During the last several months, I've really gotten hooked on a piece of software called Replay AV. Basically, it records streaming audio from the internet and saves it to your PC. It doesn't use your soundcard, so you can stream multiple stations at the same time. And the interface is REALLY easy to use and reminded me of setting up a Tivo. Besides the obvious fact that all of us have mp3 players in our cars, I thought I'd post my little "review" here to get some feedback from you guys (except for Bruno, he hates everything! j/k). I've never writen a review before except on Amazon.com, so any ideas, questions, whatever you might have would be cool. Granted, this will probably only be posted on Amazon.com and a site for the Creative MP3 player I have, but I felt like going into a bit more detail.

For those of us that have ever wished we had a TiVo for the radio in our car, Replay A/V by Applian Technologies plus an MP3 player may be your answer. About a week of searching and reading reviews led me to Replay AV. Granted, Replay AV isn't quite the same thing as a DVR but I've had success in the last several months using it to do just that. Mated with an mp3 player, this is truely "TiVo To Go."

Essentially, Replay A/V is an easy to use and powerful piece of software that allows you to download and record streaming audio and video from the web. This includes radio shows that are simucast online, web-only broadcasts, Podcasts, etc. Like a DVR, you can browse or search for programs using Replay AV's built-in media browser. Once you find a show, you can either schedule recurring recordings (simular to TiVo's "Season Pass") or one-time recordings. Initially, I purchased the program to record the "Dennis Prager Show", NPR's "Car Talk" and "Science Friday" and the "Drew and Mike Show" in Detroit. However, before I knew it, I was discovering dozens of broadcasts I didn't even know existed. A few clicks here and there and I suddenly had eight shows added to my schedule. Anyone who has experienced a TiVo will likely relate. Aside from the scheduler, another "Tivo-like" feature is the ability to pause the program while you play it back on your mp3 player (or CD) and even rewind to hear something you missed.

So far, all of the features I've discussed can be found in several other programs offered online but Replay AV has a few tricks up its sleeve. The easy to use interface is reason enough to justify the purchase, but Replay AV's real power is that unlike other programs that rely on recording the output from your soundcard, Replay AV captures the stream digitally. This has several major benefits over traditional software programs. Most significantly, because the audio is recorded as a stream, you can record mulitple shows airing at the same time. Think of it as having multiple tuners. This is great at resolving scheduling conflicts when two shows overlap. Another advantage of this approach is that your saved files are ofter smaller in size. Finally, because your soundcard is not involved, you can freely use your computer while recording without worrying about the sounds from your PC entering the recording. That means you can play games, check email or even listen to mp3s while you are recording new content. Very cool. Applian offers a slightly less featured product called Replay Radio that is missing this feature. But, after only 3 days of using it, I upgraded to Replay AV for this feature alone.



Ready for more options and features? Once you've selected shows to record, you can adjust the start and end times (a great feature for avoiding the :06 news break at the top of most shows), chop/divide shows by any interval you like (30 minute chunks, 1 hour chucks, etc.), convert to MP3 or WAV files, save back-ups, etc. I could go on and on, but your best bet is to visit their site for the latest. One cool feature worth noting, however, is their "Stream Capture" mode that lets you record any streaming audio or VIDEO embedded in a site. With the exception of YouTube.com, I've found it works everytime. Audio geeks will love that Replay AV uses the highly regarded LAME mp3 encoder too.

Besides having a great product, the Support at Applian is top-notch. From sales and technical support to feature requests, they have been very responsive. I've always received personal replies in a fast manor, even on weekends. They've even taken some of my feature requests (such as custom ID3 tags) into consideration.

All of this isn't to say that there aren't a few drawbacks. For one, the lack of Custom ID3 tags has been a pain. If your mp3 player relies solely on ID3 info, this is a feature you'll want too (Applian says they are working on this for a version update). And with all of the comparisons to Tivo, one thing that this program can't do, for obvious reasons, is allow you to do any of this with live radio. I use the program to record shows while I'm at work then I listen to them the next day. So if you're into sports or very time sensitive radio content, this isn't the magic pill you've been looking for. The only other drawback might be its price at close to $50. But, after having previously purchased the less-featured "Replay Radio" for less money, I quickly paid for the upgrade to Replay AV once I relized how valuable it truely was. I recommend you do the same.