RIP ReplayTV

[MotionMan]

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/replaytv/

The ReplayTV Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) Service will be permanently discontinued on July 31, 2011. After this date, owners of ReplayTV DVR units will still be able to manually record analog TV programs, but will not have the benefit of access to the interactive program guide. Effective immediately, monthly billing for the ReplayTV service to remaining customers has been suspended.

The industry conversion to HDTV is complete and ReplayTV DVRs are unable to take advantage of the wealth of HDTV programming. Please contact your service provider for current offerings.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=202366

I still love my 4000 Series ReplayTV and 2000 Series "Showstopper", both with hard drives I upgraded myself.

The above is still true - I use ReplayTV's on 2 of our 3 TVs.

I am seriously bummed.

MotionMan


More Info:

ReplayTV Forever Group on Facebook.

ReplayTV Shutdown FAQ (Wiki).

 

[nsafreak]

Time to either:

1) Get a Tivo (ugh)
2) Get a Moxi box (bit pricier than Tivo but at least you don't have the monthly fees)
2) Get a DVR from your cable company (hahahahhahahaha)
3) Build a HTPC with a Ceton CableCARD tuner (pricey, but your best option IMO)

I used to have a ReplayTV as well and I did definitely enjoy it during the time that I had it.

 

[frizb99]

I just got this message on my Replay, and thought I should register to let you know that there is still hope! I believe that WiRNS will allow you to continue receiving guide data from another source besides DNNA. I installed for other reasons, but people in Canada have been using the replay with WiRNS for a few years now. WiRNS can be configured to get guide data from an external source and parse the DB into something the replay can handle.

 

[MotionMan]

I just got this message on my Replay, and thought I should register to let you know that there is still hope! I believe that WiRNS will allow you to continue receiving guide data from another source besides DNNA. I installed for other reasons, but people in Canada have been using the replay with WiRNS for a few years now. WiRNS can be configured to get guide data from an external source and parse the DB into something the replay can handle.

I have seen that. It may just be time to move on and replace my ReplayTVs with an HD solution. In fact, just this week, Time-Warner finally rolled out their Whole House DVR in our area.

MotionMan

 

[The-Noid]

Look up SageTV, you won't be disappointed.

 

[MotionMan]

Look up SageTV, you won't be disappointed.

Does that have a TV tuner? I need to be able to watch live TV.

MotionMan

 

[The-Noid]

It runs on a computer so you can add anything you want.

 

[MotionMan]

It runs on a computer so you can add anything you want.

Ah, an HTPC solution. I get it now.

MotionMan

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

The Ceton InfiniTV 4 has recently dropped pretty drastically in price. They used to go for $399. Now they can be had for @ $270. Picked one up last week for $264 from Buy.com and absolutely love it.

 

[LikeLinus]

The Ceton InfiniTV 4 has recently dropped pretty drastically in price. They used to go for $399. Now they can be had for @ $270. Picked one up last week for $264 from Buy.com and absolutely love it.

This. I've had my Ceton since mid May and it's outstanding. I had some issues with Comcast at first, but that's to be expected.

Now I have an HTPC at each of my TVs with Windows Media Center for the Live TV and XBMC for Movies/Recorded TV. Great solution!

 

[Slick5150]

I was one of those lucky ones that got a ReplayTV during those few days when they switched their pricing model over "pay a lot up front and no monthly fees" to "pay a little up front with monthly fees" but forgot to take the "lifetime subscription included" stickers off the boxes.

Had it for a few years. Loved it. Great device. WAs sad to get rid of it when I made the move to HD, but it was time. I wound up selling it for more than I paid for it in the first place anyway.

 

[MotionMan]

I was one of those lucky ones that got a ReplayTV during those few days when they switched their pricing model over "pay a lot up front and no monthly fees" to "pay a little up front with monthly fees" but forgot to take the "lifetime subscription included" stickers off the boxes.

Had it for a few years. Loved it. Great device. WAs sad to get rid of it when I made the move to HD, but it was time. I wound up selling it for more than I paid for it in the first place anyway.

I may try to sell mine on Craig's List (with full disclosure, of course).

MotionMan

 

[quattleb]

As a Macintosh user I really don't want to get a PC to create a WiRNS setup in house. Seems someone out there could offer such a service for a (small) annual fee. Or is a WiRNS specific to only 1 zip code / program listing?

 

[bdaul]

So, is the bottom line NO FURTHER USE of this machine except as a paper-weight? Also...does it mean I could look up shows on TVGUIDE and manually put them into REPLAY? Can I use features like all shows or would I have to do EACH show, EACH time?

 

[MotionMan]

So, is the bottom line NO FURTHER USE of this machine except as a paper-weight? Also...does it mean I could look up shows on TVGUIDE and manually put them into REPLAY? Can I use features like all shows or would I have to do EACH show, EACH time?

My understanding is that they will still work to watch, pause, rewind, etc. live TV. You will also still be able to tell it to tape on a particular day and time (and maybe even every X day and time).

It will not have a "TV Guide" and the recordings will not have the name of the shows (unless you manually enter them).

In other words, it will become a lot like a VCR (plus the extras of live TV).

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

My understanding is that they will still work to watch, pause, rewind, etc. live TV. You will also still be able to tell it to tape on a particular day and time (and maybe even every X day and time).

It will not have a "TV Guide" and the recordings will not have the name of the shows (unless you manually enter them).

In other words, it will become a lot like a VCR (plus the extras of live TV).

MotionMan

Apparently, because the clock will not be able to update, you will not be able to tell it to tape every X day and time.

"Manual record" means hitting the record button as you watch and then hitting stop when done - pretty useless.

MotionMan

 

[Kwatt]

I am looking into WiRNS and SD. To keep using mine...


.

 

[MotionMan]

There are many good discussions regarding this going on in the ReplayTV Forever Group on Facebook.

Someone set up a ReplayTV Shutdown FAQ (Wiki) about the situation, too.

MotionMan

 

[BigSmooth]

I was one of those lucky ones that got a ReplayTV during those few days when they switched their pricing model over "pay a lot up front and no monthly fees" to "pay a little up front with monthly fees" but forgot to take the "lifetime subscription included" stickers off the boxes.

I got in on that "deal" as well, and I also had an original Panasonic Showstopper. I loved those units... at the time they were really awesome. Automatic commercial skip!! :thumbsup:

Even though both had lifetime subscriptions, I saw the writing on the wall and sold one on CL a few years ago for a pretty good price; I later gave the other one to a friend who didn't have a DVR. I upgraded to DirecTV HD-DVRs; they work fine and offer whole-home viewing which is very nice but I still miss some of the UI elements of the Replays. RIP!!

Edit: I just searched and my first post on AT that mentions ReplayTV was in May 2001, in a thread about VHS dying out. I AM SO OLD.

 

[MotionMan]

So, maybe it has begun: Starting 2 days ago, my ShowStopper's clock was 37 minutes slow. I have had it net connect twice (not counting the overnight dial in,) with no change. Bummer.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

So, maybe it has begun: Starting 2 days ago, my ShowStopper's clock was 37 minutes slow. I have had it net connect twice (not counting the overnight dial in,) with no change. Bummer.

MotionMan

I have another Showstopper that has not been used in years. I set it up a couple weeks ago and net connected a few times. It thought it was 3:06 am, Friday November 12, 1999 (It was 2:36 p.m. at the time).

Then, my other Showstopper, the one that was 37 minutes behind, reset to November 12, 1999, too.

A few days latter, all my ReplayTVs went back to normal operation. Odd.

ReplayTV Armageddon remains scheduled for 7/31.

MotionMan