Toshiba RD-XS32 Recorder 80GB HD

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The RD-XS32 DVD player/recorder from Toshiba combines a versatile video recorder and a high-end DVD player with a clear, realistic picture and warm, natural sound. The RD-XS32 is the perfect next-generation upgrade from your old VCR and a powerful addition to your home theater.
The multidrive recorders on the RD-XS32 allow you to record onto an internal 80 GB hard disk drive (HDD), a DVD-R disc, or rerecordable DVD-RW and DVD-RAM discs. The HDD holds up to 103 hours of programs, and you can rapidly dub shows from the HDD onto a DVD. A high-speed dub of a recording from the HDD onto a DVD-R disc can be completed 24 times faster than the length of the program. In other words, two hours of recording can move onto a disc in a matter of minutes. DVD-R copies of recordings made by the RD-XS32 will play on almost all DVD players and DVD-compatible computers.
Toshiba's time-slip playback feature allows you to watch a program that is being recorded from the beginning while the rest of the show records. You can also use the time-slip feature to pause a live broadcast that you are recording, and then resume watching it from where you left it, whenever you want.
Setting up a recording is simple. The RD-XS32 uses Gemstar's VCR Plus technology, which lets you select the programs you want to record by name, without worrying about setting the right time and channel. You can schedule up to 32 different shows with this timer recording feature.
Amazon.com Product Description

The programs that you have recorded are logged into an adjustable menu that displays the date, time, and channel that you recorded. You will also see a still-video image of the show you recorded in the menu. You can rename the listings and create chapters within the recordings that allow you to easily skip to your favorite scenes or to dub a cleaned-up copy of the show you've recorded onto DVD. The easy-to-use menu also features a live action window that lets you monitor the program you are currently recording or playing.
In addition to high-quality recordings, you'll get the most out of your DVD library as well. The RD-XS32 utilizes Toshiba's ColorStream Pro progressive-scan video technology to yield vivid colors, clean resolution, and reduced onscreen distortion. The RD-XS32 uses digital cinema progressive scanning to reproduce your DVDs in theaterlike clarity. While the RD-XS32 is compatible with both analog and digital televisions, you will get the optimum effect by using the player with a high-definition-compatible television.
In addition to playing a full range of DVDs, the RD-XS32 plays CDs and MP3 audio files, so you can enjoy your favorite music. You can also view digital JPEG photos from CDs created in your computer with the RD-XS32.
The RD-XS32 features rear-panel composite audio and video inputs, and RCA inputs on the front panel to connect your camcorder for dubbing onto DVD. An additional digital IEEE1394 Firewire jack is included on the front panel for an instant connection with digital camcorders. The Firewire connection automatically synchs up with your camcorder and creates a customized onscreen menu for dubbing.

What's in the Box
DVD recorder unit, remote control, owner's manual.

From the Manufacturer
Key Features:
80 GB hard disc drive (HDD): This drive, similar to what is used in a personal computer, can store recorded broadcast programming and dubbed content. The RD-XS32 will allow high-speed dubbing from the HDD to a DVD-RAM, DVD-R, or DVD-RW without any deterioration of the digital MPEG-2 signal and provides instant access to recorded programs. So forget about searching for blank videotape when you want to record, simply hit record and the HDD do all the work.

Toshiba RD-XS32 Recorder 80GB HD

Price

Test report

Extremely Happy with this one, April 14, 2005 Reviewer: Michael Edick "edickent" (Olney, MD United States) -
I've had this RD-XS32 for almost 5-months now, and I'm still totally thrilled with this purchase. I'm a computer-geek, having ripped/edited video and DVD on a PC for a few years proved good background training for this unit (it basically feels like a PC, not a VCR). For newbies, this has all the same basic functions as a VCR. But, for people who want to do some serious video editing (chaptering and removing unwanted scenes) this thing rocks.

Downsides to this include a manual an inch-thick and a multi-function menu-system with a zillion options. Also, don't buy this if your TV doesn't have video-inputs (this only has coax throughput, there's no RF-modulator for channel 3/4). But, for those willing to learn, you can make this do some really cool things! I dropped-down my record quality for most-everything TV-related I record (1.4MB/s), and I had something like 85-hours of programs recorded on it before it started yelling at me (and the quality was fine). The "timeslip" chase playback is useful (play back while you're still recording), but the most-useful feature is recording one show while you play something you've already recorded from the content menu.

I am so thrilled with this unit (and, I don't know what others are talking about with the "black"-problem, I've made hundreds of DVD-R's off TV and my own Mini-DV camcorder, and had no problem... what they may be explaining is copy-protection of copywrited DVD-movies and they deserve to not see good copies), I'm about to buy another one for a different room!

Excellent value for the money (old price $370), March 26, 2005 Reviewer: rsrsrs "rsrsrs" (Texas, United States) - I bought it when the price was $370 and Amazon had $30 off $250 certificate. At that range, it simply creams everything else. Most others were about $100 more. Unlike most others, it plays -r, -rw and -ram formats (all panasonics or sonys do not). Only catch is u have to be in the -r/rw camp. Note that this will effect your future choice of dvd camcorders also -- so be careful. You want both -rw and -ram formats as you do not know which will win out.
Only problem is that most TVs do not have a S-video OUT so you cannot record higher resolution.
Else, works as advertised provided you buy "standard" discs like Memorex etc (Compusa dvds did not work).

Does everything it said it does., February 24, 2005 Reviewer: BTW (San Francisco, CA) - Had the recorder for a couple of months now and it works great. I have tried using Maxwell DVD-RW and TDK DVD-R (8X) and didn't have any problems. The DVD-R works in all of my other DVD players including the one in my car. Love the fact that it has a feature to automatically figures out the best quality to record a movie over 2hrs into one DVD. Using the time recorder with my DirecTv programmable receiver, it works like a charm.

Manual is somewhat useless and you will need a lot of trial and error to get it working to your liking. The dubbing process is somewhat slow ever at the high speed option. It took approx. 5 minutes to copy a two hour recording to a DVD. I was expecting it to be faster for a machine dedicated for this kind of process. Another drawback I found was I couldn't create more chapters or edit the content if I recorded it directly on the DVD instead of the HDD. Otherwise it is a great machine for the price (under $400) I paid for.

SIMPLY AMAZING!!!! I LOVE IT!, April 10, 2004
Reviewer:
"khena" (Nashville, TN USA) -
I was on my way to best buy to get the Pioneer DVR810-HS as I really wanted a HD unit that would record DVD-R and DVD-RW (Didn't want DVD-RAM, as the price of the discs are too high).

I was not crazy about Tivo, but didn't think I had a choice. When I got there, they had just gotten this Toshiba unit in (that day). Though they weren't able to answer many questions about it, since they had just gotten it, I figured I would give it a shot, and return it if I didn't like it.

Well, the only thing I can say is WOW!!! You can choose to record on the HD (no Tivo needed) or the disc directly.
The choices of record quality is HUGE! Anywhere from extreme quality (less than 1 hour per DVD), all the way to Low quality (over 6 hours per DVD) and everything in between. Best part, it will record on DVD-R, -RW, and RAM as well.

Even at the lowest quality recording, it still records at higher quality than my VCR. The built in noise reductions is awesome (you can turn on or off as you wish), stopping lines or blocks from appearing when image gets very bright or action gets fast.

The best part is the editing function. You can edit recording at will, creating chapters and deleting any of them at will. (create chapters for the commercials, then delete them. You now have the program without the commercials. How cool is that!!!)
Another great thing is if you record 2 programs on a DVD-RW, and delete the first, it moves the second up, so you don't loose the space. My last unit left the space blank, which means I had to record a show of the same time as the one I deleted. If it was longer, it would record over the second one.

The High speed dubbing works great. You can go from HD to disc very easily and fast (4 hour show dubbed to disc in about 15 minutes or less). When editing a show, it will create a playlist (i.e: original show divided up in chapters - show and commercials. Create playlist that will only play the show chapters, therefore eliminating commercials). You can then copy it on the HD or disc, creating a new original without commercials and delete the old original. Watch out though, if you delete the original without copying the playlist on the HD or disc as an original, it will delete any associated playlist with it.

The DVD creation feature is great as well. You can rename each chapters individually, and whole shows (titles) as well.
You can combine chapters and/or titles together as well. It gives you a few options on colors and display as to what it will look like, and the finished (finalized) product will then work in any DVD player and look very professional (though it does show in the upper right hand corner it was created with this unit).

For the price, you just can't beat it! I am thrilled with it! Great editing functions, incredible image quality, and easy to use. No Tivo monthly fees, which is the best part. Composite, digital audio out...

Another couple of great features as that you can record a program on the HD, while watching a DVD at the same time. The other great feature is when you are watching a show on the HD or disc, you can engage the PIP feature and see what is playing on the regular TV Channels.

You can't go wrong!

Hope this has helped you.

Great Recorder with a Major Flaw, August 2, 2004 Reviewer: T. Phoenix - Unfortunately, I have decided to return my Toshiba RD-XS32, but not without a lot of thought and experimentation. First, the good news....

The XS32 is a great DVD Recorder by itself. It has numerous features that many other units do not have. The picture quality of the recordings I made on both HDD and DVD discs was excellent when you play them back on the Toshiba even though I only used the default SP setting which gives you about 2 hours of recording on a DVD-R, DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disc. You can adjust the bit rates up and down if you want more space or better quality.

The XS32 has so many adjustments and settings that some people may find the unit intimidating. However, I personally liked the extra features and amount of control that you have with this recorder.

I came close to buying the Sony RDRGX-7, but I was told by more than a few people that I should get a recorder with a Hard Drive. They were correct, and having the 80GB HDD on the Toshiba convinced me that I will not own a DVD Recorder in the future without the HDD. Setting the timer to record your favorite shows is easy, and having the HDD means that you never worry about finding a blank disc. It is also fairly easy to then transfer your recordings from the HDD to a DVD disc. However, when you play those discs on a DVD player other than the XS32 the pictures don't look so good, and that's the bad news....

The black level bug that has been discussed in several other reviews, here and on other forums, is very real. DVD disc recordings that I made looked great on the Toshiba, but they would not play at all on one of the other DVD players we own nor would they play on the kid's PlayStation. The discs did play on the DVD player I use most of the time in our family room, on my computer and on a few of the other players I tried, but the images in all but one of these players were very bright and "washed out". I tried both DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. I tried using different brands of media and I tried most of the other settings and suggestions I read in the technical forums. Nothing significantly changed the image black level problem.

If your only recorder and player is the Toshiba RD-XS32 then I think you will be very satisfied with the performance of this unit. If Toshiba could fix the black level issue the XS32 would be awesome. But, my reason for wanting a DVD recorder was to make discs that could be portable and played in other players without problems or hassles, like VHS tapes use to be. In this respect the Toshiba has failed and that is why I am returning the unit.

A Great Mechine, But Not For A Beginner!!!!, November 29, 2004 Reviewer: KEJ (Orlando, Fl USA) -

I did a lot of research before I decided to buy the RD-XS32. If you are a person who is looking for a simple DVDR to record your old VHS tapes onto cd and your not looking for much else, then maybe one of the lower end DVDR's are for you.

If you happen do be a person who is looking for a more hight-tech DVDR that has endless features then this is the mechine for you.

The things I love about this recorder are numerous.

1. The 80GB hard dive...A MUST HAVE!!!!!

2. The ability to record DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD-RW...good if you
plan to play your recorded cd's on other dvd recorders.

3. The ability to do timer recordings using the VCR Plus+® C3
Timer Recording Feature.

4. The IR Blaster which gives your DVDR the ability to change
the channel on your cable/satallite box for timer recordings.

5. The IEEE1394DV Inputs which give you the ability to also
put your camcorder tapes on cd.

6. The many features: Auto Title/Chapter/Thumbnail
Creation, Time Slip Recording/Playback, Pause Live TV/Chase
Play...ect.

Enough of the good now about the BAD!!!!

1. Complicated set-up...It took me 2 days of playing around
before I finally set everything up correctly. If you get
help this should not be a problem. The installation guide
is not much help.

2. The Operations Guide is not well set up. It does alot of
jumping back and forth. This takes some getting use to.

3. Although this DVDR has alot of features it will take some
time before you become proficient in using them all.

4. The remote is not the most user friendly but...are they ever?

Other than that this is a solid mechine that does everything I could want and alot more!!!! Have not seen any of the black level problems I read about in other reviews, but then i've only had this mechine for three days.

I am very pleased i decided to buy this recorder and I would recommend it to everyone.

One Sweet Machine, November 27, 2004

Reviewer:
John Fern "John" (Crystal, MN USA) - I was going to buy a more expensive unit, but when I got to my local electronics store, I found this one on the shelf.
The price was HALF what I wanted to spend for a DVD recorder with hard drive, and the guy told me it was a close out.
I thought I would give it a whirl, and was glad I did.
Once you familiarize yourself with the manual, and spend two to three weeks working with it, it will become second nature like your old VCR.
The picture is awesome, and it lives up to its promises.
When adding titles to the programs or movies, you have to use a keyboard on the TV screen, and using the directional arrows, type out your title. It's kind of a hassle, so I use the thumbnail option and put the movie or show title in the little picture after recording is over.
The only major drawback I've come across so far is that HBO uses a copy-write protection signal that allows you to record to your hard drive, but not to the disc. Unless it is a DVD-ram and those are more expensive than the DVD-r, and DVD-rw.
You will not be allowed to finalize the DVD-ram when you do record on it, so it will be useless in other players UNLESS you have a player that is compatible with DVD-ram
I have a portable panasonic that plays the DVD-ram without being finalized so I would be at least be able to play the discs on that for trips and such.
I found a better option and that was to cancel HBO and get STARZ instead. Eventually, they may go with the rediculous concept of copywrite protection which hurts all of us that are only making copies for friends and family, or to use on the plane or (God forbid) an urgent care waiting room, but until then, I'll continue to give my business to them instead of HBO.
Sorry if I got off track a bit, but I think it's important information if you're using the machine for movies like I do.
I'm using Maxell DVD-r, and they seem to work fine.
Thanks, and I hope this helps.

John

I'll keep it, November 18, 2004 Reviewer:
pickyone - I was planning to setup a Video editing/Home media solution based on PC for which I would need to buy extra hard disk, DVD writer, a good video card, video capture card with TV tuner. When I add all those prices up it would come close too $400. Then I came across this unit. For the price with the hard drive and Toshiba quality, I get much more elegant solution then what I planned. PC video capture card with TV tuner not likely able produce the same the quality of this unit.
I also want to use this to record TV show to watch later but that's where this unit have a few points that I wish for better.
1) I haven't found any way to eliminate channel I don't like from the list, so if you flipping through the channels, you will have to put up with going through lots of junk channels. Even my VCR 15 years ago able to do that! You may choose numeric pad to surf channels, which btw is hidden, a bad design (overall ergonomic of the remote control is confusing and require learning with the manual).
2) Doesn't seem you can set repeating recording, i.e, no way to record weekly, monthly, daily with just one entry, you would have to remember to program again and again everyweek if you want to record the same program at the same time everyweek.
But I want to reduce my TV watching, so I can put up with that. So overall I decide it's a keeper. Other aspect of this unit, many have already reviewed so no need for me to repeat here. I didn't notice any thing wrong with black level, yet.

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Toshiba RD-XS32 Recorder 80GB HD