ReplayTV RTV5040 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Great concept, Beta (maybe alpha) version, abysmal service
Received for Christmas, and connected it without any difficulty.  Went through set-up process okay, then problems started.  Biggest issue is 7-9 second delay when switching channels via digital cable box. I understand the unit buffers some signal, but it would make a lot more sense to show signal as soon as possible. Also experienced regular freezings and need to reboot.  <br />Calls to customer service required minimum of 55 minute wait on hold.  I once got hung up on after two-hour wait (closing time).  CSR's vary widely in quality and most are not even familiar with the included manual. Each CSR had a different story: &quot;Fix available now and will be downloaded automatically&quot; &quot;will be fixed 1st quarter&quot; and &quot;will be fixed 2nd quarter&quot;. e-mail was even worse - 3 weeks! Received several replies today, two weeks after I returned the unit.<br />I did get a chance to play with this a little bit in the three days that I had to test (four day trial period is calendar days so if you turn it on in the evening, you lose a day).  This product holds great promise, I am debating whether or not to try TIVO.