ReplayTV RTV5040 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Fairly good PVR, much better than VCR
I've had my 5040 for about a week now. This is the second one, I returned the original to an online store because it had continuing problems getting software updates, intermittent lock-ups and so on. I noticed a difference as soon as I plugged in the new one - a blue power light that didn't work on the original.<br />Compared to any VCR this is worth 5 stars, and I like it better than the DishPlayer I used to have. The Replay is a lot more versatile that that was, although there is also a monthly or one-time service charge that Dish didn't require. Like most electronics I've bought in the last few years, I found it essential to search online to comparison shop and for info from other consumers.<br />The tech support is a joke if your call goes to India, they only seem to be able to go by scripts so anything even slightly unusual is beyond them. Even after waiting a long time for a 'manager' to be consulted, they had no help for me. I think I read that if you can call in the morning you're more likely to speak to someone in Texas who can help you, instead of the site in India. There are a number of undocumented 'Zones' codes to fine-tune your PVR and you can get them from tech support or by doing a search for &quot;replay zones&quot;.<br />I did compare features between all the Replays, the DishPlayer and the TiVo, and based on cost and upgradability, I settled on the Replay. It is supposedly much easier to add a second hard drive to a Replay, so after a 30-day 'burn-in', I'll void my warranty by opening the unit and then I'll have 200 hours of space instead of only 40. There is also a program that allows you to 'archive' video to your PC using the Ethernet port, but I haven't tried this yet.<br />The main drawbacks compared to the DirecTV-TiVO is it takes longer (4-6 seconds) to change channels so you can't surf very well, and DirecTV-TiVo has a dual tuner so you can record two shows at once.