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

Average customer rating:

Really great features, manual not so much

dvd recorder

Read the manual

DVD recording fine at first, rapidly deteriorated...

Read these reviews! I should have!

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

Manufacturer: Toshiba
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Product Features:

DVD recorder and Personal Video Recorder with 160 GB hard drive; measures 17 x 2.5 x 13.25 inches (W x H x D)

Interactive Program Guide provides an easy to read listing of the television programs available to view or record

Records to DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW; plays CD-R/RW and MP3/WMA digital audio formats

One set of component (Y,Pr,Pb), 1 S-Video, and 1 RCA video outputs; Firewire input for connecting to video camcorders

High-speed dubbing from the hard drive to disc without any deterioration of digital signal

ASIN: B0007U093G

Product Description

Still using videotapes? Come to DVD and enjoy recording and playing your own. With a built-in TV tuner you can record your favorite TV shows and there's an integrated programmable timer for absolute simplicity. No discs? This recorder also has a digital hard-drive. Toshiba RCXS34 takes the chore out of recording. With a 160GB hard disk drive, this amazing unit can store recorded programming and dubbed content, then transfer it from the hard drive to a DVD-RAM, DVD-R, or DVD-RW without any deterioration. The incredible chase play feature allows you to begin watching a recording that is already in progress, and live chase play lets you "pause" live recordings and return to it when you're ready! Plays a variety of formats, including DVDs, CDs, MP3s, and JPEG photos. ColorStream Pro component video input Y/Pr/Pb, S-video, RCA-video, L/R audio, optical out, RF, IR blaster outputs / S-video, RCA-video, L/R audio, RF inputs IEEE-1394 Firewire DV port for transferring digital video directly from digital camcorder or from a comparably equipped Windows PC or Macintosh computer Digital Cinema Progressive (3/2 Pulldown) - Delivers the smoothest, most film-like images to any progressive scan television, such as an HD-compatible one, and ensures maximum resolution. Interactive Program Guide provides an easy to read listing of the television programs available to view or record. It offers an 8-day program listing, flexibility of recording directly to DVD or the HDD, the ability to perform keyword searches for locating favorite programs and includes the G-Link IR Blaster for controlling cable boxes. When recording television programs, the name of the show, along with the channel and date, are automatically captured 3D Virtual Surround Sound Auto Clock, Daylight Savings Time Adjust, Time Zone Adjust VCR Plus+ for easy selection of TV shows you want to record One-Touch Record Remote Control Universal w/T

Amazon.com 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.

Customer Reviews:

Really great features, manual not so much.......2007-09-01

If you do not want to read thick instruction manuals, do NOT buy this product.

However, no one has commented on two super features of this machine: (1) Fast dubbing from hard disk to DVD-R discs. At LP speed, 4 hours 15 minutes of program content can be burned in about 25-30 minutes onto one blank 4.7 GB disc, so much better than at agonizingly slow 1:1 speeds on cheaper machines with fewer features! (2) When playing back a DVD or hard disk program at 150% speed, the sound is chopped but understandable, with no high-pitched "Alvin & the Chipmunks" effect. So when commercials are skipped, a one-hour documentary, talking head lecture or discussion group, a sporting event, or boring program can be played back in about 30 minutes and you can hear all the words! Even music is listenable, though the tempo is 50% faster. If you missed a play in sports or a word in speech, you just have to reverse and play back at regular speed; the sound IS cut out of course when playback is at half, one-eighth or one-sixteenth speed. I also have an RD-XS32 machine which does not have the TV GUIDE feature (you just program timer recorder settings manually) and also an RD-XS35 machine which is similar to the XS34 (with TV GUIDE). The RD-XS32 machine has only an 80 GB hard disk, half that on the other machines; my XS32's built-in tuner produces unwanted picture noise on low Cable Channels 2 and 3, so I don't use it as much as the others. The XS32 IS more convenient when I am away from home for more than 8 days, because the timer programming can be extended over a year, whereas the TV GUIDE feature doesn't work unless you use the WEEKLY or REGULARLY frequency setting, and for other programs you are limited to 8 days advance programming.

As others have pointed out, it IS possible to manually program timer recordings on the XS34 and XS35, but the manual is poorly written: immediately under the major heading "Setting a recording", the manual should offer two options - "see p. 50 for manual setting, or continue below (on p.47) for automatic setting using TV GUIDE". The TOSHIBA corporation (and other Japanese companies) should hire a North American English-speaking person to edit the final copy [I am a third-generation Japanese-Canadian, so please don't accuse me of racism]; for example, the SMALL heading "Set recording by specifying details manually" on p.50 would have been more comprehensible if it had read "Setting timer recordings manually without TV GUIDE", or words to that effect. It's a shame that an otherwise brilliant machine has received bad reviews because of weaknesses in the Owner's Manual. I desperately want to purchase at least two more XS34 or XS35 units (I have already purchased separately two extra remote controls because I have worn out a few buttons on one, and the machine can be useless if even one button, e.g. the Down control, doesn't work). If TOSHIBA has been traumatized by the vitriolic response to their XS34 and is phasing it and its successors out, could anyone tell me of any competitor's machine which has the two great features I have noted above?

Another confusing section in the manual concerns setting the default settings for recording. The factory has set the SP speed as the default recording speed, which allows for about 2 hours on a blank 4.7 GB DVD-R disc. Since the picture is only slightly degraded at LP speed, and much better than a VHS SP recording, I prefer to record 4+ hours on one disc at LP speed. Although you can choose the LP default setting for timer recordings by going to the Service Bar and then Setup, if the power goes out and you do not reset this, the machine automatically goes back to the SP setting. The machine also records at SP if you manually hit the Record button. It IS possible to change the machine default record setting, but the instructions are on p.161 and are confusing; IMO this important detail ought to be described and clearly explained in the Introduction and set very early on in the operation of the machine.

Some have complained that the machine cannot copy Copyright-protected movies onto the hard disk for use in producing DVD copies. I think the producers of movies have the right to insist on this feature!

dvd recorder.......2007-05-23

it's a grate dvd and is easy to programing so i' need lernd little more about bunrd but i give 4 stars in this product because it's better the traditionals dvrsToshiba RD-XS34 DVD Recorder with 160-GB Hard Drive

Read the manual.......2007-01-12

I have this DVR and I have not had any problems with it. I read a previous review which said you could not set it to record manually, but it does have the ability to be set that way. You do have to wait over night for the channels to show up on the TV Guide screen, but I think that is the same for any DVR that is not going through the cable company. I did find that some channels will not automatically show up and you have to manually switch them on through the setup on the TV Guide screen.

Bottom line, you can record on the hard drive or DVD. You do not have to pay a monthly subscription fee and it is easy to install. You do need to actually read the directions to find out all of the funtionality (not just the Quick Setup Guide). I haven't had any issues with this machine.

DVD recording fine at first, rapidly deteriorated..........2007-01-04

As mentioned by some of the other reviewers, this unit has problems with transferring shows recorded on its hard drive to DVD. It worked fine at first, but within about 10-15 uses it started having problem: it would not recognize discs it had just made (error message of "Check disc - it may be damaged), or it gave other error messages during the recording process. It seems to have an especially hard time with DVD-R discs, although it is stated to be compatible with them. After about a year of use the DVD recording function is essentially un-usable. The hard drive recording has worked well, though, and is somewhat user friendly after some practice.

Read these reviews! I should have!.......2006-11-01

I purchased the Toshiba RD-XS34 Recorder without reading the reviews posted here. I should have! The recording quality is good but the controls are confusing and the instruction manual is not a lot of help. I found that once I figured out how to do something I was better off writing it down and creating my own instructions. Multiple overlapping controls on the remote don't help the situation. I have had the recorder for two months and I now have it almost figured out. TV Guide is as described in the reviews. A nightmare. Finally left the recorder off for three days and now have the guide but I worry it will go away again. Can't record movies off HBO or Showtime and put on DVD unless it's a DVD-RAM which won't play on most DVD players. We had hoped to record movies and play on our other DVD TV but that's not happening. Editing works OK but takes a lot of fooling around with to get comfortable with it. There has got to be better recorder than this.

Average customer rating:
SLR60 Tape Drive 9406-5753

Manufacturer: IBM
ProductGroup: CE

Tape Drives | Tape Backup Devices | Drives & Storage | Computer Add-Ons | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics
Product Features:

Original IBM equipment.

SLR60 Tape Drive 9406-5753

ASIN: B000MRC8QK

Product Description

SLR60 Tape Drive 9406-5753

Average customer rating:
2120S SCSI Raid U320 66MHZ 1CH Lion Backup Mod Lp MD2 Ff Rohs

Manufacturer: ADAPTEC
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

RAID Array | Drives & Storage | Computer Add-Ons | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics
Product Features:

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