Average customer rating: 
|
ReplayTV 3030 Digital Video Recorder
Manufacturer: Replay TV ProductGroup: CE Binding: Electronics  Audio & Video Accessories
| Accessories & Supplies
| Categories
| Electronics
| Antennas
| Audio & Video Furniture
| Batteries
| Blank Media
| Cables & Interconnects
| Cleaning & Repair
| Connectors & Inputs
| Crossover Parts
| Distribution
| Home Audio Crossovers
| Media Storage
| Microphone Accessories
| Plugs & Adapters
| Portable Audio & Video Accessories
| Remote Controls
| Screws & Nuts
| Selector Boxes
| Sound Dampening Products
| Speaker Accessories
| Speaker Parts & Components
| Speaker Repair
| TV Accessories
| VCR Rewinders
| Video Converters
All Network-Ready Home Entertainment
| Network-Ready Home Entertainment
| Audio & Video
| Categories
| Electronics
Digital Video Recorders
| Network-Ready Home Entertainment
| Audio & Video
| Categories
| Electronics
Audio & Video
| Refurbished & Used
| Special Features
| Electronics Features
| Electronics
Accessories:
Product Features:
ASIN: B00004THPR |
Product Description
The ReplayTV 3030 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 3030'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 3030 Digital Video Recorder provides up to 30 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 3030 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.Amazon.com Review
ReplayTV's 3030 server provides up to 30 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 3030'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 3030 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 3030, 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 3030, 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 3030 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 3030 off, it will continue to record, then shut down once the show is finished and stored in the hard drive.
Connecting the 3030 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 3030 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 3030 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:
Cons:
Customer Reviews:
Replay TV and DirecTV.......2001-11-16
Almost too good to be true!.......2001-06-05
The quick-skip button is wonderful. Instantly zapping forward in 30-second intervals makes it a snap to avoid commercials. In fact, my family and I have taken to intentionally starting to watch programs with the Replay 5-10 minutes after their scheduled start time expressly to AVOID the ubiquitous commercials for programs I would never let my preschool and elementary school-age kids watch. Instead of watching commercials, we spend those 10 minutes talking to each other. Imagine that... technology that lets you spend more time with your family, instead of taking away from it!
In all these months, I've only come across 2 downsides to ReplayTV ownership. If they cured these issues, I'd give the product 5 stars.
- The interface doesn't do enough to warn about conflicting recordings. When the networks put two of my favorite shows on at the same time, unless I notice it myself beforehand and set the VCR, I miss the show that is lowest in alphabetical order.
- When I bought my unit last summer, the good folks at ReplayTV thoughtfully put up several custom "channels" each month which would automatically record selected seasonal programs. When the new fall season started, this enabled us to easily sample the new shows! Around November, the company had a round of layoffs. Apparently, the folks who programmed the seasonal channels were among the casualties because the seasonal channels disappeared. Since those channels went away, the burden has shifted to us users to search more interactively. Had I not been a user before the layoffs, this might not matter as much.
To get around the issue another reviewer mentioned of not being able to watch one program while the box is recording another, I would highly recommend installing it only on TVs that have A/V inputs. That permits watching shows with the TV's tuner while the Replay box is recording. A TV with S-Video inputs would be an even better choice for the best picture quality.
In a nutshell, ReplayTV works great! I'd love to put one on every TV I own.
You got to love it!.......2001-02-11
Try others before you buy.......2001-01-17
Picture is great. Their ad is correct, you have total control over what you watch and when you watch it. Much easier to program than a VCR.
Replay and DirecTV.......2001-01-03
There still are some other things on the wish list, like the ability to record on one input and view the live feed on the second. Also, the IRD remote is still required to complete purchases on the DirecTV pay-per-view stations.
I had a Tivo unit for evaluation prior to the Replay that was much more difficult to set up and actually required 24 hours for it to assimilate it's downloaded program guide and prepare itself to (over) organize my viewing. After the evaluation I was in no hurry to buy a Tivo and am very satified with the Replay.
Electronics:
