This Replay 4508 is my third digital video recorder. So this review focuses more on the difference between the 4500s and old Replay units as well as some comparisons with TiVo.

I first purchased a Panasonic Showstopper with 30 hours of storage time, but upgraded to a 60 hour Replay 3060 within a year. With Rebate offers of $100 (through 10/15/02), I thought now would be a great time to go for the Replay 4508. That should already let you know that I am sold on the digital video recorder as a product, so this review isn't about whether DVRs are good or not - I think they're great. Too often I have sat watching something mediocre on TV because it was on when I was there, and missed what I really wanted to see because of an inconvenient time slot. I felt I was wasting my money paying for cable, but never getting to watch what was on. No more! The Replay allows me to find, record and watch what I want, when I want it. DVRs allows you to maximize your television service - whether it's cable, satellite or broadcast. It allows you to configure your TV viewing in a way that is most convenient for you.

The Replay 4508 is very similar to the older Replay 3060 - so similar in fact, that to set up the new unit, I simply disconnected the wiring from the back of the old Replay and connected it to the new one - I didn't even have to use the new cables. The 4508 worked my digital cable box (Motorola) flawlessly. Still, the 4500s are a significant improvement over previous Replay units - They all share the same features - the big difference is capacity - from 40 hours to a whopping 320 hours on standard quality; TiVo doesn't come close without a warranty-voiding hard drive upgrade. The hard drives on the old units were fairly noisy - the 4508's drive is absolutely silent (worth the upgrade). Unlike the blank, enigmatic black box the old Replays wore, the 4508 is encased in an elegant silver chassis with additional control buttons on the front, for those moments when you can't locate the remote. The new remote doesn't seem as ergonomic as the old one but it lights up and works on your TV as well. The 4500s also allow you to share your shows through the Internet and among Replays over your own Ethernet network. It also has the Picture Viewer feature and allows downloading through broadband as well as conventional telephone lines. Please note that the Replay requires a 3-10 minute nightly phone call to download channel listings and any new software or messages. Before you buy this or any other DVR unit, make sure that you have a telephone outlet accessible to the unit. Also check that your location does not require a toll or long distance call. You can check available numbers at www.replaytv.com.

But the real fun of the 4508 is that it does everything the old Replays did but better!! The interface on this is simple and elegant, a bit brighter and more colorful than the old interface - no silly sound effects or dancing logos like TiVo. The interface is clean and quick. The Channel Guide holds a full two weeks of channel information and offers every recording configuration there is. The channel guide is user-friendly and accurate, and I find that I rely on the channel guide for show information now instead of TV Guide (that will save me a few bucks each month). The Replay Guide allows you to see what you have and what you've scheduled easily as well as lets you categorize your recordings as movies, kids, news, etc., which really becomes important with these larger capacity units. But the best improvement may be the Replay's ability to skip commercials on playback. As you playback, you can indicate whether you want this function on and when it comes to a commercial it just skips over it/them with a small indicator on the bottom right of the screen. The result is an almost seamless transition. I know that some Replay and TiVo owners complain about video quality at standard recording - but I have not experienced that or the artifacts some people claim. Perhaps that is because my cable system is digital (and I do get artifacts from that sometimes).

Like most modern electronic equipment, a digital recorder is not for luddites. However, Replay has made it as easy as it could be. If you can set-up and program your VCR, you should have no problem with a Replay unit. A basic set-up is very easy. If you have a basic sense of how a VCR fits into your video system, the set-up is a breeze. I was able to set up my Replay in ten minutes, made the set-up call and was watching TV in half an hour. People who have more elaborate systems will require more time and perhaps a call to Customer Service,

Things I dislike - 1) I HATE, HATE, HATE the fact that there is an additional charge for service activation - $9.95/month or $250 for lifetime service. That used to be the big difference between TiVo and Replay; the Replay units, although somewhat more expensive, had lifetime service subscription included in the price. There is a 10 day grace period on a new Replay, but after that, if you have not activated, the unit is useless; not even manual recording will work. 2) Although Replay Customer Service is amongst the very best there is, its hours (M-F, 8:30 am -5:30 pm PST) are limited. When you remember how many of these things are purchased on a weekend and that's when people need help, those limited hours seem silly.

Still, the digital video recorder is a great product and the Replay 4508 is a great version of it. It's the best way to watch TV. The downloadable, upgradeable software promises even more functionality in the future.