Toshiba RS-TX60 160GB Recorder

Rating:
Summary: Nice recorder, but wish it had a couple of other features
Review: Having used this unit for about 2 weeks, overall I'm very satisfied with it, and am glad I bought it.

Things I like:

1. The general concept of recording to hard disk. Pointing to the show I like on the TV guide and telling it to record, without going looking for tape, etc. is very convenient.
2. Screen-based programming is very easy to use. Much easier than your average old fashioned VHS recorder. Anybody can use it.
3. Ability to hit record button part way into a show, and if you have been watching it already, without channel changing, you can record retroactive to when you started watching the show.
4. Burning DVD's works well, and the DVD seems to be easily read on all other DVD players I've tried.

Things I wish it did differently or had difficulty with:

1. I wish it would display how much of the hard disk is in use. There is no way that I could find to tell how full it is.
2. The unit was supposed to come with a 45 day trial of Tivo Plus, the premium service for recommending what you might like, and that records all programs you like (even if times change). However, my unit counted down 6 days and cut me off. The person on technical support telephone said it would give me 6 days then an additional 45, but that didn't work. I've pretty much decided I can live just fine without the premium Tivo Plus service.
3. I have had trouble with it dialing in to update the basic guide service. Some days it works, and others not. I'm going to go to internet-based updating instead. (There are no local phone numbers for me in this area).
4. DVD's it creates have the Tivo logo and "look" to them (on the top menu of the burned DVD). Wish it had a more generic, plain look. (I'm using it to burn a lot of home videos on 8mm tapes to DVD's).

All in all, I recommend this unit, and I believe it will serve my needs very well.

Rating:
Summary: Great Toshiba Tivo/DVD unit
Review: I have upgraded from Toshiba SD-H400 to RS-TX60 2 weeks ago. Aside from being able to continue using the Tivo basic service, which is completely free (except the cost of phone calls to a local number which provides program information), here are additional benefits:
1. Huge Tivo hard drive seems impossible to fill up. I know one day even 200 hours will seem too small, but for now it seems infinite.
2. Copying Tivo'd programs to a DVD-R or DVD-RW. As I fly a lot, I am able to bring my DVD-R's, and watch them on a plane with my portable DVD player or a laptop. I found no problems playing the DVD-Rs on other equipment. I was slightly concerned what happens when the recorded program is longer than 2 hours (limit what would fit on a single DVD-R in High quality mode), but the unit seamlessly fills up 1 DVD-R, and then continues on another with the rest of the recorded program.
Creating a 2-hour DVD-R takes about 45 minutes; creating 30-minute DVD-R takes about 20 minutes. The initial on-screen estimate is always 57 minutes for the DVD-R, but the number decreases somehow faster than the real time. At the same time, the front display of the unit shows how many percent of the DVD have been recorded.
3. The unit is much quieter than SD-H400.
4. Occasional audio sync and pixelization annoyances have not come up yet on the new unit.

I also found a few annoyances on the new unit:
1. The remote is not as logical as the SD-H400's seemed to be. The two jump forward/jump back buttons have been replaced with one "jump forward than jump back" button. Live TV/Guide buttons have also been combined into one. The Stop and pause buttons are at unexpected locations, but I guess this is just a matter of getting used to it. And the worst, there is no standby button on the remote for the unit, so I either have to navigate the menus to put it in standby, or stand up and press the button on the unit itself! If I didn't do it, I would have to turn off the audio system (which I keep always on), or I would have TV sound on at all times. (By the way, the unit does turn on just by pressing the Tivo button on the remote.)
2. The Tivo on-screen font is slightly smaller and toned, so it is somehow more difficult to read on a 27" TV.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the product, and would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for Advanced Tivo'ing
Review: The RS-TX20 works like a charm. The instruction manual and quick start guide made cabling a fairly straightforward affair. The variety of cabling options includes cable box, satellite box, both, or straight from the cable. The unit came with enough cables to make all the connections needed and to then get going. You can also output to a variety of components including a VCR. We have ours going to a theatre amp and the improvement in the sound by selecting Dolby 5.1 from the Toshiba/TiVo set-up menu is noticeable.

The only caveat's:

1 - If you have VONAGE or other VOIP - I had a hard time getting the onboard modem to hook to TiVo Central. This is where all of the data about what is on your local channels comes from. I had to call Vonage and explain to them what I was doing. Kudos to Vonage - they were very helpful and with only 20-30 minutes, I was able to hook up to get the initial program load. If you are doing this, use dialing prefix ",#034" (comma-pound-zero-three-four)((don't forget the comma!!)

2 - The unit is enabled for wired/wireless networking once the initial program load is in. What they (Toshiba/TiVo) don't tell you is the wireless must be 802.11b. Not "a", not "g". "B"! A pair of USB ports facilitates the network connection, so you will need to troop down to your local electronics store and purchase a USB wireless dongle. [...] Make sure you get a "B"! The onscreen setup for network connections is a snap and works well. Only suggestion for future models is one USB, one RJ10 and one RJ45. By the way, wireless "B" anything is getting difficult to find as "G" has been the standard for a while now.

3 - The DVD's must be "-" that you are going to burn. Small thing and these are easy to find, but in terms of the "nits" about the unit that need to be covered in a review, if you are buying a complete setup, make certain you are buying DVD-R's or -RW's. The DVD burn itself appears to be 2X. You can continue to watch TV while it burns and the front of the unit provides nice progress indications (percent complete) while the burn progresses. The burned DVD has great quality and captures all of the TiVo data (précis) for each thing burned, which makes your DVD's appear to be professionally done.

Overall, this is a fantastic unit. Were it not for the VOIP and wireless issues, I would have given this unit 5 stars. Although they are little things, they are the kinds of things that Toshiba should have anticipated being an issue for someone buying a unit to do more than record and playback. My teenager has been able to figure out how to use it, so ease of use is apparent. You will thoroughly enjoy the Toshiba RS-TX20 once you have it up and running.


Rating:
Summary: Tivo is the star here!
Review: Unless you plan to stop watching television altogether (and be honest...you aren't, are you?), then you need Tivo. Why spend an hour watching a program that has upwards of 30 minutes of commercials in it? Why watch the SAME commercials over and over...and over? Why miss your favorite programs or be forced to choose between watching them and going out to eat?
With Tivo, your time becomes your OWN again. Too busy to watch a favorite show? Just Tivo it and watch it when you want. Hate those annoying commercials? Tivo the show and you can fast forward right through them...or just pause the show till the commercial break is over. Need to take a bathroom break at the climax of a movie? With Tivo, you just pause the show and come back to it after you've taken your break - and you won't miss a thing.
But most importantly, you have much more of your time back again....not as much as if you stopped watching television completely, but how many of us are that spartan? And if you are, you don't need Tivo, you need a nomination for sainthood instead.