Ready to turn your PC into a digital video recorder? ReplayTV's new ReplayTV PC Edition software goes far in addressing the shortcomings of competing DVR software.
ReplayTV PC Edition leverages much of the design and recording flexibility that made the company's living-room components a hit among early DVR fans. The $100 software package includes one year of the ReplayTV Electronic Program Guide (after that, the annual fee is $20--less than what TiVo charges monthly for its service). The software is compatible with some Hauppauge WinTV PVR tuner cards and works with Hauppauge's remote control and set-top box infrared blaster (for use with most analog and some digital cable and satellite set-top boxes).
The interface is straightforward and simple to use, with screens that forgo busyness and complexity without sacrificing the advanced customization options that serious DVR fans crave. You navigate the available choices as if you're stepping through a decision tree, following the paths available to you based on your previous choices.
The forward arrow is your visual signpost throughout the recording process; this scheme makes it simple to set up recordings, whether you already know what you want to record or you're browsing for content. The menuing accommodates navigation via either a keyboard-mouse combo or a remote control.
The Home screen is clean and uncluttered; you'll return to it often. The Home screen is the jumping-off point for accessing Recorded Shows (where you can view and manage your recordings); Show Search (which offers a multitude of ways to search for content, including by actor, director, or subject, or by a more random Surprise Me option); and TV Listings (a grid where you simply select a show and initiate a recording). You can also opt to watch TV or adjust global settings.
You can specify up to five custom recording settings, including whether to record just first-run episodes or both first-runs and repeats; the number of episodes to keep (up to 99); the recording quality; and the number of minutes you want to extend the recording beyond its time.
ReplayTV PC Edition does have some notable omissions and interface quirks. When you search for an actor by last name, you can't further refine the search from there--annoying if you're searching on a name like 'Anderson', for Stargate SG's Richard Dean Anderson, number 23 of 30 results. Also, three small buttons at the top of the interface provide access to the Home screen, the program guide, and a "back-step" feature, but the buttons are too small and out of the way to be useful. Finally, I was frustrated by the app's inability to convert its MPEG-2 DVR-MS format files to another format.
As much as liked ReplayTV PC Edition, in the end, I felt that this first iteration is best as a complement to my existing DVR, not a replacement.
Melissa J. Perenson
