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Normally when you watch television you are seeing more or less a
live broadcast, but when you are watching personal television the
signal is being transparently and quietly recorded by the unit.
Whatever you're watching on live TV is now buffered. The benefit of
live TV buffering appears when you want to "instant replay," or stop
watching for a moment without missing anything. Live TV can be rewound
and paused -- while you are playing back what is in the buffer, the unit
is still recording the live signal so you won't miss anything. But you
can't leave it paused forever, you'll run out of hard drive space. Each
PTV allocates space differently, so how far out-of-synch the buffer and
the live signal can be is the unit's buffering limit. Both PTV units
allow you to resume watching the live signal by pressing a button on
the remote. Your unit may allow you to
create a new recording using part of the live TV buffer (convert buffer to
recording). If you are watching a program live that you wish you had
set up as a recording before-hand, this feature will save the current
channel's show as if it were a regular recording. The ability to
record the whole show is ideal -- not just from the point you hit
record. This won't work if you've waited too long so that start of
the show is no longer in your buffer.
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Feature
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ReplayTV
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TiVo
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VCR
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Buffering limit (minutes)
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All models, at least 20, up to maximum recording length. Limited by
unused HD space.
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30, all models.
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N/A
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Convert buffer to recording
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No.
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Yes, up to 30 minutes, but only if you record the rest of the show at "best" quality.
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N/A
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Resume live signal
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Fast-Forward or Return to Live button; flashes "LIVE" on screen when
you catch up to live; warns you when channel-changing if not caught up
to live.
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Fast-Forward or Jump button.
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N/A
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Save or clear buffer when changing channels
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Clear.
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Clear.
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Save.
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