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ReplayTV RTV5060 60-Hour Digital Video Recorder

ReplayTV RTV5060 60-Hour Digital Video Recorder

List Price: $299.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Device!
Review: I've been thinking about getting a Tivo or ReplayTV for about a year and finally got a ReplayTV 5040. Here's my opinion:

Price: With two $50 mail-in rebates my final cost was $199. This is a lot of technology for $199!

Quality: The box is well built and solid. There's a big fan to keep it cool. The choices of inputs and outputs is complete. You can fit this device into any home threater system any way you want. I have a 36" HDTV and have this connected using S-video. I tried composite video and it was slightly worse. I didn't try the component video outputs.

Setup: Setup was easy but did take a while over a cable modem connection. During the setup it seemed to update the operating system which took about 25 minutes. Total setup was about 40 minutes. I don't know how long it would take over the built-in modem.

Recording: The programming guide is easy to use and setting things to record is straight forward. I only record at high quality so I only get about 10 hours of recording time.

Picture Quality: The picture is acceptable but not as good as the direct feed to the TV. When you watch a show throught the ReplayTV you are ALWAYS watching the recorded version. There is about a 1 second delay between the "live" picture throught the ReplayTV and the "live" feed from the cable company. This is what allows you to pause and rewind a live TV show. Because you're watching a recorded version of the show and the recording is digitized and compressed the picture quality is slightly worse than the original. I find the colors to be a little washed out.

Customer Support: EXCELLENT! I was worried about calling tech support when the IR Blaster couldn't change the single digit channels on my cable box but was pleasantly surprised when my hold time was less than 2 minutes both times I had to call. The fix was simple but undocumented in the manual or on their web site. To get to the advanced settings for the IR Blaster you have to press the "Zones" button when the list of codes for your cable box appears on the screen. This lets you set certain properties of the IR Blaster like the minimum number of digits to send to the cable box. It was sending a "2" for channel 2 and I needed it to send an "02". Bumping the minimum digits to 2 fixed the problem. I also got a tip from their tech to put all zeros in the delay boxes to speed up channel changing which is fairly slow. Changing the delays to "0000" helps slightly.

I like this better than Tivo. This thing is light years ahead of an old VCR!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I've done the research...
Review: The best reason for choosing Replay TV over its competition is it is best at doing what has been its greatest asset to our family: returning time to our busy schedules. Literally. You won't believe your feeling of power and control over television (and Father Time) until you experience watching ER in 43 minutes instead of 60, thanks to Commercial Advance. It doesn't fast forward past commercials, it simply doesn't play them! (unless you want.) Replay TV is the only brand with this capability. Another time saving feature is the Channel Guide. We save so much time thumbing through tv guides looking for movies and shows to watch simply by entering our favorite titles (and actors) into Replay TV and letting it constantly keep an eye out for these programs and recording them when they become available! The user interface that Replay TV uses is very friendly not only to me, but more importantly, to my wife and 2 children (ages 9 & 12). This was an important factor in my decision to go with Replay TV, by the way. We each have our own folders to store our programs in. Replay TV is to the VCR what a computer is to the typewriter. Once you experience how much more enjoyable tv is with this unit, you'll never go back to a VCR. The picture quality is way better than a VCR. My 12 year old son said that if he had a choice between a broadband internet connection or Replay TV, he'd pick Replay TV (he had been bugging me about getting broadband for months!) I don't mean to sound like a salesman for this company; I'm simply sharing the experience of my decision that was based on putting a lot of time into comparing price and features. Replay TV won.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Read the Manual...
Review: To address some of the things people have complained about:

1) Slow response time to channel changes:
This is because the feed is automatically recording. In order to do this, ReplayTV buffers about 5 seconds. If you're using cable or satellite with the box, you can watch it change channels immediately, and then, about five seconds later, your picture will come up.

2) Component out doesn't work, only coaxial:
You need to select which output you are using. All this is set up in the SETUP menu.

There certainly are a few rough spots (no more than Tivo, I'd wager), but the ReplayTV box is by far the best purchase I've made in the last 10 years. ReplayTV has changed my life. If you like TV, you'll love Replay. If you hate TV, Replay will make it better (you'll be able to get the things you want when you want it... that means educational shows, informational programs, or entertainment programs can be at your fingertips whenever you want to watch them.)

Not to mention the sports applications. I can't tell you how much better a football game is with your own instant replay.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: How did I ever watch TV before?
Review: I've been in the market for a PVR for some time, and decided to pick up a ReplayTV after the holidays ....

I am 100% satisfied with my purchase, and am very glad I waited to get this unit instead of some other PVR options. The ethernet port negates the need to use a phone line to get program guide updates, which makes the installation a LOT less invasive. (Everything should be ethernet by now -- using a phone line is just unacceptable, Tivo).

I totally dig the theme channel programming. Set up "iron chef" as a search phrase, and it'll automatically grab everything that matches. The medium record quality is fine for most people, and I find myself rarely using fine quality.

Commercial advance is the best invention since sliced white bread.

The internet address book is a nice feature as well. Although it's a bit slow, it's nice to know I can send a program to friends in California.

5 stars to the folks at Sonic Blue. Awesome product all the way around!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This will change the way you watch TV forever !!
Review: This product will forever change the way you watch TV. Suddenly, you are in complete control of what you watch and when. I don't watch less TV, but I do watch the TV that I want to watch.

I wouldn't recommend this for someone who isn't somewhat comfortable with technology. And yes, it does crash at times, but the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience.

Purchase at least 80 hours of storage time if you plan to record on medium quality which I recommend.

The commercial skip feature is great. Ok...it isn't perfect, but it is by far the best available. This feature will be GOING AWAY with the introduction of the 5500 series due to pressure from the entertainment industry. Take a look at the article below.

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ReplayTV has agreed to remove two features from its product that infuriated the ad and broadcasting industries even more than they delighted consumers.

ReplayTV's new 5500 model, on sale next month, has been re-engineered so that it cannot automatically skip entire commercial breaks without recording them. Nor will it be able to send recorded programming over the internet to other ReplayTV users outside a home network.

But the devices will still indefinitely store many hours of programming, while enabling users to skip manually in 30-second segments through recorded commercials.

Two years ago, a consortium of movie and TV studios sued Sonicblue ' the former owner of ReplayTV and now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection ' for abetting copyright infringement with the device's commercial-skipping feature. The company and its technology was subsequently acquired by D&M Holdings of Japan.

D&M executives insist that the dropping of these features was voluntary, although critics see the move as capitulation rather than an accommodation. Jim Hollingsworth, president of D&M's ReplayTV division, denies this. 'We did this on our own. There was no coercion. We will take features out because we want to be a positive force in the industry.'

But Jeff Joseph, vp and spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association, is not convinced: 'Companies are under considerable pressure to bow to the wishes of the entertainment industry. This is unfair and anticompetitive. If advertisers and broadcasters are seeing their traditional business model threatened, then it would behoove them to consider alternative business models.'

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Should've gone Tivo
Review: ...the first time. Very, very happy with my Tivo. The Tivo functionality, ease of use & tech support have all been great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't Listen To The Naysayers! Replaytv is a winner!
Review: I just installed a brand new Replaytv model 5040 (w/lifetime subscription)which I paid $400(after $50 rebate) and I am truly amazed!!! I really struggled with this purchase because of so many negative posts that I read on the Internet. Many of my coworkers have Tivo and they were really pushing it. I just could not get over the price difference ($250 for base system + $300 lifetime!) This did not event include the broadband option (more $$!) Why spend so much more money when Replay already has all of these features for less $$. I went with my gut and boy am I glad I did! It took all of about 20 minutes to setup and configure (I am using a Lynksys wireless bridge model WET11) and could not believe how easy it was. After reading all of the negative posts on the Internet I was a little aprehensive. Replay is working like a charm, and the interface and remote are very easy to learn and use. I read through the manual very quickly and configured all of my settings within minutes. Honestly, if anyone out there is debating over Tivo and Replaytv, there is no option! Do not believe all of the negative posts, I truly believe that 90% of the bad posts out there are from people who did not read the manual or hooked the system up incorrectly. I used S-video and digital optical, and the picture looks wonderful and sounds amazing as well! If you do use component cables, ensure that you use quality cabling (cheap cables = cheap picture and sound). I highly suggest using broadband, and Lynksys and Replay play very well together (I think that many of the negative posts that I read were from people that did not setup their network properly and blamed it on Replay and the support people). If you are struggling like I was over whether to purchase Tivo or Replaytv, please give Replaytv a chance. It has truly changed the way that I watch TV and love the Zone features as well as how easy it is to record first run episodes of my favorite shows (just like Tivo's season pass). Commerical advance blows Tivo's skip features away! I am going to bring my Tivo friends over and amaze them all!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Should've gone Tivo
Review: ...the first time. Very, very happy with my Tivo. The Tivo functionality, ease of use & tech support have all been great.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'll stick with my older ReplayTV and ShowStopper
Review: Frankly this is a lousy upgrade to what could be a great machine. I have a couple of the older Replays, a ReplayTV 3000 and a ShowStopper. It was because of these machines that I took the plunge to upgrade to a pair of 5060's. Boy was I shocked by their performance. Granted they have amazing features like commercial advance, home networking, and the ability to share shows with your friends, they are lacking in the most important feature... the picture quality.
In a side by side comparison, my old replay/showstopper's are superior in color quality, contrast, and clarity, and for the life of me I didn't know why. I would have figured that the same or better components would have been used for the tuner, but alas no. Maybe it's because I'm trying to watch on a 64" television that I can see more imperfection, but I simply cannot complain with my old machines. And 480p output, my backside... the progressive out flickered like you wouldn't believe - completely unwatchable.

Anyhow, rather than send them back I sold them to a couple of people who were new to Replay's, and who were just happy to get a chance to have one. They were happy to have the machines and I was happy to be rid of them.

I may sound like a Replay hater, but I'm really not. I surely hope DNNA (the new owners of Replay) gets it together and improves the hardware in these little beauties, otherwise I'll have to keep buying old Replays. This unit does get three stars for it's original features that Tivo wished it had, and for the amazing Replay community that has sprouted up.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Complicated Simplicity
Review: I did a great deal of research when I went to buy a PVR and I decided on the Replay.
• Connecting it to my TV was a breeze but like all technology problems do occur I did not want to use a phone to get the service so I opted to use my home network and after a few glitches it did work, the competitor has network capability but it is sold as an add-on.
• I was impressing with the viewer guide function and the ability to view several days if not weeks ahead in TV programming. I have noticed a few times when the guide was not always up to date but that could be the TV station programming.
• The menus on the Replay do get complicated sometime and they can get rather deep sometime 5 menus deep.
• The quality is excellent even when you use standard recording but I use high recording most of the time (it uses more space but I don't ever have to worry about an issue with a bad picture).
• I have had some problems with it freezing up and I either have to leave it alone for a second or I have to turn it off completely and turn it back on but that has only been once or twice.
I would recommend the Replay to anyone looking for a PVR.


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