I bought my first unit just a few weeks ago, and because of my skeptical nature, I opted for the $10/month service activation option, at least for the first month. However, I see from various posts that most people believe that if they opt for the “lifetime†activation, their units will continue to work, at least without the channel guide, while those who have opted for monthly service will be left with nothing more than a pretty doorstop.
I browsed around SBLU’s web site, but I see no mention of this nor any other reference to what happens to owners if SBLU no longer offers the service.
What I do see is that:
1 – If you opt for the lifetime activation, you don’t have to pay anything else to receive it.
2 – You need to have the service in order for the ReplayTV to continue working
If you read the “Activation and Service Agreement†on their web site, it reads:
“Your ReplayTV digital video recorder works only by activating and receiving the ReplayTV Service offered and provided by ReplayTV.â€
The service agreement also states:
“if you pay the one-time, up front subscription fee, you will not incur any additional charges to receive the basic ReplayTV Serviceâ€
To me, this just means that they won’t charge you in the future for as long as the basic service is offered. It also sounds like even the lifetime subscribers still need the service for their units to continue operating. It is not a guarantee that the service will always be provided, nor that your unit is permanently “unlockedâ€. If the service is no longer offered, it would seem to me that everyone is screwed.
I hope that I am wrong in my interpretation of this, as it would make the lifetime subscription option that much more attractive. If anyone from Replay is listening, a clarification would be greatly appreciated.