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ReplayTV
TiVo
Replay Networks 2001 Digital Video Recorder

Replay Networks 2001 Digital Video Recorder

List Price: $699.00
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Major problem
Review: The ReplayTV was all that it was supposed to be with a big exception - it will not accept caption vision (closed captioning). The tech support (which was very good) admitted that it was a glitch and would be fixed but could not give a time frame. I have since ordered TIVO which doesn't have the problem.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ReplayTV and TiVo revealed
Review: I've owned my ReplayTV unit for 6 months and can't imagine viewing TV without it. I spent considerable time comparing ReplayTV and TiVo units before I ordered the ReplayTV. The most helpful information that I found in making my choice was reading the broad range of user's experiences at the AV Science Forum website.

This forum has separate main topics for each of the units with lots of good questions from people who are experiencing both the joys and the difficulties of these marvelous, developmental-stage products. Reading these exchanges helped me decide which features were most important to me. It gave me an objective perspective of the pros and cons for each of these units and allowed me to make an informed decision on which unit to buy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Replay great for integrating satellite and cable
Review: One of the coolest feature is how it integrates cable and satellite into one contiguous set of channels. You can just channel up from cable to satellite and the replay unit automatically switches to the satellite box. Also, the channel guide shows a merge of the cable and satellite channels. This makes it much easier for visitors and babysitters to use the TV. I haven't used a Tivo, but I've been told it doesn't do as good a job here. Reasons I don't give it five stars: This thing gets hot, and sometimes it locks up and has to be unplugged to get it to reset itself. When the channel lineup is updated (it happens more frequently than you'd expect), all channels you previously removed are added back. Satellite pay-per-view is not shown in the guide or available through the replay remote.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ReplayTV is a dream come true!
Review: Being a full-time mom with some crazy kids always on the verge of breaking something, ReplayTV has really been a dream come true for me.

I went to our local retail store to check out the Tivo product with my husband, but we weren't really impressed by the salesperson's lack of knowledge of the product. Fortunately, I have a friend who suffered through his Tivo experience and was convinced to stay away from it - bad picture quality, monthly fees no one tells you about, tracking what you watch & trying to make suggestions based on flimsy info!

My experience with ReplayTV though has been absolutely wonderful! I *still* can't believe how simple it is to use! One-touch recordings, a simple channel guide that combines both the listings for antenna & satellite television, and the ability to make recordings based on favorite topics or people!

Now that I have ReplayTV, I can create recordings of things for my kids to watch (not only am I aware of the things they're watching, but I can also point them towards things to watch). Those parents out there I'm sure can sympathize with how much of a god-send television can be to keep their kids calm. ReplayTV goes that much further - it gives you the power to make sure what your kids are watching is something you want them watching!

ReplayTV is wonderful! I can't recommend it highly enough! Kids or no kids! :-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Glad I did not pay attention to some of these reviews
Review: I will be honest, some of the reviews I have read here almost made me buy a Tivo instead of a Replay. However my friend has a Replay and loves it. He has never had a problem. So I did what any self respecting gadget freak would do. I bought them both to compare them side by side. In short, I am sending back the Tivo. Monthly service fee's, a machine that monitors what I'm watching to sell it to advertisers-All that bothers me. But the one thing I could not stand was the video quality on Tivo. The basic quality is honestly unwatchable, and I hate only being able to pause for only 30 minutes. On a personal note, the front of the Tivo was freaking out my children, they said they felt like Tivo was watching them. Kids are so honest. Replay is a great product that lives up to it's advertising. I encourage people to make an educated decision on their own.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Product!
Review: I have been involved in review wars over in the book side of Amazon, and it looks like we've got one going here. I have no interest in either ReplayTV or TiVo and don't know anybody who works for either company.

I have only had my ReplayTV for a couple of days, but I love it. I had no problems with installation -- everything went very smoothly. Picture quality on the standard setting is fine -- certainly no worse than my VHS VCR and I think a bit better. No evidence of excessive pixelation that some of the negative reviewers have mentioned. Sound quality is fine -- though I don't have external speakers.

I found the remote control to be easy (and intuitive) to use. The ReplayTV screens (e.g. channel guide, etc.) are well designed and easy to read. I like that the audio of the channel you're on stays on while browsing the channel guide. I could go on for well more than the 1000 words allowed with all the ways I like this product.

A friend has a TiVo and we have compared notes: each machine has its little quirks, but nothing that one can't live with.

All in all, I would (and have) recommend the ReplayTV to anybody looking a product like this.

And why only 4 stars if its so great? Well, I have only had it less than a week. I'll upgrade that to 5 stars in 6 months or so.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding product, with some rough edges
Review: I've had a ReplayTV since they first came out, and while saying "I couldn't live without it" sounds like hyperbole, it really is how I feel. Just the simple pleasure of being able to pause the TV when I go grab a soda is worth the price, not to mention the fact that all of my favorite shows are consistently and reliably recorded.

Granted, there are a few bugs, and some areas of the interface that could really use some help, but get real folks. This is version 1.0 (and future updates are coming for free over the nightly connection!). Imagine if the very first VCR in the world were this well-polished and useful!

I've had the chance to play with a TiVo, and this is what I've found. The TiVo interface "looks" slicker than the ReplayTV, and in a couple of places really is better (the nifty progress bar, for instance), but the TiVo channel guide is absolutely frustrating to use, and I find it difficult and clumsy to navigate to certain screens, while the ReplayTV has buttons on the remote to take you directly to every major feature of the product.

Also, while the ReplayTV occasionally records shows I didn't expect (when a show airs at nearly the same time on several days per week), with the TiVo it's virtually impossible to schedule some shows because they attempt to record every showing everywhere.

The TiVo remote is truly a nicely designed piece of equipment, but the ReplayTV's is adequate, and has the added advantage of being a universal remote that can also control your TV, satellite, cable, etc.

Frankly, when I bought the ReplayTV, the TiVo wasn't even shipping (although they claimed to be, I couldn't get one), and they didn't support both satellite and cable at the same time. These problems have been remedied on the TiVo, and I'm completely confident that both products will continue to grow and mature.

The philosophy of the TiVo seems to be "we'll try to guess what you want" with the thumbs-up and thumbs-down feature, while the ReplayTV's is "we'll put you in control". I prefer to do my own guessing, so ReplayTV is the machine for me. I'll be buying a second one for Christmas.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Skip Replay - Buy TiVo instead
Review: I know I may sound a bit harsh, but I've (briefly) used both a Replay and the Philips/TiVo service, and I find TiVo to be the better model, hands-down.

My biggest gripe has to do with the show selection process; Replay is extremely cumbersome when compared to TiVo. I'm not exaggerating when I say it took me almost ten times as long to select shows to record with Replay, versus the streamlined process which TiVo has.

Second gripe? The remote control leaves much to be desired. Compared to TiVo, the remote is extremely cumbersome. Now, I understand that the remote is currently going through a re-design, but that will obviously take time.

I also have concerns with playback quality and the number of purported recording hours. Yes, certain models claim 20-hour recording times, but that is at the lowest resolution, which gives a barely recognizable picture. At highest quality, the number of hours is severely limited. (Actually, TiVo does the same thing of promoting the number of LOW QUALITY hours that their units can record, but in a comparison of the two, at both low and highest settings, the quality of the TiVo picture was a little better).

So in short, after spending some time with both units, I found Replay to be lacking. To reiterate what other reviwers said, I would probably have one if TiVo didn't exist. But it does, and its product and service is MUCH, MUCH BETTER THAN REPLAY.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ReplayTV.....A Great product today and tomorrow
Review: I bought my ReplayTV unit about three weks ago from Amazon. It is an amazing device and have found it a pleasure to use and has changed my outlook on how I watch programming.

I have found the channel guide easy to use and very intuitive to record anything. The ability to record shows based on an actors name or a "theme" is a lot of fun.

I'm sorry the people who own the TIVO product feel the need to trash Replay! I'm sure each product has advantages and disadvantages. Do some research and purchase the machine that matches your particular needs. I can say that ReplayTV has deliver everything they advertised!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Replay 2 stars, Tivo 4, Amazon 5
Review: I just returned my ReplayTV 2020. It terms of a review, I'd give Replay 2 stars, but Amazon.com 5 stars. Amazon was very gracious about the return, and I will certainly buy electronics from them again.

After two weeks using Replay and Tivo, I'd agree with everything in Photokev's review from 11/26. If Tivo didn't exist, I would have kept Replay, which is why I gave it 2 stars. Its just that Tivo is more reliable and has done a better job bringing a great idea to market.

My Replay suffered AV flashes, a problem known about for a year which hasn't been solved despite several software updates. These are described by owners at avsforum.com, in case you are interested.

Tivo doesn't suffer this serious problem. Also, its ability to select programs to record based on what you have watched is one of its best features. I didn't believe that until I tried it, but it is true. In any case, I hope this helps.

Finally, based on my return experience, I can certainly recommend Amazon for electronics.


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