Amazon.com Product Description

A step up in broadband and home network-ready DVRs, ReplayTV's 5000 series digital video recorders let you distribute recorded programs within your home and share personal recordings of nonprotected video content with 15 friends and family members who also own 5000 series DVRs.

The ReplayTV 5040 stores 40 hours of programming while letting you pause, replay, and slow down live television--all with no tapes, no timers, and no trouble. The handy Commercial Advance feature plays recordings without advertising. This allows you to watch television on your own schedule, free from the constraints of network scheduling, which often pits multiple cool programs head-to-head.

With a cable modem or DSL, the 5040 hooks up for fast and easy broadband video transfers with other broadband-connected 5000 series users. It also lets you share video throughout the house using a built-in Ethernet port and existing home-networking equipment, and it stores digital photos and home movies, letting you see your favorite digital photos on TV. This ReplayTV provides iChannels (which lets you download video content from the Internet) and the Reply Channel Guide, downloaded daily through the broadband connection, which offers a convenient, grid-based list of shows that can be recorded at the touch of a button. It comes with an easy-to-use remote control. ReplayTV subscribers can pay $12.95 pe r month or a one-time product service activation fee of $299. ... Read more

Features

• 40-hour digital video recorder
• Pause live-action TV shows
• High-quality slow-motion and fast forward effects
• Networking ability lets you send programs to other 5000 Series users
• Skip past annoying ads with Commercial Advance feature

Reviews (102)

Excellent Device!
I've been thinking about getting a Tivo or ReplayTV for about a year and finally got a ReplayTV 5040. Here's my opinion:

Price: With two $50 mail-in rebates my final cost was $199. This is a lot of technology for $199!

Quality: The box is well built and solid. There's a big fan to keep it cool. The choices of inputs and outputs is complete. You can fit this device into any home threater system any way you want. I have a 36" HDTV and have this connected using S-video. I tried composite video and it was slightly worse. I didn't try the component video outputs.

Setup: Setup was easy but did take a while over a cable modem connection. During the setup it seemed to update the operating system which took about 25 minutes. Total setup was about 40 minutes. I don't know how long it would take over the built-in modem.

Recording: The programming guide is easy to use and setting things to record is straight forward. I only record at high quality so I only get about 10 hours of recording time.

Picture Quality: The picture is acceptable but not as good as the direct feed to the TV. When you watch a show throught the ReplayTV you are ALWAYS watching the recorded version. There is about a 1 second delay between the "live" picture throught the ReplayTV and the "live" feed from the cable company. This is what allows you to pause and rewind a live TV show. Because you're watching a recorded version of the show and the recording is digitized and compressed the picture quality is slightly worse than the original. I find the colors to be a little washed out.

Customer Support: EXCELLENT! I was worried about calling tech support when the IR Blaster couldn't change the single digit channels on my cable box but was pleasantly surprised when my hold time was less than 2 minutes both times I had to call. The fix was simple but undocumented in the manual or on their web site. To get to the advanced settings for the IR Blaster you have to press the "Zones" button when the list of codes for your cable box appears on the screen. This lets you set certain properties of the IR Blaster like the minimum number of digits to send to the cable box. It was sending a "2" for channel 2 and I needed it to send an "02". Bumping the minimum digits to 2 fixed the problem. I also got a tip from their tech to put all zeros in the delay boxes to speed up channel changing which is fairly slow. Changing the delays to "0000" helps slightly.

I like this better than Tivo. This thing is light years ahead of an old VCR!

Read the Manual...
To address some of the things people have complained about:

1) Slow response time to channel changes:
This is because the feed is automatically recording. In order to do this, ReplayTV buffers about 5 seconds. If you're using cable or satellite with the box, you can watch it change channels immediately, and then, about five seconds later, your picture will come up.

2) Component out doesn't work, only coaxial:
You need to select which output you are using. All this is set up in the SETUP menu.

There certainly are a few rough spots (no more than Tivo, I'd wager), but the ReplayTV box is by far the best purchase I've made in the last 10 years. ReplayTV has changed my life. If you like TV, you'll love Replay. If you hate TV, Replay will make it better (you'll be able to get the things you want when you want it... that means educational shows, informational programs, or entertainment programs can be at your fingertips whenever you want to watch them.)

Not to mention the sports applications. I can't tell you how much better a football game is with your own instant replay.

The best thing since, well, just about EVER!
We have had our ReplayTV for two years now, never had a problem with it, and at this point, feel that we cannot live without it anymore. Shows that we would prefer our children see (as opposed to those that are on after school, which tend to be pretty violent) we record during the day, and give them their choice when it is their TV time. We are able to skip repeats, find something interesting to watch instantly when programming is switched around or preempted, and for really important shows that we can't wait to see--we start watching 20 minutes late and don't have to wait through commercials to see what will happen. I actually think we watch less TV now than before, but it's all stuff we WANTED to see--a huge difference, and a great one!

Should've gone Tivo
...the first time. Very, very happy with my Tivo. The Tivo functionality, ease of use & tech support have all been great.

Complicated Simplicity
I did a great deal of research when I went to buy a PVR and I decided on the Replay.
• Connecting it to my TV was a breeze but like all technology problems do occur I did not want to use a phone to get the service so I opted to use my home network and after a few glitches it did work, the competitor has network capability but it is sold as an add-on.
• I was impressing with the viewer guide function and the ability to view several days if not weeks ahead in TV programming. I have noticed a few times when the guide was not always up to date but that could be the TV station programming.
• The menus on the Replay do get complicated sometime and they can get rather deep sometime 5 menus deep.
• The quality is excellent even when you use standard recording but I use high recording most of the time (it uses more space but I don't ever have to worry about an issue with a bad picture).
• I have had some problems with it freezing up and I either have to leave it alone for a second or I have to turn it off completely and turn it back on but that has only been once or twice.
I would recommend the Replay to anyone looking for a PVR. ... Read more

Features

• Combines a VCR with Progressive Scan DVD/CD player, Cable Ready TV Tuner and AM/FM Stereo Digital Tuner with 30 preset
• 350 Watt 5.1 channel amplifier, 5 2-way Satellite Speakers and a passive subwoofer
• Audio decoders include Dolby Digital, Dolby ProLogic and Dolby ProLogic II
• Provides progressive component outputs, A/V composite and S-video outputs as well as numerous inputs
• Remote Control

Reviews (2)

Rio HT2030 Sonic Blue Home Theater - AWSOME!!!
THis is one of the best electronic devices that I have ever purchased. Increadible ease of setup, Fabulous 5.1 surround sound. I just can't believe how well matched this system is. I have sat in $1,000 systems and not heard as good as sound dynamics and clarity. This is a BEST buy and I highly recommend it.

Value-Priced Integrated System Hits Almost All Marks
This is my first venture into home theatre and I am very pleased. Having purchased a Rio portable music player a few years ago, and being impressed with the quality of that unit, I was hopeful that this system would reflect the same quality of design and construction. So far I have found this to be absolutely true!

I bought this system to replace my own system I had cobbled together over the years. So I was able to replace my stereo receiver, cd player, vhs player, dvd player, and two sets of speakers, all in one suprisingly compact unit.

Setup was easy and fast. I appreciated the l-o-n-g cables provided by the manufacturer. Some units I have seen only came with 10 foot cables. The manual is very well written and easy to follow. Within an hour I had made all of the connections, placed the speakers, and programmed all of my cable stations (auto- search)and fm radio stations.

So far the unit has performed without a hitch. I like the variety of sound setups, including prologic, which is something not found on many lower-priced (and some high-priced) units. It even has a feature to program delays on the speakers to customize it to your exact room configuration (incredible!).

The remote control is not overly cluttered, and is well laid out. It does not however, control the power on/off for my tv set. So I have to keep that remote handy. It doesn't light up either, which would be useful at night. I replaced an Apex dvd player which had horrible search and control features. This dvd player control is much more intuitive and straightforward.

The only shortcoming for some might be the passive subwoofer. It is fine for me, but if you want really booming bass, better to get a powered subwoofer.

Overall, this is a quality unit that was well thought out by the mfgr. It has the most features and power I have seen on a unit in this price range. ... Read more

Product Description

Rio Karma 20GB MP3 Player with Accessories (Refurbished) A dream come true for audiophiles and techno-geeks, the Rio Karma packs more audio formats, longer battery life and incredible storage into one small design. It's like taking a local record store and putting it into your pocket. If you love music, you’ll love Karma. The Karma’s many features and small size set a new standard for high-capacity players. Its 20GB* drive can carry over 10,000 songs**. Powerful tools include Cross-Fader, 5-Band Parametric Equalizer, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC support, and a huge, backlit display capable of visualizations, animated menus, and 16 shades of gray. USB 2.0 provides fast transfers while the included docking station also adds drop-in charging, RCA Line-Out, and an Ethernet port for networking. Simple menus and intuitive controls make it easy to pick up and use. Helpful functions like Auto-synchronization with Rio Music Manager, Rio DJ, and dynamic playlist generation make the Karma as effortless as you want it to be. ... Read more

Features

• Compatible with computers with USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible) ports running Windows 98 SE, 2000, ME, or XP
• Factory reconditioned to like-new condition
• 20 GB HDD plays back over 330 hours of MP3 or 660 hours of WMA music
• Auto-DJ intelligently finds, mixes and creates playlists from tracks on command
• 5-band parametic equalizer with pre-sets; 15-hours continuous playback with rechargeable LiIon battery

Reviews (10)

Great Machine
I bought one used and it works great. Better than a new cheap one!

Do Not buy
The operations that do work are extremely slow. Not sure if the remote doesn't work or if so much time passes between pressing a button and the action that I've gone on to something else.

Won't read dvd +R discs even though they are the recommended Verbatim brand. GoVideo customer service insisted I had bad discs and even talked me into swapping the discs out at Office Depot despite the fact that I've purchased hundreds of discs and not yet had a "bad disc" yet. After the unit failed to read the new discs, they told me to swap the unit out and that "yes maybe the constant disc skipping during playback had something to do with the problem".

2nd unit even slower, disc drawer sounded like a rusty screen door when closing, machine audibly hick upped while playing a disk and skipped worse than the first unit... oh, and still won't read DVD+R discs on which it supposed to write thus it's name "DVD Burner"... puzzled how this product got off the development line and into stores.

Do not buy this product. It's almost comical, except it cost $300 +!

this is the second one in a year!
the quality was good when working. i have purchased two in the last year,dummy me.the first one they had me convinced that i had mishandled it and that was the reason that it was locking up.so dummy me bought a second one and it is doing the same thing!imagine that!i called customer support they will repair it for 69.95plus shipping and handling geez i only paid 70.00dollars for it.stay away from this unit!it is a throw-away unit.with zero customer support,will fix it for what you paid for it.take it from somebody who knows,two units 70.00+ 70.00+25.00dollars for a cleaner.so i guess i'm out 165.00 dollars and still no dvd.i guess you learn from your mistakes and i did.please do not buy.maybe they will get this garbage off the shelves.product has a 30 day warranty , the first one lasted 45days.

JUNK!
I bought this DVD player about a year ago and have found I'm having the same problems as everyone else here: I tried playing a new DVD disc today and it wouldn't recognise the disc (the screen kept saying "Disc Loading"). So, I tried another DVD disc and it played ok. Then I tried a regular store-bought music CD and the player froze-up! I couldn't eject the CD unless I turned off the player, turned it back on and then hit eject before it tried to load the disc again. Now, I can't get any music CDs to play (they all lock-up) and only one DVD in my whole collection will play! I got it for a fairly decent price at the time (including a rebate), but now it's a worthless piece of junk. PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS DVD PLAYER!!!

Complete waste of money
I bought this product about a year and a half ago. I only used it about 10 or so times. Then, one day I pop in a brand new legitimate movie. I shut the thing off to get lunch, and I left the disc in there. When I come back (15 minutes later) I turn it back on, and it can't read the disc I left in it. Simply BS. I have another DVD player, high quality Panasonic one, and I tested the disc in there. To no surprise the disc worked. To make a long story short, I recommend staying away from this product, because it is not even proportional to the price. For around 90 bucks I hoped I would get a decent DVD player. But this is absolute garbage. Buy it if you want it to match your silver TV, but it doesn't account for its main purpose. ... Read more

Features

• 40-hour digital video recorder
• Pause live-action TV shows
• High-quality slow-motion and fast forward effects
• First DVR with networking ability
• Skip past annoying ads with Commercial Advance feature

Reviews (13)

The piece of hardware that forever changed my life...
Can you imagine? You're into a really good show, and suddenly your wife starts nagging you about something... the trash, the dog needs to go out, dinner is burning! :D So you hit PAUSE??? Yes! Pause on live TV! Okay, so this is no different than TIVO. What is though is the broadband connection that allows you to send shows over the internet to friends and family, along with the ability to send any type of video you've recorded on the DVR from say your camcorder (forget even trying DVD's... Macrovision won't allow you to do this, as it's enabled on this device: unless of course you buy one of those nice little devices on the net that disables it :D) You can store your own digital photos on this and display them as a slide show screensaver for when your unit is on pause. Going on vacation? Forgot to tell it to record the Drew Carey Show? Hop on the net from anywhere in the world and from www.myreplaytv.com you can program it to record!

Skips commercials (I hate that I pay for TV and have to watch advertising... it's like the networks are getting paid twice for the same thing! I DON'T GET PAID TWICE AT MY JOB!) The major networks are scared to hell of this ability, because it will fundamentally change the market for advertising on television... and they HATE UNPREDICATBILITY AND CHANGE! They want to TELL YOU HOW TO WATCH TV. Then want you to watch what they WANT YOU TO... WHEN THEY WANT YOU TO! Well, now... they can shove primetime right up their rears! Primetime in my house is WHEN I'M READY!

Also, if you buy multiple ReplayTV 4K's, you can network them together and stream shows back and forth from one room to another. www.avsforum.com has a replaytv and showstopper forum which contains a lot of info also on how to pull video files off of your replayTV and then use your CD Burner to write them as VCD's and/or DVD's (if you have a DVD burner) so you can watch them at a later date, without having to use up hard drive space on your computer or replaytv to store it!

If you don't have a TIVO and you were thinking about it... don't even bother. There's no reason you should buy anything other than Sonic Blues' ReplayTV 4K. The only hard decision is WHAT SIZE RECORDING TIME SHOULD I GET?

Nobody tells me what I'm going to do with television services I'm paying to watch. I'll watch them when I choose and commercial free!

Converted Tivo Owner
I have owned a DirecTivo and a standard Tivo before owning a 4000 series ReplayTV. There is nothing wrong with Tivo, but I have found some things that I like much more in my ReplayTv. I won't go into all of the features of the ReplayTV, just the ones that I have found the most valuable since switching to ReplayTv.

1. Commercial Advance - I had not even conisdered this as something I would like about ReplayTv, but boy was I mistaken. I absolutely LOVE it. Doesn't work 100% of the time, but darn close.

2. Recording from different Inputs - That's right. I rent a DVD and the first thing I do is record it to my ReplayTv so I don't have to rush to watch the movie before returning it. There are three inputs in the back of the ReplayTv. You can easily switch between the three inputs with the remote control.

3. Storing show in Categories - You can create categories like Golf or Fishing and store your favorite golf or fishing shows to that category. This allows easy browsing of your recorded shows.

4. Networking - I bought two 4040's for my house and the networking works great. I had an initial problem with my Linksys router that I have since resolved thanks to the ReplayTv forums. It is great to be able to play shows I recorded on the Living Room unit from my Bed Room unit. Awesome.

5. Time Remaining - ReplayTv shows you the amount of time you have left for recording. Unbelievably, Tivo doesn't do this.

6. SwapDV - This amazing third party software runs on your PC and allows you to import shows from your ReplayTv unit. So you can archive shows from your Replay unit to your PC. Your PC then acts like another ReplayTv on your network.

Replay 4000 series is not for everyone because it requires that you have a broadband connection and the unit does cost a little more than a Tivo (after factoring in a Tivo lifetime subscription...). I doubt many people will be disappionted with a ReplayTv or Tivo.

This Thing's Great!
This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch.

My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer.

Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.

Special network requirements
Before you order this product be sure you have the necessary network configuration on your HOME network. Needs a DSL, cable modem or T1 link to use the REPLAYTV 4000 unit according to their tech support. A 56K modem link will work, but only for 12 days at a time and then you have to go in and change setting in order to get it to work for another 12 days. Also, their tech support states that using their product in this fashion is not technically supported, so any problems are yours.

Replay TV ...
I bought this unit in mid-December. It MUST be networked to your coputer and internet. It would NOT recognize a Windows ME network, and SonicBlue admitted that this was a major problem. I sent it back Fed EX, and it is now April, and I have not received my money back. I would be very cautious about buying anything from a company with this history. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Touted as the world's first broadband and home network-ready DVRs, ReplayTV's 4000 series digital video recorders let you distribute recorded programs within your home and share personal recordings of nonprotected video content with up to 15friends and family members who also own 4000 series DVRs. The ReplayTV 4080 stores 80 hours of programming, while letting you pause, replay, and slow down live television--all with no tapes, no timers, and no trouble. A handy Commercial Advance feature even plays your recordings without advertising! The cable/DSL/Ethernet-ready 4000 series DVRs also store digital photos and home movies for television viewing. Now you can watch television on your own schedule, free from the constraints of network scheduling, which often pits multiple cool programs head to head.

If you have a cable modem or DSL, you can hook the 4080 up for fast and easy broadband video transfers with other broadband-connected 4000 series users. You can also share video throughout the house, using a built-in Ethernet port and your existing home-networking equipment. The 4080 can store digital photos and home movies, letting you view your favoritedigital photos on TV. The ReplayTV Channel Guide, downloaded daily through the broadband connection, offers a convenient, grid-based list of shows that can be recorded at the touch of a button.

... Read more

Features

• 80-hour digital video recorder
• Pause live-action TV shows
• High-quality slow-motion and fast forward effects
• First DVR with networking ability
• Skip past annoying ads with Commercial Advance feature

Reviews (13)

The piece of hardware that forever changed my life...
Can you imagine? You're into a really good show, and suddenly your wife starts nagging you about something... the trash, the dog needs to go out, dinner is burning! :D So you hit PAUSE??? Yes! Pause on live TV! Okay, so this is no different than TIVO. What is though is the broadband connection that allows you to send shows over the internet to friends and family, along with the ability to send any type of video you've recorded on the DVR from say your camcorder (forget even trying DVD's... Macrovision won't allow you to do this, as it's enabled on this device: unless of course you buy one of those nice little devices on the net that disables it :D) You can store your own digital photos on this and display them as a slide show screensaver for when your unit is on pause. Going on vacation? Forgot to tell it to record the Drew Carey Show? Hop on the net from anywhere in the world and from www.myreplaytv.com you can program it to record!

Skips commercials (I hate that I pay for TV and have to watch advertising... it's like the networks are getting paid twice for the same thing! I DON'T GET PAID TWICE AT MY JOB!) The major networks are scared to hell of this ability, because it will fundamentally change the market for advertising on television... and they HATE UNPREDICATBILITY AND CHANGE! They want to TELL YOU HOW TO WATCH TV. Then want you to watch what they WANT YOU TO... WHEN THEY WANT YOU TO! Well, now... they can shove primetime right up their rears! Primetime in my house is WHEN I'M READY!

Also, if you buy multiple ReplayTV 4K's, you can network them together and stream shows back and forth from one room to another. www.avsforum.com has a replaytv and showstopper forum which contains a lot of info also on how to pull video files off of your replayTV and then use your CD Burner to write them as VCD's and/or DVD's (if you have a DVD burner) so you can watch them at a later date, without having to use up hard drive space on your computer or replaytv to store it!

If you don't have a TIVO and you were thinking about it... don't even bother. There's no reason you should buy anything other than Sonic Blues' ReplayTV 4K. The only hard decision is WHAT SIZE RECORDING TIME SHOULD I GET?

Nobody tells me what I'm going to do with television services I'm paying to watch. I'll watch them when I choose and commercial free!

Converted Tivo Owner
I have owned a DirecTivo and a standard Tivo before owning a 4000 series ReplayTV. There is nothing wrong with Tivo, but I have found some things that I like much more in my ReplayTv. I won't go into all of the features of the ReplayTV, just the ones that I have found the most valuable since switching to ReplayTv.

1. Commercial Advance - I had not even conisdered this as something I would like about ReplayTv, but boy was I mistaken. I absolutely LOVE it. Doesn't work 100% of the time, but darn close.

2. Recording from different Inputs - That's right. I rent a DVD and the first thing I do is record it to my ReplayTv so I don't have to rush to watch the movie before returning it. There are three inputs in the back of the ReplayTv. You can easily switch between the three inputs with the remote control.

3. Storing show in Categories - You can create categories like Golf or Fishing and store your favorite golf or fishing shows to that category. This allows easy browsing of your recorded shows.

4. Networking - I bought two 4040's for my house and the networking works great. I had an initial problem with my Linksys router that I have since resolved thanks to the ReplayTv forums. It is great to be able to play shows I recorded on the Living Room unit from my Bed Room unit. Awesome.

5. Time Remaining - ReplayTv shows you the amount of time you have left for recording. Unbelievably, Tivo doesn't do this.

6. SwapDV - This amazing third party software runs on your PC and allows you to import shows from your ReplayTv unit. So you can archive shows from your Replay unit to your PC. Your PC then acts like another ReplayTv on your network.

Replay 4000 series is not for everyone because it requires that you have a broadband connection and the unit does cost a little more than a Tivo (after factoring in a Tivo lifetime subscription...). I doubt many people will be disappionted with a ReplayTv or Tivo.

This Thing's Great!
This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch.

My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer.

Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.

Special network requirements
Before you order this product be sure you have the necessary network configuration on your HOME network. Needs a DSL, cable modem or T1 link to use the REPLAYTV 4000 unit according to their tech support. A 56K modem link will work, but only for 12 days at a time and then you have to go in and change setting in order to get it to work for another 12 days. Also, their tech support states that using their product in this fashion is not technically supported, so any problems are yours.

Replay TV ...
I bought this unit in mid-December. It MUST be networked to your coputer and internet. It would NOT recognize a Windows ME network, and SonicBlue admitted that this was a major problem. I sent it back Fed EX, and it is now April, and I have not received my money back. I would be very cautious about buying anything from a company with this history. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Special Offer--Get a Free Rio 500 from audible.com: Sign up for a one-year commitment to either the BasicListener or PremiumListener plan at audible.com and get a free Rio 500 digital audio player. You'll also receive a free cassette adapter--a $20 value. Visit audible.com and sign up today.

Download in style! This purple Rio 500 stores up to two hours of digital-quality music and up to 32 hours of spoken audio programs. Rio 500 is also the first portable digital-audio player to support both the Macintosh (iMac and G3) and Windows 9X platforms. Access thousands of music and audio files at RioPort.com and over 16,000 hours of Audible.com audio programs. Instantly create, customize, and mix your favorite music and audio selections on your PC or Mac for playback. This lightweight unit plays skip-free music, as there are no moving parts. It's the perfect companion for active people on the go.

The Rio 500 contains an updated hardware design featuring easily accessible controls and a backlit display that shows song/book title, artist, time, and more. And it uses just a single AA battery for up to 13 hours of continuous play. ... Read more

Features

• 64 MB onboard flash memory
• Upgradable to 96 MB (SmartMedia cards)
• Plays MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps and VBR), MPEG2.5, ADPCM, Audible.com content
• USB support for Windows 98 and Mac
• Skip-free design--no moving parts

Reviews (18)

Neat little gadget
I recently purchased the Rio 500 to download books for a long international trip. When I got the product (through audible.com), I was pleasantly surprised by the small size and streamline look. The instructions (or lack thereof) leaves little to be desired,however. It was pretty easy to set things up in retrospect but at the time I had some trouble figuring out how to use the software and the actual mp3 player itself. I was happy to be able to download nearly 28 hours of audio books into my player. Like everyone else had mentioned already, the earphones are terrible. I couldn't hear the player even at the loudest volume on the plane so I had to get a new set of earphones for the return trip and that worked like a charm. I haven't yet downloaded music yet but I'm looking forward to doing so as I've been reading that the quality is excellent. Overall, I am pretty happy with my Diamond Rio 500, but I had to knock off a star for the poor instructions, earphones, and included software.

Great except for the short recording time
When I purchased the Rio 500 I was a bit skeptical, but after I used it for a while, I quickly found out why it was so expensive. This is THE BEST MP3 player yet. It is light, downloads fast and looks pretty cool too. The only thing I was disappointed with was how many songs you could fit on the 64mb memory that was already built in. The rio500 only provides about an hour of playback time. I understand you can buy a flash memory card, but they are very expensive for only a little bit of expansion. I fixed this problem by just deleting songs that I got tired of and replacing them with ones I like. Another really cool thing about this mp3 player is that you can save all of your songs on the provided rioport audio manager and download a book...Then when your done with the book you can just delete it and reload all of your music that you can save as albums. I hope my suggestions will help you on the road to buying something that you will be satisfied of.

A very good thing to own
I bought my rio500 about 2 years ago and it has done nothing but make me happy. With the 64MB it has already, thats just the right amount of music for a nice car trip, but if you are like me and need a lot of music, then you can buy an inexpensive smart media expansion card. I had many cards and could have about 5 hours of music all in one pocket...I enjoy how the screen says the title of the song, the amount of time that has passed, and the battery life. I didnt seem to have a problem with the included software, except that its just a demo. But recently i guess i got a virus of some sort, so if i want to format my media card, it would lock up my computer, and i would have to turn off my computer at the tower, which is not good. There are other kinds of software for it that you can download for free online, so please dont let the bad software come in your way from purchasing it. Please read the other reviews because i read them and some have some good points. As for the ones that say that the froze and stopped working, well, thats only if you abuse it too much. My friend had an identical player, and he dropped it into pools and lakes, dropped it down stairs, and other horrible things, so it froze finally.... so, if you take good care of your player, it will serve you well. I hope i helped!

Great MP3 player
I purchased this from Audible for 99 bucks about 13 months ago. As an audio book device this is a wonderful player. Upgrade with another 64 MB Smart Media card and you'll get about 9 hours of very good quality spoken word. As a music player it is good but not great. Not enough memory for more than an hour or two of good quality music. The 500 has a quality feel to it that other players do not. It has the look and feel of a first generation device that was over built and probably wasn't intended to make a large profit. Very small, slips into a pocket and is rugged enough to stand up to a fair amount of abuse. Great battery life compared to a minidisc player I used to use - at least 12 honest hours of playback on a single AA battery. Subsequent Rio mp3 players are bigger and aren't as elegant as the 500. Forget the included software. Download RIOsitude from hotfiles.com. A free program that is intuitive to use, fast and reliable. As good as this player is the Apple iPod has established a new benchmark for portable players. The Apple uses a 5 GB microdrive which hasn't proven itself yet in terms of reliability but is certainly a step in the right direction. Bottom line is that the 500 is a supremely good audio book device, a great spoken word device, a good music player but too little memory for more than a couple hours of high quality audio.

Some very major flaws, but otherwise a fun toy
First, the good: lightweight and TINY, take it to the gym, or on a plane, and it won't be a nuisance. If you download a firmware upgrade from rioport.com a lot of the bugs are fixed and the interface is improved. Now the BAD: headphones included are crap -ditch them and get new ones right away. Holds about 15 songs on its internal memory - get firmware upgrade to allow you to plug in a 64MB smartmedia card. Everywhere you look it says you can only plug in another 32 but don't listen to that. All in all, I love this thing, its compact size makes it great. ... Read more

Features

• 160-hour digital video recorder
• Pause live-action TV shows
• High-quality slow-motion and fast forward effects
• First DVR with networking ability
• Skip past annoying ads with Commercial Advance feature

Reviews (13)

The piece of hardware that forever changed my life...
Can you imagine? You're into a really good show, and suddenly your wife starts nagging you about something... the trash, the dog needs to go out, dinner is burning! :D So you hit PAUSE??? Yes! Pause on live TV! Okay, so this is no different than TIVO. What is though is the broadband connection that allows you to send shows over the internet to friends and family, along with the ability to send any type of video you've recorded on the DVR from say your camcorder (forget even trying DVD's... Macrovision won't allow you to do this, as it's enabled on this device: unless of course you buy one of those nice little devices on the net that disables it :D) You can store your own digital photos on this and display them as a slide show screensaver for when your unit is on pause. Going on vacation? Forgot to tell it to record the Drew Carey Show? Hop on the net from anywhere in the world and from www.myreplaytv.com you can program it to record!

Skips commercials (I hate that I pay for TV and have to watch advertising... it's like the networks are getting paid twice for the same thing! I DON'T GET PAID TWICE AT MY JOB!) The major networks are scared to hell of this ability, because it will fundamentally change the market for advertising on television... and they HATE UNPREDICATBILITY AND CHANGE! They want to TELL YOU HOW TO WATCH TV. Then want you to watch what they WANT YOU TO... WHEN THEY WANT YOU TO! Well, now... they can shove primetime right up their rears! Primetime in my house is WHEN I'M READY!

Also, if you buy multiple ReplayTV 4K's, you can network them together and stream shows back and forth from one room to another. www.avsforum.com has a replaytv and showstopper forum which contains a lot of info also on how to pull video files off of your replayTV and then use your CD Burner to write them as VCD's and/or DVD's (if you have a DVD burner) so you can watch them at a later date, without having to use up hard drive space on your computer or replaytv to store it!

If you don't have a TIVO and you were thinking about it... don't even bother. There's no reason you should buy anything other than Sonic Blues' ReplayTV 4K. The only hard decision is WHAT SIZE RECORDING TIME SHOULD I GET?

Nobody tells me what I'm going to do with television services I'm paying to watch. I'll watch them when I choose and commercial free!

Converted Tivo Owner
I have owned a DirecTivo and a standard Tivo before owning a 4000 series ReplayTV. There is nothing wrong with Tivo, but I have found some things that I like much more in my ReplayTv. I won't go into all of the features of the ReplayTV, just the ones that I have found the most valuable since switching to ReplayTv.

1. Commercial Advance - I had not even conisdered this as something I would like about ReplayTv, but boy was I mistaken. I absolutely LOVE it. Doesn't work 100% of the time, but darn close.

2. Recording from different Inputs - That's right. I rent a DVD and the first thing I do is record it to my ReplayTv so I don't have to rush to watch the movie before returning it. There are three inputs in the back of the ReplayTv. You can easily switch between the three inputs with the remote control.

3. Storing show in Categories - You can create categories like Golf or Fishing and store your favorite golf or fishing shows to that category. This allows easy browsing of your recorded shows.

4. Networking - I bought two 4040's for my house and the networking works great. I had an initial problem with my Linksys router that I have since resolved thanks to the ReplayTv forums. It is great to be able to play shows I recorded on the Living Room unit from my Bed Room unit. Awesome.

5. Time Remaining - ReplayTv shows you the amount of time you have left for recording. Unbelievably, Tivo doesn't do this.

6. SwapDV - This amazing third party software runs on your PC and allows you to import shows from your ReplayTv unit. So you can archive shows from your Replay unit to your PC. Your PC then acts like another ReplayTv on your network.

Replay 4000 series is not for everyone because it requires that you have a broadband connection and the unit does cost a little more than a Tivo (after factoring in a Tivo lifetime subscription...). I doubt many people will be disappionted with a ReplayTv or Tivo.

This Thing's Great!
This gizmo has revolutionized my TV watching habits. No more surfing up and down the dial through 200 channels of drivel. Now I return home, even if I have been traveling for weeks at a time, and find a neatly cataloged selection of shows I really like to watch.

My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $200 or so to get the 80-hour model. Forty hours is a lot, but you do use up a great deal of memory if you record primarily in the "high quality" mode as I do. Spending 30% more for twice the memory is a no-brainer.

Certain reviews I read of earlier versions of this product were a little ambiguous about the need for a Ethernet connection to the Internet. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE AN ETHERNET CONNECTION. Without it you will not get halfway though the setup process.

Special network requirements
Before you order this product be sure you have the necessary network configuration on your HOME network. Needs a DSL, cable modem or T1 link to use the REPLAYTV 4000 unit according to their tech support. A 56K modem link will work, but only for 12 days at a time and then you have to go in and change setting in order to get it to work for another 12 days. Also, their tech support states that using their product in this fashion is not technically supported, so any problems are yours.

Replay TV ...
I bought this unit in mid-December. It MUST be networked to your coputer and internet. It would NOT recognize a Windows ME network, and SonicBlue admitted that this was a major problem. I sent it back Fed EX, and it is now April, and I have not received my money back. I would be very cautious about buying anything from a company with this history. ... Read more

Features

• Custom Fitted Top Grade Leather
• Custom design hold the Rio PMP300
• Holds two flash memory upgrade cards
• Also holds 1.5 V AA battery
• One year warranty

Reviews (2)

Very high quality, but does not fit the Rio500
Despite the fact that "Customers who bought this item also bought" Rio500 players, this case simply does not fit the Rio500. When the unit is in the case, it is impossible to access the volume control, and the strap on top prevents connecting the headphones. Too bad, because the leather and construction are obviously of very high quality. I won't hesitate to buy a Rio500-specific case from Diamond if they produce one.

it went through vigerous tests, and performed magnificantly
it went through rain, mud and me dropping it a few times... the case got beat up a bit, but the mp3 player still worked great ... Read more

Features

• For Diamond Rio PMP 300 MP3 Player only
• Two foot cord
• Function control pad
• 1/8" right angle stereo connector
• 1/8" stereo jack

Reviews (9)

This Thing Sucks
I bought this remote, and it doesn't even work. I called diamond about the problem, and they saud that I must have dropped it or something, but it never worked out of the box. I got so mad I smashed the thing. Don't buy one. I had the some problem with the Rio to, I wouldn't trust anything from diamond.

Great product. If you have a 300 you have to buy it
The reason I got this was that the play, stop, and change song buttonson my player fell off and i lost them! I had to use a pencil to turnit on or change the song. This worked great on the bus. It has all the buttons you need, and isn't as cheap as the player itself. The two problems are the size of the cord(I had to put it in my pocket and wrap the excess cord around it instead of using the given clip. I also found my frieds mini disk remote was smaller and had a lcd display that displayed the song name volume etc. The player itself only displayed the track number. If you dont need a player right now then WAIT FOR THE 600 TO COME OUT. It. . . has 32mb expandable to 320. Well im running out of things to say so the bottom line is if you do more then just sit in a chair and listen to it you need the remote. Also note it ONLY WORKS WITH THE 300

Complete Disaster
I should have known from the inexpensive price that this product was heading for the garbage. From the first day I bought it all it did was worsen the sound and slow down my mp3's. The buttons on this quiet too large headphone remote are hard to follow and I had trouble figuring out many of them. This large piece of equipment is too big for Diamond Rio and adds uneccessary bulk.

Minor flaw...still cool product
I love this remote. It's great, and not just for working out. There is one problem--It reverses the headphones. For example, if something is supposed to come out of the left one, when the remote is plugged in it comes out of the right one. You really dont notice it with regular music, but definetly with things like Adam Sandler, and talking that uses different sides for each person. I still gave it 4 stars though, because I thought it was a great idea. Why I didnt give it 5- Both the headphone and the remote cord seem too long. I cant clip it to my pocket because I trip over it...If you have a way around this, definety buy it.

A necessary item for 300 users
I love my Rio, but it has a major flaw in the design -- if there's a short in the headphone connection (either in the plug or in the jack), the short may cause the Rio to do odd things (mine occasionally pauses for no reason, even with new headphones). Simply having this remote plugged in seems to have solved the problem, and even if that's not the case, it's far easier to un-pause it with the remote than digging the Rio out of my pocket, opening the case, etc... ... Read more

Features

• 32 MB memory module for Rio 600 and 800 MP3 players
• Get an extra half-hour of MP3 music or an hour of Windows Media Audio (WMA) format files
• Comes with rechargeable battery, power adapter
• Easy to use--snaps onto Rio player
• Upgradeable to future digital audio standards

Reviews (4)

the price is way to high
ok first off this is a great product it is great if you think that about an hour of memory isnt enough (like i do...

An essential add-on for your Rio 600
Too much is never enough. That's the rule for memory in computers, PDAs, and now MP3 players. I love my Rio Diamond 600, but its built-in 32mb of memory is too anemic to suit my daily commuting needs. That's why I had to get the 32mb backpack that doubled the memory of my 600. It slides easily and quickly onto the back of your 600 (or 800) and includes a rechargeable battery and power cord that helps you save AAs. Installation is smoothly and easily supported on my iMac.

A small complaint: the backpack ships with virtually no instructions except a sticker on the bag the backpack came in, with essential info on how to upgrade the firmware of your player. Don't throw away that bag, pay close attention and follow these instructions. I hate the recent trend of no instruction manual included with computer hardware, but this is a ridiculous extreme.

Don't let that scare you, however: this add-on is pricey but absolutely essential for expanding the memory of your 600/800. I'm hoping that the market for Rio MP3 players is strong enough that they eventually release the long-promised *320*mb backpack.

Great Product
A little pricy but your only option. It is kond of deciving it only holds about 27 minutes in MP3 format, yet the advertise it as 1HR in WMA(Windows Media Format). I haven't figured how to convert to WMA, but the program it comes with doesn't do it.

Mac users should look no farther
In My humble opinion this is the truly a useful product for Mac users. I found it to be very intuitive and fast. It has very good sound quality and menus are easy to read (without glasses :) ). Hats off to Diamond for remembering the "other PC" users, and coming up with great product! ... Read more

Features

• Remote control for Rio 600 and 800 digital audio players with a built-in FM tuner
• LCD display shows radio station, track number, counter, volume level
• Plugs into Rio's multifunction port
• Controls include hold, volume, menu, play/pause, forward, stop, reverse
• Comes with a shirt clip

Features

• 3.3 Volt High Bandwidth Digital Audio Memory
• One-year warranty

Reviews (6)

Great toy if you have Windows 98
I purchased the Rio 500 and love it. It is the coolest things since sliced bread, BUT. I travel a lot for work and use a Win 95 laptop. The Rio 500 does not support the USB uploads from or to a Win 95 machine. This stinks. All in all though, I think that the Rio 500 is a great toy.

My wife even thinks so.

Yuck, flash cards....
Ok, if you are interested in this product, I'll assume that you already own a Rio, so I guess I can't try to talk you out of that.

GOOD - Small, easy to carry around, cheap compared to OTHER flash memory manufacturers.

BAD - Expensive compared to CD-R, MD, etc.

UGLY - Bad memory clusters will cause skips over time.

Basically, if you have a Rio, and need more memory, this is the stuff to buy. Don't try and find Camera flash cards, and figure out how to use them in your Rio. That would not only be a nuscence, but also would end up costing you more. If you don't own a Rio, and are considering buying one, take a look at my reviews of the PMP300 and the PMP500.

- E-Mail me at nairos@home.com if you have any questions -

A Must For the Rio
A Rio with only 32mb is pretty hard to enjoy since it can only hold about eight songs at once. With the extra 32mb smartmedia your Rio can hold about as much music as a cd. Another good thing is that with the price of the Rio going down, it costs less to get the Rio PMP300 & a flash card than to buy a 64mb mp3 player.

Boy, this thing is GREAT
Ever by a product and then find a better one? With the 32 meg flash disk you get alot more memory for mp3s.It works great and you can take it in and out of the actual mp3 player as much as you want without loosing a single second of music.

Double the memory
What better way to double your Rio memory. Works with Rio 300, Rio 300 Special Edition, and Rio 500. ... Read more

Features

• 16MB flash memory upgrade
• High-bandwidth
• Removable
• Extends Rio playback time
• One-year warranty

Reviews (6)

Ugh, Flash Cards...
Ok, if you are interested in this product, I'll assume that you already own a Rio, so I guess I can't try to talk you out of that.

GOOD - Small, easy to carry around, cheap compared to OTHER flash memory manufacturers.

BAD - Expensive compared to CD-R, MD, etc.

UGLY - Bad memory clusters will cause skips over time.

Basically, if you have a Rio, and need more memory, this is the stuff to buy. Don't try and find Camera flash cards, and figure out how to use them in your Rio. That would not only be a nuscence, but also would end up costing you more. If you don't own a Rio, and are considering buying one, take a look at my reviews of the PMP300 and the PMP500.

- E-Mail me at nairos@home.com if you have any questions -

opps try again
Even though the 16mb disk adds more memory i would personaly try the 32mb disk for optmum expansion

Not bad, not bad at all
This mp3 player is the ultimate in portable music players. The only thing bad about it is that there is only 32MB on memory in it. Also the flash memory cards are not that easy to get ahold of from where I'm at. And I believe that this item should be shipped anywhere in North America, not just the U.S!

Rio Rocks!
The Diamnond Rio is an excellent little MP3 player. The Software installs easily and is very intuitive when it comes to transfering songs off of cds or pre made MP3s. The interface is also easy to understand. It comes with an attachment that pluggs into a parallel port that has worked flawlessly for me. It will also work with your cd attachment in your car (for those whe still have tape decks.) The only reason for the 4 stars is the lack of memory. 32MB just doesn't cut it. For the price you should be getting more than that. Over all, a good product.

Simply The Best
I have tried several MP3 players and the Diamond Rio PMP300 in my opinion is the best of the bunch. ... Read more