ReplayTV RTV5040 40-Hour Digital Video Recorder
super time saver
TV watching at our house is not the same with the Replay.  We no longer watch commercials.  And the fact that it was designed to be put on a home network with dedicated Internet access really shows in it's functionality in fours areas:<br />1.  The ethernet network jack connects you to the Internet and allows you to set recordings up just by logging into my.replaytv.com.  No more going home for lunch because you forgot to set the vcr.  Just login to the web and tell your replay what to record.<br />2.  The guide and firmware updates are downloaded over the web so no need for a phone line.<br />3.  With multiple Replay's, that network jack allows you to stream from one unit to another.  So set up a family room unit to record movies and the bedroom unit to record sitcoms.  Want to watch a recorded sitcom in the family room that the bedroom unit recorded?  Just select the show on the bedroom unit and it's streamed in real-time!  No waiting for a file transfer.  Even better is extracting the recorded videos off of the Replay to your PC over the network jack and burning them to DVD-R or VideoCD instead of archiving to VHS tape.<br />4.  Send shows to your friends.  Missed a show that you forgot to record?  Just go to the web and ask someone who got the show to send it to you over the internet!<br />As for commercials, they are skipped 100% of the time for a majority of programs.  Seems like it's more dependent upon the network or TV station then the Replay detection commercials.  For example, This Old House Classics on HGTV are always perfect.  But commercials during This Old House Classics on the local UPN station are sometimes missed.  The show's the same.  Just the way the station cuts to and from commercials.<br />Many people who are familiar with the DVR market are amazed what you can do with the ethernet jack and that the Replay doesn't cost anything more than other DVRs.  They're amazed that so many more features don't add to the price.