Installation guide

The fan in 55XX series ReplayTVs and newer 50XX series ReplayTVs does not start immediately as the unit powered up. The fan
doesn't start running until the software has finished loading. While the fan in these ReplayTVs does run at a lower speed to
reduce noise, the fans generally run at a constant speed at all times, 24/7. In early model 50XX ReplayTVs and 4XXX
ReplayTVs, the fan runs as soon as the unit is powered up, but also runs 24/7. (The fans in 4XXX series ReplayTVs are much
quieter than the stock fan in early 50XX ReplayTVs. Why they changed to a noisier fan is a mystery.)
You may also find that the 7200 RPM drives produce a hum or rumbling sound in the ReplayTV. I have found that shims of a
material like Velcro or rubber washers around the posts that the drive mounts to in the ReplayTV can help dampen some of this
noise by allowing the drive mounts to be tighter.
• To use a downloaded image:
RTVPatch for Windows, runs only on Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. If you're running any other version
of Windows, you'll need to use the Linux boot disk method with RTVPatch.
Download the proper image for your ReplayTV and unzip it to a location accessible by RTVPatch with the ReplayTV drive
hooked up to your PC. The unzipped ReplayTV image should be approximately 500+ MB in size (or 300+ MB in size with the
images for the older ReplayTVs/ShowStoppers) and will have an extension of .rtv.
(Win2k/XP): hook the drive up to your computer, launch RTVPatch, Set Target Drive, and then from the lower right in
RTVPatch, choose Restore Target Drive. A box will open that will allow you to browse to the downloaded image;
(Win95/98 using Linux boot disk): Follow the instructions here:
http://rtvpatch.sourceforge.net/replay_disk_image_to_drive_copy_instructions.html.
(Scroll down at that link to see the Linux boot disk instructions). The instructions cover upgrading a 30XX/ShowStopper, but
can be used for later models with at least one change*: for the line that says:
"dd if=/windrive/replay.img of=/dev/hdc bs=1024 count=320000" change the count to 520000.
*The instructions assume your new drive is assigned the /hdc device designator by Linux. You can watch the Linux boot
screens, or run RTVPatch to determine the actual drive designators for the existing PC drive and the new ReplayTV drive and
substitute the correct drive device for /hdc in the command line above.
• How much recording time will you get?
Under version 5.1 software (build 140), the following are approximate recording times available for 50XX and 55XX series
ReplayTVs. 40 GB drive, 1 GB photo partition.
Quality/Hours
High -13.1
Medium -19.1
Standard-40.1
Which works out to about:
3 GB per hour at high (2.97)
2 GB per hour at medium (2.04)
1 GB per hour at standard (.972)
• IR Blaster Fine Tuning
There's an official FAQ entry for IR fine tuning from DNNA here:
How do I adjust or tune the IR code settings for my cable or satellite box?
Here's a thread with some info on IR blaster fine tuning specifically for Dish Network receivers, and specifically with settings
that worked for me with DP301 and 6000 receivers. And here's the IR fine tuning page from the old PRMan
ReplayTV FAQ.