ReplayTV Switches To Subscription Model For New Unit

aclute writes "ReplayTV is going to move to a subscription-fee for it's new 4500 series in order to "meet the needs of national electronics retailers with lower overall costs and increased promotional opportunities" and "ensure the long-term success of our ReplayTV retail strategy". No talk yet of the cost or a lifetime/yearly option yet. Looks like TiVo might have had the right idea after all." I still want to get a 4500, but the vendor lockin with someone who's being sued by *everyone* does throw some cold water on desire for the machine.

SOL if you have a 4000?

[TheNecromancer]

This new pricing model does not apply to SONICblue's current ReplayTV 4000 or to prior offerings, which will continue to include a lifetime service subscription. The ReplayTV 4000 line will end of life with the launch of the new ReplayTV 4500 series.

Hmm, doesn't that mean that your subscription would expire if you owned a ReplayTV 4000? Guess you'll be forced to get a 4500.

G-Guide?

[jgartin]

Just a question. Maybe someone knows the answer. Why don't any of these Tivo-like devices just use the G-Guide listings, like new RCA TV's do? They come right over the cable--I think all PBS stations broadcast this information. There are a few ads, though.

ShowShifter

[lostchicken]

Computer based PVRs are looking better and better.

Try out ShowShifter [showshifter.com].

Lawsuit problem: Good sign

[crow]

but the vendor lockin with someone who's being sued by *everyone* does throw some cold water on desire for the machine.

The lawsuits indicate a long-standing philosophical difference between TiVo and ReplayTV. When both companies released their first products (within a month of each other, I believe), ReplayTV had a 30-second skip button for instantly jumping over commercials, and TiVo said they would not include such a feature to avoid annoying the networks.

Now ReplayTV 4000 units include more consumer-friendly features that are even more annoying to the networks. They include automatic commercial skipping (the same technology found in some VCRs for detecting commercials). And once you record something, you can send it to a friend's ReplayTV unit using the Internet.

If anything, the lawsuits are a reason to get a ReplayTV instead of a TiVo. You'll be supporting a company that is pushing the best technology they can; if it forces the networks to rethink their revenue model, that's a problem for the networks to deal with.

And even if for some reason the networks win their lawsuit, all it is likely to mean is that there will be a software update to disable whatever feature the court rules is illegal.

Re:SOL if you have a 4000?

[Lumpy]

and this is a grand example of not wanting to buy anything that requires control by the mother-company. Why wont someone make a TiVo like device that doesnt call anything or anyone, let me program it like an advanced VCR (Record EVERY Friday night at 8:00pm from channel 5 with the ability to simply insert a pre-empt (This friday start at 9:30 instead of 8 because of another damned hockey game) and mark the "shows" you watched as killable but only when the space is needed.

But it wont be made/marketed... Because to make it very desirable it needs an ethernet port on it and to record as MPEG2 so I can copy one over to my laptop to watch on the train ride to toronto this weekend, or to burn onto a SVCD so I can Archive it.

The perfect device would require an IQ over 80 to operate it and that requirement will make it un-saleable in america.

Re:Lawsuit problem: Good sign

[KingKire64]

Dont mean to be a troll but this scares me. If commercials are made useless by this technology how will the networks make money?

If anything, the lawsuits are a reason to get a ReplayTV instead of a TiVo. You'll be supporting a company that is pushing the best technology they can; if it forces the networks to rethink their revenue model, that's a problem for the networks to deal with.

Yeah well i would rather deal with the commercals then to have to deal with commercals built into the shows... Imagine a Farscape episode with a starship with a coke picture on it.

If the in show commercals dont show up then you will have the networks trying to do the same thing the cd companys are doing and try to make the tivo like devices completely useless with copy protection... I will take the technology with the commercials im not ready to deal with tech blocking/unblocking war to start with PVRs and Networks.

Re:SOL if you have a 4000?

[Anonymous Coward]

ReplayTV units will let you schedule recordings like a VCR if you don't hook up to a phone line (at least some versions of the software do)

Re:Lawsuit problem: Good sign

[Arkham]

I'm turning off my +1 bonus since this is a bit of a rant. However, its a rant with some insider knowledge, so it may be worth reading. I used to work for a company that has been mentioned here on Slashdot twice. They make/made a multimedia convergence box that ran Linux and did DVD, MP3 ripping, MP3 jukebox, streaming audio and video, etc.

Our company effectively ran out of money last July/Aug./Sept. We still had partners with a major newspaper for $2M in advertising, and with a major audo components manufacturer (if you look at the box you would know whose products it looks like).

Anyway, we were looking for buyers, and SonicBlue made an offer. We accepted it, and the lawyers went into legal stuff. For months we all waited, until SonicBlue eventually pissed off our other partners so much that they walked from the deal. Needless to say, without the advertising money we were not as desirable and SonicBlue dumped us.

I guess my point is, SonicBlue is a bad company. They have a bunch of cash in the form of stock from the video card days, and they are spending it screwing up small companies (like us and the Rio Car).

I met Ken Potashner (sp?), CEO of SonicBlue. He was a whiny, slick marketer guy, may he roast in hell.

TiVo is a good company that customers can believe in. They make a good product (I have one), and they don't screw over their customers or business partners. I hope TiVo captures the whole market and SonicBlue goes bankrupt. Now that UltimateTV has been cancelled [quicken.com] by Microsoft, it's a two horse race.

Re:Lawsuit problem: Good sign

[sct]

I actually prefer the TiVo method of commerial skipping. Every so often, I will stop and replay a commerial that strikes my fancy. If it doesn't do it on fast forward, then it wouldn't do it at slow speed (with the possible exception of that Rolling Rock / sign languge one, which is witty).

Just my humble oppinion, I just wish I could get a TiVo2 without loosing my subscription and go with broadband guide downloads- so I could cancel my land line.

my ideal PVR

[jchristopher]

My ideal PVR is as follows. As far as I know, no one sells it right now.

It's a box with video in/out that sits between my cable/satellite box and my TV. It can record 20 or so hours of video.

It is available at a reaonsable cost (say $200) with no monthly fee. Since it does not download TV listings, there should not be a recurring or one-time "lifetime" fee.

When I want to record something I press a red button on my remote. It begins recording and prompts me for a unique name to identify the segment, or I can just accept the default. (A timestamp, perhaps).

It should always be running, so I can pause what I'm watching if needed.

Finally, there should be a 'program' button. The program button allow me to record a specific channel, for a specific duration, at a certain time.

There should be some rudimentary onscreen interface to navigate the things I've already recorded or delete them.

Additionally, the onscreen interface should let me choose what I want to record from (VHS, DVD, satellite, cable, video camera) based on the multiple video inputs on the back of the device.

It does not need to be intelligent, downloading listings and automatically recording shit on my behalf. Nor should it need to be hooked up to a phone line, since there is no reason the mfr. ever needs to hear from me again, since I OWN the box. I don't have a phone line anyway, I have cellular.

As far as I know, no one sells a box like this. I believe many people would buy it, though.

This *may* include a built-in DVD player as well

[jimmcq]

Quoted from http://news.com/2100-1040-827418.html [news.com]:

The new recorders, which are set to hit the market in the second half of the year, will be similar to the ReplayTV 4000 machines but will have smaller hard drives and will feature DVD playback.