Toshiba RD-XS32 Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with 80 GB Hard Drive
Toshiba RD-XS32 DVD Recorder
I recently purchased this DVD Recorder and so far it's great! <br />I decided to purchase a dvd recorder to replace my VCR, so I basically use it for recording television and watching movies, so I haven't used any of the features included for camcorders.  <br /> <br />As I've read in other's reviews, the manual definitely needs to be a bit simplified for the average consumer. If someone has no technical understanding it can be a bit overwhelming. It could be explained better how to figure out recording times in relation to the different settings (IE: SP, LP and bit rate settings)as it differs from VCR tapes. VCR's usually use LP, SP, EP for 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours respectively. The DVD uses bit rates. The lower you set the bit rate, the more recording time you get. I was able to figure this out and started with a 2.2 bit setting and even at this low setting the picture quality was still much better than was on any VCR tape I've used in the past. <br /> <br />Also I did not realize at first that my Television (older model)does not have any audio/video (A/V) connections. It was not mentioned in the manual that if you have an older tv without these connections, you need to purchase extra equipment called an RF Modulator (about $20 to $30)in any electronics store. I did figure it out after doing some web research and since using that to hook up all my cable connections, everything works great. <br /> <br />The best feature, in my opinion, is the ability to record to a hard drive. One could be on vacation for a week and be able to record everything they want while gone...without having to worry about running out of space. On the lowest manual bit rate setting one could record a little over 100 hours of programming.  <br /> <br />-Manual needs some simplying and/or further explanation of more technical details <br />-Remote could definitely use some work as the number of buttons and functions can be overwhelming <br /> <br /> <br />-The HDD boots up quickly in several seconds <br />-Picture quality is great <br />-Fast Foward is another great feature as you can do this in time increments. YOu can skip frames in programmed increments or use a button on the remote to change fast forward speed. <br />-The fan for the harddrive is quiet and the machine runs fairly quietly <br /> <br />Over all, I am extremely happy that I purchased this item and it's absolutely great for my recording needs. If I can mention I was also very delighted how quickly I received delivery as it shipped on a Monday and I received it on Tuesday.