Saga of a Replay sent back for repair.

[Guest]

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

My wife's 5040 started to act peculiarly and then to not work at all. A
little while ago we had to replace the HD, and installed a 120 gig. Note
that the unit is out of warranty.

After some conversation with the folks at Replay, they decided that it
should be exchanged. We got an RMA number and sent it back, after
putting in a 40 gig drive, so we wouldn't lose the 120.

Via UPS tracking I found that the unit arrived in Texas. However, the
people there had not record of it. Since they trust UPS, they
acknowledged that it was received, and send back a refurbished unit.
Unfortunately that unit was a 5004, perhaps not so surprising since they
are not shipping 5040s. How this unit was DOA.

After a few phone calls they decided to send out another machine, along
with an airbill for returning the defective one. The new one was a 5008,
and was also DOA.

Finally a working 5008 has arrived and the two dead machines arrived back
in Texas.

It makes me wonder about their quality control.

--
Jerry Bank
Trenton, New Jersey
Music is the language of the gods.

 

[Guest]

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

Jerry Bank wrote:
> My wife's 5040 started to act peculiarly and then to not work at all. A
> little while ago we had to replace the HD, and installed a 120 gig. Note
> that the unit is out of warranty.
>
> After some conversation with the folks at Replay, they decided that it
> should be exchanged. We got an RMA number and sent it back, after
> putting in a 40 gig drive, so we wouldn't lose the 120.
>
> Via UPS tracking I found that the unit arrived in Texas. However, the
> people there had not record of it. Since they trust UPS, they
> acknowledged that it was received, and send back a refurbished unit.
> Unfortunately that unit was a 5004, perhaps not so surprising since they
> are not shipping 5040s. How this unit was DOA.
>
> After a few phone calls they decided to send out another machine, along
> with an airbill for returning the defective one. The new one was a 5008,
> and was also DOA.
>
> Finally a working 5008 has arrived and the two dead machines arrived back
> in Texas.
>
> It makes me wonder about their quality control.
>
Since you give no details, your saga doesn't really say much. There is
no 5004 or 5008. If you exchanged a 5040 for a 55xx and paid shipping,
you're crazy since a "defective" 5040 sells for twice what a 55xx refurb
does. I've bought dozens of defective units on eBay. Occasionally, a hd
is required, most of the time they are fine. These units go for
ridiculous prices on eBay, a more valid indicator of quality control.

 

[Guest]

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

On Sat, 14 May 2005 12:00:18 GMT, Jerry Bank <bankcello@peoplepc.com>
wrote:

>My wife's 5040 started to act peculiarly and then to not work at all. A
>little while ago we had to replace the HD, and installed a 120 gig. Note
>that the unit is out of warranty.
>
>After some conversation with the folks at Replay, they decided that it
>should be exchanged. We got an RMA number and sent it back, after
>putting in a 40 gig drive, so we wouldn't lose the 120.
>

How did they react when you told them about upgrading to a larger
drive? I'd be worried about that, and downgrade back to the original
size before telling anyone.

>Via UPS tracking I found that the unit arrived in Texas. However, the
>people there had not record of it. Since they trust UPS, they
>acknowledged that it was received, and send back a refurbished unit.
>Unfortunately that unit was a 5004, perhaps not so surprising since they
>are not shipping 5040s. How this unit was DOA.
>
>After a few phone calls they decided to send out another machine, along
>with an airbill for returning the defective one. The new one was a 5008,
>and was also DOA.
>
>Finally a working 5008 has arrived and the two dead machines arrived back
>in Texas.
>
>It makes me wonder about their quality control.

--
Mark Lloyd
has a Replay 5xxx
http/notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The idea that there is an invisible being who
created and still runs this old universe is so
childish, so obviously contrived, that it is hard to
believe anyone with even a modicum of education can
still fall for that scam."

 

[john]

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

On Sat, 14 May 2005 11:31:08 -0400, Tony D <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:

>Jerry Bank wrote:
>> My wife's 5040 started to act peculiarly and then to not work at all. A
>> little while ago we had to replace the HD, and installed a 120 gig. Note
>> that the unit is out of warranty.
>>
>> After some conversation with the folks at Replay, they decided that it
>> should be exchanged. We got an RMA number and sent it back, after
>> putting in a 40 gig drive, so we wouldn't lose the 120.
>>
>> Via UPS tracking I found that the unit arrived in Texas. However, the
>> people there had not record of it. Since they trust UPS, they
>> acknowledged that it was received, and send back a refurbished unit.
>> Unfortunately that unit was a 5004, perhaps not so surprising since they
>> are not shipping 5040s. How this unit was DOA.
>>
>> After a few phone calls they decided to send out another machine, along
>> with an airbill for returning the defective one. The new one was a 5008,
>> and was also DOA.
>>
>> Finally a working 5008 has arrived and the two dead machines arrived back
>> in Texas.
>>
>> It makes me wonder about their quality control.
>>
>Since you give no details, your saga doesn't really say much. There is
>no 5004 or 5008.

Probably a 5504 and a 5508 with a slipped digit.

> If you exchanged a 5040 for a 55xx and paid shipping,
>you're crazy since a "defective" 5040 sells for twice what a 55xx refurb
>does. I've bought dozens of defective units on eBay. Occasionally, a hd
>is required, most of the time they are fine. These units go for
>ridiculous prices on eBay, a more valid indicator of quality control.

 

[Guest]

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

In article <q-idnVnVTugihBvfRVn-sw@comcast.com>, nospam@nospam.com
says...
Sorry, I should have said 5504 and 5508. And I am not crazy, the 5040
has a lifetime subscription.

> Jerry Bank wrote:
> Since you give no details, your saga doesn't really say much. There is
> no 5004 or 5008. If you exchanged a 5040 for a 55xx and paid shipping,
> you're crazy since a "defective" 5040 sells for twice what a 55xx refurb
> does. I've bought dozens of defective units on eBay. Occasionally, a hd
> is required, most of the time they are fine. These units go for
> ridiculous prices on eBay, a more valid indicator of quality control.
>

--
Jerry Bank
Trenton, New Jersey
Music is the language of the gods.

 

[Guest]

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

I didn't tell them. I send back the unit with a 40 gig in it. Since
they never actually had their hands on the machine, I guess that I could
have sent them one without even a hard drive. Interesting enough, even
though the unit was out of warranty, they didn't charge anything.
Perhaps they tried to make up for their incompetence in this transaction.

In article <1m7c81dk60o1jnmkqfqn1psumcuu9ktm64@4ax.com>,
mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx says...
> On Sat, 14 May 2005 12:00:18 GMT, Jerry Bank <bankcello@peoplepc.com>
> wrote:
>
> >My wife's 5040 started to act peculiarly and then to not work at all. A
> >little while ago we had to replace the HD, and installed a 120 gig. Note
> >that the unit is out of warranty.
> >
> >After some conversation with the folks at Replay, they decided that it
> >should be exchanged. We got an RMA number and sent it back, after
> >putting in a 40 gig drive, so we wouldn't lose the 120.
> >
>
> How did they react when you told them about upgrading to a larger
> drive? I'd be worried about that, and downgrade back to the original
> size before telling anyone.
>
--
Jerry Bank
Trenton, New Jersey
Music is the language of the gods.

 

[Guest]

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

> If you care much for the 2 features they took out of the 55xx.
> Otherwise, they're the same.
>
> CA (Commercial Advance) is unreliable. They will SAY otherwise, but
> that's for particular shows. Are you sure you want them (through that
> feature) telling you what to watch.
>
> IVS (Internet Video Sharing) is nice, but limited. You can transfer
> video through newsgroups with fewer restrictions.
>
>
Make me wonder if you've ever even seen a Replay.

 

[Guest]

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

On Sat, 14 May 2005 20:19:21 -0400, Tony D <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:

>> If you care much for the 2 features they took out of the 55xx.
>> Otherwise, they're the same.
>>
>> CA (Commercial Advance) is unreliable. They will SAY otherwise, but
>> that's for particular shows. Are you sure you want them (through that
>> feature) telling you what to watch.
>>
>> IVS (Internet Video Sharing) is nice, but limited. You can transfer
>> video through newsgroups with fewer restrictions.
>>
>>
>Make me wonder if you've ever even seen a Replay.

Maybe you haven't. There's a lot more to a Replay than CA & IVS.

Also, there could be another case of "binary thinking" (considering
ONLY the 2 extremes) here. I hope not.

--
Mark Lloyd
has a Replay 5xxx
http/notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The idea that there is an invisible being who
created and still runs this old universe is so
childish, so obviously contrived, that it is hard to
believe anyone with even a modicum of education can
still fall for that scam."

 

[Guest]

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

In article <OvKdndzTcJgVCBvfRVn-qQ@comcast.com>,
Tony D <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:

> > If you care much for the 2 features they took out of the 55xx.
> > Otherwise, they're the same.
> >
> > CA (Commercial Advance) is unreliable. They will SAY otherwise, but
> > that's for particular shows. Are you sure you want them (through that
> > feature) telling you what to watch.
> >
> > IVS (Internet Video Sharing) is nice, but limited. You can transfer
> > video through newsgroups with fewer restrictions.
> >
> >
> Make me wonder if you've ever even seen a Replay.

Me, too.

However, I've seen some folks here who have seen CA fail a couple of
times and, because their worlds are black-and-white, declare it a total
failure--and they never bother with it again.

I've never figured that out.

 

[Guest]

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

On Sat, 14 May 2005 21:05:15 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
<elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote:

>In article <OvKdndzTcJgVCBvfRVn-qQ@comcast.com>,
> Tony D <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:
>
>> > If you care much for the 2 features they took out of the 55xx.
>> > Otherwise, they're the same.
>> >
>> > CA (Commercial Advance) is unreliable. They will SAY otherwise, but
>> > that's for particular shows. Are you sure you want them (through that
>> > feature) telling you what to watch.
>> >
>> > IVS (Internet Video Sharing) is nice, but limited. You can transfer
>> > video through newsgroups with fewer restrictions.
>> >
>> >
>> Make me wonder if you've ever even seen a Replay.
>
>Me, too.
>
>However, I've seen some folks here who have seen CA fail a couple of
>times and, because their worlds are black-and-white, declare it a total
>failure--and they never bother with it again.
>
>I've never figured that out.

I have seen CA (and the related Show|Nav) fail enough times that I
would rather not deal with those problems. I use the "skip forward"
button on particularly bad commercials. I do use IVS.

Anyway, I never said that CA & IVS were of no value. Looks like too
many people do have that "black-and-white" thinking and can't imagine
considering the AMOUNT ot added value these features provide.

The thing one poster said ("Make me wonder if you've ever even seen a
Replay") even sounds sort of [bad word omitted] since it seems to be
saying that the Replay provides absolutely no benefits other than CA &
IVS. I hope that was just a mistake.

BTW, I had one of the first Replay 2020 units and have seldom watched
live TV since.

--
Mark Lloyd
has a Replay 5xxx
http/notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"The idea that there is an invisible being who
created and still runs this old universe is so
childish, so obviously contrived, that it is hard to
believe anyone with even a modicum of education can
still fall for that scam."

 

[Guest]

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

From:Mark Lloyd
mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx

<snip>>
> How do you determine if CA works on a certain show?
>

If I see a Commercial then I know it's not working. About the only time
it has ever skipped program content is on Law & Order where they put up
a black screen with a just a few words on it. Whn that happens, it's
pretty easy to realize that something has been skipped. Occassionaly
I've noticed that the end point of a commercial break might be off but
that's easily recognized too.
For the most part though I'd say that CA woks perfectly about 95% of
the time and I'd never forego watching a show just because it wasn't CA
friendly.

 

[Guest]

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

In article <d8ad81d4sh9r35gi874bd3ic6pa72hph4s@4ax.com>,
Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:

> > As for the reliabilitity of CA, it works perfectly on some shows and
> >not so well on others. But in any case, "they" are not telling me what
> >to watch. If the CA feature works on a particular show, great, if not I
> >skip through manually - but that's rare.
>
> I may have made a mistake in that area.
>
> How do you determine if CA works on a certain show?

Either it skips commercials, or it doesn't.

My CA seems to be an all-or-nothing thing, on a show-by-show basis.
Rarely, if ever, does it work only partly on any given show.

 

[Guest]

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

In article <dq7d81l0ubi78kroevhbojqagkvtphqr8c@4ax.com>,
Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:

> >no, it's not. It may be only 85% reliable, but that doesn't make it
> >UNreliable.
> >
>
> 15% unreliable, and you never know when that 15% will be.

But I don't care. I have QuickSkip if I notice that on any given show
CA isn't working, or at any given point CA isn't working.

As for missing show content...that happens to me only on Survivor, when
they do the night shots at the beginning. But because I'm watching
television, and I'm a reasonable smart person, I know it didn't work and
skipped show content--so I just hit the CA button off, then go back and
find the beginning.

The usefulness of CA *far, far* outweighs the times when it gets
confused. 85% vs. 15%? That's fine by me. I understand the
technology, so I understand the 15% of when it doesn't work--and because
this is only television (it's not an airplane, for goodness sake), that
15% isn't an issue.

When it doesn't work, it's not earth-shattering or unrecoverable. The
program is always there; just turn off the CA and go back and find the
program if you think you've missed program material, or use QuickSkip if
you see commercials.

Then go on with your life.

But the 85% of the time it does work, sit back in luxury knowing you got
20 minutes per hour of your life back when watching TV.



> Something reminds me of those juice commercials, something about being
> bitten by an alligator and 85% of your body still remains.

See, you can make those comparisons--but they're not valid. You can't
compare CA to being bitten by an alligator. When you do, you lose all
credibility.



> > When it doesn't
> >work, usually it doesn't work at all. There are very few things I watch
> >where it's working but catches the wrong interval.
> >
>
> And you're never going to watch any other shows Sounds like
> letting the Replay maye the decision for you.

If it catches the wrong interval (which, frankly, I can't remember
happening outside of Survivor), I just turn CA off and use QS. *I* make
the decision, not Replay.

The point is, if Replay took my 5040 and gave me back a 55xx, I'd be
PISSED. I'd demand that they give me an extra unit, AND throw lifetime
activation on it, for taking features away from me.

I realize you may never listen to CDs, but let me be pissed if the car
dealership took my car in to fix it and gave it back to me without the
CD player. You may say "so what," but geez--I bought the CD player so
that I could have the choice. It's not up to them to take that choice
away.

 

[Guest]

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

In article <dq7d81l0ubi78kroevhbojqagkvtphqr8c@4ax.com>,
Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:

> >Hmmmmm, my remote control has a button that turns that feature off (and
> >back on) upon demand.
> >
>
> Yes it does. Note that turning it OFF makes it equivalent to not
> having CA at all.

Right. Temporarily. At MY command. MY choice. Not theirs.

Notice the 55xx doesn't have that choice. When you take my choices
away, you deny me something that I bought and paid for.

You seem hell-bent over convincing the world that CA is useless. It may
be, but let's get back to the point: Replay took the guy's CHOICE away.
He could CHOOSE to use CA, or he could CHOOSE not to.

Because YOU choose not to, you don't think anyone else would ever think
differently? And therefore the lack of CA is meaningless to anyone else?



> >NO ONE is telling me what to watch. If it's just plain not working on
> >any given show, I can turn CA off and just use QuickSkip.
> >
>
> Something reminds me of when you could have a telephone in any color
> you want, as long as is was black.

??????? You're not making any sense. If 15% of my shows don't use CA
well, I can choose not to use it.

That leaves 85% of the shows where it does work well and I can use
it--and I do.

How is that "no choice"?

 

[Guest]

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

In article <0n8d811to4cooovmnqn1v1mf3cthhb8qdl@4ax.com>,
Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:

> >However, I've seen some folks here who have seen CA fail a couple of
> >times and, because their worlds are black-and-white, declare it a total
> >failure--and they never bother with it again.
> >
> >I've never figured that out.
>
> I have seen CA (and the related Show|Nav) fail enough times that I
> would rather not deal with those problems.

That's fine.

But don't poo-poo the rest of the world and try to tell us that it's OK
for Replay to send a 55xx to replace a 50xx.

That may be fine for YOU. But you're not the rest of the world, are you?


> Anyway, I never said that CA & IVS were of no value. Looks like too
> many people do have that "black-and-white" thinking and can't imagine
> considering the AMOUNT ot added value these features provide.

I have decided. And I've decided that the value to CA is HUGE. 85% vs.
15%? That's a huge value.

You, on the other hand, see the 15% and consider that a HUGE failure, to
the point where the amount of added value is zero do you.

Yes, zero. You have said publicly that you don't use CA, that you
refuse to use it--because to you, the glass being 15% empty is
unimaginably bad, to the point where you won't even acknowledge the
nectar that is filling the glas 85% full.

 

[john]

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

On Sun, 15 May 2005 08:44:00 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
<elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote:

>In article <dq7d81l0ubi78kroevhbojqagkvtphqr8c@4ax.com>,
> Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:
>
>> >no, it's not. It may be only 85% reliable, but that doesn't make it
>> >UNreliable.
>> >
>>
>> 15% unreliable, and you never know when that 15% will be.
>
>But I don't care. I have QuickSkip if I notice that on any given show
>CA isn't working, or at any given point CA isn't working.
>
>As for missing show content...that happens to me only on Survivor, when
>they do the night shots at the beginning. But because I'm watching
>television, and I'm a reasonable smart person, I know it didn't work and
[snip]

>See, you can make those comparisons--but they're not valid. You can't
>compare CA to being bitten by an alligator. When you do, you lose all
>credibility.
>

Analogies never are 100% valid.

Notice that he just said HE WAS REMINDED OF IT. Try thinking before
you make stuff up.

This looks like a comment on the "insignificance" of 15%.

[snip]

 

[Guest]

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

I've had a different experience. In fact, just the other night, we were
watching the series "Numbers" and CA was working perfectly for the first
40 minutes or so of the show. Then it missed the beginning of the rest
of the breaks for the last 20 minutes. This is something that I
experience regularly.

From:Elmo P. Shagnasty
elmop@nastydesigns.com

> In article <d8ad81d4sh9r35gi874bd3ic6pa72hph4s@4ax.com>,
> Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:
>
>>> As for the reliabilitity of CA, it works perfectly on some shows and
>>> not so well on others. But in any case, "they" are not telling me
>>> what to watch. If the CA feature works on a particular show, great,
>>> if not I skip through manually - but that's rare.
>>
>> I may have made a mistake in that area.
>>
>> How do you determine if CA works on a certain show?
>
> Either it skips commercials, or it doesn't.
>
> My CA seems to be an all-or-nothing thing, on a show-by-show basis.
> Rarely, if ever, does it work only partly on any given show.

 

[Guest]

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

My 5040s' CA works perfectly *most* of the time. As someone else mentioned,
some shows (such as Law & Order) occasionally skip parts of the show and
show a bit of commercial. In those cases, I temporarily turn off CA and use
the manual skip buttons. Once in a while I come across a show that CA
thinks is all show and no commercial. In those cases I again use the manual
skip button. Granted, CA is not perfect, but I sure would miss it if I
didn't have it. I'd been thinking of picking up a 5504 cheap (either on
Amazon.Com or using RTV's SAVE40 coupon and rebate) just to have a machine
around in case one of my lifetime 5040s dies. But now I'm not so sure 'bout
that one.

Regards,

Margaret

"BruceR" <brNOSPAM@hawaii.com> wrote in message
news:yoHhe.16765$ya2.10998@tornado.socal.rr.com...
> I've had a different experience. In fact, just the other night, we were
> watching the series "Numbers" and CA was working perfectly for the first
> 40 minutes or so of the show. Then it missed the beginning of the rest of
> the breaks for the last 20 minutes. This is something that I experience
> regularly.
>
> From:Elmo P. Shagnasty
> elmop@nastydesigns.com
>
>> In article <d8ad81d4sh9r35gi874bd3ic6pa72hph4s@4ax.com>,
>> Mark Lloyd <mlloyd@5xxxmail.com5xxx> wrote:
>>
>>>> As for the reliabilitity of CA, it works perfectly on some shows and
>>>> not so well on others. But in any case, "they" are not telling me
>>>> what to watch. If the CA feature works on a particular show, great,
>>>> if not I skip through manually - but that's rare.
>>>
>>> I may have made a mistake in that area.
>>>
>>> How do you determine if CA works on a certain show?
>>
>> Either it skips commercials, or it doesn't.
>>
>> My CA seems to be an all-or-nothing thing, on a show-by-show basis.
>> Rarely, if ever, does it work only partly on any given show.
>
>

 

[One]

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

On Sun, 15 May 2005 10:17:55 -0400, "Margaret Wilson"
<twokatmew@nospam.msn.com> wrote:

>My 5040s' CA works perfectly *most* of the time. As someone else mentioned,
>some shows (such as Law & Order) occasionally skip parts of the show and
>show a bit of commercial. In those cases, I temporarily turn off CA and use
>the manual skip buttons. Once in a while I come across a show that CA
>thinks is all show and no commercial. In those cases I again use the manual
>skip button. Granted, CA is not perfect, but I sure would miss it if I
>didn't have it. I'd been thinking of picking up a 5504 cheap (either on
>Amazon.Com or using RTV's SAVE40 coupon and rebate) just to have a machine
>around in case one of my lifetime 5040s dies. But now I'm not so sure 'bout
>that one.
>Regards,
>Margaret

That's what I did.
I picked up a used RTV5040 just in case one of my lifetime machines
quits working. The lifetime activation is transferable, but I would
want to save machine for the CA and internet transfers.

So I guess I have 5 machines, but only 4 that are activated.

 

[Guest]

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

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> You seem hell-bent over convincing the world that CA is useless. It may
> be, but let's get back to the point: Replay took the guy's CHOICE away.
> He could CHOOSE to use CA, or he could CHOOSE not to.
>
> Because YOU choose not to, you don't think anyone else would ever think
> differently? And therefore the lack of CA is meaningless to anyone else?

I can not speak for Elmo, only for myself.

Many of the shows I watch CA is indeed useless, at least the automated
version,,, I use Show/Nav and quite often it skips major chunks of time,
jumping 15 minutes or more instead of the 3 I expected. This is the
fault of the broadcaster for sure but still a PITA if using CA.

Now, the shows my wife watches.... Let's just say it's the feature that
most sold her on the REPLAY instead of a VCR.. Just just loves it.

So would I call it useless... NEVER! But sometimes I do need to turn it off
--
John F Davis, in Delightful Detroit. WA8YXM(at)arrl(dot)net
"Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your business"
Diabetic? http/community.compuserve.com/diabetes