Any comments on the Toshiba RD-XS32 yet (1 Viewer)

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Seems comparable with E80 based on disc drive but it seems feature wise it's got more of the E85. high speed dubbing and can copy from Dvd-r to hdd.

ANyone got one?

 

[Tom Brennan]

I was looking at it today in Best Buy...was curious about any early reviews as well. It's a firewire input on the front which is a must for a DVD Recorder for me.

 

[Tom Brennan]

I was looking at it today in Best Buy...was curious about any early reviews as well. It's a firewire input on the front which is a must for a DVD Recorder for me.

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

I searched on avsforum and there was a long thread comparing it with the Panasonic E85. Main things I read were:
- more "sophisticated" recording and editing settings (not necessarily user friendly)
- incompatibility/can't edit dvd-rams burned by a Panasonic
- a black level or contrast issue (discs burned by it are washed out on other players)

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

I searched on avsforum and there was a long thread comparing it with the Panasonic E85. Main things I read were:
- more "sophisticated" recording and editing settings (not necessarily user friendly)
- incompatibility/can't edit dvd-rams burned by a Panasonic
- a black level or contrast issue (discs burned by it are washed out on other players)

 

[John KB]

Is there a link to this thing about the black bug as I could not find it.
I can't believe the black bug thing is still an issue!!! I've also read that it's not true. Any more info? Any reviews?

 

[John KB]

David Rubenstein, can you post a review for the Toshiba DVD recorder. I'd love to hear what you think of it, if you have the time. Do you know if there is this black bug issue people are talking about?

 

[SteveK]

John - I'm not David, but I also have the Toshiba RD-XS32. I've only had it a few weeks and have only made a handful of recordings with it, but so far I am very pleased with it. The black bug issue is that recordings made on the Toshiba SUPPOSEDLY look "washed out" when played on other DVD players. Some people say it's a real problem, while others see no evidence at all. I'm in the latter camp, as I did not see a problem when I tested one of the recordings I made on my Panasonic DVD player. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but it doesn't appear to be a problem with my unit.

The Toshiba offers a lot of features, including a wide choice of recording speeds (I think it's 38). Thus, if you want to record a movie that's 2 hours and 10 minutes long, you can use a slightly slower recording speed than when recording one that is 1 hour and 50 minutes long. Some brands will only offer a much more limited choice, such as 2 hours, 3 hours or 4 hours. With the Toshiba, you can set the video bit rate in a wide range of speeds, plus you have a choice of two audio compression modes as well as uncompressed audio (PCM).

Again, I haven't had it very long, but so far I am very impressed with it. Feel free to ask any specific questions, and I'll try to answer. Hopefully David can contribute his comments as well, since he has probably had his longer and used it more.

Enjoy!
Steve K.

 

[John KB]

Thanks Steve. Which Panny did you test it on?
Supposedly there's a new recording come out in the fall by Toshiba, RD-XS53. Haven't heard much about it yet.
What are your likes and dislikes with this player. I'm really anxious to get one.

How does it fair as a PVR? Maybe their called DVR's in the States, I'm not sure. That's one of the big selling points for me, being able to record shows onto a hard drive, watching them, and then erasing them.

 

[SteveK]

John - Sorry for the slight delay in responding. I've now tested on two Panasonics: my new F-65 and my much older A-120. I was surprised that it worked on the A-120 as it specifically lists DVD-R as one of the discs it doesn't play, but I guess a DVD-R becomes a DVD-Video when it has been finalized.

It does fine as a PVR, but I've been somewhat spoiled by my DishNetwork PVR, since all I have to do is press a few buttons from the guide and the program is automatically recorded and the title is listed for later review. The Toshiba is very easy to program, but you do have to include all the normal information (start time, stop time, etc) as well as select a video bitrate and an audio compression rate, and input the title. So it takes a few more steps, but it does a great job once you've completed the required steps.

I guess the best feature I like is the very wide choice of video bitrates. You actually have a choice of 38 bitrates! Thus, if you want to record a movie that is 2:32, you can select the best video bitrate/audio compression combination. For audio, you can record in 192 or 384 kbps, and you can even record in LPCM (which obviously gives you less recording time). You can even use the LPCM in combination with the lowest video bitrate if you want maximum audio quality but don't really care about video quality (such as for a concert). Some brands limit the PCM recording to the higher video bitrates, but with the Toshiba you can use almost any combination of video and audio rates. The user's manual includes a chart of approximate recording times for each combination of video bitrate and audio quality. I generally use a slightly slower bitrate than the table would indicate, just in case it is slightly off.

The Toshiba has numerous features, so it includes a lengthy (about 175 pages!) operations manual. I haven't yet memorized the steps for most procedures, so I keep the manual handy.

So far I'm very pleased with the Toshiba. Please let me know if you have any specific questions.

Good luck in your decision!

Steve K.

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Steve,

On the Panasonic recorders (at least on my E-80) when you go the programming screen, it shows all events scheduled and then there is a status column which shows whether or not there is enough disc space left for that event. So if I have 10 events, it may show only the first 5 will fit. Very convenient. Does the Toshiba do this also, considering all the recording time flexibility based on the bit rates?

You can also check in general how many hours of recording is avail for each of the record modes (XP, SP, LP, EP).

 

[SteveK]

Phil - I'll have to check. It does have a check mark by events that will record, but I don't know if that has anything to do with remaining time. You definitely can check how much time you have left on the disc in various recording modes, but I don't know if it would automatically compare available time to programmed recording time. I'll have to look it up in the instruction manual later today.

Steve K.

 

[joe buscema]

hi everybody, it's good to be here.

i'm getting to know my rd-xs32 more now, i've had it for almost 2 weeks.

what has me stumped is the ir blaster. the codes supplied in the toshiba manual for my sammy ts-160 don't work.

doe's anybody know what i can do?

 

[SteveK]

Joe - You might try contacting Toshiba to see if they have any additional codes. For me, the Toshiba remote controls my Sony just fine, and it controls my Dishnetwork receiver for changing channels for timer events, but the up and down channel buttons do not work. Strange! I just keep my universal remote handy to change channels on Dish, but it would be more convenient if the remote controlled channel selection. But being able to change channels for timed recordings is more important, so I don't complain.

Steve K.

 

[joe buscema]

thanks steve, i emailed toshiba 4 or 5 days ago but still no response.

i love this unit tough, it's awesome.