Toshiba RD-XS35 (160 GB) DVD Recorder / HDD Recorder

Pros: TV Guide On Screen (it's free), large hard drive
Cons: Poor control interface particularly for "manual" recordings

My experience of the RD-XS35 is very different than some of the other reviewers here. I can give it a qualified endorsement after using it for several weeks. First, by way of background, I get my television from a cable company and not via satellite. ...

Pros: Record Quality, Play Design, Feature Set, 160GB HDD
Cons: Remote Control, Fan, TVGOS slow response

What is this All About? Have you always wanted a TIVO unit, but didn't want to pay the service fee? Feel like you are already paying your cable/satellite company to much to pay extra for DVR capability? Well, that is why there is a market ...

Pros: Big Hard Drive...Easy Editing...Lot's of features...TVGuide is FREE.
Cons: Internal fan runs constantly-No way to choose record stop time "on the fly".

I'm going to make this as short as possible since it would take a very very long writeup to explain everything I have learned about this machine. This is the first and only DVD/HDD recorder I have owned/used so I have nothing else to compare it ...

Pros: Nice-looking unit; more convenient than a VCR; free on-screen TV schedule info for some users.
Cons: Difficult to master; frustrating and tedious to operate; TVGOS service is of limited usefulness.

This machine has one of the worst user interface architectures I've seen in a long time. For openers, the remote is cluttered and confusing: its face has a whopping 56 keys, and then there are 19 MORE tucked away under the flip-down numeric keypad. ...

Pros: Excellent picture quality.
Lots of editing features.
Thumbnail menus for chaptersManual video bitrate adjustment
Cons: Burn quality inconsistent compared to other recorders, moreso if you need to duplicate the discs.

It's much more complicated than other recorders, but this is not a reason to slack it. It has a ton of editing features. It's perfect for converting VHS tape to DVD, especially longer tapes: Just let the tape dub overnight and then edit it into ...

Pros: You can edit out the commercials
Cons: You CAN NOT record copyrighted material.

This is my second DVD Recorder and I'm pleased. I was able to set this machine up myself and with the help of the guide book record almost everything I want. I'm just thankful that most of the material I want to record is able to be recorded by ...

Pros: None
Cons: Can't record because the Guide won't work properly.

My wife and I bought the Toshiba RD-XS35 about three weeks ago. We have spent hours and hours trying to get the channel lineup to display correctly. The channel display shows the channels in RANDOM ORDER so it's almost impossible to find a particular ...

Pros: Good picture quality, tidy appearance, reasonable price, moderate ease of use, reliable so far.
Cons: Fan noise when not in use. Setting multiple programs inconvenient.

I'm surprised by the number of smart people who have had trouble setting up and running these machines. I first used the recorder without looking at the manuals, having used a Toshiba D-KR2 for some time. I had little trouble working out how to record ...

Pros: Recording to HD on max. quality results in beautiful playback quality
Cons: See review. Too many to list.

Picked this up on the recommendation of a friend. He should be my ex-friend now.
- Terrible menu structure.
- The TV Guide feature doesn't work with all cable systems.
- Setting the time, a simple function on most home electronics, can _only_ be done by going through the convoluted TV Guide setup first, which is absolutely ridiculous.
- The cooling fan runs all the time, and is less than quiet.
- Customer service is abysmal. When I called to find out if there was an easy way to set the time, the CS rep was clueless. When I offered to demonstrate my problem, the CS rep "didn't have the time to wait" for me to replicate the problem.
I paid $449 (Cdn) for this unit, and after a week, dumped it for $350 and bought a Pioneer.

Pros: Price, looks
Cons: Installation difficult, Use difficult, technical support useless!

I'm very proficient at setting up and using electronic gadgets(I'm an electrical engineer and have extensive computer experience), but setting up this unit was very difficult(many hours of trying and referring to the manuals). A hint of its complexity might be gleaned from the fact that the user manual is 179 pages long. Now that I have it set up, It's going to take a steep learning curve to be able to use it. I currently own a Panasonic DVD/HDD and it was a joy to set-up and very easy to use.
I would suggest looking at the Panasonic before purchasing this unit. Another hint of things to come was the first document I saw when opening the box. It stated not to return the unit if you were having difficulty setting-up or using the unit. but instead call customer support. I did. It didn't help. In fact it gave me more troubles.