Reviews for ReplayTV 5504

ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Ethernet Networking • Fast Menu Scrolls • IR Blaster Works • Easy to Use • Great Picture Quality • Glitch Free So Far • Active cooling fan

Weakness: Can't customize menu background • Only updates guide once per day (but so does Tivo) • Lag using IR blastes with Satellite box • Remote layout isn't the best

Replay has worked flawlessly since I have owned it. Currently using with Dish satellite receiver. Have it networked using Netgear WGE101 wireless bridge, which is really convenient (and fast).

This box blows Tivo away. Tivo satellite units can't be networked. Stand alone Tivos can only be networked on slow 802.11b standard, and even a wired network will be slow with Tivo b/c they only use USB 1.1 as interface (no ethernet ports on Tivo boxes). Even the newest Tivos still use the old USB 1.1.

Active cooling fan may seem like a minor point, but it's not. Old PVRs had no fans and the hot HDDs shortened the circuit board lifes (not a good thing if you paid for a lifetime subscription). Fan lets you stack the Replay units and not worry about cooling.

See my review under Replay 5508 for more detail.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Easy to use, networkable, great features

Weakness: I think the built-in modem is broken, but since I connect using ethernet, it's a moot point.

This is my second Replay, the first is a Panasonic Showstopper that I purchased in 1999. I purchased this one because Replay was having a 40% off special along with a $50 rebate, so the grand total price for this unit came to $40. And because I get the multiple unit discount (despite the fact that my Showstopper came with a lifetime subscription), I only pay $6.95 per month for it's subscription.

I initially had difficulty getting the Replay and my router to talk to each other, but it's highly likely that problem was due to my POS AT&T router, not the Replay. Eventually, I managed to get them to play nicely together and I've had no problems since.

I've seen several complaints about the remote, but I love the new remote's layout. It's layout is much easier and intuitive than the old Replay remote's layout, and the one remote can control both units.

The search software has has not changed since 1999, and there's no reason for it to change. It's simple to use and very flexible. The programming software, on the other hand, has changed and it all seems to be for the better. I like being able to specify that I want first run shows only (no reruns) and that it will accept a schedule conflict without requiring me to change the conflicting program's record options.

The commercial skip ability works about 2/3 of the time and is very handy, but on the times when it doesn't work, all you need to do is press the back button a couple of times. One of my favorite features is the skip forward button, it will skip forward 30 seconds (without looking like it's a VCR doing a FF the way Tivos do), but if you punch in a number before pressing the button then it will skip forward that number of minutes. In other words, if you want to skip over the first 30 minutes of an hour long show, then punch in 30 and press the skip forward button and bingo, there you are (skip back button also has this capability).

As others before me have mentioned, there are numerous free downloadable programs that can help you transfer recorded shows for your Reply to your PC or to backup your Replay's settings (in case of hard disk failure or if you want to upgrade your hard drive). Simply google the "ReplayTV hacking project" and it will help you with everything from hard drive upgrades to transferring shows from the Replay to your PC.

All in all, I can't give a higher recommendation to Replay. If you want the best DVR, buy a Replay. If you're ruled by FUD (fear, uncertainty & doubt) then play it safe and buy a Tivo, just remember that you'll be paying more for less.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Commercial Advance Easy to navigate Simple connection to home network Hackable hard drive upgrade Large support base at avs forum

Weakness: none--if you only buy one AV component this year--buy this. It WILL change your life or at the very least, the way you watch TV.

I got in on the lifetime ReplayTV deal a few years back and was looking to add a second unit when DNNA offered factory refurbished units for yet another steal of the century price. I never tried Tivo--but now I have no reason to. This is the PVR for people who know what they're doing as well as those who don't. As I stated they are extremely easy to upgrade to a larger drive or connect to a home wired/wireless network. Checkout poopli for acquiring shows you may have missed from other users. This baby does it all. Even my girlfriend was psyched after using this piece of electronics--no small praise, I'll tell you that much.

Cannot reccomend highly enough. Buy when there's a rebate special and buy a lifetime subscription--don't throw away a monthly fee.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Ability to stream from PC and burn to DVD (with external software). Easy to use. Nice output quality. Nice features for finding and organizing shows.

Weakness: Remote needs to be pointed very directly. Tech support staffed by foreigners with poor English skills.

I am extremely happy with ReplayTV and have found it invaluable. One of the best investments I've made in the last year.

After getting through some initial configuration problems with my router, the unit connects to the internet quickly and flawlessly to keep the channel guide updated.

When I was shopping for a DVR about a year ago, I chose Replay over Tivo because Replay had the ability to download the recorded programs from its hard drive to any networked PC. This is not a standard feature included with Replay, but freeware programs exist that give you this ability. Ultimately, with other freeware out there you can burn your recorded shows to DVD. Tech TV's web site has a decent tutorial on how to do this.
As far as I can see, this IS possible with Tivo, but the process is significantly more difficult.

If burning your recorded shows to DVD is your ultimate goal, then in my opinion, ReplayTV is the better choice. As well, there are tutorials on the web which show you how to upgrade Replay's hard drive to a bigger one. So, I purchased the low cost 40-hour unit, then found a nice 160 gig hard drive for dirt cheap. If you know your way around PCs and hard drives, it's not difficult to upgrade the hard drive. I now have a 160 hour unit for a fraction of the cost.

I've found Replay's features to be extremely useful and easy to use. I see complaints about the layout of the remote, but in my opinion it is laid out quite well. The buttons are different sizes and shapes and are spaced in such a way that in a short time it is easy to operate it without having to look at it. My only complaint about the remote is the IR sensor seems to be buried too deep into the shell of the remote which means you have to aim it quite squarely at the unit for it to work. I'd like to see a UHF remote, but of course that would add to the cost.

I normally use Replay for watching regular TV as well because of a very handy feature: you can completely customize your channel guide so that you only have to see the channels you actually subscribe to. Replay lets you remove any channels you want from the lineup guide. This makes channel surfing MUCH quicker and enjoyable. I've always hated having to page through screenfuls of channels I don't get when using the remote that comes with the cable box.

I love the ability to search the entire channel guide for shows based on key words, actors names, etc. Very useful. You can also create "theme" channels. For example, if you wanted to record any movies directed by Woody Allen, you can create a theme channel which will automatically record any show it finds directed by Woody Allen so you never have to search again. There are lots of other options for finding and recording shows. Overall, it makes finding what you want very quick and easy.

The video quality output from the unit is excellent. However, if you are recording something you want to eventually burn to DVD, you'll want to record at the highest quality setting. From other comparisons I've seen, Replay's video quality is slightly better than Tivo's.
I've burned a lot of recorded shows to DVD and the final result looks every bit as good as the original show.

I'm guessing as time goes on, Replay and TV will be improving their feature sets as they jockey for market share. I've never used Tivo and I'm sure it's a nice product as well. Replay just seemed the better choice for what I was looking for at the time and I've never regretted buying it for a second.

The monthly subscription is $12.95 (same as Tivo), which I believe to be very reasonable. I find it amusing that some reviewers complain about a monthly service charge (as if Replay should provide updates and channel guide info for free forever). Sheesh people - get real - $4/week is dirt cheap. Most people I know spend more than that on soda and coffee each week.

The only other negative I found was tech support. If you have problems or questions you end up speaking to some foreigner who does not understand english all that well and is hard to understand because of a thick accent. I called a few times with questions and couple times with support issues and I have to admit it got frustrating having to repeat everything 5 times because the person on the other end did not understand.

If you are tech savvy, Replay can perform some neat tricks with other software freely available on the web. However, even if it is used "as-is" out of the box, I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Easy to configure, hook up, record shows, browse recorded shows, quiet operation, ethernet connectivity, modem connectivity, networkable, USB port for upgradeability, nice picture screen saver utility

Weakness: The remote control could be better organized; but that's what my HP Ipaq 2210 universal remote is for... initial download (via modem) took 2 hours.

I would have purchased a 320 or 160 hour unit if I knew it was going to be this good of a consumer ready product. After getting past the initial 2hour program download via modem, I wired my ReplayTV with Ethernet and BAM! downloads are a snap. It worked great with my linksys router. Now with some other sw titles I can archive the really good shows to the PC AND pick them from the ReplayTV remote to watch again on TV no problem! GET THIS PRODUCT!

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By member: owenowen - Apr 20, 2004

ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Strenths: Ethernet by far. Fast, plus you can expand your storage by archiving programs to free up space. 40 gigs fills up quickly, but when you purchase 160 gig drives for 79 bucks....

Weakness: Remote,Picture is a little soft.

Everybody gets a bad unit once in a while, but when I see reviews with "none" listed as a strength it's time to grow up boys.

This is a nice product, I wish the monthly was 9.99, but oh well. I wouldn't buy the lifetime with the DVD recorders/Tivo coming down so quickly, but for a hundred bucks what the heck.

Tech TV has a nice reference on how to burn your programs to a DVD-R+R.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: It actually records.

Weakness: Everything else. Read below.

5 minutes in to watching the first show, the unit started locking up. The picture and sound would do a looping repeat of about 1 second. After trying several shows, the unit just locked up completely.

The website said 30 days money back, no questions asked. Bull. I was drilled on why I wanted to return it. Finally they gave me an RMA and told me I was going to have to pay shipping. After asking to speak to a manager, they sent me a free shipping label. Sent the unit back promptly, within the 30 days.

After 2 weeks, I finally received an email that they had received the unit and would be refunding my credit card within 3 days. It has now been six weeks and still no refund. Made several calls and received different responses each time.

Customer service is in India and very hard to understand, especially for the hearing impaired.

I would avoid them altogether and go with something else. I got the DVR from TimeWarner for just $5/month and have had great service from it. If it breaks, I just call them up. Think twice before going this route.

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avoid replay

Strengths: i am so dissatisfied i cant think of anything positive about replay

Weakness: if it doesn't look for a new one because service if only there so that replay can rip its customers off.

my hard drive failed. called and was told first that it would cost $80 to repair. later it became $120 plus shipping. found out that a new dvr could be purchased from replay for $40 but i could not do this because i had purchased life time service from replay and the service did not transfer to new machine. all in all i believe that you will be better served by you cable or sattelite company dvr programs and they are cheaper too.

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: Does what it is advertised to do.

Weakness: I wish they didn't mandate the subscription. I'm on the grace period right now and I'm not looking to pay monthly.

Delivered in less than 2 days even though I paid the cheapo shipping. Make sure you are home to sign though! Mine was first delivered on Friday and I couldn't get my grubby hands on it till Monday.

Looking forward to learning Linux so I can hack into it...

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ReplayTV 5504

Strengths: None

Weakness: Hard to get back to "live" TV after watching something recorded.

This is one of the worst products I have ever owned, plus, when you try to get tech support, you are calling a foreign country! I bought a refurbished unit with lifetime service after my TiVo was struck by lightning and my homeowner's insurance wouldn't pay for a new service contract, only a new unit. The remote was not easy to use, it was hard to FIND the programs that I had recorded and I was thrilled to return it. I will get my TiVo refurbished when I have the extra money, and I've already bought a lifetime contract for it!

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Customer Service is HORRIBLE

Strengths: Not Really Anything

Weakness: Delivered DOA, Customer Service was a total joke

I received this unit from Replay directly and it was shipped with a broken fan. I though ok I was unlucky so I gave them a call expecting some sort of reasonable return policy. I was wrong!


I gave customer support a call and we go through some retarded trouble shooting steps. Hmmm what do I see a giant bar across the bottom of my TV that says WARNING - Fan Stop Detected. I look on the back of the unit and sure enough the fan is not spinning. I have to spend 30 minutes on the phone trouble shooting it. That should have taken about 5 minutes.


Next they give me an RMA # and tell me to ship it back at my expense. This is a brand new unit I should not have to pay anything for shipping. Then he goes on to tell me they will repair this broken one or send me a refurbished unit in its place. I say NO WAY send me a new one and I will send you this one back....What do they say, sorry sir that is not our policy. What a joke. I asked have you ever visited an electronic store and bought lets say a cd player and it didn't work when you brough it home. Would you go back to the store and think they would send it out to have it fixed instead of just giving you a new one. Sorry sir that is not our policy.


After 3 hours on the phone I was promised a call from the second in charge. Never got the phone call. Finally I guess all my complaining they finally paid for me to ship it back (nice paper weight).


I will refuse to ever support replay tv after this rediculous incident. I have never dealt with a company with worse customer service. All I can say is that I would stay away with a 10 foot poll.


I am waiting for my new Tivo unit. Thanks replay I hope you read this.

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ReplayTV RTV5504

TestSeek.com has collected 2 expert reviews for ReplayTV RTV5504 and the average expert rating is 73 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use TestSeek.com to find all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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