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SonicBlue Going w/ReplayTV 4000 Despite Lawsuit

Posted by Hemos on from the me-wants dept.

Ughhgu writes "Looks like SonicBlue is going to go ahead and start shipping. The Cnet article even has a quote from SonicBlue. It seems they can't understand why the industry would sue them. Sign me up for one!" I'd dearly love to test one of these.

9 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. ReplayTV 4000 official site by Black+Acid · · Score: 3, Informative

    For more information on ReplayTV 4000, see the official site. Interestingly, it's the only networked digital video recorder with broadband connectivity.

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  2. Re:Where do I go to buy one? by Coward,+Anonymous · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can buy it directly from ReplayTV.

  3. Re:Excuse my ignorance... by kochsr · · Score: 2, Informative

    replay tv allows you to send the copy of the show that you recorded to someone else with a replay over a broadband internet connection... tivo just records... you can't get the digital file off the box.

  4. Re:VCR by monkeyserver.com · · Score: 3, Informative
    I don't know why the same argument that worked for BetaMax (Sony) back in '84 won't hold up here, it's just simple precidence (sp?):
    ...a 1984 Supreme Court case where the movie industry sued Sony, Inc., trying to stop the production of their BetaMax, which was an early version of the VCR.
    In that case, the movie industry argued that VCRs would signal the end of the movie industry by allowing VCR owners to copy movies without paying royalties, in violation of copyright laws. The Court in that case ruled that the VCR had "substantial non-infringing uses," which made the new technology legal. What that means is that, while it is true that VCRs can be used to pirate copyrighted work, they also have substantial beneficial uses which have nothing to do with those illegal uses.
    VCRs, as the Court pointed out, can be used to play legally purchased or rented movies. They can also be used to record non-copyrighted works including home movies made by the VCR owner. These "non-infringing uses" were substantial enough that the new technology should be released to the public, instead of held back for the protection of copyright owners.
    taken from http://www.apca.com/112000.html (no permission :)

    But we all know how big money..err..companies owns the legal system now <Insert MS jibe>

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  5. Sonic sent emails Tuesday... by Tide · · Score: 3, Informative

    From the email they sent me:

    Dear SONICblue customer,

    Thank you for pre-ordering the ReplayTV 4000. A customer service representative will be contacting you shortly to confirm the specific details of your pre-order. In order to expedite the shipment of your ReplayTV 4000 model DVR, you are encouraged to call us toll-free at 1-877-ReplayTV (1-877-737-5298) to verify your desired shipping method and other details.

    Our Sales department can be reached Monday through Friday, 5:00AM to 5:30PM (PST).

    Thank you and Happy Holidays!
    SONICblue Customer Care

    I immediately called and waited about 20 minutes on hold. The main options for shipping ran $22 (ground) $55 (2nd day) and$80 for Next day, though he mentioned that they ship friday so next day would be Mon at the earliest. CA residents need to pay taxes.

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  6. Re:Linux? by Reikk · · Score: 1, Informative

    ReplayTV is not based on Linux, I believe it is based on it's own proprietary operating system. However, additional drives can be added to the system. You can find information on how to do at http://rtvpatch.sourceforge.net/linux_single_drive _upgrade.html

  7. Re:"Pretend" ReplayTV by pjl5602 · · Score: 2, Informative

    I slobber uncontrollably when I think about a DVR that would let me archive shows to my file server.

    You mean like a stand-alone Tivo with a network card added along with a web server running on it?&nbsp Then you can make an MPEG-2 file from the data stored on the Tivo.&nbsp The downside is that there currently isn't a way to get the data back to the Tivo for viewing.

  8. Pause Technology Owns PVR Patent - Suing TiVo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    They've not yet been sued by Pause Technology who owns the patent on PVR - pausing live TV for subsequent playback. Motorola has licensed the technolgoy from Pause Technology. More at Pause Technology Commences Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against TiVo.

  9. Re:Not broadcast material they are worried about. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    SonicBlue addresses that with the 4000s. It obeys Macrovision controls, so tapes and DVDs can be recorded into the box, but the copy cannot be sent, and it will have Macrovision on the output if you try to play it to a VCR and tape it.

    It also obeys CGCS (Content Guidance Control System, I think) that is an inband broadcast control of whether a program can be copied. If it is in the signal, the program can be recorded, but not sent to someone. So, Pay Per View channels should always broadcast in CGCS, and other channels pick and choose. I could see HBO doing Sopranos CGCS off and feature movies CGCS on.

    Distribution: Max sending of 15 copies to friends, if Macrovision or CGCS does not block. That attempts to kill the Napster analogy.

    Convience: Medium quality = 2 GB/hour or 4.5 Mbps of bandwidth. So a T1 saturates for 3x the duration of the video, and ISDN would crawl at 36 hours transfer time for 1 hour of video. Not very convienent.

    ObOldQuote: What's the bandwidth of a van loaded with 9 track tapes?