Rating: 
Summary: Great product
Review: After playing around with a Replay TV in a store, I am definitely sold on buying one as soon as I have the money. While a bit pricey, I would pay $600 never to watch a commercial again, let alone pause live TV and have a instant replay button. Plus, this machine can hold 30 to 60 hours of TV. Add all this to the no monthly charge that TiVo has, and you get a no-brainer!
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Replay TV met nearly every expectation I had, and then some. Very easy to set up - it dials out to get the program guide and you're good to go. My set up includes s-video and stereo cables out to the TV, and s-video and stero cables in from the DVD. I don't have a cable box, but it includes an "IR blaster" to control your set-top box. One surprise - you can't record one show while watching another like a VCR. However you CAN watch a previously recorded show while recording another. Also: There is a delay in Replay which causes the image from your DVD to become out of synch with the sound played through your home theater. That being said, imagine watching all your favorite shows whenever you want- sweet.
Rating:
Summary: Replay TV and DirecTV
Review: I have a DirecTV system. I read a previous review that said you can't get or record local channels through DirecTV using ReplayTV. Of course, I read this review after I had already purchased the unit. So, I was a little nervous about my purchase at first. The good news is that ReplayTV has upgraded their software, so now in the setup process you can program it to get and record local channels. During the setup procedure, when you get to the screen where you select your cable/satellite system, you choose the option "DirecTV with local channels." The system works very smoothly. The unit is easy and convenient to use. It is much easier to program than a VCR and it takes less time. I like the fact that I don't have to keep a bunch of videotapes lying around. The only reason why I rated this unit a 4, instead of a 5 is because I have found it difficult to contact customer service. Yes, you can send them an e-mail from the website, but if you call the customer service line you get routed through a maze of messages. This can be frustrating when you need assistance. Other than that, I am very pleased with the product. I would recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Replay and DirecTV
Review: I have to take exeception to the reviewer who complained about the difficultly in using Replay with a DirecTV IRD (integrated receiver decoder) to record programs. I have no problem using mine with two DirecTV receivers (it's a long story) simultaneously connected to the two Replay video inputs. The Replay program guide is as complete and easy to use as the DirecTV guide displayed through the IRD. I have the outputs connected to a Dolby amplifier and a VCR. If I could control the Dolby unit with the Replay remote, it would be the only remote required. I am in love with the 30 second skip ahead button!There still are some other things on the wish list, like the ability to record on one input and view the live feed on the second. Also, the IRD remote is still required to complete purchases on the DirecTV pay-per-view stations. I had a Tivo unit for evaluation prior to the Replay that was much more difficult to set up and actually required 24 hours for it to assimilate it's downloaded program guide and prepare itself to (over) organize my viewing. After the evaluation I was in no hurry to buy a Tivo and am very satified with the Replay.
Rating:
Summary: Replay vs Tivo
Review: Basically both units due the same thing...they record TV programs on to a 20 gigabyte hard disk. The beauty of the systems is that they are a breeze to program, you don't worry about changing or losing videotapes, and you can pause live programming if someone or thing interrupts you, and not miss anything. The Replay was my choice because of the additional input and outputs compared to the Tivo, and the greater cache time (30 minutes versus about 10 hours). What that means is that should you miss part of a program, the Tivo will overwrite that show after 30 minutes of recording versus the Replays 10 hours. The prices are about the same after you pay for the Tivo's lifetime programming charge.
Rating:
Summary: Almost too good to be true!
Review: I've had my ReplayTV for 9 months now. As a longtime time-shifter with a VCR, it's great to be able to watch a program while it is still recording. The quick-skip button is wonderful. Instantly zapping forward in 30-second intervals makes it a snap to avoid commercials. In fact, my family and I have taken to intentionally starting to watch programs with the Replay 5-10 minutes after their scheduled start time expressly to AVOID the ubiquitous commercials for programs I would never let my preschool and elementary school-age kids watch. Instead of watching commercials, we spend those 10 minutes talking to each other. Imagine that... technology that lets you spend more time with your family, instead of taking away from it! In all these months, I've only come across 2 downsides to ReplayTV ownership. If they cured these issues, I'd give the product 5 stars. - The interface doesn't do enough to warn about conflicting recordings. When the networks put two of my favorite shows on at the same time, unless I notice it myself beforehand and set the VCR, I miss the show that is lowest in alphabetical order. - When I bought my unit last summer, the good folks at ReplayTV thoughtfully put up several custom "channels" each month which would automatically record selected seasonal programs. When the new fall season started, this enabled us to easily sample the new shows! Around November, the company had a round of layoffs. Apparently, the folks who programmed the seasonal channels were among the casualties because the seasonal channels disappeared. Since those channels went away, the burden has shifted to us users to search more interactively. Had I not been a user before the layoffs, this might not matter as much. To get around the issue another reviewer mentioned of not being able to watch one program while the box is recording another, I would highly recommend installing it only on TVs that have A/V inputs. That permits watching shows with the TV's tuner while the Replay box is recording. A TV with S-Video inputs would be an even better choice for the best picture quality. In a nutshell, ReplayTV works great! I'd love to put one on every TV I own.
Rating:
Summary: You got to love it!
Review: I have had my Replay TV for 3 months. I love it, you never have to miss a show again. You always have something on TV when you want it. It is very easy to use. The price might seem high, but it is well worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Try others before you buy
Review: Great concept, lousy implementation. Only interface is a really sub-standard remote. Universal remote code is 075 (AUX)(Shhhh! Don't tell customer service, they claim there is none.) Customer service likes to argue with you and does not fully understand the products capabilities. Currently will not refresh guide automatically, must connect manually once/week. Will not provide info on when this will be fixed. Has icon bug which requires frequent hard boot to fix. Runs extremely hot. Picture is great. Their ad is correct, you have total control over what you watch and when you watch it. Much easier to program than a VCR.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing - and only $249!
Review: Every now and then you get something that makes you say "wow." This is one of those things. From the moment I got my system set up, I had difficulty understanding how I had lived without it. The ability to pause live tv and to search tv listings for actors, shows, topics, etc., is incredible. I can't opine on the relative benefits of Replay vs. TiVo, other than to note that the lower cost offered by the TiVo (subject to the monthly fees) was not an issue in my case, as discussed below. Setup is a breeze (although integrating it into my existing system was more complicated, simply figuring out which component should plug into which, and using what cable -- excellent customer support helped that). My only gripe so far (after 3 days with it) is that the universal remote can only handle 3 components in addition to the ReplayTV, and one of those is *not* my stereo receiver. I would much prefer to give up control of my VCR, which I will use rarely, in favor of my receiver. Although the remote can be programmed to handle a DVD instead of a VCR, receiver codes are not available. (This is especially annoying given that my current remote, which is very similar in style to the Replay remote and is probably manufactured by the same company, controls 4 units -- but won't control the Replay.) At the moment, I have a digital cable box, Replay, DVD, VCR, Receiver, and TV in my system. One immediate benefit to my current setup is a vastly improved picture, due to the fact that the cable now goes directly into the ReplayTV and then via S-video into the TV, rather than through the VCR to the TV via coaxial cable. It is amazing the difference that makes. Remember, you can only watch one program (on regular tv) while recording another if you either have a cable system that doesn't require a cable box (allowing you to split the signal), or you spring for an extra cable box. This is a problem with the cable systems, though, not with ReplayTV-- it is no different if you have only a VCR. (It also renders picture-in-picture useless, but that's another question.) Oh, and one of the best parts is that I bought the ReplayTV 3030 for only ..., through ...! This offer is available only to AT&T Broadband digital cable customers (... ), so if you have AT&T Broadband cable in your area, it's worth getting just for the huge discount.
Rating:
Summary: Many advantages over Tivo
Review: WOW!! I LOVE ReplayTV!! This thing is great!! Both Tivo and ReplayTV have similar advantages over a VCR and are way too numerous to mention here, you'll find those in other reviews I'm sure. So I'll just tell you some of the results of my research comparing Tivo and ReplayTV. First, I poured over LOTS of opinions about Tivo vs. ReplayTV and looked at both of their web sites. ReplayTV was the clear winner. My list of features I wanted included 7 'must haves' and 15 'would likes'. Out of those ReplayTV had 6 'must haves', (Tivo only had 1), and ReplayTV had 12 'would likes', (Tivo only had 7). (I'm sorry there's not room to list them all here). So the choice for ReplayTV became obvious. ReplayTV can record 1 to 240 minutes before and/or after the 'scheduled' show time. Plus you can even modify your settings via the internet with ReplayTV. I have to say, the 'Skip 30 seconds' button (on ReplayTV) wasn't even on my list but it is GREAT!! When the commercials come on I press the button a few times and I'm right back in the show!! And the 'Skip back 7 seconds' button is also very handy for when you want to see something amazing again, or miss a joke on the sit-coms, (even on live TV). Setup of ReplayTV was much faster and easier than I expected. The ONLY negative thing I could say about ReplayTV is the bad location of the 'Previous Channel' button on the remote. I am VERY happy with ReplayTV, I've had it for 3 months and no problems. And I'm finding out new ways to use it all the time. I highly recommend it. Have fun! :-)
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