Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

I have a 4504 now but it's acting up so I am thinking of moving that
to a bedroom and getting another unit for the main TV viewing. But I
don't know what I should get so I am looking for opinions.

RTV's website has some good prices on re-furbs. And of course ebay has
lots of options too.

IIRC, a 4504 and a 5040 will not share shows with each other, correct?
I would kinda like to have that option, but it's not crucial. What are
all y'all opinions on this?

If I decide to dump the 4504 altogether and get a 50xx or newer, think
I'd be able to transfer my current $9.99/monthly rate to the new unit
(the new monthly rate is higher now, right?)?

Thanks.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

user@comcast.net wrote:

> I have a 4504 now but it's acting up so I am thinking of moving that
> to a bedroom and getting another unit for the main TV viewing. But I
> don't know what I should get so I am looking for opinions.
>
> RTV's website has some good prices on re-furbs. And of course ebay has
> lots of options too.
>
> IIRC, a 4504 and a 5040 will not share shows with each other, correct?
> I would kinda like to have that option, but it's not crucial. What are
> all y'all opinions on this?
>
> If I decide to dump the 4504 altogether and get a 50xx or newer, think
> I'd be able to transfer my current $9.99/monthly rate to the new unit
> (the new monthly rate is higher now, right?)?
>
> Thanks.

Most people who want more than 1 unit usually sell the 4K and buy 2 5Ks.
It is crazy to pay monthly and I don't think activation is
"transferrable" except when Replay issues an RMA. A lot of people are
looking for 4ks so you can get a decent price. (you'd get about $200-250
more if it were lifetime activated.)

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:

>It is crazy to pay monthly


I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
bought the Lifetime sub.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

user@comcast.net wrote:
> On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>
>
>>It is crazy to pay monthly
>
>
>
> I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
> old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
> rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
> bought the Lifetime sub.
>
When you go to sell it, you will find out the break even point on
lifetime is only a couple of months. You've already lost a bundle.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 16:58:55 GMT, user@comcast.net wrote:

>
>I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
>old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
>rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
>bought the Lifetime sub.

I think you will find that lifetime units sell at such a premium that
you would lose far less than selling just the hardware. A lifetime
unit start at 250$ and since 5040 can be bought for $99 it is easy to
see how a lifetime activation pays back when you sell it.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

If you sell the 4504 then buy two 5040s. If you keep the 4504 buy
another 4xxx. If you buy a 40xx you'll have no fee. Fee plans are not
transferable except for warranty/service swaps.

From:Tony D
sd@nospam.com

> user@comcast.net wrote:
>
>> I have a 4504 now but it's acting up so I am thinking of moving that
>> to a bedroom and getting another unit for the main TV viewing. But I
>> don't know what I should get so I am looking for opinions.
>>
>> RTV's website has some good prices on re-furbs. And of course ebay
>> has lots of options too.
>>
>> IIRC, a 4504 and a 5040 will not share shows with each other,
>> correct? I would kinda like to have that option, but it's not
>> crucial. What are all y'all opinions on this?
>>
>> If I decide to dump the 4504 altogether and get a 50xx or newer,
>> think I'd be able to transfer my current $9.99/monthly rate to the
>> new unit (the new monthly rate is higher now, right?)?
>>
>> Thanks.
>
> Most people who want more than 1 unit usually sell the 4K and buy 2
> 5Ks. It is crazy to pay monthly and I don't think activation is
> "transferrable" except when Replay issues an RMA. A lot of people are
> looking for 4ks so you can get a decent price. (you'd get about
> $200-250 more if it were lifetime activated.)

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 16:58:55 GMT, user@comcast.net wrote:

>On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>
>>It is crazy to pay monthly
>
>
>I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
>old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
>rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
>bought the Lifetime sub.


And if you don't get rid of it, you've wasted some money. They don't
give credits (for monthly fees paid). Are you sure you're going to use
it 2 years?

--
Mark Lloyd
http://go.to/notstupid
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"It is a curious thing that every creed promises a
paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for
anyone of civilized taste." -- Evelyn Waugh

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 13:40:11 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:

>user@comcast.net wrote:
>> On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>>
>>
>>>It is crazy to pay monthly
>>
>>
>>
>> I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
>> old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
>> rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
>> bought the Lifetime sub.
>>
>When you go to sell it, you will find out the break even point on
>lifetime is only a couple of months. You've already lost a bundle.


But I never said I would sell it. In my original post, I said that it
is acting up (freezing, locking up, etc.) and I would consider dumping
it.

Maybe y'all feel differently but *I* don't consider it very sellable
at this point because it requires daily power-cycling or
unplugging/re-plugging to get it going again. It might not be so bad
for a secondary TV in my house but who would want to buy a unit like
this?

So if I get rid of it now and buy a 5040, I'll only lose about
$140-ish in sub fees (not counting the actual hardware cost), whereas
if I had bought the lifetime sub last year, I'd lose like $250. Now,
which would YOU guys rather lose???

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 16:57:55 -0500, Mark Lloyd
<mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> said:

>And if you don't get rid of it, you've wasted some money. They don't
>give credits (for monthly fees paid). Are you sure you're going to use
>it 2 years?

Exactly my point! My current unit lasted about a year before it
started to have problems. And this one was actually a warranty
replacement because the original unit became defective after several
months. So again, I am happy that I am paying monthly rather than
paying for a lifetime sub that I may not even get two years out of it.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:14:35 GMT, "BruceR" <brNOSPAM@hawaii.com> said:

>If you buy a 40xx you'll have no fee.

Really? I did not know that. Hmm. Can 40xx share shows with a 45xx?

Thanks.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

> Maybe y'all feel differently but *I* don't consider it very sellable
> at this point because it requires daily power-cycling or
> unplugging/re-plugging to get it going again. It might not be so bad
> for a secondary TV in my house but who would want to buy a unit like
> this?

You don't know what you're talking about. Whether you consider it very
sellable is meaningless to the fact that it IS very sellable. ALL you
have to do is look at auctions on eBay.

>
> So if I get rid of it now and buy a 5040, I'll only lose about
> $140-ish in sub fees (not counting the actual hardware cost), whereas
> if I had bought the lifetime sub last year, I'd lose like $250. Now,
> which would YOU guys rather lose???

You're wrong again. A Replay WORKING or NON-WORKING will fetch anywhere
from $200-250 MORE for a lifetime unit than a monthly.


----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups
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Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

Yes, the 4000 & 4500 series are compatible toeach other but NOT with the
5000 series. Before trashing the one you have though, consider replacing
the hard drive. It's a simple matter with plenty of online sources and
will almost certainly fix your problem.
As for the lifetime vs monthly question, it's simple really. If you
sell the machine as-is with full disclosure of the problems you'll be
lucky to sell it all and if you do it'll be worth less than $30.
However, with Lifetime Activation you'd probably get more than $200 for
it so your total cost of ownership would be less.

From:user@comcast.net
user@comcast.net

> On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:14:35 GMT, "BruceR" <brNOSPAM@hawaii.com> said:
>
>> If you buy a 40xx you'll have no fee.
>
> Really? I did not know that. Hmm. Can 40xx share shows with a 45xx?
>
> Thanks.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

<user@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:nqkca01ic7eauvl1pavnbtfqpcs797qal5@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 13 May 2004 16:57:55 -0500, Mark Lloyd
> <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> said:
>
> >And if you don't get rid of it, you've wasted some money. They don't
> >give credits (for monthly fees paid). Are you sure you're going to use
> >it 2 years?
>
> Exactly my point! My current unit lasted about a year before it
> started to have problems. And this one was actually a warranty
> replacement because the original unit became defective after several
> months. So again, I am happy that I am paying monthly rather than
> paying for a lifetime sub that I may not even get two years out of it.

Short of a unit going tad's up, I view lifetime subscription as having been
worth it -- especially now that D&M have opted to leverage the Replay
Program Guide service for their newer products.

Lifetime units have a higher resale value, so you don't really "lose" the
lifetime fee unless your unit is dead.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

On Sat, 15 May 2004 18:08:08 +0000 (UTC), General Kireiko
<douglas@panix.com> said:

>The subscription is NOT on the hard disk, it's stored elsewhere in the
>unit. THe likely culprit of your freeze-ups and daily re-boots is likely
>a failing hard disk. (Bad sectors)

Seriously?!?!?? The tech support people said it sounded like a
software problem and the software was becoming buggy and that there
was no way to fix it other than to ship it to them for repair (at my
expense, since it's out of warranty). I'd much rather replace the HD
if it would help.

Let me ask you this: It makes a really bad clunking sound -- like
metal striking metal about every .75 seconds. It will keep doing this
until I unplug it. To me, that sounds like a hardware thing. But
that's not the only problem; after I watch a show and go to delete it,
the screen goes black for a long time. Sometimes for just a few
minutes but sometimes for longer and the only way I found to recover
is to again unplug it. This is what I was told is a software problem.


>If you had purchased a lifetime sub, all you'd need to do is swap out the
>hard disk with a new (and larger) one, and put the software image onto it.
>(The images are available on-line.) And you'd have a new machine, and
>wouldn't lose out on your lifetime siubscription.
>
>I'd rather spend the $150 for a new, larger hard disk than have to buy
>new hardware and a new subscription.
>
>-Doug

Definitely!! How difficult is it to replace the HD? Easier or more
difficult than swapping a computer's HD? What are the most common
problems people sometimes encounter when swapping their HD's? The RTV
software should recognize a larger HD? I'm sure I'd lose my saved
shows, so I'd be prepared for that. Forgive me if these are stupid
questions but I came here because I do not know.

Thanks!

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

user@comcast.net wrote in news:34a7a0dlgddjai6pnf30t5h4karkflala7@
4ax.com:

> On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>
>>It is crazy to pay monthly
>
>
> I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
> old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
> rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
> bought the Lifetime sub.
>

I won't argue that the lifetime is for everyone, it works for me; two
45xx both with lifetime and 2 yrs and 1 yr old already. In fact I wasn't
able to purchase the lifetime in the same month as the unit becuase of
budget issues.

However, you are not considering resale value when you describe money
lost.
the monthly subscription is more akin to a lease in my mind versus the
lifetime being the purchase.

So you buy a 9xxx unit for $200. With a $10 /month subscription you use
it for 2 years. Your sunken cost comes to $440 after two years. The
hardware is probably sellable for $100.

Compare to the lifetime subscription option. You buy the unit for $200,
pay another $250 for lifetime; now after two years of use you have spent
a total of $450 and you want "out", and you go to sell it. You can
easily get $300 for these units. So yes obviously the upfront cost is
higher, but after two years you had equity in the hardware and were able
to re-coup $200 more than without the lifetime service -- a much bigger
difference than that measly $10.

Obviously prices change over time, the shorter the interval the less
profit (depending on your perspective), and the longer the more. the
above prices are estimations to make the point - and of course you are
banking on the unit having a resale value (like surviving chapter 11, or
acquisition).

It is far from a cut and dry black and white.
I prefer the lifetime options.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

[posted and mailed]

user@comcast.net wrote in news:mpjca0d833g0pkuo4t50edufq1kihnots4@
4ax.com:

> On Thu, 13 May 2004 13:40:11 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>
>>user@comcast.net wrote:
>>> On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:01:26 -0400, Tony D <sd@nospam.com> said:
>>>
>>>
>>>>It is crazy to pay monthly
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I am happy that I went monthly. My unit is only a little over a year
>>> old so it's cost me less than half the Lifetime sub costs. If I get
>>> rid of it now, I don't 'lose' as much money as I would lose if I
>>> bought the Lifetime sub.
>>>
>>When you go to sell it, you will find out the break even point on
>>lifetime is only a couple of months. You've already lost a bundle.
>
>
> But I never said I would sell it. In my original post, I said that it
> is acting up (freezing, locking up, etc.) and I would consider dumping
> it.
>
> Maybe y'all feel differently but *I* don't consider it very sellable
> at this point because it requires daily power-cycling or
> unplugging/re-plugging to get it going again. It might not be so bad
> for a secondary TV in my house but who would want to buy a unit like
> this?
>
> So if I get rid of it now and buy a 5040, I'll only lose about
> $140-ish in sub fees (not counting the actual hardware cost), whereas
> if I had bought the lifetime sub last year, I'd lose like $250. Now,
> which would YOU guys rather lose???
>
>


If you are seriously that bothered with it and decide to "dump it",
please let me [or others] know. I have two 45xx units and a third would
go nicely, even if it requires some work to get it going.

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

Doug,

VERY cool info. Thank you very much! But I am still unclear about how
what I'd do with that UNIX boot disk and how my computer relates to
the RTV. Are you saying that I would initially load the RTV software
onto the new HD via my computer? As in, put the new HD in my computer,
run the boot disk, and load the software image? I hope that's not what
you mean b/c I use a laptop and I'm not sure if it'll play nice with a
different HD.


On Sun, 16 May 2004 20:36:47 +0000 (UTC), General Kireiko
<douglas@panix.com> said:

>user@comcast.net wrote:
>: <douglas@panix.com> said:
>
>:>The subscription is NOT on the hard disk, it's stored elsewhere in the
>:>unit. THe likely culprit of your freeze-ups and daily re-boots is likely
>:>a failing hard disk. (Bad sectors)
>
>: Seriously?!?!?? The tech support people said it sounded like a
>: software problem and the software was becoming buggy and that there
>: was no way to fix it other than to ship it to them for repair (at my
>: expense, since it's out of warranty). I'd much rather replace the HD
>: if it would help.
>
>And it'll give you more space to record shows.
>
>: Let me ask you this: It makes a really bad clunking sound -- like
>: metal striking metal about every .75 seconds. It will keep doing this
>: until I unplug it. To me, that sounds like a hardware thing. But
>: that's not the only problem; after I watch a show and go to delete it,
>: the screen goes black for a long time. Sometimes for just a few
>: minutes but sometimes for longer and the only way I found to recover
>: is to again unplug it. This is what I was told is a software problem.
>
>"Clunk... clunk..... clunk...."
>The hard disk is failing.
>Get a new one.
>Buy a MAXTOR, they are highly recommended over other brands, including
>Western Digital.
>
>:>If you had purchased a lifetime sub, all you'd need to do is swap out the
>:>hard disk with a new (and larger) one, and put the software image onto it.
>:>(The images are available on-line.) And you'd have a new machine, and
>:>wouldn't lose out on your lifetime siubscription.
>
>: Definitely!! How difficult is it to replace the HD? Easier or more
>: difficult than swapping a computer's HD? What are the most common
>: problems people sometimes encounter when swapping their HD's? The RTV
>: software should recognize a larger HD? I'm sure I'd lose my saved
>: shows, so I'd be prepared for that. Forgive me if these are stupid
>: questions but I came here because I do not know.
>
>Repalceing the hard disk is no different than swapping out the one in your
>PC. They use the same hardware and interface (IDE ribbon). Since your
>machine is already out of its warranty period, you have nothing to lose
>by trying, except your time. Even if the new HD does not take, you can
>always make use of the HD in your PC.
>
>You *MAY* lose your shows. If you can salvage the OS off your existing
>HD, you may simply be able to delete all of your corrupted shows, and
>salvage those which are not corrupted.
>
>The only difficulty will be getting the image onto the new hard disk.
>If oyu have a NEW PC, you can download a UNIX boot disk w/ a program
>which will make you a *new* HD for your ReplayTV (You'll need the image of
>the softare, of course). Old PCs (w/ older BIOSes cannot be used to do
>this). Bottom line is your PC's BIOS must recognize the full size of the HD
>to make everything work.
>
>I am no expert in the area, but the friendly folk over at the AVS forums
>(do an internet search on "AVS Forum" and "Replay" and I am sure you will
>find the site (it's gotta lot of purple on it). There are FAQs and links
>and downloadable material to help you swap out the hard disk and get a
>software image.
>
>The age of your machine may limit you to 137 GB for storing recorded shows.
>(Check the FAQs). But 137 hours is likely 3x what your machine can record
>now.
>
>Other components of the ReplayTV rarely fail (maybe a modem, but there are
>workarounds for that, too.)
>
>Other people know this, which is why a malfunctioning LIFETIME ReplayTV is
>easily fixable. The subscription is flashed PROMed onto the motherboard of
>the unit, which is why it travels with the box, not the owner.
>
>Good luck.
>
>-Doug

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.replaytv (More info?)

Go to the AVS forums and read up on using the utility; you should be
able to find step-by-step directions even some with pictures that make
it pretty darn easy to follow.

The simplest way to upgrade is to not both with your old drive,
especially given the clanking from it - it might hang during the copying
of your data (shows) anyway.

Get a new hard drive, size and spindle speed of your choosing. I chose a
250GB 5400 RPM drive. Others have not reported trouble with 7200 RPM
drive and heat - but my RTV is inside a cabinet.

Then download the image file for a up to date RTV unit to match your
hardware (45xx?). Again the AVS forum is your friend here.

Open your computer, and again the simplest method is to plug the new HD
into the ribbon for the secondary IDE interface. Chances are you have
maybe a CD-ROM and/or ZIP drive already attached; unbplug those and
have only the HD. Attach power also.

If you run Windows, you can use the windows utility, else download the
Linux boot disk. Just follow the instructions to image your new HD with
the RTV software.

Remove the drive and put back your CDROM and others the way they were,
close the computer.

Now take your RTV. Open it via removal of the 8 screws (or x #).
Disconnect and remove the existing 40GB drive. Swap drives in the
bracket and reinstall. Plug it all in, close it up, turn it on and set
it up as if it were new.

Done.



user@comcast.net wrote in
news:1ctua054ivevlciv6njodv10feq935gvfq@4ax.com:

> Doug,
>
> VERY cool info. Thank you very much! But I am still unclear about how
> what I'd do with that UNIX boot disk and how my computer relates to
> the RTV. Are you saying that I would initially load the RTV software
> onto the new HD via my