TiVo vs. ReplayTV

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Matt Whitlock
TiVo vs. ReplayTV

While many believe the Replay is a lost cause, it has a following of many devoted fans. In fact, many on-line polls usually result in the ReplayTV as a clear winner. However, TiVo is now it's own word, and will probably be added to the dictionaries sooner than later.

Well, it's time to decide a clear winner once and for all! Which do you think is better, the TiVo or the ReplayTV?

Jeff Block
Death to the imposter. TiVo

Death to the imposter. TiVo will clearly prevail!

Rotab
Well... a I have a DVR and it

Well... a I have a DVR and it's not Tivo and not ReplayTV so what do I have. It's Comcasts DVR with a HiDef. tuner its pretty cool with the on Demand movies and stuff. I know I does'nt "learn" the shows I like but who cares I dont need that anyway just the ease of recording and pauseing live TV is cool enough for me and I'm not paying any monthly charges. Or dont I count?

Just a Comcast DVR;-(

Eric Daugherty (not verified)
You have what will probably

You have what will probably put a serious hurt on TiVo and ReplayTV (not that Replay can get hurt any worse).

I wrote about this in my article A Tale of Two TiVos

jacefrey
Well, I have to admit I haven

Well, I have to admit I haven't seen Replay, but I do have a TiVo, Windows Media Center Edition (MCE), and Snapstream Beyond TV.

The thing I like best about TiVo its ease of use - it's always there, always working, easy to navigate, can schedule remotely, and is rarely broken.

However, I've been using Windows MCE to record HDTV and that works well, plus I love SnapStream's Showsqueeze capability as well as Beyond TV Link.

TivoToGo was a step in the right direction, but I think it will need to be more open and extensible to be the clear winner in this category.

Jeff Block
Jacefrey, how's the quality

Jacefrey, how's the quality of the HD video recorded on your MCE?

Ross Johnson
It will be the same as the

It will be the same as the original recording, Jeff! All HDTV recording solutions will have the same quality, which is to say they'll be identical to the original. I also mention some of this in my article Do It Yourself HDTV.

Jeff Block
Ross... Read your article.

Ross... Read your article. Great stuff. Thanks.

jacefrey
One note about workign with

One note about workign with MCE - when we first set it up with the HD card, there was no audio, so we had to install a MP4 software codec for the audio - one of the ones compatible with Windows Media Player. When we installed that, it also installed the software video codec and usurped the processing by the MP2 hardware - which I haven't fixed yet. Even so, the quality is GREAT but I don't record many shows because the file size is so large.

Matt Whitlock (not verified)
I'll give credit to Replay

I'll give credit to Replay for always keeping the consumer's needs in mind. When they put out the 4000 Series with Commercial Advance, it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. No more need to FF or skip... just let Replay jump the commercials for you automatically. Too bad it nearly killed them when they were sued for it.

All this while TiVo figures out a way to include advertising while you fast forward, or others completely eliminate the 30 skip key altogether. I don't know about you, but I'm much more willing to support a product that has my interests in mind over theirs.

Ron Repking (not verified)
I think that there is a

I think that there is a difference between having your best interests in mind and just being a smart business owner. Fairly soon, most people that have cable or satellite (and even many who don't) will own a DVR. If the device gave everyone a chance to completely skip by commercials, think about what that would do the TV industry and advertisers and how it would effect the economy. TiVo is smart in coming up with alternatives that would satisfy both the advertisers and the general public - like the displaying of a banner ad on the screen instead of commercials.

On a separate note, I think that the DVR phenomenon itself is already a cause of the recent explosion of product placements in TV shows and movies. It is so obvious now, it distracts me from watching, and I think is even worse than having to skip through commercials which I can't do with product placements.

Matt Whitlock (not verified)
Sounds like something similar

Sounds like something similar to what I said in my article Does TiVo Spy on You?

Rotab
Can anyone tell me, can I

Can anyone tell me, can I transfer shows from my DVR (Motorola Comcast) to my imac without burning down my house or hurting myself?

Matt Whitlock (not verified)
I'm not familiar of any way

I'm not familiar of any way to do it in the digital domain, but you could always connect the composite output to a video capture card. You should start a new thread about this. You'll probably get some good feedback.

camerashy
I love my TiVo. I have

I love my TiVo. I have friends with the Comcast On Demand and when they come over and see what TiVo can do they're pretty wowed. TiVo is so much more than just a recording device. I like having the Wishlist and the TiVo suggestions. We have the lifetime subscription so we don't worry about a monthly payment. We're thinking of getting a second one for the kids so we can catch more of what we want to watch and less Dora the Explorer. In summation, I love TiVo. I can't believe I ever lived without it. :)

Robert Crowe
Mark me down as a ReplayTV

Mark me down as a ReplayTV user. I've been Replaying since December 1999 and haven't looked back. I've had the 30-sec skip since the very beginning and the 3-minute skip since pretty close to the beginning. Then of course, we got Commercial Advance!

Matt Whitlock
So Rob, you have the infamous

So Rob, you have the infamous 4000 series? If I remember correctly, Commercial Advance was only in the 4000, then was ripped out after they got the pants sued off of them for the 5000.

I'm still using my trusty Panasonic PV-HS2000 that is from 1998; the model year before the 4000 series.



7 years of constant, heavy use, and the thing still works like a champ. It amazes me every time. I know it's going to go someday (probably sooner than later after 7 years), but I wouldn't think twice about replacing it with another ReplayTV unit.

 

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