ReplayTV RTV5516 160-Hour Digital Video Recorder
Buyer Beware
I am a huge fan of Replay TV Digital Video Recorders.  They allow you to watch TV on your own terms.  DVR technology is a giant leap forward from the VCR.  I've owned a Panasonic Showstopper Replay TV for about 5 years and recently purchased a second unit with a larger hard drive.    <br />      <br />     I bought a Replay TV 5508 on Amazon.com.  The setup was a breeze and my everything seemed to work well.  I signed up for the lifetime service package ($299).  For the next two days, when I turned the unit on, I got a message stating that it was unable to connect to ReplayTV for it's daily download.  I called the Customer Service depatment and they tried unsuccessfully to walk me through a solution.  I was told the software on this unit was outdated and it couldn't connect to the service.  In the process of repeatedly trying to connect, the hard drive froze up and the unit needed to be replaced.   <br />      <br />     Replay TV replaced my unit with a twice refurbished unit that is a worthless piece of junk.  It locks up frequently, the picture is pixelated at best, and often unwatchable.  I am in the process of exchanging this for another unit now. <br /> <br />     Here's what I have learned from all of this:   <br /> <br />1.  Don't pay the $299 for lifetime service right away.  It is non-refundable, so if you wind up with a lemon you're out the cash. Go with the monthly rate until you find the unit works OK.  The newer models seem to be less reliable than the older versions.   <br /> <br />2.  If you buy your Replay TV from Amazon and have to exchange it with Replay TV, you will get a refurbished unit.  If you buy direct from Replay TV, you get a new unit in exchange.  Looking back on this, I should have returned my unit to Amazon.  I didn't because I had already purchased the lifetime service from Replay TV, I called them about the problems, and the service rep said it would be replaced with a new unit.  Turns out \\"new\\" meant a different unit. <br /> <br />3.  Most of the service people are knowledgable, but not all.  I had better luck on weekdays than weekends. <br /> <br />4.  If you do end up with a replacement unit after paying for lifetime service, you need to call Replay TV customer service with the serial number of the new unit so they can transfer the service to the new unit.  If you don't, you will be asked to subscribe to the service again.  Sounds simple, but I spent an hour on the phone with a service rep before he figured this out. <br /> <br />It's a great product when it works, but my recent experiences have me thinking about a Tivo for my next purchase. <br />