replaytv or tivo?
05-14-01, 09:55 AM
#2
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I really dont know to much about Replay. I have TIVO (Sony SVR2000)and I have no complaints. If you haven't I would recommend going to TIVO's website and looking at the product interactive demo.
05-14-01, 10:04 AM
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Let me start off by saying I own a TIVO, thus I am slightly biased toward them.
The main difrence up front is the initial cost. TIVO is cheaper, but needs a monthly subscription fee($10) or a $250 lifetime fee. REPLAY is about $200 more for a unit with the same average time. This kinda negates to overall cost issue. To me, the $10 a month is not that bad. I happily pay it.
REPLAY offers a 30 second commercial skip button. TIVO does not. If you have a remote that can do macros, you can make a very good approximation of 30 second skip. I personaly dont miss it that much. The FF with TIVO is sufficent for my needs.
TIVO offers wishlists with the latest software (which oyu would get shortly after recieveing the unit) This alows you to make program searches with keyword, actor, title, etc.
TIVO also offers suggestions. Suggestions take a little while to get ajusted to your viewing, but once they are going good they seem to be fairly accurate.
TIVO has a nice form over at avs at this address:
http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/U...tion=intro&Byp
They even have a forum where you can see how to "hack" the TIVO to give even more space by putting in a second large drive.
There is also a replay forum at AVS you can check out to get some repaly biased opinions.
IF you have any more questions, let me know.
The main difrence up front is the initial cost. TIVO is cheaper, but needs a monthly subscription fee($10) or a $250 lifetime fee. REPLAY is about $200 more for a unit with the same average time. This kinda negates to overall cost issue. To me, the $10 a month is not that bad. I happily pay it.
REPLAY offers a 30 second commercial skip button. TIVO does not. If you have a remote that can do macros, you can make a very good approximation of 30 second skip. I personaly dont miss it that much. The FF with TIVO is sufficent for my needs.
TIVO offers wishlists with the latest software (which oyu would get shortly after recieveing the unit) This alows you to make program searches with keyword, actor, title, etc.
TIVO also offers suggestions. Suggestions take a little while to get ajusted to your viewing, but once they are going good they seem to be fairly accurate.
TIVO has a nice form over at avs at this address:
http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/U...tion=intro&Byp
They even have a forum where you can see how to "hack" the TIVO to give even more space by putting in a second large drive.
There is also a replay forum at AVS you can check out to get some repaly biased opinions.
IF you have any more questions, let me know.
05-14-01, 10:24 AM
#6
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I love my ReplayTV. Don't believe the hype that it costs more up front. I was able to get a much better deal and more recording time with my ReplayTV over Tivo (I was in the market for either whatever the best deal was.)
I got a 60 hour unit for $469 - $100 rebate= $369.
With no monthly fee or service plan to buy.
Definitely get the most hours you can afford. You'll really love it.
I got a 60 hour unit for $469 - $100 rebate= $369.
With no monthly fee or service plan to buy.
Definitely get the most hours you can afford. You'll really love it.
05-14-01, 10:38 AM
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Jadzia:
The price minus the rebate is about what a 60 hour TIVO will cost. You can even find rebates for them from time to time. What other benifits does the replay have over TIVO? The only ine i know of is the 30 second skip. TIVO seems to have the edge in programing and ease of use. THe interface on TIVO is exceptionaly nice when you consider all you have is a 4 way rocker and a selct button to work with.
Can you add extra drives after market like with TIVO?
Maybe a breakdown of Repaly Hihlights would be helpfull in this case.
The price minus the rebate is about what a 60 hour TIVO will cost. You can even find rebates for them from time to time. What other benifits does the replay have over TIVO? The only ine i know of is the 30 second skip. TIVO seems to have the edge in programing and ease of use. THe interface on TIVO is exceptionaly nice when you consider all you have is a 4 way rocker and a selct button to work with.
Can you add extra drives after market like with TIVO?
Maybe a breakdown of Repaly Hihlights would be helpfull in this case.
05-14-01, 10:48 AM
#8
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Originally posted by Aaron Campagnone
Jadzia:
The price minus the rebate is about what a 60 hour TIVO will cost. You can even find rebates for them from time to time. What other benifits does the replay have over TIVO? The only ine i know of is the 30 second skip. TIVO seems to have the edge in programing and ease of use. THe interface on TIVO is exceptionaly nice when you consider all you have is a 4 way rocker and a selct button to work with.
Can you add extra drives after market like with TIVO?
Maybe a breakdown of Repaly Hihlights would be helpfull in this case.
Jadzia:
The price minus the rebate is about what a 60 hour TIVO will cost. You can even find rebates for them from time to time. What other benifits does the replay have over TIVO? The only ine i know of is the 30 second skip. TIVO seems to have the edge in programing and ease of use. THe interface on TIVO is exceptionaly nice when you consider all you have is a 4 way rocker and a selct button to work with.
Can you add extra drives after market like with TIVO?
Maybe a breakdown of Repaly Hihlights would be helpfull in this case.
Usually a 20 or 30 hour Tivo will cost you $299 or $399, PLUS the service fee. It's just not a very good deal, with or without a rebate.
I don't know about adding extra drives, but with a 60 hour unit you pretty much don't need to. I don't see how anyone could live with a 20 hour one.
And ease of use? My ReplayTv is very easy to use. The channel guide is great (so much better than my digital cable one). I can record shows by touching the record buttton once. And I hit it twice and it will ALWAYS record that show when it's on. Plus I love the "theme" channels you can create to record cable shows that are on often.
It is also very easy to search by show title, star, director, keyword, etc.
The channel skip is awesome. I am not really familiar with Tivo, but I have zero cmplaints with my ReplayTv and how easy to use it is.
05-14-01, 12:03 PM
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jadzia
I have never seen a 60 hour Tivo for anything less than $699.
Usually a 20 or 30 hour Tivo will cost you $299 or $399, PLUS the service fee. It's just not a very good deal, with or without a rebate.
I don't know about adding extra drives, but with a 60 hour unit you pretty much don't need to. I don't see how anyone could live with a 20 hour one.
Your right. The cost of a 30 is what I was refering to! I have a 20 hour and it is fine. I run into a few problems since that only translates to about 13 hours on medium setting.
I heard that replay compresses sound as well as video, so that the lower end recordings have horible sound. Is this true? TIVO does no compresion of sound, thus it is always at the same quality reguardless of video quality.
I have never seen a 60 hour Tivo for anything less than $699.
Usually a 20 or 30 hour Tivo will cost you $299 or $399, PLUS the service fee. It's just not a very good deal, with or without a rebate.
I don't know about adding extra drives, but with a 60 hour unit you pretty much don't need to. I don't see how anyone could live with a 20 hour one.
I heard that replay compresses sound as well as video, so that the lower end recordings have horible sound. Is this true? TIVO does no compresion of sound, thus it is always at the same quality reguardless of video quality.
05-14-01, 12:53 PM
#10
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While this may not be for you, this is a good time to get Dish Network. Last month they just released their Dish 501 receiver which is basically a Tivo, though I don't think it has quite as many features currently (favorites suggestions, etc), but its software upgradeable so more than likely it will in the future. If you are an existing customer its basically FREE, in fact, they'll PAY YOU $80 to get it (actually $60 after shipping - this is for self-installation, professional installation will probably make you break even). (that price is based on the price at http://www.dbs-sales.com, which is where I just bought the receiver - was lowest price I could find for an existing customer).
It has a 40gb HD, which supposedly gets 35 hrs of storage. No monthly fee for the service either. After being with Dish for 2 years, I'd never go back to cable. You do have to maintain 1 year of a minimum amount of programming to qualify for the offer though.
Just something to think about. They have some multi-receiver packages as well for real cheap if you want to be able to PIP/record one channel while watching another, etc... $5 more a month for the extra receiver.
It has a 40gb HD, which supposedly gets 35 hrs of storage. No monthly fee for the service either. After being with Dish for 2 years, I'd never go back to cable. You do have to maintain 1 year of a minimum amount of programming to qualify for the offer though.
Just something to think about. They have some multi-receiver packages as well for real cheap if you want to be able to PIP/record one channel while watching another, etc... $5 more a month for the extra receiver.
05-14-01, 03:07 PM
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My vote for TiVo...
I'd recommend getting a TiVo, as it is extremely easy to use, and is quite cost effective.
Your best bet would be to get one of the DirecTiVos on the market, it is a combination satellite receiver and TiVo box all-in-one. It even has dual-tuners so you can watch and record on different channels at the same time!The only negative that I know with ReplayTV is that the company itself got out of the business some months ago and no longer supports the ReplayTV hardware or software.
It's really a situation of whichever system catches your fancy. I'd recommend going to CircuitCity/ BestBuy/ GoodGuys and trying each system out side-by-side to see which one is the best fit for you.
Good luck!
05-14-01, 05:53 PM
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I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I have a Tivo myself, and I can never use it. My 15 yr old son loves it and he is a sicko Seinfeld freak, keeps replaying them over and over.
He is going to work with me this summer in order to purchase his own.
Sam
He is going to work with me this summer in order to purchase his own.
Sam
05-15-01, 09:26 AM
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Datagirl, the only suggestion I have for you is, Do you want to pay a service fee?
The only problem with Tivo that I have heard is the modem's are very sensitive, and they tend to get fried.
I don't own, either, but I am leaning toward the Replay. I have been researching it ever since Replay the original company started putting their ads on tv. I had them send me all kinds of brochures, then TIVO came along, and blew them away with price point.
You can use your TIVO w/o the service but it is useless, and hard to manage.
My suggestion is, if you want DVR, then get either one. Your life will never be the same, and you will wonder how ppl lived without them.
I compare a DVR to the Remote. It is a staple of entertainment. IMHO
The only problem with Tivo that I have heard is the modem's are very sensitive, and they tend to get fried.
I don't own, either, but I am leaning toward the Replay. I have been researching it ever since Replay the original company started putting their ads on tv. I had them send me all kinds of brochures, then TIVO came along, and blew them away with price point.
You can use your TIVO w/o the service but it is useless, and hard to manage.
My suggestion is, if you want DVR, then get either one. Your life will never be the same, and you will wonder how ppl lived without them.
I compare a DVR to the Remote. It is a staple of entertainment. IMHO
05-15-01, 04:55 PM
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I have to take issues with a few things about the ReplayTV here.
First, they are NOT "out of the business." They merely don't make the hardware side of things anymore. I'm still getting software updates from Replay, so I know they still support my Showstopper. They absolutely support their software, any claim otherwise is total BS. Check out the forum over at http://www.avsforum.com for great info on either the Replay or Tivo.
Second, the overall price of a Replay right now is less than that of Tivo. Factor in everything, and the Showstopper is the way to go. The $100 rebate on the showstopper rocks, and you can get some great deals.
Also, both Tivo and Replay have nice features over the other, take the one that you like. PVR's are hands-down the best product I have purchased in the last 12-20 months, and I love my replay. Also, replay has myreplaytv.com, which allows you to program your replay over the net (it will update itself based on that info when it calls in each night), so if you're on vacation and can get to a web terminal, you can edit, delete, or change settings for the next day and beyond! Pretty cool if you ask me.
Both can be hacked to add bigger drives (i.e. more space). All in all, I couldn't be happier, and having one less bill each month makes my life that much simpler.
Either way, you'll be their next proponent. Replay users love their replay's and tivo users love their tivo's. It's win-win.
Enjoy!
First, they are NOT "out of the business." They merely don't make the hardware side of things anymore. I'm still getting software updates from Replay, so I know they still support my Showstopper. They absolutely support their software, any claim otherwise is total BS. Check out the forum over at http://www.avsforum.com for great info on either the Replay or Tivo.
Second, the overall price of a Replay right now is less than that of Tivo. Factor in everything, and the Showstopper is the way to go. The $100 rebate on the showstopper rocks, and you can get some great deals.
Also, both Tivo and Replay have nice features over the other, take the one that you like. PVR's are hands-down the best product I have purchased in the last 12-20 months, and I love my replay. Also, replay has myreplaytv.com, which allows you to program your replay over the net (it will update itself based on that info when it calls in each night), so if you're on vacation and can get to a web terminal, you can edit, delete, or change settings for the next day and beyond! Pretty cool if you ask me.
Both can be hacked to add bigger drives (i.e. more space). All in all, I couldn't be happier, and having one less bill each month makes my life that much simpler.
Either way, you'll be their next proponent. Replay users love their replay's and tivo users love their tivo's. It's win-win.
Enjoy!
05-15-01, 04:59 PM
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If my house were burning and I could save either my DVD player or my TiVo ... hello crispy discy. To me, TiVo is a next-level product. Like from the conventional oven to the microwave. You'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
As for the TiVo/Replay/UltimateTV debate. My choice is obvious, so I suggest checking into all three and weighing your options.
As for the TiVo/Replay/UltimateTV debate. My choice is obvious, so I suggest checking into all three and weighing your options.
05-16-01, 06:49 AM
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Well, I have the other ReplayTV person beat. I got my TIVO for free except the subscription costs and tax.
Since I've never owned a replayTV, I can't compare the two but the TIVO is great. It's very versatile and simple to use.
The subscription may ultimately determine the better PTV recorder. TIVO seems like it will be around for quite some time.
Since I've never owned a replayTV, I can't compare the two but the TIVO is great. It's very versatile and simple to use.
The subscription may ultimately determine the better PTV recorder. TIVO seems like it will be around for quite some time.
