ReplayTV can store 320 hours of shows

DAYTON, Ohio -- ReplayTV, the granddaddy of digital video recorders, has started selling a new line of DVRs, and the new line includes a unit capable of storing 320 hours of programming.

ReplayTV introduced the first widely available digital video recorder back in 1999, but ReplayTV didn't catch on as well as TiVo, which was introduced later. Sonicblue Inc., which used to own ReplayTV, filed for bankruptcy, and the ReplayTV unit was purchased by D&M Holdings of Japan this spring.

The new owners have put out the new 5500 series of ReplayTV units. The RTV5504 holds 40 hours of programming and sells for $549.99, and the RTV5532, at $1,199.99, holds 320 hours, which ReplayTV says is the biggest DVR capacity available. There are two other models offering 80 and 160 hours.

The 5500 models, like other DVRs, are basically hard drives set up to record video programming. Instead of using magnetic tape like a VCR, they use memory discs like a computer. ReplayTV uses the Internet to communicate with the units to give them a regularly updated programming schedule that makes recording easier.

The online information service is supplied free for three years to subscribers buying new ReplayTV units. After that, the service costs 99 cents a month. The ReplayTV units have built-in modems so they can be plugged into a phone line or they can be linked to the company through broadband connections.

To record, the viewer uses a remote control to search through an on-screen menu to find a show title. One click and the unit is set to record that show. The ReplayTV also can be set to record a particular title every time it comes on. It could be set to record every episode of "Six Feet Under," for example, and it would record each new episode without recording any repeat showings.

They also can be set to record shows by keyword or theme, or you can program the units via the Internet when you are away from home.

ReplayTV units provide all the other advantages of digital recording. They let you pause live television, watch the beginning of a recorded show while you tape the end, create your own instant replays and more. QuickSkip lets you jump ahead 30 seconds instantaneously to get past commercials, or you can scan in fast forward at 20 times normal speed. The units offer component video outputs and digital audio outputs to take full advantage of high- quality home-theater set-ups.

If you own more than one ReplayTV unit, they are designed to work with home network systems. If you connect two units to a network, they can share recording and play-back duties.

For example, if you ask for two shows to be recorded at once, the system can assign one recording to the unit in the family room and the other to the set in the bedroom. Also, a show recorded in the bedroom can be viewed through the unit in the family room.

For more information, visit www.replaytv.com.

Copyright C 2003 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.