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ReplayTV 3030 Digital Video Recorder Review
For those unfamiliar with the concept of TV servers, ReplayTV records programs digitally and stores the information on a hard drive. Like a VCR, if you want to record your favorite show while you're away from home, you can store it on the 3030's hard drive and watch it later. Unlike VCRs, the personal TV server doesn't require tapes or other media to store programming.
It's important to point out that the actual amount of storage space depends on the video-recording quality that you select. A higher quality picture will take up more storage space than a lower quality recording. At the lowest setting, the picture quality is still better than standard VHS. At the middle setting, the picture quality is better than an S-VHS VCR, but storage capacity decreases by approximately 40 percent. The highest-quality setting approaches 500 lines of resolution (depending on the source) but further reduces storage capacity. We recommend using the highest setting for movies and the middle level for sporting events, sitcoms, and other programs, then erasing the content immediately after viewing it. Before doing so, however, you may want to consider taping it with a VCR for your VHS library.
One of the coolest features on the 3030 server is the ability to pause a live broadcast and resume watching it if you're interrupted for any number of reasons. When you utilize this feature, ReplayTV acts as a time buffer by storing the show in memory so you can pick up the program from where you left off. A "Return to Live" button on the remote allows you to skip forward to real time, which is great if you're watching a sporting event and you wish to catch up to the live action.
There's also an "Instant Replay" button on the remote that allows you to rewatch portions of a show or sporting event in 7-second increments, so you're not limited to rewatching only a brief segment.
ReplayTV also allows you to personalize programming for a specific theme. For example, you can set ReplayTV to monitor TV listings for any program featuring a specific actor. You can also refine theme-based searches of programming. For instance, if you wish to record Friends, you can limit your search to title only, so you won't waste time pulling up every movie and talk show that has the word "friends" in the description.
ReplayTV's onscreen guide appears with a blue background and white characters that are very readable. Since you'll be using the guide a lot to search for programs and to preview descriptions, it's important that you can read the text on a standard-size TV from your sofa. ReplayTV's onscreen guide gets an A+ in this regard.
We loved ReplayTV's QuickSkip feature, which allows you to instantly jump ahead 30 seconds, so you can skip through TV commercials on prerecorded programs. We also like the ReplayZones, which make it very easy to find programs that suit your tastes by searching according to genre. ReplayTV delineates programming into a wide variety of categories, from action and romance movies to cooking and home-improvement shows--and everything in between. ReplayTV also offers a Search Zone that allows you to input words such as "love" or "vacation" using the remote control and an onscreen keypad.
If you wish to save a particular prerecorded show, you can record it on to a VCR using the back-panel outputs. We were impressed by ReplayTV's inclusion of two sets of audio-video inputs and outputs, as well an S-video input and output. This enables users to hook up a DSS or other direct-broadcast satellite receiver to the 3030, along with a VCR as an output device.
You can watch one program while recording another by using a cable TV splitter. Simply connect the cable from the wall to the splitter's input line, then connect a spare coaxial cable from the splitter's output line to the 3030, and another from the splitter to the TV. To watch a show while recording another, use the TV button on the Replay remote to switch sources (assuming you've input your TV brand's infrared code into Replay's universal remote control).
One neat feature we really like is the ability to place the 3030 into "quiet mode" simply by turning off the unit. This keeps the server from automatically recording shows to the hard drive, which conserves power and keeps the hard disc from spinning, thereby keeping the unit cool and noise free. If you happen to be recording a show when you turn the 3030 off, it will continue to record, then shut down once the show is finished and stored in the hard drive.
Connecting the 3030 to our home theater system took about 15 minutes. Replay thoughtfully provides a poster-size chart to guide users through setup without opening the manual. If you have an open phone jack, we recommend using it. Otherwise, you can use the supplied splitter to connect the 3030 to an existing line. (You do not need a dedicated phone line, since ReplayTV's programming updates take place in the early morning hours, for only a few minutes each night.) Or you can purchase a 56 Kbps wireless transmitter/receiver, which plugs into a wall outlet and allows you to connect the 3030 to an existing phone line across the room or in another part of the house.
Dialing into ReplayTV to download the free programming guide was much easier than we expected. One major advantage to ReplayTV is that it doesn't charge any monthly service fee for downloading the program guide.
We like the fact that ReplayTV's service is nonintrusive. After all, the whole concept of personal TV servers is intended to liberate viewers so they can watch the programs they prefer, whenever they feel like it. ReplayTV is designed to make it as easy as possible for customers to find the programs they like and to record them for future enjoyment.
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Benefits of TiVo service include but are by no means limited to: Season Pass (TiVo automatically finds and records every episode of a series all season long, even if the network schedule changes); TiVo Suggestions (the unit finds and records shows similar to your favorites); WishList (TiVo finds and records programs that feature your favorite actor, director, team, or even topic); Smart Recording (TiVo detects line-up changes for you and suggests programs to match your interests, if desired); Showcases (exclusive entertainment plus recording shortcuts from some of the most popular networks on TV); and TiVo Live TV guide (which provides listings for 14 days of programming).
For playback, a handy status bar shows you right where you are in a recorded program. A supplied multibrand remote operates key features on many brands of TVs and audio/video receivers. Connections include two sets of AV outputs, a single S-video output, and an RF (threaded coaxial) video input for cable or a local antenna. The unit is even software-upgradeable for compatibility with future features.
What's in the Box
SVR-2000 DVR, RMT-V303 wireless remote control, two AA batteries, 5-foot stereo RCA audio and composite-video cable, 25-foot RJ-11 phone cord, RJ-11 phone splitter, 64-inch S-video cable, 10-foot serial control cable (stereo .125-inch minijack to 9-pin male RS-232 serial-port connector), 81-inch IR blaster cable, two pieces of double-sided tape, installation guide, easy set-up guide, TiVo viewer's guide, and owner registration card/questionnaire.
Note: Paid TiVo service is required to use this product.
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ReplayTV RTV5504 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder Review
What's more, the RTV5504 is home-network-capable, letting you hook it up with additional 5500 Series recorders for multi-room convenience and/or link it to your PC for viewing custom slide shows of your digital photos. Not a cable or satellite user? Not to worry--there's an RF antenna input on the rear panel, just like on your TV. Just understand that the quality of your recordings can never surpass the quality of your reception. If you're using a satellite receiver, a supplied IR blaster will correctly configure the receiver to feed the ReplayTV recorder your desired programs at the correct times.
Some basics: 40 GB holds 14 to 40 hours of programming, depending on the quality setting you select (standard, medium, or high). Use of the unit requires ReplayTV service, to which you can subscribe on a monthly basis (.95) or pay up front for lifetime access (9.99). The ReplayTV recorder requires regular scheduling updates via either standard analog phone line (RJ-11 cable provided) or broadband cable modem (router or access point and/or Ethernet cable not included).
But once it's set up, using it and appreciating it couldn't be any easier. Before you record anything, ReplayTV delivers real-time, onscreen scheduling information for everything in your area, making paper guides unnecessary and taking all the guesswork out of channel surfing. The channel guide shows program names, program durations, and even offers short descriptions or summaries for each program.
ReplayTV's best features all stem from its ability to capture shows you're interested in, either one by one, categorically (all shows of a given title or in a given time slot), or by theme (baseball, music videos, romantic comedies, action movies, documentaries, dance, you name it). You can also search by actor, director, title, or description, and set the unit to capture anything that fits your queries. ReplayZones let you browse all scheduling for the next two weeks by seven primary categories and countless subcats within each category, a terrific way to discover programs you'd never think to look for.
You can set recordings to start early or end late or skip broadcasts on any day of the week, one of many options for settling the inevitable recording conflicts. If you walk into a live broadcast you decide you want to keep, you can schedule on the fly to save the remainder of that program.
The recorder shines most brightly in active use: navigating, viewing, and managing (resume playback/keep/delete) recorded programming. The QuickSkip button is indispensable, bumping you a commercial-appropriate 30 seconds forward with each press. If you first enter a number, such as 15, QuickSkip will take you forward an equivalent number of minutes, making it easy to hunt for a specific section of a program.
Another essential feature is the ability to watch a recorded program while another recording is in progress. And, by turning the unit off (the hard drive is always on, even if the power is ostensibly off), you can watch a live program on one channel via your TV tuner while ReplayTV records another program on a different channel.
At a minimum, all quality settings are what we would call "watchable." In the "high" setting, picture and sound quality are both excellent, if still slightly inferior to the raw signal. (If your TV is HD-ready, using the unit's progressive-scan video outputs should result in an improvement, however.) Using the medium and standard settings greatly expands the recorder's storage capacity, which--trust us--you'll probably find yourself wanting a lot sooner than you think. Let's face it: a dip in audio/video quality is a small price to pay for the programming discoveries and incredible conveniences afforded by this device. --Michael Mikesell
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What's in the Box One ReplayTV RTV5504 PVR, a remote control, remote batteries, a user's manual, an RF coaxial video cable, a composite-video/stereo analog audio interconnect, an IR blaster cable, a 9-to-15-pin adapter, an RJH-to-9-pin adapter, and an RJ-11 phone cable. ReplayTV RTV5504 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
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