too. 1. Allow the unit to be able to dial up the data via the Internet or allow for international long distance dialing with support for 24-30 digit dialing. 2. Allow for a simple channel re-mapping function so that CNN on channel 25 on the ReplayTV schedule could be re-assigned to channel 33 for the users local TV/cable source. I am very keen to have a unit.. once they become global-ready products. Maybe one day someone will build the Super DVR that would be just like a VCR but without the hassle of tape and with the plus of easy digital control of watching time-shifted shows... and work anywhere in the world.
Rating: 
Summary: What's not to like?
Review: After researching this item and TiVo, I purchased Showstopper for two primary reasons: no monthly subscription fees and quicker, easier set-up than TiVo. It's given trouble-free, superb performance for 11 months (no more blown tapings, as was formerly the case with my VCR). But I'm disturbed on two accounts: 1. For some reason, Showstopper appears to be losing market share to TiVo and inviting its own demise; 2. After 11 months, numerous phone calls, and several faxes of duplicate copies of my original receipts and proofs of purchase, I have yet to receive the (...) rebate I was promised. For that matter, I haven't even received an explanation from the Replay TV people. The amount of time I saved in setting up the product has been given back many times over in trying to track down the parties responsible for making good on the rebate.
Rating: 
Summary: Replay Vs. Tivo
Review: After using both products I have to call the Replay the winner. Both products are great but I feel the Replay wins overall. First the Replay's manual is much better then the Tivo's. It is easy to follow and the large pictures include many different setup options to choose from. The record options in the OS are perfect. Add the fact that Tivo charges a monthly fee and it is no contest. Finally I had to call Panasonic due to a very old Cable Box. They answered the phone with a human in less then two minutes (I called three times over two days to test) and knew exactly how to control the old cable hardware. Both Replay and Tivo are good but if you are on the fence I would suggest the Replay.
Rating:
Summary: Replay Vs. Tivo
Review: After using both products I have to call the Replay the winner. Both products are great but I feel the Replay wins overall. First the Replay's manual is much better then the Tivo's. It is easy to follow and the large pictures include many different setup options to choose from. The record options in the OS are perfect. Add the fact that Tivo charges a monthly fee and it is no contest. Finally I had to call Panasonic due to a very old Cable Box. They answered the phone with a human in less then two minutes (I called three times over two days to test) and knew exactly how to control the old cable hardware. Both Replay and Tivo are good but if you are on the fence I would suggest the Replay.
Rating:
Summary: TIVO vs REPLAY
Review: I have both units and the TIVO is much better. The TIVO remote is so much easier to use as well as the screens and navigation. I find the REPLAY remote far more complicated than necessary. Both units have the same record time but I tend to use the TIVO more often. Luckily I paid very little for the REPLAY so it's a good value for what I paid ($200 new). Even though I pay 9.95 a month for TIVO, I feel it's a better product.
Rating: 
Summary: Sorry I had to give it one star
Review: I just love my Replay! No monthly service fee, but the coolest feature is the truly remote control -- myreplaytv.com. You can program your recorder from any computer with an internet connection!!! Plus Replay integrates programing from satellite sources with ant/cable sources. That means just one remote lets you choose all your channels without turning off the satellite and tuning the tv. I have a Tivo too. It's ok, but it doesn't record network (at least my model wouldn't). For me, it's REPLAY ALL THE WAY!
Rating:
Summary: Replay all the way
Review: I just love my Replay! No monthly service fee, but the coolest feature is the truly remote control -- myreplaytv.com. You can program your recorder from any computer with an internet connection!!! Plus Replay integrates programing from satellite sources with ant/cable sources. That means just one remote lets you choose all your channels without turning off the satellite and tuning the tv. I have a Tivo too. It's ok, but it doesn't record network (at least my model wouldn't). For me, it's REPLAY ALL THE WAY!
Rating:
Summary: The Tool for Competent Television Watching
Review: I wanted a TiVO, but santa brought me one of these instead. After setting it up and using the showstopper, I'm very happy without the TiVO. The menus are easier to use, themes make finding interesting shows a snap, the medium and high record quality is excellent (on my 53" TV, even), and you don't have subscription fees to worry about. Perhaps the best feature is to "pause" your viewing of live tv for 15-20 minutes, then as you watch a ball game (or show, movie, etc.), you just fast forward through the commercials! That's like cheating! Also, for the electronically inclined, the unit's storage can be upgraded substantially, at the cost of your warranty. All in all, a great product, I'm very glad to have it!
Rating:
Summary: You control what's on when? Second only to the power of god.
Review: I wanted a TiVO, but santa brought me one of these instead. After setting it up and using the showstopper, I'm very happy without the TiVO. The menus are easier to use, themes make finding interesting shows a snap, the medium and high record quality is excellent (on my 53" TV, even), and you don't have subscription fees to worry about. Perhaps the best feature is to "pause" your viewing of live tv for 15-20 minutes, then as you watch a ball game (or show, movie, etc.), you just fast forward through the commercials! That's like cheating! Also, for the electronically inclined, the unit's storage can be upgraded substantially, at the cost of your warranty. All in all, a great product, I'm very glad to have it!
Rating:
Summary: The Tool for Competent Television Watching
Review: I was paying $... a month for my cable connection, but I never knew when things were on and I had an appalling habit of flipping endlessly around the channels. Every time I happened upon the shows I liked, nauseating waves of commercials would intrude. I had Bravo which showed great films, but the commercials ruined them. Now, with Showstopper, I can watch TV competently. I turn on the TV and can immediately get to a nice list of shows that I've preselected, including the late night comedy things that came on after I fell asleep. I can select from the list, even pause partway through, watch something else, then come back to the very point where I left off. With one button, I can leap over the commercials. What a relief this thing is! I love it! If I miss a what it was that made the audience suddenly laugh, I can hit the replay button and get it, even when I'm watching a show live. If someone needs to talk to me, even in the middle of a live show, I can pause, talk and go right back. We used to say, save you're comments till the commercial, now we can talk whenever we want and then go back to the show. You can control your own time, which is a really enjoyable power that TV normally deprives you of. This is a great improvement over making VCR recordings: you don't have to find a tape to put in, you don't have to worry that you run out of tape (though you might run out of space on the hard drive, you have much more room), all your recorded shows appear on a nice list displayed on screen so you can scroll and click your choices, programming is easy and intuitive, it finds all the shows in the schedule for you. The downloaded schedule comes in every night ("while you sleep" they say, not accounting for nightowls and insomniacs!) and lets you search more than a week ahead. It has a function that lets you search the schedule for all shows in particular categories (e.g., classic comedy movies, letterboxed movies, shows about animals) and you can use the cursor to spell out categories that you want to find (e.g., everything with Claude Rains). It comes with a 15-minute instruction video featuring the most normal man in the man in the world sitting in the most normal living room in the world with the most normal wife in the world calling to him from off-camera--I found rather touching that Panasonic put so much thought into trying to create a feeling of peace and reassurance and quite funny that they choose exactly this guy to create that feeling. At the same time, I learned a lot. My TV competence level has skyrocketed with Showstopper. This is probably the coolest electronic device I've ever bought. Am I sorry I didn't pay another $... and gotten the one with more memory? Maybe. I figured these things will get cheaper and with more and more memory. The more expensive one will seem small by future standards, so why not save $...? But if this one isn't available, go for the better one. I do think this is better than Tivo, because of the monthly fee. I haven't compared all the features of the two machines, but mine has just great features and has been a great pleasure to use.
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