Toshiba RD-XS34 DVD Recorder with 160-GB Hard Drive Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This recorder offers some of the best features for a DVD recorder.Of special interest is the ability to tailor the bit rate of the recording in very small increments from 2Mb/sec to 8Mb/sec.It has the ability to record LPCM audio. It also allows you to record in Dolby Digital in 2 different bit rates.Overall, this unit offer incredible flexibility for the user.This was a huge selling point for me.It has a very easy interface (which becomes intuitive after a couple of uses) to create menus for DVDs.It's well designed and attractive.

Now for the bad news.A total showstopper:The TV Guide menu system never worked.The manual tells you to go through the set up process, then turn the unit off for 24 hours, avoiding unplugging any connections to the unit.I live in Austin, TX, and get my signals over the air.Reception is excellent in my area.The unit displayed all the available channels.They all came in clearly.But after 24 hours, I turned on the unit to find no program data.I must have done something wrong, so I went through the entire process again, ensuring that I waited 24 hours (this time, just to be safe, I waited 30 hours).I turned on the unit, and again, no data.I tried one more time.No luck.I called Toshiba.They said, "well, if the data doesn't show up, we can't help you".

I would have kept the unit if I could have recorded off the air by setting up schedules manually.The unit REQUIRES the TV Guide program guide.It is the only way that the unit can record TV shows.

Second huge issue for me, regardless of the state of the unit (on/off), the fan in the back of the unit stays on ALL THE TIME. And it's not so quiet.Forget about putting this unit in a small room, because you'll hear it...ALL THE TIME.

Given these two issue, back in the box it went.And here's the really disappointing point...I did my research.This unit has the best features for the price.It has a hefty 160 GB hard drive.It was the perfect unit....almost.

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Product Description:
Prepare yourself for ultimate quality, ultimate convenience: the Toshiba RD-XS34 combines a top-notch DVD player with a DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM optical-media recorder and a hard-disk drive (HDD) recorder with a stunning 160 GB storage capacity. Whether you're watching the latest DVD movie releases in your home theater, recording your favorite TV programming, or archiving home movies and other videos to long-lasting DVD, the RD-XS34 is your ticket to world-class entertainment. And did we mention that the unit spins your homemade CDs filled with JPEG image files or MP3/WMA music tracks?
The RD-XS34's HDD lets you store around 175 hours of audio/video programming (at the lowest resolution), ample room for time shifting your viewing and keeping a fair number of "must watch soon" content at the ready. Imagine the complete contents of a fleet of VHS tapes at your fingertips--all easily accessible with no clumsy fast-forwarding or rewinding, and, potentially, in much higher resolution.
When you have programs you decide you want to keep, just offload them to DVD. Archiving is lickity-split: 32x normal speed when transferring from the HDD to a write-once DVD-R and 24x when burning to DVD-RAM. Time Slip recording/playback lets you begin watching a recording that's already in progress or "pause" a live recording and return to it later.
The RD-XS34 also offers an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with upconversion capability from standard 480i to high-definition 720p or 1080i--perfect for viewing your DVDs, camcorder footage, and television programs on a high-definition or HD-ready TV, now or in the future. HDMI provides a single-cable digital connection for the highest-quality interface between the DVD player and a compatible television, keeping audio and video signals digital until they reach the monitor. Other picture enhancements include 3-D digital noise reduction (DNR), mosquito DNR, and block DNR.
Front-panel inputs accommodate VCRs and camcorders, including digital camcorders through an IEEE 1394/DV input. The digital-video input even includes controls for your camcorder to simplify the process of selecting and transferring the scenes you want. Other inputs include 3 each composite- and S-video (1 each on the front panel) and an RF/antenna input on the rear panel.
For DVD recordings, you can create virtual titles on the hard drive--including menus and chapters with thumbnail images--then burn your programming to DVDs with high-quality MPEG-2 encoding (the DVD-Video standard). A convenient library function maintains an inventory of all your recorded content by disc or title so you can sort by date, time, or genre.
The RD-XS34 offers the flexibility of recording on both DVD-RAM--perfect for instant chapter access and for multiple rerecordings--as well as on DVD-R, widely regarded as the most widely compatible of the many DVD formats (great for sharing camcorder footage with loved ones). DVD-RAM offers double-sided recording (9.4 GB total storage), and the format is rewriteable, too.
Advanced timer programming lets you use the unit like you would a VCR, specifying a time and channel for recording, and built-in TV Guide On Screen interactive program guide greatly simplifies this. Significantly, this model gives you the option of recording audio in linear PCM audio--much higher resolution than the MP3-like Dolby Digital 2.0.
For playback, ColorStream Pro progressive-scan component-video outputs (switchable between 480p and standard 480i) provide great color detail and high purity when connected to compatible televisions. The unit also has standard composite- and S-video outputs, with an RF coaxial output for passing tuner signals to an external device such as a VCR (the RF output does not pass a DVD or HDD signal). Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's Toslink optical digital-audio output for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver.
What's in the Box
DVD recorder, audio/video interconnects, a universal remote control with television control capability, remote batteries, a user's manual, and warranty information.

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