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I've had a ReplayTV for two years now, and have been very happy with the hardware and the company. I'm looking forward to upgrading.

According to their website, it automatically detects and skips commercials, in addition to having a 30-second skip button. Also, with a VCR you still have to see the commercials, while with the ReplayTV it's (most likely) instaneous.

If you visit replayTV's B2B section, among other things you will find "Targeted Ad System". So, instead of static one-size-fits-all old-fashioned commercials, users will see accurately targeted ones. And sure they will be different for every replay by you or your friend. On top of that, users will be able to "buy on the spot"...

Actually, it's seems like they implement the multi-tier approach in TV entertainment. :-) Overall, seems like not a bad idea for troubled networks, if only their paranoid executives could visit websites of their perspective defendants.

MS will merge the X-box and UltimateTV not ReplayTV. ReplayTV is owned by Sonic Blue

I thought progressive output for compressed NTSC would be pretty silly, till I saw it was actually a VGA connector
Cool!

http://www.replaytv.com/partners_products/features .html

Anybody known of other promotional codes to use?

Read the features page.

"The ReplayTV 4000 is so connected it allows you to share recorded programs with other friends and family that have ReplayTV 4000s. And with its broadband connectivity, sending and receiving programs is a breeze. So, if you forgot to record the last Friends episode, just ask your Mom to send it to you!"

THIS ROCKS!

Quoting from the specs PDF:

• Now you can share media within and outside the home, access videos over the Internet and manage your home entertainment.
• Video sharing inside and outside the home.
• Video sharing with friends and family owning ReplayTV 4000 units

With ReplayTV 4000, the only networked Digital Video Recorder (DVR) with broadband connectivity, you can share your recorded shows between different ReplayTVs in your home, send recorded programs to your friends via the Internet

As for a ship date, (from the FAQ):

Only a limited number of ReplayTV 4000s will be manufactured this year. They will ship to customers on November 15. You can be guaranteed one of the first ReplayTV 4000's by reserving yours today. Go to the buy now page or call 1-877-ReplayTV. ReplayTV 4000s will not be sold in retail stores.

From their technical specs page
- Up to 320 hours using MPEG 2 video encoding

but bear in mind that "post-Labor Day" is a very long time

Sure, if you consider next week a "very long time." ReplayTV will apparently be announcing whatever it is at a consumer electronics show here in Indianapolis. Their web site has a "teaser" on the front page about an important news announcement on September 5th...

Anyway.. Does anyone know if tivo or any of the other devices will work with Digital Cable (from Adelphia@home if that matters)?

I'm not sure how you mean "work with" - I've got Time/Warner digital cable (which sucks IMHO) in the Akron OH area, it hooks up to that just fine. It uses an "IR blaster" (LED on the end of a wire) to change channels on the digital cable box, and it's not much harder to hook up than a VCR (add phone line, essentially). More info at www.replaytv.com.

Here's a PDF User's Guide for the Replay if you're really interested.

I own a ReplayTV box, and its 30-second "QuikSkip" button means that not only do I skip over the commercials, but I don't have to watch them. A TiVo user can only fast-forward through the commercials, so they are still seeing content.

Why can't I get DIRECTV in Canada or Mexico?
We are legally prohibited from offering service outside the United States.

Why don't you just use the same address for tivo that you use for directv or buy a replaytv unit that doesn't require a subscription

In case you need to know if you're going to be stuck for long distance, I went back and found the local POP lookup for ReplayTV.

You mean like ReplayTV? I got it for about $300 net from Mercata while ago, should be about $400 now. The service cost is included in the price.

I think if TiVo got rid of the subscription model and went to a model fueled by hardware sales they'd have the best shot of becoming the ubiquitous device of this decade -- but with MS gunning at them and their continuing missteps, it's hard to see them becoming a widespread success. I'm still waiting to see what becomes of the vaporous but potential TiVo-killer Nokia Media Terminal. By the time these devices reach third generation, they'll be great--but I hate having to wait it out in the meantime!!

Check out an interesting solution from ReplayTV, TiVo's often overlooked competitor. It's a Home Media Server idea that is quite intriguing. Of course, it's currently vaporware, but for those of us who have ReplayTV, this could be a the dream-come-true!

Check out an interesting solution from ReplayTV, TiVo's often overlooked competitor. It's a Home Media Server idea that is quite intriguing. Of course, it's currently vaporware, but for those of us who have ReplayTV, this could be a the dream-come-true!

You mean like the 30-second skip button on ReplayTV?

• Q. What does the ReplayTV Service provide?
  A. The ReplayTV Service is the heart of ReplayTV. It provides the nightly Channel Guide updates to your ReplayTV unit. This ensures you've always got the latest TV shows to record. Part of the nightly update is ReplayZones-categories of the best shows from some of the biggest names in television. The Zones change every day, so you always have access to the best new programming. The ReplayTV Service is your personal television organizer. ReplayTV will record: your favorite daily or weekly shows shows based on a theme you choose shows you find using a keyword search shows from the ReplayZones categories you pick In addition, when new features are available, the ReplayTV Service delivers them directly to the ReplayTV unit over the telephone line.
• Q. How much is the ReplayTV Service?
  A. The basic ReplayTV Service is free. That's right, no monthly fees to pay. That should free up some cash for your favorite snacks-which, by the way, you can now grab whenever you want. Just hit pause. And have fun.

Note that nothing in the "features" indicates that they will ever download advertising, or delete an existing feature.

So if they go beyond that, they've "exceeded their authorized access", as the term is used at 18 USC 1030, the "anti-hacking" statute:

(4) knowingly and with intent to defraud, accesses a protected computer without authorization, or exceeds authorized access, and by means of such conduct furthers the intended fraud and obtains anything of value, unless the object of the fraud and the thing obtained consists only of the use of the computer and the value of such use is not more than $5,000 in any one-year period;

Viewed in terms of federal computer crime law, Replay's actions look like this:

1. Replay misrepresented their intent in requesting access to the user's computer.
2. Having thus fradulently induced the user to provide said access, they then abused the limited access their users provided them to break into the user's computer and install a program.
3. Said program gained revenue for Replay, thus obtaining something of value.

That looks like a federal crime. The FBI's local office should be contacted.

I am a Replay Tv owner and also have a relative who works as an engineer at Replay. Replay added the described "feature" in an attempt to raise much-needed money. People complained so they removed it.

As a software developer, I definitely see the advantages to automatic upgrades, especially when the hardware is a closed system. Without automatic upgrades, technical support can become a nightmare, since everyone could have different revs of the firmware, and new versions should fix old problems. Theoretically, the product will improve with age. Automatic upgrades of non-closed systems (i.e. a PC) are not a good thing, since there is a good chance that the upgrade will break user-installed software and/or hardware.

Now both Replay and Tivo are hungry for money. Both companies are losing money. Accordign to Freeedgar, Tivo lost over 200 million dollars, last quarter losing 89 million dollars. Replay has also lost a lot of money, but never went IPO. Replay is currently being acquired by Sonic Blue, formerly Diamond Multimedia and S3.

NOTE: they even have a 800 number for customer care. Remember kiddies, no foul language.

Check out the Vinny the Vampire comic strip

Although the question raised by this article is still valid, the basic facts that provoked it are already obsolete. ReplayTV has already disabled this feature.

In fact, they did so months ago!

I'm a very happy long-time Replay owner (since October of 1999) and I agree with the author that the product has significant advantages over Tivo. However, I think he's blown this all out of proportion.

First of all, when you are pausing the show you are watching, what difference does it make if they put an advertisement on the screen? Really, is it that much of an intrusion? Come on!

Second of all, even when this feature was still active (and its been disabled for months now) you could bypass the ads simply by pressing one more key after you hit Pause. (The Exit key).

Once again, this is much ado about nothing, in the case of the specific ReplayTV feature, anyway.

At least you have that option. That's better than I expected, really.

And just out of curiosity, I looked at ReplayTV's privacy policy, and it said the opposite:

• At your request, ReplayTV will tailor its service to your individual preferences. With your consent, we can combine your Personal Information with your Operating Information to create a personalized user profile. By allowing us to link together both sets of information, we can provide a service that best matches your personal interests and needs. You can elect to have this done by contacting ReplayTV at (800) 933-5899.
• If we do not hear from you, then we will assume that you wish to keep your Operating Information anonymous. (emphasis mine)

Some of you seem skeptical of why this would be a good idea. As a ReplayTV owner for almost a year, let me explain.

Replay is designed to be a very simple "set top" type box. It has no keyboard, only two LED's and one button on the front panel. The entire UI is manipulated via the remote.

It works OK, but there are certain operations that are undeniably tedious when attempted via a remote. For instance, entering "Clint Eastwood" via an on-screen keyboard, to program it to record all movies that Clint is in. You have to use arrow keys to move around an on-screen alphabet and press ENTER on each letter. You get used to it, but it can be quite annoying.

By providing a web-based alternative UI, it gives some users a way to work around the limited I/O capability of the set-top box. On the web site of course you can use your mouse, keyboard and so on. Conducting various searches to look for things to watch would be much less tedious when you can use a richer web-based UI.

And consider the possibility of building scripts that visit the site automatically for you. You could figure out arbitrarily complex criteria for recording programs, put them in a script, and have it run your replay for you. This would give you lots of flexibility that you don't have right now.

I'm sure from ReplayTV's perspective, this is also probably going to turn into another revenue opportunity for them. Remember, Replay's service is free for life, so they have to have an ongoing revenue from alternate sources. They already sell ad space in the "Replay Zones" menu. I will almost guarantee you they will be selling banner ads on MyReplayTV.com to generate more revenue.

I agree there are definitely privacy and security concerns here. For instance, a web site with banner ads would have the potential to allow ReplayTV to link viewing habits to other web-oriented habit information collected by ad services like DoubleClick. Replay also knows your zip code (in order to give you the right cable listings) so the potential for geographical demographics are interesting too. And then of course the whole idea of someone hacking the web site and using it to program other people's boxes.

That having been said, I think there is a good chance that the Replay folks will get this right. So far I've been impressed with the technical competency of their staff, both in their hardware and their web site. For an example, disable Javascript in your browser and visit http://www.replaytv.com. Unlike many sites which just go brain dead in this case, Replay's site recognizes the issue and lets you view a less snazzy version of the site. Very smart.

Some of you seem skeptical of why this would be a good idea. As a ReplayTV owner for almost a year, let me explain.

Replay is designed to be a very simple "set top" type box. It has no keyboard, only two LED's and one button on the front panel. The entire UI is manipulated via the remote.

It works OK, but there are certain operations that are undeniably tedious when attempted via a remote. For instance, entering "Clint Eastwood" via an on-screen keyboard, to program it to record all movies that Clint is in. You have to use arrow keys to move around an on-screen alphabet and press ENTER on each letter. You get used to it, but it can be quite annoying.

By providing a web-based alternative UI, it gives some users a way to work around the limited I/O capability of the set-top box. On the web site of course you can use your mouse, keyboard and so on. Conducting various searches to look for things to watch would be much less tedious when you can use a richer web-based UI.

And consider the possibility of building scripts that visit the site automatically for you. You could figure out arbitrarily complex criteria for recording programs, put them in a script, and have it run your replay for you. This would give you lots of flexibility that you don't have right now.

I'm sure from ReplayTV's perspective, this is also probably going to turn into another revenue opportunity for them. Remember, Replay's service is free for life, so they have to have an ongoing revenue from alternate sources. They already sell ad space in the "Replay Zones" menu. I will almost guarantee you they will be selling banner ads on MyReplayTV.com to generate more revenue.

I agree there are definitely privacy and security concerns here. For instance, a web site with banner ads would have the potential to allow ReplayTV to link viewing habits to other web-oriented habit information collected by ad services like DoubleClick. Replay also knows your zip code (in order to give you the right cable listings) so the potential for geographical demographics are interesting too. And then of course the whole idea of someone hacking the web site and using it to program other people's boxes.

That having been said, I think there is a good chance that the Replay folks will get this right. So far I've been impressed with the technical competency of their staff, both in their hardware and their web site. For an example, disable Javascript in your browser and visit http://www.replaytv.com. Unlike many sites which just go brain dead in this case, Replay's site recognizes the issue and lets you view a less snazzy version of the site. Very smart.

I asked about what security measures we were planning to implement, and was told: "ReplayTV will use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology as well as password protection. This will ensure that only the person who has the password will be able to set the recordings using MyReplayTV.com." As for user privacy, please see: http://www.replaytv.com/custome r/productprivacy.htm Basically, your PERSONAL information, including viewing statistics will not be sold to anyone without your prior consent (although, I think if I was offered the option of becoming a Neilsen viewer, I might take it - get better shows on the air). AGGREGATE viewing statistics may be sold to third parties, but your PERSONAL viewing habits and demographic information is safe. -David -Hardware Design Engineer -ReplayTV, Inc.

Wow, if this thing had a firewire port or some other high speed way to get data off it I might consider it. The tech specs on their website only mention a serial port, which doesn't sound to me like a high speed interface.

Are there any hacks out there to make the hard drive removable so one could load it up into your computer? If I could record a months worth of the Simpsons, pull the drive, put it in my computer, and burn to multiple CDs, I'd be all over it. It would save me the trouble of compressing all that stuff.

Without that, it's functionally equivalent to a VCR jukebox with some fancy programming options. Not worth $500 IMO.

cot

It may be possible to determine, on your own, what TiVo really sends out. It runs Linux (2.1.42? that's what the README sez), and GNU tools were used in the development, so the source code for the modified kernel and the tools is available under the GPL. It *might* be possible to figure out exactly what's being sent using the tools...or, you can tap the phone line, record what goes through, do some black magic and see what's being sent.

On another subject...I think it's pretty cool that TiVo runs Linux, but doesn't trumpet their connection to the heavens like a lot of cash- and attention-starved operations are doing now. Also cool that they follow the GPL (I think).

As for ReplayTV, I can't dig up anything on what software it runs, but I'm willing to bet it's all proprietary and closed-source, based on their Technical Overview page. It pretty much says they "can't reveal everything."

C'est la vie, I suppose.

I agree, Max Headroom kicked ass and indeed is very relevant to this discussion.

Up until a few months ago, they would occasionally run the episodes on a cable channel called Bravo. However a quick search reveals they aren't running any episodes currently. I believe the original UK pilot film used to be available on home video, I've seen it in rental stores. However it doesn't show up online currently so it must be out of print.

Incidentally, finding stuff like this is an excellent use for Tivo or ReplayTV. I have a Replay, and if I wanted to see Max Headroom I merely need to key that in as a keyword search, limit it to the title of the program, and the next time Max comes on my Replay will catch it for me with no intervention.

First they insult us Canucks by including the offensive "Blame Canada" in the oscars, then they refuse to sell TiVo here, what next, steal our top comedians and pass them off as Americans??

Ok, so I'm just jealous. I've looked at both ReplayTV and TiVo and want TiVo. It seems to have a slightly better feature set, and it runs Linux. Now I'm not saying that's a reason because I'm a rabid Linux fan, but that makes it much more likely that eventually:

1. Someone will be able to hack it, and so TiVO users might be able to customize it and get it to do all the things it doesn't currently do
2. TiVO may give away more of the source or open up more of the system
3. The Linux community will benefit from having Linux used in this interesting way, GPLed changes already exist, etc.

But I can't get TiVO here!!. At first the reasons TiVO gave why they weren't selling the units in Canada was the lack of available TV schedule information here and that some encryption built into the system made the things illegal to export. None of these reasons really seemed to hold up, so I recently asked again. Last I've heard they can't expand into new markets because they're having enough trouble keeping up with demand in current markets. Argh!

The good news is that Sony is apparently coming out with their own TiVO unit soon (April was the last date I've heard), which is supposed to be far cheaper than the current Philips TiVO units. This price competition should make it easier to get any of these units (ReplayTV or TiVO) and should drop the prices for all PTV products.

Anyhow, a good website for information on ReplayTV and TiVo is AV Science Forum (and yeah the flash intro sucks).

Anyhow, any other Canadians out there, eh? Do you want your TiVo, eh? Any ideas how we can get it, eh? Any rumours on when it'll arrive, eh?

First they insult us Canucks by including the offensive "Blame Canada" in the oscars, then they refuse to sell TiVo here, what next, steal our top comedians and pass them off as Americans??

Ok, so I'm just jealous. I've looked at both ReplayTV and TiVo and want TiVo. It seems to have a slightly better feature set, and it runs Linux. Now I'm not saying that's a reason because I'm a rabid Linux fan, but that makes it much more likely that eventually:

1. Someone will be able to hack it, and so TiVO users might be able to customize it and get it to do all the things it doesn't currently do
2. TiVO may give away more of the source or open up more of the system
3. The Linux community will benefit from having Linux used in this interesting way, GPLed changes already exist, etc.

But I can't get TiVO here!!. At first the reasons TiVO gave why they weren't selling the units in Canada was the lack of available TV schedule information here and that some encryption built into the system made the things illegal to export. None of these reasons really seemed to hold up, so I recently asked again. Last I've heard they can't expand into new markets because they're having enough trouble keeping up with demand in current markets. Argh!

The good news is that Sony is apparently coming out with their own TiVO unit soon (April was the last date I've heard), which is supposed to be far cheaper than the current Philips TiVO units. This price competition should make it easier to get any of these units (ReplayTV or TiVO) and should drop the prices for all PTV products.

Anyhow, a good website for information on ReplayTV and TiVo is AV Science Forum (and yeah the flash intro sucks).

Anyhow, any other Canadians out there, eh? Do you want your TiVo, eh? Any ideas how we can get it, eh? Any rumours on when it'll arrive, eh?

Replay solves several of the problems mentioned in the Tivo review. It does save the program summary with the program, and its supposed to not tape the show again if it has the same summary. The subscription fee is bundled into the cost of the unit. The software gives you more direct control over what gets recorded.

Customer service at Replay is also GREAT. When I bought mine, it was 3 weeks before they released a far cheaper unit last November that had a better remote. I called to complain, and not only did they rebate me $300, but they sent me the new remote for free.

Now I'm having some minor problems with my unit that are suspected to be bugs in the latest software (which auto-downloaded into my unit a couple of weeks ago). I was on the phone with them yesterday, and today they are FEDEX-ing me a new unit to try out. I haven't personally used a Tivo, but my impression is that if you are the type of person who had trouble working a VCR to begin with, the software in the Tivo is oriented toward you. If you're the type of person who could program a VCR with no problem (i.e. 99.999% the /. audience) then the software in the ReplayTV is more for you.

You can buy Replay direct from them but its cheaper on Amazon or 800.com.

Replay solves several of the problems mentioned in the Tivo review. It does save the program summary with the program, and its supposed to not tape the show again if it has the same summary. The subscription fee is bundled into the cost of the unit. The software gives you more direct control over what gets recorded.

Customer service at Replay is also GREAT. When I bought mine, it was 3 weeks before they released a far cheaper unit last November that had a better remote. I called to complain, and not only did they rebate me $300, but they sent me the new remote for free.

Now I'm having some minor problems with my unit that are suspected to be bugs in the latest software (which auto-downloaded into my unit a couple of weeks ago). I was on the phone with them yesterday, and today they are FEDEX-ing me a new unit to try out. I haven't personally used a Tivo, but my impression is that if you are the type of person who had trouble working a VCR to begin with, the software in the Tivo is oriented toward you. If you're the type of person who could program a VCR with no problem (i.e. 99.999% the /. audience) then the software in the ReplayTV is more for you.

You can buy Replay direct from them but its cheaper on Amazon or 800.com.

ReplayTV has 20 hours of recording time, has low power mode, updates the software automatically, costs $499, and looks better to me.

Why pay TiVo every month when you can get the same service from ReplayTV for free? (clarification: I don't own either TiVo or ReplayTV yet, so I don't have first hand experience with either.)

There is a similar device on the market which doesn't require you to give up your private info, and doesn't require a monthly subscription: ReplayTV.

I'm not sure if Tivo has this feature, but ReplayTV also allows you to pause/rewind 'live' TV broadcasts... it records whatever you are currently watching to allow you to do this. Pretty slick.

I'd buy one, but I'm using an 'odd' TV provider, LOOK TV, here in Ottawa, and Replay TV doesn't support the listings for that yet.

Read the list again: Epson Stylus Color 900G FireWire printer, Epson Expression 1600 and Umax PowerLook 1100 FireWire scanners. There are also FireWire CD-R/RW drives, an ORB drive, analog-to-digital video converters, synthesizers, mixers, VCRs, HDTVs, network storage, DAT, DVD-RAM, DVD changer, video editors, camcorders, and data analyzers. RePlayTV even uses FireWire.

Philips recently demoed a wireless FireWire network, fast enough for real-time audio- and video-streaming at 46-Mbit/sec at distances far exceeding 10 meters (BlueTooth maxes at 1-Mbit/s, HomeRF at 1.6 Mbit/s, and IEEE 802.11 at 11-Mbit/s). Check out Wi-LAN, the self-proclaimed future of high-speed wireless, for more info.

Here's another list of FireWire products.

No, FireWire is not for regular modems. But USB does not work for Cable and DSL modems, either. FireWire could substitute for the Ethernet port in broadband application. USB cannot.

I saw some comments about creating an open-source version of TiVo (GDVR, maybe?) to run on a run-of-the-mill Linux machine (with a TV decoder, of course). I'm wondering - are there patent issues to be aware of? I'm guessing, since ReplayTV is competing with them directly, that the idea itself isn't patented. What about the underlying technology, though? Any thoughts?

I've been scoping them out for a while. Their competition just released a 20 hour version, so I can't imagine tivo being far behind. But tivo has a $100 rebate if you buy this year (clearing out the old drives???)

Tivo is only $500 compared to ReplayTV's $700, but the scam is that tivo charges you for the "subscription" necessary to use their service - $10/month vs $200/lifetime - so the costs are really comparable.

I think I read that the 30 hour tivo only gets 9.3 hours at the best compression rate, but many reviewers have said that the highest compression rate is usually acceptable. I think it's still better than VHS.

That said, it would be a shame if FireWire really did go extinct. Imagine all the ReplayTV owners who would be unable to add more harddrive space when they could finally afford it after paying such obscene amounts for the box. ;)
---
"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Tivo one of those new MPEG2 recorders like ReplayTV uses Linux exclusively, has anyone found out when they are going to be releasing their changes to the Kernel? Paul. ---

This Tivo thing is evil - check this out at Wired. Go for the ReplayTV or wait a bit for the STB MPEG2 recorder card then write your own apps. Sorry, I dont want anyone to have a clue what I watch on TV....

http://www.replaytv.com/aboutreplaytv.ht ml

Plus both pass macrovision along; they don't create it themselves. So they're not adding to copy protection; just maintaining the status quo. (No judgments here about whether the status quo is bad or good.)