Rating: 
Summary: Great product. Poor Service
Review: ReplayTV is the best toy I have found in a very long time. It makes TV something I control instead of it controlling me. However, the customer service is the worst. If something goes wrong, be ready to junk the product becasue you will not get it repaired. Five stars for the product, zero stars for the service.
Rating:
Summary: Great product. Poor Service
Review: ReplayTV is the best toy I have found in a very long time. It makes TV something I control instead of it controlling me. However, the customer service is the worst. If something goes wrong, be ready to junk the product becasue you will not get it repaired. Five stars for the product, zero stars for the service.
Rating:
Summary: What else do you need?
Review: Stop live shows. Slow down the action record anything and share with your friends and there are no stupid monthly fees, I love it buy it for all your friends
Rating:
Summary: Replay 4040 - The Next Generation
Review: The 4040 Replay unit has a shinier, new look from the previous ReplayTV/ Panasonic models, making it the a sleak looking PVR. One of the best new features over the older models is the addition of control buttons on the front of unit, while the older models depended on the use of the remote for basic functionality. The Replay unit comes well apportioned with inputs and outputs and a aver usable universal remote, not like the ones sitting around your house collecting dust. There are two sets of composite inputs(RCA), one RF antenna, and one S-Video input. Outputs are one digital audio, one component (through a VGA adapter), an S-Video, and two composite outputs. In order to use even the basic functions of the ReplayTV, you must have a broadband connection to register online. Once you've cleared that initial hurdle, you'll be ready to "Replay". Even though it has a phone jack in the back this is disabled and may be enabled with future versions of the software. This unit is the cheapest of the 40XX series with a 40GB hard drive. It allows for 40 hours of storage at standard recording quality. Other models, such as the 4320, offer as much as 320 hours of recording capacity. Of course, the amount of programming you can store depends on whether you record at the Standard, Medium, or High setting. At its best resolution, the 4040 holds around 14 hours worth of content. Using the 4040's high-resolution VGA connector, you can hook this up to a PC or to a TV's component input. In theory, you can even use a DLP or LCD projector with VGA inputs to enjoy ReplayTV at the 480p, semi-HDTV video resolution. One of the main features of this unit is its network capability. If you have a home network you can share shows with other Replay 4XXX units and you can share it with others outside of you home via the internet with the required broadband connection. With variables such as your ISP and connection along with those with whom you're sharing programming content with can mean that a single standard-level half-hour recording could take anywhere from two to eight hours to download. The internet interoperability also allows for you to program you Replay via a web interface called MyReplayTV.com. This however takes 24 hours for it be "synched' with your replay unit when "calls" in for updated programming schedules. Sonicblue says the 4000-series models will "soon" support direct, instant access so that you can set shows remotely to record on the fly. And they upgrade their software regularly. The best feature is the PVR's ability to filter out almost all commercials with a simple menu change. When it's recording in the Commercial Advance mode, the ReplayTV 4040 automatically skips from about one second into the first commercial to about five seconds before the program resumes.,but you still may end up with a few commercials (it isn't perfect). Some other new features are the addition of a screensaver and picture viewer that gets its pictures from a pc on your home network. I love my ReplayTV, there is great third party support... for this unit just like TiVo that if you are so inclined to void your warranty can improve on this already great PVR.
Rating:
Summary: Replay 4160 -Almost Big Brother of the PVRS
Review: The 4160 Replay unit has a shinier look than previous ReplayTV/ Panasonic models, making it the a sleak looking DVR. One of the best new features over the older models is the addition of control buttons on the actual unit, while the older models depended solely on the use of the remote. The Replay unit comes well apportioned with inputs and outputs and a very usable universal remote, not like the ones sitting around your house doing nothing. There are two sets of composite inputs(RCA), one RF antenna, and one S-Video input. The outputs are one digital audio, one component (through a VGA adapter), an S-Video, and two composite outputs. In order to use even the basic functions of the ReplayTV, you must have a broadband connection to register online. Once you've cleared that initial hurdle, you'll be ready to play. Even though it has a phone jack in the back this is disabled and may be enabled with future versions of the software. This unit is one the more expensive of the 4XXX series with a 160GB hard drive. It allows for 160 hours of storage at standard recording quality. There is only one other model of PVR that has more storage, the 4320, which offers as much as 320 hours of recording capacity. Of course, the amount of programming you can store depends on whether you record at the Standard, Medium, or High setting. At its best resolution, the 4040 holds around 56 hours worth of content. Using the 4160's high-resolution VGA connector, you can hook up the deck to a PC or to a TV's component input. You can even use a DLP or LCD projector with VGA inputs to enjoy ReplayTV at the 480p, semi-HDTV video resolution. One of the main features of this unit is its network capability. If you have a home network you can share shows with other Replay 4XXX units and you can share it with others outside of you home via the internet with the required broadband connection. With variables such as your ISP and connection along with those with whom you're sharing programming content with can mean that a single standard-level half-hour recording could take anywhere from two to eight hours to download. The internet interoperability also allows for you to program you Replay via a web interface called MyReplayTV.com. This however takes at most 24 hours for it be "synched' with your replay unit when "calls" in for updated programming schedules usually around 3-4 AM. Sonicblue says the 4000-series models will "soon" support direct, instant access so that you can set shows remotely to record on the fly. And they upgrade their software regularly. The best feature is the PVR's ability to filter out almost all commercials with a simple menu change. When it's recording in the Commercial Advance mode, the ReplayTV 4160 automatically skips from about one second into the first commercial to about five seconds before the program resumes, but you still may end up with a few commercials (it isn't perfect). I love my ReplayTV, there is great third party support ... for this unit just like TiVo that if you are so inclined to void your warranty can improve on this already great PVR. The only downside of this unit is its high price, but to many it is well worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: This Thing's Great!
Review: This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch. My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer. Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.
Rating:
Summary: This Thing's Great!
Review: This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch. My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer. Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.
Rating:
Summary: What else do you need?
Review: We have a slightly older Replay (the 20 hour version). It was easy to set up, easy to use. The software interface I like better than the TiVo. For example, my son has a 'thing' about the Civil War. All I have to do to find Civil War-related shows is hit "menu", "find shows," type in "Civil War," and hit enter. Whatever's on that week pops up, and all I have to do to record it is select it and hit enter again. End of story. I DO recommend that you get the largest-volume model you can afford; the Replay has greatly increased our appetite for things on tape. As a mom, the greatest reward is that my kids are no longer aware that broadcast TV EXISTS. They watch what I have taped, any time I say it's OK. We don't watch when and what CBS or Nickelodeon says we should, but what I say. It's the Mercedes of parental TV control. And I must confess it's handy to always have a Blues Clues or 2 on hand for emergency situations! ;-) Go on, you will love it!
Rating:
Summary: Everything you watch in TV will now be GOOD!
Review: We have a slightly older Replay (the 20 hour version). It was easy to set up, easy to use. The software interface I like better than the TiVo. For example, my son has a 'thing' about the Civil War. All I have to do to find Civil War-related shows is hit "menu", "find shows," type in "Civil War," and hit enter. Whatever's on that week pops up, and all I have to do to record it is select it and hit enter again. End of story. I DO recommend that you get the largest-volume model you can afford; the Replay has greatly increased our appetite for things on tape. As a mom, the greatest reward is that my kids are no longer aware that broadcast TV EXISTS. They watch what I have taped, any time I say it's OK. We don't watch when and what CBS or Nickelodeon says we should, but what I say. It's the Mercedes of parental TV control. And I must confess it's handy to always have a Blues Clues or 2 on hand for emergency situations! ;-) Go on, you will love it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Tivo Killer!
Review: With features like built-in ethernet networking (no more relying on a phone line!), the ability to send shows to your friends (and receieve shows too! Missed Friends last week? Someone out there will send it to ya!), the fastest processor found in a DVR, sleek attractive design, a great remote, and Commercial Advance (No more commercials, ever!), don't even CONSIDER getting a Tivo. No monthly 'subscription' fees to pay for a failing company to try and stay in business a few more weeks (Tivo), no more phone line hassles (Tivo), no more cartoony nonsense that looks like something your 5 year old should play with (Tivo) and no more need to HACK the unit to get the features you want (Tivo). So much more than a VCR, it offers you a completely new way to watch television. Forums abound for the ReplayTV, so tips, tricks, and advice are just a moment away. Buy more than one, and watch the shows from either at either location! The beauty of the ethernet port. I know this sounds like an advertisement, but anyone reading this review is asking my personal opinion. ReplayTV is the best, high end piece of equipment in your stereo / home theater system. Did I mention it has a VGA output, for your projector or progressive input TV? Everyone who owns it loves it! Don't get stuck with a brick when Tivo goes out of business. ReplayTV is owned by a huge company (SonicBlue, who also owns GoVideo, Rio, and Diamond Multimedia, makers of video cards, sound cards, etc).
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