Toshiba's "picture record mode"?

[tacitus]

Does anyone have an opinion of the Toshiba's "Picure record mode?" The docs imply that the brightness of the signal is always modified. Is there a particular mode which seem to minimize the signal modification? My particular DVD recorder is the DR4, but info on any of the Toshiba DVD recorders are welcome. Others have posted about the nature of the "input black level" but I couldn't find info on the other mode. BTW, mine is NTSC.

[samijubal]

The Toshiba D-R4 is the best recorder I've seen for recording the signal it receives. There isn't any change in brightness unless you change the factory settings. It's the only recorder I've used where I can't tell wheather I'm watching the satellite itself or a recording. It might be different through the tuner, I've never used the tuner on any recorder.

[tacitus]

Thanks for the reply.

I think you are right - I was somewhat confused by the statement in the "owner's manual": for the standard picure record mode: "The brightness of signals recieved with the recorder and external input signals is adjusted automatically." standard is of course the default. The reason that I investigated this is that I was playing material recorded on the Toshiba on my Pioneer DVD player and it was lightening the top and bottom bars letterbox bars significantly. Upon reading your message, I investigated my TV for that input and the brightness was way off - I had not revisited my TV calibration. I corrected the brightness and although the bars are still more noticable that I like; once I do a more serious calibration it will probably be totatlly corrected.

Even with the "bars" I have generally found the picture to be an improvement over my Panasonic, which had just died.

[ejai]

I have the Toshiba XS54 and I have noticed a slight brightness in white area, but nothing to write about, the overall picture quality of the Toshiba units are the best I've seen so far. I haven't even had to use the video enhancement features because the default video capture settings work just fine.

[tacitus]

Final results: Once I found my "Digital Video Essentials" disk and redid my basic calibration for my DVD player input on my TV, the problem when away entirely. Apparently my Panasonic DVD-recorder behaved significantly differently than my new Toshiba as far as the framing blacks from letterboxed material. The problem, which caused me to ask the question, is solved.

Thanks to the folks that responded; it certainly helped me through the "buyer's remorse" phase of this electronics purchase and caused my to look at the problem differently.