Tivo or ReplayTV

What service are you with right now... CABLE, DirecTv? I have a Tivo from DirecTv it holds 80 hours and I got it at Bestbuy for $30.00 after rebate The only con with it is the menu is kinda slow Vs. my old sat recever, but after having it for 3 monts I CANT LIVE WITHOUT IT!

 

I'll echo what Da Glyde said. If you have DirecTV, just head out to Best Buy and you can pickup a Tivo receiver for cheap these days. Mine is the 40 hour model and it was around $90 last year, and they're cheaper now.

I have some friends with digital cable and they have a Replay TV system. I liked the functionality of my Tivo a little more, but that could just be because I'm used to it.

 

TiVo is about to release TiVo2GO this month (fingers crossed) which will let you download your programs to your computer through your home network.

Admittedly, I haven't researched ReplayTV enough to know if you can already do this with that service. But if not, this new feature would be a slam dunk in TiVo's corner for me, personally.

 

The DirecTV DVR w/TiVo service is $4.99 per month, or free if you subscribe to premier, in which case it is free. The "lifetime" option is only for the standalone units.

With the DirecTiVo, you can record TWO programs and watch a third from the hard drive.

 

Looking through this thread (thanks to the search function), I don't think anyone's mind has been made up here.


TiVo or ReplayTV? Which is better?

I've used a TiVo and it's fantastic, but no one I know has a ReplayTV, so what advantages does it have? I know that you can search shows on your computer to record to your ReplayTV DVR, something that TiVo doesn't really have.

Or both pretty much the same or is TiVo more popular because it is better?

Thanks.

 

With either is it possible to record a show and then if you have a DVD recorder, make a DVD of it?

How difficult is it for to take shows from the Tivo/Replay TV and put them on to a computer hard drive, and then burn a DVD of it?

 

I have had a ReplayTV since about 6 months after they released. I have loved it. We also have a TiVo now and between the two, I still prefer the ReplayTV.

One of the biggest advantages is in watching football. The play clock is 35 seconds and the ReplayTV has a 30 second Quick Skip button, so when a player gets tackled, you hit the QS and the next play is about to run. I also like the QS button for commercials, which are all about 30 seconds. I QS until the commercial break has ended and then Instant Replay (7 seconds back) to get to the beginning of the show I want to watch.

The interface on the Replay is cleaner and more intuitive and it only records what I tell it to, unlike the Tivo (you can set the TiVo not to record programs on its own, but by default it goes out and records things that it thinks you want...or that have been paid for by advertisers).

I will buy another ReplayTV (which range from 40 to 320 hours) when I have the money.

 

If you have a DVD recorder that is not in a computer, you can run the output from the DVR into the input on the burner and record the show on DVD. TMK, there isn't a way to transfer a ReplayTV or Tivo program to a computer, though I have heard rumors that TiVo is trying to put this feature in their units, which would mean that ReplayTV wouldn't be far behind.

 

TiVo is about to sign a deal with Netflix for a downloadable movie service.

They're definitley in it for the long haul.

 

Tivo has already introduced Tivo2Go (as I mentioned in my old post).

I have been downloading programs off of my Tivo and burning them to DVD for over a month now.

simply spectacular!!!!

 

I have ReplayTV connected to my computer network. With a program called DVArchive (http://www.dvarchive.org/), you can easily upload shows from your ReplayTV to your computer to burn to DVD.

I bought the 40 hour ReplayTV and upgraded the Hard drive to a 250G, which gives me around 84 hours of recording at High quality.

 

Unfortunately, my ReplayTV doesn't have an Ethernet connection (as I mentioned, it was one of the first ones introduced) so it isn't possible for me. It will be nice to do that once I have enough money to buy a new Replay.

 

Is Tivo2Go the same price as old Tivo, and no monthly charge if you subscribe to a premium Direct TV?

 

It's a free additional service-- except that you have to purchase one of three specific codecs in order to actually watch the programs on a laptop. Almost as big a scheme as the FICO score.

 

If the person has DirectTV, the best thing to get is a Direct Tivo which is a Direct TV receiver with Tivo built into it. It's the only Tivo that will let you watch one show while recording another (I don't think you can do this with Replay TV) or watch something recorded while recording two other shows.

I have a regular Tivo with DirecTV and I really wish I had the DirecTivo. Using a regular Tivo with DirecTV has a couple of disadvantages. First, you lose Dolby Digital when you run through the Tivo (you still get Pro Logic but that sucks compared to Dolby Digital) and, second, the picture is degraded because the signal has to go through two digital/analog conversions (digital to analog from the satellite to the sat receiver then analog to digital to get on the Tivo's hard drive, then digital back to analog to get to your TV).

With a DirecTivo you get the straight digital signal from the Satellite provider. As a matter of fact, a DirecTivo doesn't even give you recording qualities (high quality, medium, low, etc...) as everything is recorded in the highest quality since it's recording the digital signal directly.

Also, with regard the Replay TVs 30 second skip feature, Tivo doesn't come with it by default (you can fast forward at three speeds or skip to the end of a program) but there is a "hack" that's out there that allows you to add a 30 second skip feature very easily (you just punch in some numbers on your remote to turn the feature on - you lose the "skip to the end of the program feature though).

I have a friend with Replay TV and he loves it but everyone with a DVR regardless of the brand loves it so I guess you can't really go wrong.

One other thing about Tivo. If you get the stand alone you have to pay a monthly subscription (I forgot how much... $12?) or buy a lifetime subscription for about $300. If you get the DirecTivo it just costs about $5 extra per month on your DirecTV bill or it's even free if you have the Premier package from DirecTV.

Both Replay and Tivo allow a certain amount of hacking to their systems (at the cost of voiding your warrantee) and both, I think, will let you save shows over a home network. Wait. I don't think you get the network features with a DirecTivo, just the standalone and, as I said earlier, if you have DirecTV you really, really want a DirecTivo.

Tivo is the main player in town, so much so that the name brand "Tivo" has become the generic name for a DVR (kind of like the way people call all sodas "cokes" or all copies "xeroxes" or all tissues "kleenexes").

Something to consider. DirecTV is supposed to come out with their own DVR soon (as a replacement for DirecTivo) so I'm not sure what the deal with that is going to be. I've heard that DirecTV has dropped thier partnership with Tivo in anticipation of releasing their own DVR so that could be an issue.

Check this site out for aftermarket Tivos and lots of Tivo info.

Also be aware that once you have a DVR you can never live without one (kind of like broadband internet access).

 

That's incorrect. I have a stand alone Tivo, and I record a show and watch a different one at the same time. For example, if you have Direct TV, but not the "Direct Tivo," you can have the Tivo record through the satellite. Then, you go and watch any of the local channels you want. Also, if you have cable, you can just buy a cable splitter for a few bucks.


I've owned Tivo for over a year, and I highly reccomend it. I don't really know of the differences between ReplayTV and Tivo, but you can't go wrong with Tivo. Anything ReplayTV offers that Tivo doesn't isn't very significant. Tivo is awesome!

 

There are resources on the Web where you can get the codecs for free.

I haven't paid for diddly.

 

Like I said... Tivo won't let you do it. You did it by diverting the signal so that while Tivo is recording something you are watching a completely different signal input. I get the same feature by going into my bedroom and watching the other TV. If you want to watch something (with the Tivo and therefore get the pause, rewind, record features) while recording something else you need a DirecTivo.