Customer Reviews

ReplayTV 4160 Digital Video Recorder with 160hrs of Recording Time (*Includes Lifetime Service Fee)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have owned a DirecTivo and a standard Tivo before owning a 4000 series ReplayTV. There is nothing wrong with Tivo, but I have found some things that I like much more in my ReplayTv. I won't go into all of the features of the ReplayTV, just the ones that I have found the most valuable since switching to ReplayTv.

1. Commercial Advance - I had not even conisdered this as something I would like about ReplayTv, but boy was I mistaken. I absolutely LOVE it. Doesn't work 100% of the time, but darn close.

2. Recording from different Inputs - That's right. I rent a DVD and the first thing I do is record it to my ReplayTv so I don't have to rush to watch the movie before returning it. There are three inputs in the back of the ReplayTv. You can easily switch between the three inputs with the remote control.

3. Storing show in Categories - You can create categories like Golf or Fishing and store your favorite golf or fishing shows to that category. This allows easy browsing of your recorded shows.

4. Networking - I bought two 4040's for my house and the networking works great. I had an initial problem with my Linksys router that I have since resolved thanks to the ReplayTv forums. It is great to be able to play shows I recorded on the Living Room unit from my Bed Room unit. Awesome.

5. Time Remaining - ReplayTv shows you the amount of time you have left for recording. Unbelievably, Tivo doesn't do this.

6. SwapDV - This amazing third party software runs on your PC and allows you to import shows from your ReplayTv unit. So you can archive shows from your Replay unit to your PC. Your PC then acts like another ReplayTv on your network.

Replay 4000 series is not for everyone because it requires that you have a broadband connection and the unit does cost a little more than a Tivo (after factoring in a Tivo lifetime subscription...). I doubt many people will be disappionted with a ReplayTv or Tivo.

We have a slightly older Replay (the 20 hour version). It was easy to set up, easy to use. The software interface I like better than the TiVo. For example, my son has a 'thing' about the Civil War. All I have to do to find Civil War-related shows is hit "menu", "find shows," type in "Civil War," and hit enter. Whatever's on that week pops up, and all I have to do to record it is select it and hit enter again. End of story.

I DO recommend that you get the largest-volume model you can afford; the Replay has greatly increased our appetite for things on tape.

As a mom, the greatest reward is that my kids are no longer aware that broadcast TV EXISTS. They watch what I have taped, any time I say it's OK. We don't watch when and what CBS or Nickelodeon says we should, but what I say. It's the Mercedes of parental TV control.

And I must confess it's handy to always have a Blues Clues or 2 on hand for emergency situations! ;-)

Go on, you will love it!

The 4160 Replay unit has a shinier look than previous ReplayTV/ Panasonic models, making it the a sleak looking DVR. One of the best new features over the older models is the addition of control buttons on the actual unit, while the older models depended solely on the use of the remote. The Replay unit comes well apportioned with inputs and outputs and a very usable universal remote, not like the ones sitting around your house doing nothing. There are two sets of composite inputs(RCA), one RF antenna, and one S-Video input. The outputs are one digital audio, one component (through a VGA adapter), an S-Video, and two composite outputs.

In order to use even the basic functions of the ReplayTV, you must have a broadband connection to register online. Once you've cleared that initial hurdle, you'll be ready to play. Even though it has a phone jack in the back this is disabled and may be enabled with future versions of the software. This unit is one the more expensive of the 4XXX series with a 160GB hard drive. It allows for 160 hours of storage at standard recording quality. There is only one other model of PVR that has more storage, the 4320, which offers as much as 320 hours of recording capacity. Of course, the amount of programming you can store depends on whether you record at the Standard, Medium, or High setting. At its best resolution, the 4040 holds around 56 hours worth of content.

Using the 4160's high-resolution VGA connector, you can hook up the deck to a PC or to a TV's component input. You can even use a DLP or LCD projector with VGA inputs to enjoy ReplayTV at the 480p, semi-HDTV video resolution.

One of the main features of this unit is its network capability. If you have a home network you can share shows with other Replay 4XXX units and you can share it with others outside of you home via the internet with the required broadband connection. With variables such as your ISP and connection along with those with whom you're sharing programming content with can mean that a single standard-level half-hour recording could take anywhere from two to eight hours to download.

The internet interoperability also allows for you to program you Replay via a web interface called MyReplayTV.com. This however takes at most 24 hours for it be "synched' with your replay unit when "calls" in for updated programming schedules usually around 3-4 AM. Sonicblue says the 4000-series models will "soon" support direct, instant access so that you can set shows remotely to record on the fly. And they upgrade their software regularly.

The best feature is the PVR's ability to filter out almost all commercials with a simple menu change. When it's recording in the Commercial Advance mode, the ReplayTV 4160 automatically skips from about one second into the first commercial to about five seconds before the program resumes, but you still may end up with a few commercials (it isn't perfect).

I love my ReplayTV, there is great third party support ... for this unit just like TiVo that if you are so inclined to void your warranty can improve on this already great PVR. The only downside of this unit is its high price, but to many it is well worth it.

If you want the next generation of personal video recorder today proceed to the checkout with a sweet ReplayTV 4040. They are the top of the line without a competitor in sight, but don't get me wrong, TiVo was great when it first came out (I was one of their first customers), unfortunately they have fallen woefully behind. My TiVo is at present unplugged and departing for auction shortly because I upgraded to one of these beauties.

Here is a quick summary of the features I am enjoying attributable to the upgrade.

ReplayTV benefits vs. TiVo

The only networked DVR on the market, which allows you to take advantage of your broadband and home network investment
Video sharing inside and outside the home
Commercial Advance® to watch recorded shows without commercials
QuickSkip™ makes it easy to jump over boring scenes
No monthly fees or any service fee
Highest capacity DVR on the market with up to 320 hours
480P progressive output to connect to the new SD and HD ready TV.
Digital optical output to connect to your audio/video receiver
Show Organizer™ to organize your programs based on genre, personal name, etc.
MyReplayTV.com to program recordings on your ReplayTV unit from the web
Digital photo slideshows on your TV.
Built-in screen saver to protect your projection TVs from screen burn-in.
Lets you pick the shows and themes you like. We don't fill your hard disk with shows we think you'll like.
Faster setup to allow you to enjoy your ReplayTV quickly after bringing it home
Familiar grid-based channel guide for easier navigation
Front panel buttons so you can still operate your DVR even if you lose your remote control

This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch.

My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer.

Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.

ReplayTV is the best toy I have found in a very long time. It makes TV something I control instead of it controlling me. However, the customer service is the worst. If something goes wrong, be ready to junk the product becasue you will not get it repaired. Five stars for the product, zero stars for the service.

Imagine watching what you want on TV, when you want. That is the basic premise of ReplayTV. Once you get one of these things into your house you will never watch TV the same again.

Tell the Replay which shows you want it to record from it's simple point-and-click channel guide and it will record that show for you every week. No hunting for tapes, no complicated timers to set, no flashing "12:00" on the front.

The Replay makes things so simple you will not be able to live without it. Anytime you want to watch TV you will have shows you actually like available. It will skip through most commercial breaks in about 1 second AUTOMATICALLY. Phone rings, doorbell rings, need to check on the kids or go the bathroom, just hit the pause button and you can pick right back up where you left off. You can control live TV. Amazing play in a sports event, just hit the instant replay button and watch it again.

Unlike Tivo there are no monthly fees to pay - after you buy it you will receive program guide updates and software upgrades free for life.

If you forget to set the replay to record a show you can get a friend to send it to you over the internet. Again it is point-and-click easy.

Take a chance & order one today - there is a reason why 95% of the people who have a DVR (digital video recorder) say they would recommend it to their friends. You will not be disapointed.

I bought this unit in mid-December. It MUST be networked to your coputer and internet. It would NOT recognize a Windows ME network, and SonicBlue admitted that this was a major problem. I sent it back Fed EX, and it is now April, and I have not received my money back. I would be very cautious about buying anything from a company with this history.

Can you imagine? You're into a really good show, and suddenly your wife starts nagging you about something... the trash, the dog needs to go out, dinner is burning! :D So you hit PAUSE??? Yes! Pause on live TV! Okay, so this is no different than TIVO. What is though is the broadband connection that allows you to send shows over the internet to friends and family, along with the ability to send any type of video you've recorded on the DVR from say your camcorder (forget even trying DVD's... Macrovision won't allow you to do this, as it's enabled on this device: unless of course you buy one of those nice little devices on the net that disables it :D) You can store your own digital photos on this and display them as a slide show screensaver for when your unit is on pause. Going on vacation? Forgot to tell it to record the Drew Carey Show? Hop on the net from anywhere in the world and from www.myreplaytv.com you can program it to record!

Skips commercials (I hate that I pay for TV and have to watch advertising... it's like the networks are getting paid twice for the same thing! I DON'T GET PAID TWICE AT MY JOB!) The major networks are scared to hell of this ability, because it will fundamentally change the market for advertising on television... and they HATE UNPREDICATBILITY AND CHANGE! They want to TELL YOU HOW TO WATCH TV. Then want you to watch what they WANT YOU TO... WHEN THEY WANT YOU TO! Well, now... they can shove primetime right up their rears! Primetime in my house is WHEN I'M READY!

Also, if you buy multiple ReplayTV 4K's, you can network them together and stream shows back and forth from one room to another. www.avsforum.com has a replaytv and showstopper forum which contains a lot of info also on how to pull video files off of your replayTV and then use your CD Burner to write them as VCD's and/or DVD's (if you have a DVD burner) so you can watch them at a later date, without having to use up hard drive space on your computer or replaytv to store it!

If you don't have a TIVO and you were thinking about it... don't even bother. There's no reason you should buy anything other than Sonic Blues' ReplayTV 4K. The only hard decision is WHAT SIZE RECORDING TIME SHOULD I GET?

Nobody tells me what I'm going to do with television services I'm paying to watch. I'll watch them when I choose and commercial free!

The 4040 Replay unit has a shinier, new look from the previous ReplayTV/ Panasonic models, making it the a sleak looking PVR. One of the best new features over the older models is the addition of control buttons on the front of unit, while the older models depended on the use of the remote for basic functionality. The Replay unit comes well apportioned with inputs and outputs and a aver usable universal remote, not like the ones sitting around your house collecting dust. There are two sets of composite inputs(RCA), one RF antenna, and one S-Video input. Outputs are one digital audio, one component (through a VGA adapter), an S-Video, and two composite outputs.

In order to use even the basic functions of the ReplayTV, you must have a broadband connection to register online. Once you've cleared that initial hurdle, you'll be ready to "Replay". Even though it has a phone jack in the back this is disabled and may be enabled with future versions of the software. This unit is the cheapest of the 40XX series with a 40GB hard drive. It allows for 40 hours of storage at standard recording quality. Other models, such as the 4320, offer as much as 320 hours of recording capacity. Of course, the amount of programming you can store depends on whether you record at the Standard, Medium, or High setting. At its best resolution, the 4040 holds around 14 hours worth of content.

Using the 4040's high-resolution VGA connector, you can hook this up to a PC or to a TV's component input. In theory, you can even use a DLP or LCD projector with VGA inputs to enjoy ReplayTV at the 480p, semi-HDTV video resolution.

One of the main features of this unit is its network capability. If you have a home network you can share shows with other Replay 4XXX units and you can share it with others outside of you home via the internet with the required broadband connection. With variables such as your ISP and connection along with those with whom you're sharing programming content with can mean that a single standard-level half-hour recording could take anywhere from two to eight hours to download.

The internet interoperability also allows for you to program you Replay via a web interface called MyReplayTV.com. This however takes 24 hours for it be "synched' with your replay unit when "calls" in for updated programming schedules. Sonicblue says the 4000-series models will "soon" support direct, instant access so that you can set shows remotely to record on the fly. And they upgrade their software regularly.

The best feature is the PVR's ability to filter out almost all commercials with a simple menu change. When it's recording in the Commercial Advance mode, the ReplayTV 4040 automatically skips from about one second into the first commercial to about five seconds before the program resumes.,but you still may end up with a few commercials (it isn't perfect).

Some other new features are the addition of a screensaver and picture viewer that gets its pictures from a pc on your home network.

I love my ReplayTV, there is great third party support... for this unit just like TiVo that if you are so inclined to void your warranty can improve on this already great PVR.