Toshiba DR5...At First Glance

[joevideohelp]

There should be a manual eject somewhere (very little hole). Of course, if it doesn't work right off the bat, I'd probably send it back anyway.

Thanks anitract for the suggestion.

I was thinking the same thing, but Crutchfield wanted to just send another one to me so hopefully I'll have better luck with this one.

Ken

I just got the replacement and the tray works!

[DVWannaB]

Hi all,

I just got a used Toshiba RD-XS54 yesterday (at a fraction of the price of a new one ----- previous owner had it 2 weeks and couldnt figure it out -------- his loss------ my gain).

Anyway, I just wanted to thank some of the board members for posting the work-around with that dumb-azz TV guide. It was poorly implemented and should have given the user the choice to use or not at their discretion. I had a bear of a time working around the TV guide, as the unit is connected to a satellite HDTV receiver. As XS54 users know, this unit cannot control a satellite box. This is where the logic of Toshiba baffles me. It has HDMI, which is a standard most closely linked to HIGH DEFINITION TVs, but yet they saddle you with a TV guide that can only be functional with a cable or over the air antenna (non-HDTV) set-up. Also, no component cables in. Mismatch of technologies here.

I have set-up a timer recording for this afternoon, while at work, on one of the movie channels. So it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

[DVWannaB]

follow-up on my post above with a quick test on the XS54. As stated in previous posts, I can verify that by connecting to HDTV Sat receiver with S-video cable you cannot archive those shows to disc (HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, etc). But this obstacle can be overcome. I believe board rules prohibit specific discussions on this topic, but lets say its "do-able" and no sweat really.

One thing I did notice in regard to recording 16:9 broadcasts to DVD-RW. It seems the XS54 actually records in 4:3 and puts 16:9 info in the IFO file, so that when you play back from disc is plays it correctly. When I ripped the DVD-RW, and edited the VOB, it reported the individual VOBs as 4:3 aspect ratio. This was no sweat, as it can easily be converted to 16:9 file by using Restream.

Looks like I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my new toy. TV guide issues aside

[Clevor]

I have the RD-XS52. Does anybody know if it will take the 1-16X DVD-R discs? These recorders are notorious for only taking the old spec stuff.

Also, does anybody have the problem of distortion and corrupt pixels when occasionally dubbing from DVD-RAM to HDD? I suspect it is a heat issue. Toshiba says to pull the power cord for 3', but while it works, the problem periodically reoccurs. Usually shutting the recorder down for a couple of minutes and starting it up helps. I try to keep a deskfan blowing on the unit when I dub, and I place the sat dish unit on it on pedestals to leave an air gap above the recorder.

This is my 2nd unit from Crutchfield, and the problem still occurs. The 2nd unit has a fan which I can hear cycling on and off, but only when I dub to DVD-R. It's silent on other dubbing.

[DVWannaB]

Clevor,

I believe the answer is yes, that the XS52 will burn 1-16x discs, but i is very picky which brand you use. I too had an XS52 until the drive starting producing errors. With the XS52 I had consistent performance when I use Taiyo Yuden x8 discs. Other discs would give inconsistent burns. Some good and some not. I think the XS52 prefers Taiyo Yuden above all others. As for corrupted pixels, I am not sure what that is, so I cant answer with any degree of accuracy. I now have an XS54 and often I record a movie at a high bitrate to transfer to my computer for Dual Layer authoring and burn. So I usually cut the movie in 2 halves and burn on DVD-RW (video mode). What I noticed is that at the cut point there is a 3 or 4 frame freeze of the last frame. So I have to cut those extra frames so the movie plays smoothly.

I have a growing suspicion that the XS52 is a flawed unit for 2 main reasons. 1) the inconsistent performance of the drive. Which after constant usage delivers more burn and drive errors than anything else. 2) The black level bug. This was corrected in follow-up machines XS34/54/55. The only way I could get correct black level on the XS52 was to connect a color corrector between the XS52 and the satellite receiver.

[Clevor]

Clevor,

I believe the answer is yes, that the XS52 will burn 1-16x discs, but i is very picky which brand you use. I too had an XS52 until the drive starting producing errors. With the XS52 I had consistent performance when I use Taiyo Yuden x8 discs. Other discs would give inconsistent burns. Some good and some not. I think the XS52 prefers Taiyo Yuden above all others. As for corrupted pixels, I am not sure what that is, so I cant answer with any degree of accuracy. I now have an XS54 and often I record a movie at a high bitrate to transfer to my computer for Dual Layer authoring and burn. So I usually cut the movie in 2 halves and burn on DVD-RW (video mode). What I noticed is that at the cut point there is a 3 or 4 frame freeze of the last frame. So I have to cut those extra frames so the movie plays smoothly.

I have a growing suspicion that the XS52 is a flawed unit for 2 main reasons. 1) the inconsistent performance of the drive. Which after constant usage delivers more burn and drive errors than anything else. 2) The black level bug. This was corrected in follow-up machines XS34/54/55. The only way I could get correct black level on the XS52 was to connect a color corrector between the XS52 and the satellite receiver.

I only use TY media and the DVD-R I plan on buying is that. I asked Toshiba if it will use 1-16x but haven't received a reply yet.

I have not seen the black level bug issue on my machine. So far I'm pleased with the excellent video quality of the Toshiba units and the feature-rich interface. I'm limited in the US brands I can use as I am in Japan and have to hook up to a Japanese model TV and satellite receiver. I've tried different brands like JVC and Panasonic, and the Toshiba is the only one that picks up all local channels, whether their VCR or DVD recorders. I don't understand Japanese and no way you'd want to deal with Kanji on a complicated DVD recorder. Many have trouble with the voluminous English manual.

The HD in these recorders are Maxtors. The 250 GB Toshiba unit was way too expensive at the time I considered purchase. As I am a former overclocking addict, I know the Maxtors IDEs have a good reputation compared to IBM and Western Digital. I plan to install some cooling fans in the case after the 1-year warrantee to try to remedy the issue. It may be a chip on the circuit board overheating.

I'm hoping for a firmware update from Toshiba, but I think that is in vain, as there hasn't been one since their HDD recorders hit the market.