Toshiba SD-H400 Combination Progressive-Scan DVD Player and TiVo Digital Media Server
Great Unit
It's obvious from his post that neil_d is quite disappointed and upset . . . but with respect to image quality and noise, I think he's unfairly slamming the unit and probably scaring folks into not purchasing what may be a great choice for their needs.    <br />I find the recorded image quality outstanding.  I suspect that the poor image quality he's getting might have something to do with the quality of his cable system's signal.  Why? <br />Not being a big TV watcher and being \\"allergic to recurring monthly fees\\", I'd never been a cable subscriber.  I muddled along with rabbit ears.  Then I purchased the SDH400 and a terrific new Toshiba Cinema Series TV (27AF53).  I decided to ditch the rabbit ears and get cable for local channel reception only.<br />The cable man came and did his install but at the time of installation, he did not have the \\"trap\\" or \\"signal filter\\" with him to block out the cable channels that were not included in my monthly fee.  For one week I had full cable service (excluding premium channels like Showtime, Cinemax etc).<br />While the cable only channel reception was good, local channel reception through cable was not impressive - whether through the DVD Tivo or directly through the TV.  All in all though, things weren't bad until . . . <br />The cable man returned a week later and put the \\"signal filter\\" on the cable line.  The image quality degraded slightly on ALL channels (local & cable only) when watched directly through the TV.  When watched directly through the DVD Tivo - the image quality was HORRIBLE.  The cable man came back, removed the filter and, miracle of miracles, things looked good through the DVD Tivo once again. He put the filter back on and, once again, it was horrible through the DVD Tivo.  <br />BOTTOM LINE:  The cable company, despite lots of effort, could NOT deliver acceptable image quality to me when the \\"signal traps\\" were in place -- either through the TV or through the DVD Tivo. Heck, they could barely deliver acceptable image quality without the \\"signal traps.\\"  So . . . <br />I canceled cable and mounted an antenna on my roof.  I now have the crystal clear quality that I expected of cable and it's impossible to tell whether I'm watching through the TV or the DVD Tivo unit.  And I assure you, having worked for 20 years for the world's leading imaging company, I'm extremely sensitive to and fussy about image quality.<br />Now, had I wanted to keep cable, I would have been forced to return the DVD Tivo unit.  BUT I certainly wouldn't have placed the blame on the DVD Tivo unit for poor image quality.  That blame rests squarely with Time Warner . . . garbage signal in = garbage signal out.<br />As for the complaints some have made about noise . . . I can not hear it unless I concentrate real hard. It's the quietest hard drive based device I've NEVER heard.  :-)  The way some have described it on here you'd think it made such a racket their windows rattled -- What Drama!! <br />Anyway, while it may not be the perfect choice for everyone for a variety of reasons, it's not cheaply made and certainly doesn't warrant a place in the trash heap.  I've found it to be great a unit that does what it says it does and does it well.<br />If I had to complain about something?  You can't open and close the DVD drawer with the remote - I have to get off the couch and manually push the button on the front of the unit - the horror!  Oh yeah, and I'm watching slightly more TV than I used to . . . :-)