ReplayTV 3020 Digital Video Recorder

Other products by Replay Tv

Product Details

Product Manual [811kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 11 x 3.2 inches ; 13 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 21 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004THPQ
• Item model number: 3020
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
ReplayTV's 3020 server provides up to 20 hours of storage space and offers a host of upgrades, including an advanced programmable remote control with a ReplayZones button that makes it very easy to find the shows you want to record. In fact, it's almost too easy. Once we grew accustomed to recording shows in advance, we found ourselves watching three times as much TV as we had in the past.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of TV servers, ReplayTV records programs digitally and stores the information on a hard drive. Like a VCR, if you want to record your favorite show while you're away from home, you can store it on the 3020's hard drive and watch it later. Unlike VCRs, the personal TV server doesn't require tapes or other media to store programming.

It's important to point out that the actual amount of storage space depends on the video-recording quality that you select. A higher quality picture will take up more storage space than a lower quality recording. At the lowest setting, the picture quality is still better than standard VHS. At the middle setting, the picture quality is better than an S-VHS VCR, but storage capacity decreases by approximately 40 percent. The highest-quality setting approaches 500 lines of resolution (depending on the source) but further reduces storage capacity. We recommend using the highest setting for movies and the middle level for sporting events, sitcoms, and other programs, then erasing the content immediately after viewing it. Before doing so, however, you may want to consider taping it with a VCR for your VHS library.

One of the coolest features on the 3020 server is the ability to pause a live broadcast and resume watching it if you're interrupted for any number of reasons. When you utilize this feature, ReplayTV acts as a time buffer by storing the show in memory so you can pick up the program from where you left off. A "Return to Live" button on the remote allows you to skip forward to real time, which is great if you're watching a sporting event and you wish to catch up to the live action.

There's also an "Instant Replay" button on the remote that allows you to rewatch portions of a show or sporting event in 7-second increments, so you're not limited to rewatching only a brief segment.

ReplayTV also allows you to personalize programming for a specific theme. For example, you can set ReplayTV to monitor TV listings for any program featuring a specific actor. You can also refine theme-based searches of programming. For instance, if you wish to record Friends, you can limit your search to title only, so you won't waste time pulling up every movie and talk show that has the word "friends" in the description.

ReplayTV's onscreen guide appears with a blue background and white characters that are very readable. Since you'll be using the guide a lot to search for programs and to preview descriptions, it's important that you can read the text on a standard-size TV from your sofa. ReplayTV's onscreen guide gets an A+ in this regard.

We loved ReplayTV's QuickSkip feature, which allows you to instantly jump ahead 30 seconds, so you can skip through TV commercials on prerecorded programs. We also like the ReplayZones, which make it very easy to find programs that suit your tastes by searching according to genre. ReplayTV delineates programming into a wide variety of categories, from action and romance movies to cooking and home-improvement shows--and everything in between. ReplayTV also offers a Search Zone that allows you to input words such as "love" or "vacation" using the remote control and an onscreen keypad.

If you wish to save a particular prerecorded show, you can record it on to a VCR using the back-panel outputs. We were impressed by ReplayTV's inclusion of two sets of audio-video inputs and outputs, as well an S-video input and output. This enables users to hook up a DSS or other direct-broadcast satellite receiver to the 3020, along with a VCR as an output device.

You can watch one program while recording another by using a cable TV splitter. Simply connect the cable from the wall to the splitter's input line, then connect a spare coaxial cable from the splitter's output line to the 3020, and another from the splitter to the TV. To watch a show while recording another, use the TV button on the Replay remote to switch sources (assuming you've input your TV brand's infrared code into Replay's universal remote control).

One neat feature we really like is the ability to place the 3020 into "quiet mode" simply by turning off the unit. This keeps the server from automatically recording shows to the hard drive, which conserves power and keeps the hard disc from spinning, thereby keeping the unit cool and noise free. If you happen to be recording a show when you turn the 3020 off, it will continue to record, then shut down once the show is finished and stored in the hard drive.

Connecting the 3020 to our home theater system took about 15 minutes. Replay thoughtfully provides a poster-size chart to guide users through setup without opening the manual. If you have an open phone jack, we recommend using it. Otherwise, you can use the supplied splitter to connect the 3020 to an existing line. (You do not need a dedicated phone line, since ReplayTV's programming updates take place in the early morning hours, for only a few minutes each night.) Or you can purchase a 56 Kbps wireless transmitter/receiver, which plugs into a wall outlet and allows you to connect the 3020 to an existing phone line across the room or in another part of the house.

Dialing into ReplayTV to download the free programming guide was much easier than we expected. One major advantage to ReplayTV is that it doesn't charge any monthly service fee for downloading the program guide.

We like the fact that ReplayTV's service is nonintrusive. After all, the whole concept of personal TV servers is intended to liberate viewers so they can watch the programs they prefer, whenever they feel like it. ReplayTV is designed to make it as easy as possible for customers to find the programs they like and to record them for future enjoyment.

Pros:

• Easy-to-navigate onscreen guide
• Intuitive remote control
• Free programming guide

Cons:

• No internal fan to cool unit

Product Description
The ReplayTV 3020 Digital Video Recorder (DVR) stores programs digitally and saves the information on a hard drive. Like a VCR, if you want to record your favorite show while you're away from home, you can store it on the 3020's hard drive and watch it later. Unlike VCRs, the personal TV server doesn't require tapes or other media to store programming.The ReplayTV's 3020 Digital Video Recorder provides up to 20 hours of storage space and offers a host of upgrades, including an advanced programmable remote control with a ReplayZones button that makes it very easy to find the shows you want to record. The ReplayTV 3020 pauses live broadcasts and resumes play at your leisure. QuickSkip feature bypasses recorded commercials, instant replay plays back programming in 7-second increments. It also features a free programming guide with no monthly service fees.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good box, October 8, 2000

By	Kevin Stewardson (Fremont, ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've had my ReplayTV 3020 for a week now and thought i would express my views on it.

The box has a lot of different setups, you need to choose the right one for you. Personally I just split my cable feed and ran it to both my TV and the ReplayTV box so i can watch live TV or ReplayTV. Then i have the Svideo out of the ReplayTV to the TV and treat it as a VCR.

First i gotta say, the compression ratings that ReplayTV would have you believe are not exactly accurate. Standard recording quality can be as good as a VCR/Cable tv or worse it dependson the video being recorded. If the images are big and there's not too much movement it's pretty good. But if it's a crowd scene or a sporting event iwth lots of movement, it's worse than VCR. It can be very grainy uniless theres little movement or it's a closeup. It looks like you're watching an internet realvideo playback most of the time.

The Medium quality is a lot better, i'd put it up there the same quality as a vcr using Svideo out. Highest quality is great, but if your'e going to record everything on highest you should get the 3060.

It has lots of outputs on it to go out to a PC for video capturing or a VCR to save to a permanent storage which is nice. Also it has a few inputs, rca or svideo so you could record a DVD movie if you rented one and didn't have time to watch it unlike the Panasonic model which won't let you do this.

The ability to control real TV is nice. It actually records as you watch live tv. So you can pause, rewind and replay a live broadcast that you're not recording. The bad part of this however is sometimes the audio/video get out of sync. I'm not sure yet why this happens but it happens very seldom and it does clear itself.

The one great thing with this box is it doesn't come with the $10/month bill that TiVo has. Who needs another bill? And if you work in the cost of a lifetime membership to TiVo you could buy a replay.

The box itself is pretty quiet and it's smaller than most VCR's. It does have an off button if you want to turn it off, but i'd recommend just leaving it on.

The channel guide is nice. It's really easy to navigate around and select shows to watch or record. You can use this to replace your cable box if you want, then you don't need a TV guide or anything. I wish the channel guide displayed more listings per screen though, and i wish it started back at the beginning of the list instead of your current channel. Overall though it's very easy.

I'd definitly recommend this box, it's been pretty good and i've enjoyed having it over the past week.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i love my replay!, October 2, 2000

By	wendy (NJ) - See all my reviews

this is the coolest piece of home theater equipment ever invented. so far, we've used it to instant replay sections of tv shows (like when steve the crocodile hunter gets his nose bitten), record every monday night football so that we don't have to rush home, pause shows, quick skip all the commercials on recorded shows... the list goes on.

one bad thing is that with the current setup, every time the channel is changed a blue "can't find video input" screen flashes up for about 2 seconds. then it displays correctly. probably this is due to the way it's set up through our cable box.

one last comment- i thought 20 hours would be more than ample, but if you're going to record more than 3 or 4 shows (or any football games or movies) you'll run out of medium recording time quickly. get the 30 hour!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I might get a second one..., November 30, 2000

By	"janechen" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I got my ReplayTV 2 months ago and it is one of the best gadget purchases I've made-- and I love gadgets. I'm an avid TV watcher who works late so having the "always record" feature of ReplayTV greatly alleviates my stress (like when I forget to pop a new tape into my VCR and I miss an episode of Friends). As great as the machine is, there are a few reasons why I didn't give it 5 stars.

First, I have an older model cable box which requires use of the "sticky" IR signal sender that is packaged with ReplayTV. I find that sometimes the signal gets a bit muddled and the channels don't switch properly. It makes me a bit nervous that this could happen before a show starts recording and I miss it altogether-- but it hasn't happened yet.

Second, setup is not super easy, especially if you want to split your cable line (to be able to watch live TV, while you are recording on another channel). Also, if you have special considerations (like the old cable box I have) there is a lot of figeting with the settings (like making the machine go to "05" when you want channel 5). I got a ReplayTV for my future father-in-law for his birthday and he still hasn't gotten it to work (probably because he has a slightly old model TV) and he's a physicist.

Third, the "standard" setting (which is what they use to benchmark the 20 hrs record time) is terrible. If there is a lot of movement on the show, the image gets blurry and pixelated. "Medium" setting is much better, but then you only get about 12-14 hours of record time.

Finally, I still haven't gotten my rebate yet. I have a feeling that this is one of those deals where you get your money long after you've forgotten what the check is for.

But there are some great features that I have to point out. I love the 30 second skip feature which lets you blow through commercials on recorded shows. I also use the instant replay button all the time on live and recorded shows because I'm always the type of person who asks "what did they just say?" And the pause feature is essential for any person who is constantly interrupted during their favorite show (I no longer have to screen calls). And the on-screen programming guide is just like having an interactive TV guide on your TV screen.

In conclusion. If you are a big TV fan who is competent at fooling around with gadgets, this is a great buy. If you can't get your VCR to stop blinking "12:00" then either get a handy friend to install it for you, or wait until it's simpler. If you are going to get one, I recommend the 30 or 60 hour model otherwise you won't be able to keep more than 2 episodes of each of your favorite shows. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a second machine (remember I split my cable) so I can have more hard-drive space and I can record simultaneous shows on different channels in the same time slot.