Brings TV into the new millennium
Written: Jan 24 '01 (Updated Jan 25 '01)
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Pros: Makes the most of your TV system -cable, broadcast or satellite
Cons: still too pricey, IR Blaster needs to be "stickier"
The Bottom Line: It's what the VCR should have been!
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| ritafp's Full Review: Panasonic PV-HS1000 (20.4 GB) 20-Hours Video Recor... |
The Panasonic PV-HS2000 allows you to maximize your television service - whether it's cable, satellite or broadcast. It allows you to configure your TV viewing in a way that is most convenient for you. It is true - "It's just TV" - but television is an important news, information and cultural device these days, and this product helps you make the most of it. For a TV junkie, it's the best thing since sliced bread!
I own a number of Panasonic products and have found them to be quality products with great customer support. This is one of the reasons why I chose the Panasonic/Replay unit over TiVo. Panasonic uses the ReplayTV system which is different from the system that TiVo digital recorders use. Unlike TiVo, which requires either a monthly subscription at $9.95 or a lifetime subscription at $199, the ReplayTV system comes free with your Panasonic unit. Please note that Panasonic requires a 3-10 minute nightly phone call to download channel listings and any new software or messages. This service is free, but before you buy this or any other Panasonic/ReplayTV unit, make sure that you have a telephone outlet accessible to the unit and that your location does not require a toll or long distance call. You can check available numbers at www.replaytv.com.
Too often I have sat watching something mediocre on TV because it was on when I was there, and missed what I really wanted to see because of an inconvenient time slot. I felt I was wasting my money paying for cable, but never getting to watch what was on. No more! The 2000 allows me to find, record and watch what I want, when I want it.
While watching shows live, the Panasonic unit allows me to repeat interesting or missed segments, skip commercials and then catch up with the rest of the show. I find that if I start watching an hour show twenty minutes into the show and skip commercials, I finish as the show finishes broadcasting.
The channel guide is user-friendly and accurate, and I find that I rely on the channel guide for show information now instead of TV Guide (that will save me a couple of bucks each month!). Finding shows is a breeze, and it allows you to search by title, actors, and directors. I have been able to find many an obscure movie playing at some graveyard hour using my Panasonic. Recording one's favorite shows is simple, although one has to be careful in programming to get only the first showing of a show that is broadcast several times. Furthermore, by using the theme channels and the Replay Guide you can record the type of show you like, Sci-Fi or westerns, for example.
Like a VCR, Panasonic offers different levels of recording High, Medium, and Extended. The 2000 provides 30 hours of recording at the Extended level, which is satisfactory for regular throwaway stuff. For more serious recording, or stuff you might want to download to your VCR, you would probably want to use Medium or High. Shows can be programmed as guaranteed or non-guaranteed. For guaranteed shows, the unit reserves that block of time and space on the disk for that recording. No more running out of space for your most important recordings. Still, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can fill up a 30 hour disk. After two months, I wanted to upgrade to the newer 60 hour unit.
Like most modern electronic equipment, a digital recorder is not for luddites. However, Panasonic has made it as easy as it could be. If you can set-up and program your VCR, you should have no problem with a Panasonic or Replay unit. A basic set-up is very easy. If you have a basic sense of how a VCR fits into your video system, the set-up is a breeze. Moreover, it is very simple to try different setups. I was able to set up my Panasonic in ten minutes, made the set-up call and was watching TV in half an hour. The IR (InfraRedBlaster) isn't as "sticky" as it need to be and once in a while moves from where I adhere it. But even hanging in front of the IR port, it still works fine. People who have more elaborate systems will require more time and perhaps a call to Panasonic Customer Service, which has very helpful and knowledgeable staff (although not as good as the ReplayTV Customer Care staff). I have found the Customer Service Staff to be very interested in consumer input on the product and many of the customer comments and suggestions about the product appear in the next software revision. This is where the real potential of these digital recorders lies. The product can be improved/altered through downloadable software.
The downside? You'll watch way more TV!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 499
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Epinions.com ID:
ritafp
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Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 4 members
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