Hard Disk Video Recorder
TiVo gives Replay company and competition
BY MIKE LANGBERG
Mercury News Computing Editor
mercurycenter.com
I want my HDR.
As in hard disk recorder, the term I've invented for a new type of gadget that records television programming on a hard disk instead of videotape -- a transformation that is a much bigger deal than it might appear at first glance.
In April I wrote about an HDR from Replay Networks Inc. of Mountain View and found a lot to like -- as well as several rough edges and a price tag that isn't realistic for ordinary wage slaves such as myself.
I've just finished playing with an HDR from Replay's arch-rival, TiVo Inc. of Sunnyvale. In several small but satisfying ways, I'm pleased to report, TiVo is even better than Replay.
I'm hoping the two start-up companies, with offices just four miles apart, will follow the grand Silicon Valley tradition of stealing each other's good ideas and best employees in a frantic drive to improve their products and cut prices.
If these underhanded tactics succeed, as I expect they will, Replay and TiVo could both offer substantially improved HDRs later this year, and prices could drop significantly as soon as next year.
For those of who you missed my column on Replay (www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/ columns/testdrive/docs/mc011899.htm), here's a quick review.
An HDR, on the surface, is much like a videocassette recorder. Like a VCR, an HDR is installed between your incoming TV source -- a cable line, roof antenna or satellite dish -- and the TV set. And, like a VCR, the HDR can be instructed to record shows for later viewing.
The big difference is that an HDR contains a hard drive, almost identical to those inside personal computers, and stores programming as digital code, rather than using videotape. These hard drives work so fast they can, in effect, do two things at once -- recording a live program, for instance, while playing a show recorded earlier.
HDRs also come with a powerful processor that runs an electronic program guide -- an on-screen grid that looks like the typical TV listings in a newspaper -- and uses that information in several creative ways.
Because the hard disk is so flexible, HDRs can perform a stunning trick: ''pausing'' live television.
Let's say you're watching the season finale of ''Friends'' and the phone rings. You can hit the ''pause'' button on the TiVo or Replay remote and the HDR will start recording the show while the screen freezes at the point you stopped watching. When the phone call ends five minutes later, you hit ''pause'' again and the show resumes where you left off. But now you're watching images stored on the hard disk, as the HDR simultaneously records the live video you won't be watching for another five minutes.
After about six weeks testing Replay and then TiVo, I've grown quite attached to this feature.
My wife, Debbie, is a gourmet cook, and she demands my immediate appearance at the dinner table whenever her latest creation is ready. Debbie is always unmoved by my feeble protests for one more minute to watch a crucial bit of action unfold in the latest episode of whatever ''Star Trek'' show I'm watching.
It's never been worth the hassle to find a blank tape, stick it in the VCR and hit ''record,'' then have to come back, rewind the tape and pick up where I'd left off. So I would often abandon shows in the middle.
Replay and TiVo provide an elegant solution, making me a better husband. With just one touch on the ''pause'' button, I can promptly leave the family room and eat dinner, knowing I won't miss anything from my TV show of the moment.
Cost only obstacle
Cost is the only obstacle to selling millions of HDRs.
The TiVo ''personal TV receiver,'' manufactured by Philips Electronics, comes in two models. The 14-hour model, containing a 13.6-gigabyte hard disk, costs $698 with a lifetime of program information service from TiVo, or $499 if you pay $9.95 a month for the program service. The 30-hour model, with two 13.6-gig drives, is available at $1,198 with lifetime service only.
Of course, that lifetime is TiVo's -- not yours.
For more information, call TiVo at (877) 367-8486 or go to the company's Web site (www.tivo.com). The Philips receivers, by the way, can be purchased at the moment only by ordering directly from TiVo; Philips says they will be available in electronics stores as soon as July.
Replay offers three models -- a 10-hour unit at $699, a 14-hour unit at $899 and a 28-hour unit at $1,499, with no charge for the program information service. For more information, call Replay at (877) 737-5298 or go to the Web (www.replay tv.com).
Keep in mind that both companies are citing the lowest-quality recording mode to describe capacity. At the ''best'' setting, which produces playback virtually identical to live TV, TiVo's 10-hour model holds only four hours of programming, and the 30-hour model holds nine hours.
HDRs also need access to a phone line, because both models must make a brief daily call in the middle of the night to collect future program listings.
Why do I prefer TiVo over Replay?
TiVo offers slightly better picture quality than Replay, although both HDRs deliver bright, sharp images that are noticeably better than what you get from a VCR. Replay video suffered from occasional ''pixelation'' -- where part of the image degenerates into tiny squares -- during fast-action sequences. TiVo delivered acceptable, although blurry, images even on the lowest-quality setting, but I found Replay's lowest-quality playback too muddy for comfortable viewing.
TiVo also has a sensibly designed remote control -- an especially important consideration given the many on-screen menus an HDR displays. The Replay remote, in contrast, is laid out in a way that makes some of the most crucial buttons hard to find.
And TiVo is blessedly quiet; the Replay unit emits a soft chattering sound that will be immediately familiar to computer users but is unwelcome in the TV room.
Not that TiVo is perfect.
Complicated installation
The installation process takes two to three hours and involves several overly complicated steps. The worst of these, for me, was selecting the proper cable-television service so TiVo could list channels in the correct order. TiVo offered eight choices for my city -- such as ''basic,'' ''extended basic,'' ''digital basic'' and ''digital premium'' -- that didn't correspond to the service options offered by my cable company. I downloaded the wrong channel lineup at first and had to repeat the process.
TiVo also has a confusing system for managing the programs it records. You're asked to press a green ''thumbs up'' or a red ''thumbs down'' button to indicate whether you like the programs you're watching. TiVo uses this information to figure out what kind of shows you like and automatically records these selections.
This means the TiVo box is always full of programming whenever you sit down to watch TV. But the box seemed to have a tough time figuring me out -- it initially recorded children's programs such as ''Teletubbies'' and ''Barney,'' even though I have no children and no interest in such shows.
What's more, the shows you specifically request for recording typically get flushed out within 48 hours to make room for more of TiVo's selections -- unless you take the time to go through a bunch of menus to select a ''save until I delete'' option.
Easily resolved
The good news is that most of my complaints with TiVo and Replay relate to the ''user interface,'' meaning they can be resolved just by rewriting the software. The technology underlying both products is surprisingly solid for being first-generation.
And costs are sure to come down. Hard disks are doubling their capacity every 18 months at any given price point, so a 10-hour model at $699 today could be a 20-hour model for $699 by late next year.
HDRs, in short, are so compelling that I'm convinced they will become commonplace in two or three years as prices slide and usability headaches are overcome. As I said last time: As soon as HDRs offer 12 or more hours of high-quality recording time for less than $500, I'll be the first in line to buy one.
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