Replay TV vs. Tivo

[mrsv98]

I am planning on getting my DH one of these for Christmas but I can't decide which. I know several folks here have Tivo and I am looking for opinions. Here is how they match up:


Replay TV - 80 hr recorder Tivo - 80 hr recorder
cost: $599.99 plus tax $299.99 plus tax
includes 3 yrs. of service $12.95/month or
$299 for lifetime


Now, if I pay for the monthly service, it is $466 for 3 years service. If you add the Tivo and lifetime service, then the two units are virtually the same, so the question is, which one is better? Easier to setup and use? We are both computer people and I am good at setting up audio/video systems. HELP!

TIA, Rebecca

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

I am not sure about Tivo.....however, I use Direct TV's "Ultimate TV" recorder. I pay ten dollars amonth for it. I like it alot. It's great for instant replays or to pause a show. IMHO.

 

[caitycaity]

i don't know anything about replay tv, but i am a big tivo fan. it was very easy to set up and i love their remote.

 

[JDH]

for other options. I do believe I saw a 40 hr. TiVO for 299.99. The service will be the same as it's controlled by D.I.S.H or Directv.

 

[Melrosgirl]

TIVO does more than pause and record shows. TIVO can also set up a wishlist for you and you tell it what starts you like. For instance, like Harrison Ford? Tell Tivo. Whenever any Harrison movie plays where he is listed as a star, Tivo will tape it for you.

TIVO can make recommendations on what it thinks you will like based upon your past viewing.

I'm not sure if the other systems do this. TIVO is the original !

 

[Tina]

Replay and TIVO are virtually the same. We have a Replay and my DH can't imagine life without it. We pay month to month. I wouldn't recommend buying the lifetime plan with Replay. They haven't been doing too well. They recently sold the company to a Japanese company. Little has changed, but I expect it to go away eventually. Since we have Directv, we've actually been considering replacing our receivers with the TIVO combo units. The service is only $5 per month or Free if you subscribe to a certain plan (which we already do).

 

[ead79]

I have TiVo, and I literally cannot say enough good things about it. It is so much more than just a digital recorder. You can make wishlists of your favorite actors, keywords (like Disney World, LOL), etc. and TiVo will record them for you. The season pass feature is also wonderful for shows you don't want to miss an episode of. TiVo's ability to recommend shows similar to those you like is also really neat--I've discovered some new shows I really like that way. TiVo is very easy to use. It's the only product I've ever owned where all the hype about it is actually true. It's wonderful!

 

[Alex]

I have the replay TV and it works great! It has all the features of the TIVO. It has (or possibly had) one feature that tivo doesn't, it skips all commercials on replay! You can watch 3 half hour shows in an hour sometimes. I heard they might be removing that feature though.

 

[ErikdaRed]

Also ReplayTV has network connectivity, the ability to store/display your images, and possibly MP3s in the future. (You need to pay for this on TIVO). Also, if you own 2 RTV units you can stream shows from one to the other (start watching in the living room and move to the bedroom). I also like the grid guide way better than the default TIVO guide (and the new TIVO grid guide is way to slow). I also think that the RTV has a slightly better encoder, so you get better quality recordings at lower levels.

 

[Alex]

ok.. I forgot to mention those features

 

[CindyBeth]

We also have Replay and paid for the lifetime fee for the service about 3 years ago. Have been loving it ever since!!!

 

[bicker]

We loveed our TiVo so much that we just bought another. We simply cannot watch television the old way any longer!

I compared TiVo and ReplayTV, both times, and bought TiVo both times. The superior user-interface was the determining factor each time. This time, I also felt that TiVo was in a much stronger position with respect to market share... I'd be afraid now that ReplayTV would become the new BetaMax.

 

[ErikdaRed]

Betamax is a totally different situation, a ReplayTV bought today will still be useful (the overhead to provide the schedules is minimal). Its not like TV will only be released for tivo. All the functionality of the Tivo is in the ReplayTV plus lots more. And I forgot to mention a big one last time, pure random access to any recorded show. Want to just catch the last 15 minutes, enter the time and your right there.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

that would be great for something like Survivor(to see who gets voted off)

 

[Alex]

I looked at them too and no commericals beat the user interface for me hands down...

 

[bicker]

Originally posted by ErikdaRed
Betamax is a totally different situation, a ReplayTV bought today will still be useful

Betamax is still useful today.

It isn't clear what the impact will be from not being the dominent player in this very tenuous market-space. Where you want to put your investment, though, is, of course, up to you. Hundreds of thousands have chosen TiVo with good reason.