Toshiba RD-X2 DVD-RAM/DVD-R Recorder
Marked Improvement on My Previous DVD Recorder
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).<br />GENERAL DISCLAIMER ABOUT WHAT DVD RECORDERS CAN AND CAN'T DO:<br />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.<br />2. DVD-RAMs recorded on *any* DVD Recorder won't play in regular DVD players. Period.<br />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.<br />WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THIS UNIT:<br />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.<br />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.<br />3. Compared to the \\"look\\" of the graphics on the DMR-E20, its like the difference between a first generation Atari and a Nintendo.<br />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.<br />5. You can start watching a program from the beginning, even if its recording in the middle.<br />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.<br />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.<br />HOWEVER MUCH I LIKE IT, IT ISN'T A PERFECT UNIT, HOWEVER, SO BEAR IN MIND...<br />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.<br />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).<br />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'renot going to find much there.<br />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.<br />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.ere. <BR>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.  <br />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.