ReplayTV 3030 Digital Video Recorder Review
ReplayTV 3030 Digital Video Recorder Feature
- Digitally records up to 30 hours of programming without videotape
- Pauses live broadcasts and resumes play at your leisure
- QuickSkip feature bypasses recorded commercials
- Instant Replay plays back programming in 7-second increments
- Free programming guide with no monthly service fees
ReplayTV's 3030 server provides up to 30 hours of storage space and offers a host of upgrades, including an advanced programmable remote control with a ReplayZones button that makes it very easy to find the shows you want to record. In fact, it's almost too easy. Once we grew accustomed to recording shows in advance, we found ourselves watching three times as much TV as we had in the past.
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.
Pros:
- 30-hour hard drive
- Easy-to-navigate onscreen guide
- Intuitive remote control
- Free programming guide
Cons:
- No internal fan to cool unit
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