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OverviewTechnical PrimerPhone LinesDownloading DataVideo-Quality SettingsStorage CapacityConnectionsRear PanelsRemote ControlsFeaturesGraphical User Interfaces and Channel
GuidesProgramming Services
Overview
TiVo and ReplayTV represent two implementations of a radical new
approach to TV that converts it from a passive experience into an on-demand
medium. TiVo and ReplayTV are digital set-top boxes known as personal
television recorders, or servers, that allow you to record programs from your
TV directly to a hard disk. These recorders find and record the shows you're
interested in so you can watch them whenever you want; you can also pause,
rewind, and replay live TV. TiVo and ReplayTV both interface with a standard
phone line in order to download TV programming information. You use the remote
control to pull up the onscreen program guide and select a show to record.
You can record shows in advance for viewing at your leisure. This is known as time shifting, a familiar term for VCR owners accustomed to videotaping shows while they're away from home. Unlike VCRs, however, personal television recorders don't require tapes. These intelligent devices also give you the freedom to pause live shows, sporting events, and other programs, and resume watching them at your convenience. This is a fantastic feature, because you no longer have to worry about missing a show if you're interrupted. When the phone rings, just hit Pause, and when you're finished with your call, hit Play. If you forget to hit Pause, simply rewind the show and pick it up where you left off. You can also return to real time at any time.
Both companies offer a replay function that enables you to rewatch a brief segment of a live broadcast almost instantaneously. Another great advantage to both ReplayTV and TiVo is that you can fast-forward through commercials when you're watching prerecorded programs.
Technical Primer
Unlike VCRs, which operate entirely in the analog domain, TiVo
and ReplayTV television receivers convert NTSC analog broadcast signals into
digital bits. These receivers then convert the information back to analog for
playback on a standard television set.
Both TiVo and ReplayTV use MPEG2 technology to compress and store data onto hard disks. MPEG2 is the same industry-wide standard that's used in Digital Versatile Discs (DVD). It's a reliable and extremely efficient method of transferring vast amounts of audio-video data onto an optical disc or computer hard disk--or for transmitting through phone lines, coaxial cables, and satellite links.
TiVo and ReplayTV receivers are similar to converter boxes in that they encode the information that is transmitted through your television delivery system, whether your system is cable, antenna, or satellite. In addition to operating as digital recorders, these devices use random-access memory to monitor live programs that aren't actually recording on the hard disk. Instead, programs are temporarily stored in a buffer so that you can take advantage of the pause, instant replay, rewind, and other features that make these set-top boxes so appealing.
Phone Lines
In order for your TiVo or ReplayTV devices to know which
broadcasts you wish to record, they download programming information through a
standard phone line, which connects to the back of the unit. You can use the
phone splitter--which both TiVo and ReplayTV provide--to connect the receiver
to an existing phone line, so it is not necessary to have a dedicated phone
line in order to use these devices. However, we do recommend using a separate
jack if your phone is not located near the TV.
Both companies also allow you to connect their receivers to a digital satellite receiver using a splitter, and both receivers can accommodate a wireless transmitter/receiver rated at 33k or higher.
Downloading Data
The initial download for a full week's programming takes
anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours with both TiVo and Replay Networks
(ReplayTV's programming service). The amount of time it takes for the initial
download depends on the service provider and the number of channels you
receive. After that, it takes 5 to 10 minutes to refresh the listings each
night, a process that occurs in the early-morning hours. If you need to use the
phone while these devices are downloading, you can do so; the receivers simply
attempt the download later.
Video-Quality Settings
Both TiVo and ReplayTV offer user-adjustable video-quality
settings, which enable you to store more programming onto the hard disks. Lower
settings use more compression, resulting in lower video quality. Conversely,
higher settings take up more disk space, leaving less room for recorded
programs. Not surprisingly, the 14-, 20-, and 30-hour storage capacity specs
cited by both companies are based on the lowest picture-quality settings.
With both TiVo and ReplayTV, you can change the settings from show to show, so the storage time varies depending on which video-quality settings you choose. ReplayTV offers three settings, which it claims are comparable to VHS, better than VHS, and approaching DVD. However, it's important to remember that the recording is only going to be as good as the original signal--and is usually worse. Since most NTSC broadcasts hover above 300 lines of horizontal resolution, the highest setting is useful primarily if you subscribe to a digital satellite system, which approaches 400 lines of resolution after the digital signal is converted to NTSC analog.
TiVo offers four video-quality settings: Basic, Medium, High, and Best. Unlike ReplayTV, TiVo does not compare its settings to VHS or DVD. Instead, TiVo judiciously offers an estimate of how much storage space each setting occupies. Basic offers 14 and 30 hours in the HDR112 and HDR312, respectively; Medium offers 8 and 18 hours; High offers 6 and 14 hours; and Best offers 4 and 9 hours.
Storage Capacity
The TiVo/Philips HDR112 has a hard disk storage capacity of 14
hours compared with the new ReplayTV 2020, which offers 20 hours of storage.
The TiVo/Philips HDR312 stores up to 30 hours of audio-video data. Your choice
depends on your budget, your video-quality preferences, and how many programs
you want to record before deleting shows to make room for new ones. If you
think you'll use your receiver to record more than 10 hours worth of shows over
a one- or two-week period, and you're inclined to select a higher-quality video
setting, we recommend the 20- and 30-hour models.
Connections
Both the TiVo/Philips and ReplayTV receivers are easy to set up.
Both come with the following accessories: a removable AC cord, an S-Video
cable, two pairs of composite audio-video cables, a phone-line extension cable,
and a dual phone-line splitter. TiVo/Philips receivers also include a coaxial
TV cable, an infrared controller cable (for other video components), a serial
cable and serial adapter (for satellite receivers), and a home control cable
(for some RCA set-top boxes). Both TiVo and Replay TV offer an IR blaster port
and cable for use with satellite and cable set-top boxes that accommodate
infrared control.
Rear Panels
The rear-panel inputs and outputs on both the TiVo and ReplayTV
receivers are similar. Both provide two sets of AV outputs and an S-Video
output so you can record shows to a standard VCR or S-VHS model. ReplayTV
provides two sets of AV inputs and a single S-Video input, while TiVo offers
only one pair of AV inputs and a single S-Video input. Both TiVo and ReplayTV
allow you to watch one show while recording another if you use a cable-TV (RF)
splitter, connecting one coaxial cable to the recorder's antenna input and
another to either your VCR or TV antenna input.
Both receivers have telephone-line inputs as well as infrared inputs. TiVo offers a serial adapter for connecting to a satellite receiver, while ReplayTV's recorder offers a standard pin connector for serial control. One big advantage that TiVo has over ReplayTV is the inclusion of an internal fan. Because these receivers contain computer hard disks that spin, they do generate heat. Since ReplayTV's box doesn't incorporate a fan, we do not recommend placing it inside an enclosed cabinet.
Remote Controls
You will use the remote on your personal television receiver
frequently to navigate the onscreen guides and to control important features
such as instant replay, pause, fast-forward, rewind, and skip-to-live
broadcasts. ReplayTV's remote control is larger and offers more functions than
TiVo's. The numerical buttons are ergonomically placed at the top, while TiVo's
are at the bottom. The up/down and left/right screen-navigation arrows are
farther apart on the ReplayTV remote, allowing less room for error, and the
select button is conveniently located in the center of the arrows.
TiVo's remote is palm-size (perfect for kids), comfortable and simple. It contains two large red and green buttons marked with thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons; you use these to inform the receiver of the shows you like and don't like.
Features
TiVo and ReplayTV offer nearly identical features: they both
allow you to pause programs and jump back to live broadcasts; fast-forward and
rewind shows; and replay a segment from a live broadcast. (ReplayTV estimates
that it will play back seven seconds of video with its instant replay feature,
while TiVo claims it will replay "up to" eight seconds of footage.)
ReplayTV offers a quick-skip button that jumps ahead 30 seconds; this button is great for skipping through recorded commercials. Alternatively, TiVo offers a slow-motion button and a sliding bar at the bottom of the screen to help you find your place when you press Rewind or Fast-Forward.
TiVo's thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature helps the device recommend programs it thinks you might like to record. This is a surprisingly useful feature that saves you from browsing through the channel listings, searching aimlessly for shows you're not even sure are being televised. Instead, TiVo lets you know if a show is coming up that it thinks you're interested in watching. For example, if you just recorded a movie starring Jack Lemmon, TiVo might notify you that The Odd Couple comes on the next day at 4 p.m. in case you want to record it.
Both receivers allow you to customize lists of programs you want to record, providing a convenient method of categorizing content to your liking. For example, you can record movies according to actors or genre, or you can record, say, all golf tournaments on CBS every Saturday afternoon. If you've instructed the receiver to record two programs that are being broadcast simultaneously, it will alert you with an onscreen message that asks you to choose between the shows.
Although both receivers reportedly allow you to watch a prerecorded show while recording a live program, the TiVo/Philips receiver makes it easier to do so by providing a cable-TV output. The Philips manual provides detailed instructions on how to connect your TV or VCR and receiver using an RF splitter, which facilitates switching back and forth between your TV or VCR and your TiVo/Philips digital receiver. Although ReplayTV does not offer a cable-TV output, you can, according to a company spokesman, route the necessary cables through a switch box or appropriately equipped VCR.
Graphical User Interfaces and Channel
Guides
ReplayTV's graphical-user interface (GUI) is relatively
intuitive, while TiVo's is cumbersome and difficult to learn. In addition,
ReplayTV's onscreen channel guide is far more user-friendly than TiVo's.
ReplayTV's channel guide is on a traditional color background that covers the
screen; TiVo's channel guide is translucent, allowing you to continue watching
a show while surfing for content but making the content harder to read.
Furthermore, TiVo's text is white with drop shadows and very difficult to read
on a TV that's less than 32 inches diagonal.
Programming Services
Perhaps the biggest difference between ReplayTV and the
TiVo/Philips server is that Replay offers free programming information through
Replay Networks, while TiVo charges $9.95 a month to download listings each
night (or you can pay $199 for a lifetime subscription). In both cases, the
listings are vital in order to take advantage of each receiver's recording
features. We do not find the $9.95 monthly fee for TiVo's listings to be
prohibitively expensive. However, with cable providers, DSS, and even VCRs
already offering built-in channel guides for free, it seems a bit incongruous
for TiVo to charge for this service. That said, TiVo does provide its
electronic TiVolution Magazine and Network Showcases to give viewers detailed
information about specific programming and upcoming TV "events."
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