brad's Experience
Written: Apr 15 '06 (Updated Apr 15 '06)
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Pros: Power inputs and outputs. Broadband ready.
Cons: User-interface is inferior to Tivo.
The Bottom Line: Buy the ReplayTV 4504 as a second ReplayTV unit. The recording capacity is simply too low. Look at a 4508 or 4516. Otherwise, ReplayTVs are outstanding.
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| brad's Full Review: Rio ReplayTV 4504 (40 GB) |
Greetings.
I purchased a ReplayTV 4504 off of eBay over a year ago. However, it was not put into use until this time last year. The reason I am reviewing this device is not necessarily because it is a prominent product on the market today, but because it is probably the best DVR I have used and I think my experience using it will benefit any potential DVR buyers. In addition, there are still people out there looking at ReplayTV devices to put into their homes. This review should be very helpful in that regard.
First, a few facts to preface the review.
This device was originally posted to Epinions as a "Rio" branded product. That is no longer the case. It actually was sold to D&M Holdings in 2003. D&M Holdings is a reputable firm that controls household brand names such as Boston Acoustics, Denon, and Marantz. It had been under the Rio/Sonic Blue brand prior to 2003. Sonic Blue/Rio was founded in 1997 (ReplayTV's chief competitor, Tivo, was also founded in 1997).
This device is no longer sold as "brand new" on the open market, except in very rare cases by people who bought the machine and never cracked the seal of the product package. Otherwise, it is sold as used on eBay quite often.
The ReplayTV 4504 is part of a family of products that include the 4508, the 4516, and 4532. I also own a ReplayTV 4532. This family is known as the 45xx series. Its predecessor was the 40xx series, which is much the same but lacking some of the hardware and software specifications.
The ReplayTV 45xx series was replaced by the 50xx series and eventually, the 55xx series. There are key differences between these families of products and I will explain them in this review. This review is more about the ReplayTV experience than it is actually of the device itself, subject of this review.
So, it has been established that the ReplayTV is a DVR (digital video recorder). DVRs are sometimes referenced as "PVRs" (personal video recorders). ReplayTV's competitors are Tivo, Echostar, and cable-company branded DVRs made by Scientific Atlanta and Motorola.
Tivo has been recognized as the leader of the DVR revolution. It leads in total market share, total subscribers, gross revenue, brand recognition, and frankly, technology. I won't comment on cable-company branded DVRs in this review because from what I've read of them, they are essentially emulators of certain functionalities of a ReplayTV unit or a Tivo unit. From what I've read of cable DVRs, they sorely lack in stability and functionality. They are accepted because they are given away as a carrot to entice potential subscribers to cable television.
ReplayTV and Tivo's business models have been very different. They have tried to sell hardware units at discounts and then make money on subscriptions to their services.
Until ReplayTV was taken over by D&M Holdings in 2003, it was losing money. Since then, the ReplayTV division has made money, per D&M press releases. On the other hand, Tivo has never made a profit, yet it has been in existence for 9 years now. Tivo has far more subscribers or users than any other manufacturer or distributor of DVRs. Tivo has nearly 5 million subscribers while ReplayTV probably has in the range of one million, although D&M does not release actual subscriber figures. Estimates were obtained from ReplayTV support services.
Okay, let's get some of the basics of a DVR out of the way.
A DVR acts somewhat like a VCR. The chief aim of a DVR is to allow a person to record a program on television and view it later. Many people use or did use VCRs for this purpose. This is the most-used function of a DVR.
How is a DVR different? Well, a DVR records TV programs on to a computer hard drive rather than a video cassette tape. Therefore, if a person uses a DVR to record programs, he does not need to swap VHS (or Betamax if you're old school) tapes each time he wishes to record. A DVR typically holds anywhere from 40 to 160 hours of recording capacity. This means that if a person uses his DVR to record several programs, he gets a list of programs that are on his DVR and ready to view, on demand.
How does this work? Well, unlike with the use of a VCR, you don't just hit the play button on your DVR remote. You use an on-screen graphic user interace (GUI) to help you navigate through a system of menus that allow you to make decisions on how to view your recorded programs, and other functions.
This sounds a bit complicated. How does this menu system work?
Basically, your TV is plugged into your DVR. So your TV viewing habits run through the DVR. Even if you want to watch live TV, you use the DVR menu system to help you switch channels, see what is scheduled ahead, and decide if you want to record.
In addition, DVRs allow you to "pause live TV." What this means is that if you're watching a live program and you have an interruption - a phone call, somebody knocks on the door, you really have to go the bathroom, etc. - you hit the pause button on your DVR remote and the program stops (halts). When you're ready to resume the live program, you hit the play button and it starts playing back just from where you left off. At this point, what you are watching is no longer live, but thanks to the DVR's hard drive and operating system, you can watch TV this way. This is probably the second most popular function of DVRs.
Can I fast forward, rewind, delete recorded stuff, etc.? Absolutely. In fact, the third most popular function of a DVR is skipping commercials!
A popular method among DVR users is to get home, find a program they want to watch, and hit pause or hit the record button on a certain program. Then, they go eat dinner or go work out or call up a sibling and get these things "out of the way." Then, when they're ready to watch TV, they go to their DVR and select the program the recorded or simply hit the play button on a paused live program. As they watch the program, of course, commercials come up. Can they fast forward through the commercials? Absolutely! Any time you have a recorded program, whether you are pausing a live program or just playing back a recorded program, you can fast forward through commercials. Few people like watching commericals, so this is a big reason why DVRs have been so popular. You can go from watching a one hour program filled with commercials, watched live, to watching that same program in 40 minutes or less without the commercials. Not only are you saving time, but you can watch this program whenever you want (assuming you recorded it, rather than simply pausing it). If you recorded it, that program is there on your DVR for your viewing pleasure.
Is the menu system complicated?
For some people, yes. Some people don't like to use computers any more than they have to. Other people are used to using certain devices and don't like trying out new ones. But for most people, if they just commit a bit of their time learning their new device (DVR), they will easily learn the ins and outs of the menu system and be well on their way to making full use of their DVR.
At this point, I'm going to break off and do a little comparison of Tivo and ReplayTV.
If you do a comparison of the "bare bones functions" of Tivo and ReplayTV, there isn't a difference. Both devices accomplish the exact same basic functions. There are differences, however, and each device has its strengths.
What does a ReplayTV have that a Tivo doesn't? 10/100 Ethernet connection, on the top of the list. I (and I'm speaking for the general user base of ReplayTVs) connect my ReplayTV with a broadband connection. It is possible to connect with a modem (traditional phone cord/line), but why bother with that when I can connect with my broadband connection?
Why is the broadband connection important? It's important for a number of reasons, some of which I'll get into later. But first of all, it my ReplayTV is connected by Ethernet, it downloads the TV guide listings in seconds, not minutes (or even hours). Secondly, if I want to scroll through my ReplayTV TV listings, I can scroll through them fast. Very fast. If I use my Tivo (I have one of these too, from 2001), I have to wait and wait, and wait, for the menu system to navigate throught the TV listings out to four or seven or ten days. With the ReplayTV, it's seconds.
What's another thing ReplayTV has one Tivo? Well, if you buy a 45xx series or a 50xx series ReplayTV, the DVR *automatically* skips commercials for you. That's right. Any time you play back a recorded program, or a paused program, it will skip right over the commercials and bring you back to the actual program. If you're watching a paused "live" program, it will only skip ahead until it catches up with the live feed (what is actually live at the moment). But for recorded programs, I just think this feature is priceless. I have two 45xx series ReplayTVs and this feature is the so-called "killer app." I don't have to hit a "30 second skip" button (Tivo) or hit the fast forward button, or anything. It's automatic. And it works almost all of the time.
...Incidentally, how does the ReplayTV know when commercials are on? The ReplayTV can detect when a program goes to commercial. If you look closely during a live program, when it goes to commercial there is a very brief black screen - a transition from the program to a commercial. This is where the ReplayTV senses that change and know when to skip over. Sometimes it doesn't work. And very, very, very rarely, it skips when you don't want it to (during a dark movie - I've had problems when watching a recording of The Godfather). But I will put the figure at a 99% success rate. It's that good. And it's well worth it! I love my ReplayTVs.
What is another difference between ReplayTVs and Tivos? Well, if you're a home networker, then the ReplayTV is for you. The 45xx series and above network with each other, if on the same network. This means that you can view any program that is stored on any other ReplayTV unit on the same network. Although this isn't very practical in terms of use with actual ReplayTV units, most people who own a ReplayTV also own a computer. You can use your computer as a ReplayTV with a free download of Gerry Dupree's DVArhive program (dvarchive.org). More on this later.
Using DVArchive by Gerry Dupree is for another review, but essentially, it makes your computer into another ReplayTV unit. I encourage any ReplayTV users to examine DVArchive.org and its merits for any use with any actual ReplayTV unit.
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So, how about this ReplayTV 4504?
It’s fantastic. It has the following specifications:
Inputs:
- S-video
- RF
- Two composite inputs (RCA)
- Ethernet
- Modem
- IR input (remote)
- Serial port
Outputs:
- S-video
- RF
- Two composite outputs (RCA)
- Digital Optical output
- VGA
Any drawbacks? Well, yes. It doesn’t have component inputs or outputs. This ReplayTV unit, nor any 45xx unit, or for that matter, ANY ReplayTV unit, will NOT do HDTV. It will not do high resolution.
However, the digital output a huge plus. The audio coming out of this is outstanding, compared to outs with RCA plugs. I’ve done both and the digital out just blows away the analog out. Go out and buy an optical audio cable and use this out. It’s well worth it.
Can I out any saved/recorded programs to a VCR? Absolutely. You can save as many programs as you want, of course, to your ReplayTV. If you should run out of space, I recommend DVArchive, but if you want to maybe share shows with family or friends who are off-site, you can send the programs to a VCR with a connected VCR to one of the outs on the ReplayTV, and record to a VHS cassette. I’ve done this a few times, for really special programs, for family (who don’t own ReplayTVs).
The technical specs of this machine are very impressive. The machine is very versatile. I use the RF input to get over the air signals. I use the serial port to get my DirecTV signal. Without the serial port, DirecTV must be imported with the IR signal. You don’t want to go that route. You need to have a compatible DirecTV receiver that has a serial port output. If you need help finding such DirecTV receivers, I can help. Otherwise, see AVS forums or www.planetreplay.com.
So, how is the menu system? This is a loaded question, but very important. It’s not up to the snuff of Tivo. I have to admit that much. However, it is nearly as powerful. The only significant difference that I can note is the function of recording programs that might overlap. In this case, Tivo is far superior. Tivo has a menu system that lets you select which programs have priority. ReplayTV does not have the same system. It does have a system for this, and what it asks you, when you decide to record recurring episodes, is if you want them to be “guaranteed.” Unfortunately, you can say that you want more than one program to be “guaranteed.” In this case, the first program to be declared “guaranteed” is the one that gets recorded. Unfortunately, you cannot designate exactly which order you want for certain programs. But overlapping programs are rare, so this is usually not an issue. That said, it is a problem and it has not been resolved by ReplayTV software. So, beware of it.
Beyond that, the user interface of ReplayTV is straightforward and relatively easy to use. It’s not quite the level of Tivo. Tivo will ask you questions, to confirm certain settings, where ReplayTV will not necessarily do this. But in sum, ReplayTV is very functional and its system of automatic and manual recordings works very well.
How do I record a program? Well, with the ReplayTV, you can do one of two things. You can select a program and decide if you want it to continually record ALL episodes of that program, or you can manually decide to record just that episode. The latter is very simple – you just navigate the onscreen guide and hit the record button and that program will be recorded. If you want it be an automatic recording – all available episodes – you hit the “select” button and follow the instructions to do so. It is straightforward and simple.
How does Tivo and the ReplayTV 45xx series compare, in terms of hardware? By far, the ReplayTV wins. Tivo, to date, even as of the date of this publication, does not have an Ethernet connection. You must use a USB adapter to do anything broadband with Tivo. ReplayTV is ready out of the box, to do broadband and to network with other ReplayTVs on your home network, or with your computer.
How about other hardware comparisons? Tivo does not have an S-video output. ReplayTV has both an S-video input and an output. You can connect a DVD player to a ReplayTV and play it through the ReplayTV unit. You can connect a VCR through the ReplayTV and play throught it (I do).
What about the specifics of the ReplayTV 4504?
Well, to be honest, the 4504 doesn’t have enough storage capacity for the average person wishing to use this device. I used a reputable service – digitalrecorder.com – to upgrade the system to an 80 gigabyte storage capacity. Basically, the replaced the 40 gig drive on the system with an 80 gig drive. I bought my 4504 off eBay and as it turns out, the system needed repair. I don’t recall the specifics, but the system needed repair mainly because the original 40 gig drive was failing. It cost be about $180 to have this unit repaired, and digitalrecorder.com is able fix any RepalyTV unit or Tivo unit, and upgrade them, if you so wish (and there are many unofficial “upgrades” that these people can do with your unit, so check with them).
Otherwise, the 4504, essentially now a 4508 with the 80 gig drive, functions the same across the 45xx line. Proof of this is with my 4532 unit.
My 4532 unit has functioned near flawlessly since I bought it in October of 2002. That’s 3 1/2 years of nonstop service from my 4532. These units are built to last.
It should be noted that the 50xx and 55xx unit use a less powerful hard drive, and also leave fewer input and output options. The 45xx is the king of the ReplayTV line.
Also of note, is that the 40xx and 45xx series of ReplayTVs can do Internet sharing. If you know of other ReplayTV users that have 40xx or 45xx series ReplayTV units, you can share shows over the Internet. Mind you, this takes a tremendous amount of bandwidth to transfer any shows. A half hour show at minimal quality recording generally runs at about 500 megabytes. I recommend recording at “medium” quality recording with ReplayTVs. You have the option of “standard,” “medium,” or “high” quality recordings. If you’re recording sports, I highly recommend the “high” quality option, as the recording avoids pixelization.
I could go on and on, no doubt.
But with especially, with the input and output options available with the ReplayTV, notably the Ethernet, I think power users or DVRs should choose ReplayTV units over Tivo. Tivo is for the very casual TV viewer.
I hope this review provides insight on both DVRs as a niche, and ReplayTVs, specifically.
Yours, Brad.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150.00
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Epinions.com ID:
brad
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Member: Brad Engelmann
Location: Helen Township, MN
Reviews written: 161
Trusted by: 94 members
About Me:
brad@engelmann.us (email address)
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