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: Watching what I want, when I want
Review: An excellent product, what this really does is to allow TV to become more like the Internet or email. Its main function is time displacement - instead of being bound to the schedules that the broadcasters set I can watch much the same programs but when I want to. Minus the ads. I bought it and managed the set up within an hour of fiddling around with wires. It was ready to go and worked intuitively. And, unlike the VCR, everything I've tried to record does so, failsafe. The only limitation is that one can't record two programs showing at the same time - a limitation which presumably future models will correct. But otherwise its worth every cent. Simple, effective, it works. How come I didn't know about this earlier?
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: 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: 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: 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: New feature: MyReplayTV.com
Review: Hello, I should start by saying that I don't own a ReplayTV *yet*. (no money, poor student) But... I will be buying a ReplayTV set very soon. And I wanted to share why I'll be buying this rather than the Tivo. There are 3 main reasons for me: 1) The new "MyReplyTV" internet site. Supposedly, by the end of this month (November '00), you'll be able to program your set to record a show from their internet site! Now *that* is cool. 2) The 30-second skip forward button. Not on Tivo, but essential. 3) Their service is FREE. There's no way I'm going to sign up for another monthly bill for life. I've got enough of those. :-) Thanks to everyone else for the reviews! You've really helped me narrow down the choices! -b.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most helpful products in a long, long time!
Review: I first heard about the ReplayTV & Tivo (is it "tie-vo","tiv-o", "t-i-v-o" or "tee-vo"? I've heard all forms...) products several months ago from Sound & Vision magazine. I got really excited because I tend to travel from time to time & this new, user-friendly technology would definately help me keep up with my favorite shows - something that you could never say about my VCR! Unfortunately, the money wasn't really there, especially for the available recording time. Well, when the prices finally came down for the more capacity (especially consider that ReplayTV was originally $1500 for 28hrs when they first came out...), I started to do comparison research. While the Tivo product looks pretty nice, I settled on the ReplayTV for the following reasons: 1. No monthly fees! I'm sorry, but I don't want another monthly bill in my life... 2. I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of the Tivo thing trying to learn what I like - it might work for other people, but I like the control that I get with ReplayTV. 3. The ReplayTV interface is a lot simpler. Anyways, I hope this helps anyone who is on the fence about this Personal Television category. It helps so much not to be at the mercy of some random television programmer as to when you watch what you want - now it's all on my schedule!
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: 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.
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