moorehed

my dad was all excited about getting a TiVO, but then i told him about the service fees and it kinda turned him off. so i started looking at replayTV and it seemed pretty cool, but its rediculously expensive everywhere, and lots of places seem to not cary it anymore... anyone know where it IS available for a decent price? Thanks!

Max Fischer

Replay TV is out of business....so if you buy it you're incredibly uninformed and stupid. (no offense meant)

TiVO...which I've had for two weeks now...is awesome.

The service fee is WELL worth it.

Also: Check out this forum on tivo: http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgitivo/Ultimate.cgi

It'll answer all your questions.

thejammy

HELLO! Just because they are out of business does not mean you cannot buy the player.

Please just answer the Moorehed Question.

I believe I saw them on ubid.com I think that JandR had some left.

I really want to get one myself. I believe sears had some. IF you print out a webstore that has a lowerprice, they will pricematch online. But you have to have a Phone # for them to call and verify the price.

I would try bizrate.com or mysimon.com to get prices for sears to pricematch. Hope this helps moorehed.

It is nice to see ya around.

moorehed

thanks for the info jammy, i did read that they were not producing them anymore, are they out of business? or are they just not making the units anymore? also, if they ARE out of business, or did go out of business, would they still work ok? or would all the users just be screwed? thanks!!! my dad doesn't like the idea of paying another monthly bill. ( i have a tivo myself )

thejammy

Here check out this link. I think jadzia has one.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=108375

moorehed

yeah i posted this after reading that link. thx.

elektra

Replay is no longer making the hardware, but they are still supporting the units that exist and are being produced by third parties software wise. They are looking to work with Cable companies to directly market their services integrated with the cable companies, I believe.

http://www.replay.com should have more info.

I have no desire to pay another fee for Tivo, on top of cable. That, imo, is lame.

Plastic

Just get your Dad lifetime service with the TiVo and there's no monthly bill and a cost comparable to a ReplayTV which comes with lifetime service.

Dansize

Last time I looked, TIVO with lifetime service was about equal in cost to Replay as a standalone. Basically, Replay had built this charge into the upfront cost of the box. I much prefer this method.

However - if I were in the market today, I would be sticking with a company that still is a player in the hardware end. Replay jumped out of the market and who's to say they won't stop supporting the software in the next year or 2? Without the service, the box is just a heat generator in your cabinet.

TIVO recently scored some significant patents. I hope they have enough backing and market strength to go up against Ultimate TV (the Microsoft entry into the market). I don't like the Ultimate TV box because they don't offer a lifetime service fee, they have it hooked in with WebTV (including a keyboard), and I don't like the idea of sending Microsoft even more money now that they are in to charging rental fees for their software rather than (total ownership) licensing fees.

I like the technology and may get into it in another year once we see a 2nd or 3rd generation of the boxes that are combined with DirecTV tuners.

thejammy

But you have to remember that TIVO modems tend to get fried very easily

I think if you do a search you will find that out.

elektra

With the amount of deals and discounts that were found on the web, even back when I got mine, you still wound up paying considerably less than retail for Replay.

bboisvert

Ummm... actually, it is you who is "incredibly uninformed". ReplayTV is not out of business. They are just no longer making their own set top boxes. They are still free to license the software to 3rd-party companies. And that announcement was made back in November or December and I've still continued to receive software updates from them, in addition to the launch of http://www.myreplaytv.com -- which allows me to control recording via the Web.

Additionally, Sonicblue Inc. is highly rumored to by acquiring ReplayTV soon and they plan to combine their technologies...

I've had my player for almost a year and can't imagine life without it. There's a forum available over at http://www.avsforum.com/ubbcgi/forum...ital+Recorders

TheBang

bboisvert has the correct story on ReplayTV. Everyone else's "facts" in this thread are incomplete or incorrect.

However, TiVo appears to be the current market leader, and they have scored some important patents recently.

Also, remember that UltimateTV only works in conjunction with DirecTV service. TiVo has a version that works with DirecTV, but they also have standalone boxes that work with antenna or cable services.

Personally, I prefer TiVo. Buy the "lifetime subscription" option, and you won't have to pay monthly fees. I can't imagine watching TV without my TiVo now.

Jadzia

I love my ReplayTV and I can assure you as others have that are still in business. My unit receives updates every night!

If you want to get a ReplayTV-like unit, try a Panasonic Showstopper which uses the same basic software and has the similar no fee set-up.

moorehed

jadzia, i sent you an email the other day but you never wrote back

elektra

Todd - what's the charge on the lifetime subscription service????

moorehed

tivo lifetime = $250, they just raised it from 200

Pikul

Have mercy on the gent who calls us stupid and uninformed -- wouldn't you be ornery and crotchety if you had to spread yourself thin between the Beekeeper Society, Latin Club, rock climbing, go-karts, pike fishing, etc? Besides, he disqualified the insults by saying 'no offense met.'

valkyrie

Yeah, but it's a tough call when you call someone "incredibly uniformed and stupid" and then say "no offense." You have to agree there's a contradiction there.

For me, I toss my hat into the ReplayTV arena. I'd much rather have all the fees paid for upfront, and I prefer Replay's key features over that of Tivo. And looking at stock profiles, NONE of the manufacturer's look hot, but SonicBlue rep's assure us Replay users there are more great features in the works. Check out the forums at http://www.avsforums.com for the totally biased love both Tivo and Replay users have for their units. Whichever way you go, your TV watching habits will NEVER be the same.

"If my apartment were on fire, rest assured, my ReplayTV would be tucked under one arm as I flee the burning building." - me

elektra

I really do enjoy the option of programming my Replay on-line. It's so convenient.

Jadzia

Whoops, I'm sorry. I have DVDTalk set to my "junk mail" address and I haven't checked that recently.

(Dashes off to check my email.)

Jadzia

ReplayTV is my Rushmore.

Kenwood

Josh,

Go for the Tivo. Have you checked out the Sony DirecTV/Tivo combo unit?

Kenwood

Divx said the same thing

valkyrie

Don't you EVEN go there, boy! You're asking for it. Don't you DARE compare my favorite new technology with the WORST idea to come up in the last decade.

Grrr...me no likie Kenwood, now.