Well, that’s a mouthful. I first saw it at my friend’s Daniel Dystyler apartment last month, and after some research, I decided to bite the bullet and got this from Amazon yesterday:
Iomega Screenplay Pro
It’s no Apple TV, but it does something that I couldn’t find in any of the mainstream multimedia drives: record TV. My PVR is close to capacity, and using a DVD recorder is just too awkward. It’s been only a day with it so far, so take my first impressions with a huge grain of salt. Here’s the just of it:
PROS
- 1 TB of storage!
- Plugs into your home network (to do it wirelessly, you need to buy a WiFi Adapter). This means you can easily transfer files and browse photos in your home computers.
- Composite video input allow you to convert old VCR tapes.
- According to the user manual, you can play back a movie from a DVD folder just like playing back a DVD disc. I haven’t tested that yet, but if it works, it’s a great feature.
CONS
- It does not support the H.264 video format used by iPods and the Apple TV.
- The remote sucks – pardon the language, but there’s no other way to describe it. It’s small, cumbersome and the IR signal is very weak – reminds me of the Apple remote, the one that Steve does not use during his presos.
- User interface is poorly designed.
- Can’t record HDTV (but I didn’t find any other product that can do that).
If you’re feeling brave, there’s even a wiki with some advanced hacks you may want to try.
The bamboo raft 
Aaron – it sounds like your remote could be ripe for replacement. Perhaps a universal remote or even something a little more advanced like Logitech’s Harmony series?
The realm of HDTV recording is complicated – it involves either de-scrambling the HD streams or a high-speed analogue method of capturing the stream – like firewire connection to a cable box. I’m not really familiar with it too much but there is definitely a whole area of HTPCs (Home Theatre PCs) that is well-documented and supported by enthusiasts you can search.
Hey Victor,
I looked at the Harmony and found the price a little salty. But it does look sweet.
Thanks for the HTPC tip. I did some research and found it to be probably what I want, but the price tag is significant.
I know: I’m so cheap!
Have you thought of just getting one of those lower end PCs from costco and assemble one yourself with Windows 7 Media center. It may be more expensive, but you have so much flexibility.
The remote is not much of an issue, just get the lowest end Harmony remote from Infonec the 520 series.
Funny you and Victor had almost identical comments! That either means that Harmony/HTPC is the way to go or that you both share the same sources 🙂
i cant get video picture through my iomega screenplay pro hd. i tried every thing but can only get audio with a blue screen. anyone any ideas. thanks
i cant get video picture through my iomega screenplay pro hd. i tried every thing but can only get audio with a blue screen. anyone any ideas. thanks. would really appreciate any advise.
I have purchased the Iomega Screen play Pro HD. Mistakenly i had formatted the HD. Now it acts as a simply USB HD and not as a multimedia device. When i connect to TV, it shows Hard disk failed. How can i retrive the configuration of Multimedia in that HD by creating the partitions it had earlier. Any help will be really appreciated…
You may want to check this:
http://screenplayprohd.wikia.com/wiki/Firmware
Good luck!
Hi Aaron, Thanks a lot for your response. my HD is up and running now…
Thanks for your support again…
Now i will check what all is not getting played in the HD, i want to try the record options.
You guys were correct about the remote. I have to press 7-8 times to switch ON from stand by mode using remote.
The HD is playing some of the video format while divx formats are not supported it seems. i was just thinking that is there any software which can convert the video format from divx to any playable format in Iomega HD.
When i connected the HD to my PC, i saw one folder named REC. I Copied to the HD three folders in which the movies are inside each. i am able to play from first two folders but the third folder am not able to play anything. when ever i go inside the 3rd folder it switches off and then intializes and comes to main menu. is there any restriction for folders. There are some movies in 3rd folder but neverthless it doesnt play. just had 20 mins time, in which i had examined all these stuffs..
hello,i have a question.do any of you people know how to record tv using this device,i plug my xbox 360 cords into it,but it will not record,instead,i get an orange flashing signal from the device everytime i click record.any ideas as to how i could get this thing up and running?