I have ReplayTV, not TiVo. I first saw the two devices at CES in January '99. I became more interested in Replay v. TiVo for several reasons: (1) At the time, Replay offered free channel guide service that is updated nightly while TiVo charged $9.95/mo for the service; (2) Replay has a 30-second forward skip button that allows the viewer to pass over commercials in a matter of seconds with a few clicks, something the backers of TiVo were loathe to incorporate into their device; and (3) the fact that TiVo monitors & tracks what you watch in order to offer viewing recommendations based upon what in the channel guide, but ALSO sells such PRIVACY data to marketers, and the claim that Replay does not do the same.
TiVo, as you know, is public, and is backed by Philips, and I believe MSFT. Replay has Paul Allen''s Vulcan Ventures has a major investors, along with some key Silicon Valley venture capital funds.
The machine I have holds 20 hours of programming at standard (low, IMHO) quality. The top model now sold offers 30 hours, the same as TiVo. TiVo offers 4 grades of programming quality while Replay offers 3. TiVo, I understand, also allows customer to pay for the channel guide via one time upfront fee in lieu of a monthly subscription fee.
The quality of the recording is light years ahead of VCR, even at the medium quality level. Recording is easy because it is show based rather than clock based. Fast forward & rewind is available at up to 20x speeds so skipping around recording content is fairly quick. Its a great tool, IMHO, for pay-per-view viewing as you can record, then watch the content when you want, and not lose a minute should the phone ring, or some other interruption arise (natural or artificial <ggg>). Combining it with VOD is creative, and IMHO, a great feature that will make VOD cheaper to those subscribers who already own a Replay or TiVo device.
In short, if you force yourself to record what you want to watch, then watch it, & not simply view whatever is on, it can really revolutionize the way TV is watched.
Finally, as you might expect, the 30-second skip button on Replay has advertisers squirming, and I think the Replay folks are beginning to feel the pressure. In additional to the channel guide, the Replay folks download occasional updates to the software free of charge. So far, in 6 months I've received two updates that have enhanced the on screen capabilities (1) the ability to more easily create theme-based recordings, and (2) better slow-mo & freeze frame capabilities, a must for the sports enthusiast.
Hey, gotta go & get back to work. I apologize for any typos. |
