Toshiba RD-XS32 Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with 80 GB Hard Drive
Great all around for TV recording, transferring home videos
I thought long and hard about creating DVDs on a computer versus getting a stand-alone recorder.  I am glad I got this one, it really has everything except DVD + R capability.  In the few days I have had it, I have recorded several TV shows, transferred and edited Hi-8 tapes, time-shifted viewing, and created DVD's without any failures.<BR>Features I like:<BR>Controls your cable box (changes channels)<BR>Programs like a VCR to record TV shows, very easy<BR>Easy copying between hard drive and DVD's<BR>Almost infinitely variable bit rates, 0.2 increments from 1.4 to 9.2.<br />Things to note:<BR>179 page instruction manual, you actually have to read it to make DVD's, its not the clearest document, no index, somewhat confusing, but when you actually do it, works fine.<br />It has iLink DV input, but in fact I did not find the quality to be any better than S-video when transferring home videos.  Actually, I prefer the S-video because I can intermittently record the date onto the DVD.<BR>reuse, use DVD-R for recordings you want to keep forever.  Keep in mind that DVD-RW is not a totally flexible rewriting format, <BR>You edit your home video on the hard drive by creating chapter breaks in your home video, then piecing together the chapters in a playlist, which you then copy.  I have found so far that chapters pieced together from separate parts of a video have a tiny noticeable pause in the video, unlike the instant transitions in the original.<BR>Then you create a menu, you get thumbnails of either titles and/or chapters, 6 frames per page, with limited choice of colors (or your own background).  Even the simplest computer-based DVD creation software gives you more options.  It works fine for me, but do not expect to create masterpieces.<br />With a hard drive, there is almost no need to buy the expensive DVD-RAM discs, just use the hard drive.  Use DVD-RW for recordings you want to keep for a little while but reformat for to reuse a DVD-RW you can either ONLY erase thelast recorded item or reformat the whole disc (erasing everything).<br />I read with interest the other reviewers about the \\"black level\\" problem.  I played the DVDs I made on another DVD player (RCA cheapie) and they appeared to be the same color level as when played on the Toshiba.  I also dug into the instructions, and it appears there is a way to adjust the recording level to make your recordings darker (1 setting) or lighter (3 settings).  However, I have not tested this function yet.