How much is a time machine worth?
Written: Apr 03 '01 (Updated Jul 30 '01)
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Pros: It lets your travel in time: through the time wasted by commercials, NO FEES
Cons: privacy concern (like when you use Blockbuster- they know what you watching).
The Bottom Line: Definitely recommend, it is a quality of life improvement kind of thing.
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| alyosha's Full Review: Panasonic PV-HS1000 (20.4 GB) 20-Hours Video Recor... |
I waited too long to get my ShowStopper. How do I know it was too long. I know that now because the difference in price I payed now and would have payed a year ago (no subscription fee- it is included in the price) is easily compensated by the time saved, or better yet created by the ShowStopper. There are drawbacks- like you can get a blister on the finger which you use to press to skip commercials. I also sometimes notice that I don't hate commercials anymore, my character improved :)
It is also an extension of your answering machine- it gives you the choice to pause the show and answer the phone instead of calling back, it is so nice to have the option. The quality of watching TV is also improved significantly- I like Oscars, but am not interested in the acceptance speeches of little known technical people, but recording it on ShowStopper is easier than on VCR. Another benefit is that you can record over and over without degradation, without incurring media costs. It is a lot more than VCR, just because skipping and repeating is virtually instant.
It came with more cables I could use, with truely universal remote which is the only remote I use for all my audio and video components. Did I throw away my VCR, no I didn't, I actually use it sometimes to dump something I recorded on ShowStopper to the tape (without commercials) to share with my friends who don't have ReplayTV. There is more- I can access programming on the web and choose the shows to record online, their is a way to upgrade the hard drive to get more storage space (voids your warranty, which is 1 year), their is a way to access the files with the shows from the unit's hard drive directly by computer (requires opening the case, voids warranty).
And I didn't have any problem interfacing ShowStopper with my AT&T Broadband digital cable, their was no false Macrovision detection. Effectively I am getting for the same fee I am paying to the cable company a whole lot more. There is NO FEE for ReplayTV service- for the lifetime. I like that I am buying ShowStopper the old fashioned way , like I bought VCRs, amplifiers, other electronics- not getting into the contract with fees. ReplayTV stopped producing hardware but survived the change of the business model, so I expect to enjoy their product for years to come. Get it, it is worth it, it will be your favorite gizmo, ultimate controller of what you watch and when- like the time machine.
And it was mentioned elsewhere but I want to be honest and mention it here- 30 hours models essentially 30 hours only for sitcoms and family shows, for the shows with actions you'll better choose medium quality, which will drop your recording time 15-20 hours. When you pause live TV it records it at Best quality , giving you only about 10 hours. It is still pretty good.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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Epinions.com ID:
alyosha
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Member: Alexei Nikolaev
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 1 member
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