- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 58 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Blows away Tivo"
Pros: unmatched versatility
Cons: No hi-def version
Summary: For the most electronically illiterate the Tivo is a good choice. But for anyone who needs or wants more options, the Replay is without question a better DVR. While the Tivo has many crippled functions, the Replay is "full-strength" with commercial skipping that is at least 85% accurate, full networking (both WAN and internet), full sharing capability with other Replay owners, full video extraction with free third party software and much, much more. This is the one that freaked out the television industry and Hollywood, due to it's power. It's really not fair to even compare the Tivo against the Replay as it's really intended for a different market. While the Tivo is little more than a sophisticated VCR, the ReplayTV really is in a class by itself.
The only complaint I could admit to is a lack of a HD unit. But as far the overall design, right down to the remote control is concerned, is vastly superior. Be aware that this version was the last of the "good ones".
The newer versions lack many of the features of the 5504. As I said eariler, this is the one that freaked everyone out in the entertainment business, so the newer versions are "dumbed down". (however, there are simple hacks to fully restore most of the features) Even with some of the features being turned off in the newest versions, it's still vastly superior to the Tivo. Having had both, it's no comparision....
%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-video-recorders-dvrs/digital-networks-replaytv-rtv5504/4864-6474_7-30445942-2.html){kind=small}