Toshiba RD-X2 DVD-RAM/DVD-R Recorder

Rating:
Summary: The Future is Finally Here !!
Review: I have been waiting for this model since the first DVD player was released years ago. How many times have you said: "I just love my DVD player, but I only wish I could record with it!".....well be careful what you wish for....because it may just come true.

This model is about to be released across the country. I tested one at one of the major Home Theater shows and was quite impressed with it's all around performance.

This is what I would call the third generation for this device. The first two Panasonic models and now this Toshiba. Each incarnation improves over the last....with the the first models including no hard drives....and the second generation including a 40 GB hard drive....now Toshiba enters the field with a full size 80 GB hard drive...which gives you the flexibility to record your favorite programming or dub and edit vacation movies on the hard disc drive....without this feature....a recordable DVD player is only doing half it's job.

This drive, similar to what is used in a personal computer, can store recorded broadcast programming and dubbed content. The RD-X2 will allow high speed dubbing (2x, 4x, 8x) from the HDD to a DVD-RAM and back without any deterioration of the digital MPEG2 signal and provides instant access to recorded programs so there's no more searching for blank locations on the disc. Once the program is recorded you can create playlist titles with chapter thumbnails and names.

It also records on DVD-R discs....DVD-R are record only once discs that are playable in all the newer DVD units. And at prices near to the $99 range....get the Grandparents a new model DVD player...so that they can view all the DVD home movies you will now send them. DVD-R discs are falling in price....much like the road of the CD-R discs....might also be a way to decrease the overall in-law yearly visiting time....which may make this unit priceless!

The Disc Budget feature directs the player to read the space available on a DVD-RAM disc and automatically assign the optimum data rate for video recording based upon the length or programming and the audio mode selected. The RD-X2 offers several preset and manual recording modes:

*The consumer can choose the LP picture mode (2.2mbs video data rate) and record as much as 75 hours on the HDD and 4 hours 22 minutes on the DVD.

*The SP picture mode offers near-DVD picture quality, with a video bit rate of 4.6mbs. In this mode, the consumer can record approximately 36 hours on the HDD and 2 hours on the DVD.

*The manual recording mode lets you preset the bit rate.

There are 37 individual choices from 2.0mbs all the way up to the highest quality 9.2mbs.

Amazon customers need to keep on Papa Amazon to stock these babies in bulk and post them at a competive price level. The only thing more you would want on this model would be to add TiVo capabilities....but I guess you have to save something for the next generation.

Rating:
Summary: Marked Improvement on My Previous DVD Recorder
Review: I just bought this unit a few days ago, and while its still early days yet, I think its a marked improvement on the previous units I owned (two E20s, both broke at four months and nine months, respectively).

GENERAL DISCLAIMER ABOUT WHAT DVD RECORDERS CAN AND CAN'T DO:
1. Copying prerecorded DVDs and VHS tapes onto DVD-Rs isn't going to happen. The units will detect the macrovision and other protections and refuse to copy these items.
2. DVD-RAMs recorded on *any* DVD Recorder won't play in regular DVD players. Period.
3. Home recorded DVD-Rs will not play in every single DVD player. They'll generally work in the newer machines, but you won't be able to tell in advance which ones will work, and which ones won't. Its a crap shoot.

WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS UNIT:
1. The hard drive. You can record programs on to the hard drive, edit out the commercials, and then burn them onto a DVD-R or DVD-RAM. I can edit down to the frame. And you get twice as large a hard drive on the Toshiba as you do on the equivalent Panasonic model, the HS2, for about the same price.
2. Manually adjustable recording levels. The unit has two preset recording levels (SP and LP) which correspond roughly to the length of recording you would get with a 6 hour VHS tape, but you can also manually adjust the recording level (picture and audio quality) on both the hard drive and the DVD-R so you can squeeze that last program on the DVD-R, or you can adjust things so you get the best possible picture quality for the 3 hour movie you want to burn onto DVD-R.
3. Compared to the "look" of the graphics on the DMR-E20, its like the difference between a first generation Atari and a Nintendo.
4. You can record a bunch of programs onto the harddrive, edit out the commercials, and then program the unit to download them on to the disc. The unit will automatically start the first program you selected, download it, end right when the recording ends, start the next program and so on. If you don't have enough space on the disc to record everything you tell it to, the unit will tell you in advance.
5. You can start watching a program from the beginning, even if its recording in the middle.
6. You can manually input titles for each recording. If you title recordings on the hard drive, when you download them to disc, the machine will automatically transfer those titles to the disc. You can also clear a title with one click of a button. Very convenient.
7. The unit is very responsive to the remote control. With the E20, if I was doing a lot of downloading, my fingers would get sore from having to keep punching in every letter, every space, and the "set" key. Not with this remote, it doesn't require a heavy hand to react, and the reaction times are much, much faster.

HOWEVER MUCH I LIKE IT, IT ISN'T A PERFECT UNIT, HOWEVER, SO BEAR IN MIND...
1. You can't record directly from the TV input source to DVD-R or DVD-RAM. It has to be recorded to the hard drive first.
2. The unit is more complicated to use than a VCR, definitely. If your VCR is still flashing 12:00, get a Tivo instead (Tivo gets 5 stars, its the best product I've ever bought. Period.) You can't just delete a program by hitting a button, there are a number of steps to be followed. There is a definite learning curve (however, IMO its worth it).
3. While the written instructions and illustrations are basically good, they are poorly organized. They are not organized in what I consider a logical manner, certainly not in the order I tried to determine things so I could actually use the unit. And I managed to figure out some shortcuts that were omitted from the manual, that were far less time consuming than the methods written. The lack of a table of contents is a serious omission as well, so you're forced to do some hunting for what you're looking for. Also, the Toshiba website hasn't been updated and doesn't even list the RD-X2 on it, so you're not going to find much there.
4. The one other thing I don't like about the unit is that you can't record a single program onto a DVD-R disc (you can on a DVD-RAM) and then three weeks later add something else on to the disc. When you write to a DVD-R, it fills it up and finalizes it, no other options. This means if you want to put specific things on the same disc, you'll have to save them on the HD for a while until you have everything. Fortunately, the HD is pretty large.

It is more complicated to use than a VCR, and you'll definitely need to read the installation and operation manuals, but if you do, I think you'll find its worth it.