Price Paid:  $499.00

Summary:
Extremely Pleased.

In case anyone is interested. I have a 30 Hours Panasonic Showstopper. Its NEW. NOT REGISTERED. Comes with all the accessories. Except the original box. Asking $289.00 plus shipping. Was planning to use it in the bedroom, except the wife wanted us to save for our retirement. Geez Woman !

Remember, With the Showstopper you dont have to feed the machine $9.99 every month to keep'em shows coming :-)

Strengths:
Awesome Picture Quality ... even Extended Mode is watchable on my 56" HDTV !

Weaknesses:
Remote is not programmable. Other One-For-All Remotes do not have the codes for this beast.

Price Paid:  $699.00 from dishdirect.com

Summary:
I got this unit back in November and have loved it since. It is easy to use, set up, and tech support was very helpful a month down the line when a local channel downloader was down, I was back up and running in 10 mins. Thanks to this unit I have not missed a single simpsons/futurama episode. And not paying a monthly fee is a bonus too. I've set this unit up for a few clients and they absolutely love it, go get this now! This review is based on the 60 hour model.

Strengths:
Never miss a show again, works seamlessly with all cable boxes.

Weaknesses:
Could use an ethernet port in addition to the phone port.

Similar Products Used:
Tivo

Price Paid:  $458.00 from OneStop

Summary:
I purchased this unit on recommendation from several Stores. The "Biggest" attraction was "No monthly programming fee's" - like the TiVo unit.

I have had my system from Dec 23rd. I have placed over 18 documented calls to Panasonic. I have been sent two replacement units.

The average hold time to speak to a tech support rep. is 20 minutes. The consumer is supposed to call when the downloadable channel line-up isn't correct. With this unit, it is not possible to record a channel that is not found in the line-up. In my area, I use ATT Broadband Digital cable. 7 out of 14 Premium Channels are not listed in the channel lineup (which Replay T.V. gets from a listing company named TRIBUNE). If you want to record a movie from Cinemax, and it's not listed in the channel guide, you are out of luck.

In calling the company, you can report the problem with the incompatible channel listing, and you are told it should be taken care of in 48 - 72 hours. It is 4 months later, and still they haven't been able to make the correction. When pressed, they finally admit that the "Line-up" portion of the service is out of their hands, and they are at the mercy of REplay TV.

Upon contacting RePlay TV, they are very prompt to respond by email, however, 1 month later, only 2 channels have changed. I have written to both tech support managers, and the president of the company. It now has been passed off as "Tribune's" fault, and they must rely upon them to fix the inaccuracies.

Besides the channel line-up issue, I have had multiple connection problems, (which resulted in them sending the replacement units). Although I paid for a new unit, both replacement units (one DOA, the other working), have been remanufactured. The DOA unit came in scratched all over.

Most frustrating, is trying to work with Panasonic "Consumer relations". In calling, I was told that there was nothing they could do. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and was told that the supervisors where out, and would be back sometime on Sunday. I was promised a call, and three weeks later...still no word.

Although the concept of Digital recording seems promising, please don't waste your time with the "ShowStopper" unit. If I could send this back to where I bought it, even for 1/2 price refund, I would do it in a heartbeat!

Strengths:
Good Idea when it works

Weaknesses:
The unit is only as good as it's channel Line-up

Similar Products Used:
NONE

Price Paid:  $549.00 from eCost

Summary:
This is really a response to "James Kirk's" review below. One has to wonder what motivates a person to take the time to make a valid point regarding price differences between the TiVo and Replay services, but then gives a fine product like Replay one star. Captain Kirk, if TiVo and Replay are basically the same and cost the same, do you rate Tivo one star too? If so, I guess you have never used either product and have no business posting reviews here until you do. I will note that ReplayTV had a 60 hour recorder on the market well before TiVo, and therefore I was able to get a 60 hour Replay recorder for $100 less than a TiVo 30 hour recorder plus a lifetime subscription. So why not do some research before you slam a product?

Strengths:
A great unit

Weaknesses:
Some trouble consistently connecting to the Replay Server at night

Summary:
I love these people who brag about the fact that they don't have to pay subscription fees when they buy one of these Replays. If you pay $600.00 for a Replay and get free subscription, or you buy a TIVO for $400.00 and get a liftime subscription for $200.00, what's the difference?
Can anybody tell me? Is there a difference? I don't think so.

Strengths:
Don't know. Don't own one.

Weaknesses:
Don't know. Don't own one.

Similar Products Used:
TIVO