Toshiba's HDD - Ram recorder.

Just received details of Toshiba's forthcoming foray into the domestic DVD recorder market, sounds quite impressive, no price details, should be available by summer.

RD-XS30 HDD & DVD - RAM / R RECORDER
Key Specification
Recording Media: 60GB HDD / DVD-RAM / DVD-R, Playback Media: DVD-RAM /
DVD-R / HDD / DVD-Video / VCD / CD / CD-R / CD-RW (CD-DA Only), Selectable
Recording Quality for Audio and Video, High Speed Library Dubbing with
Title / Chapter Name and Other Information, Time Slip Recording: Chase TV
(Play during Recording), Pause TV and Simultaneous Record and Play, Create
Thumbnail Menu when Recording onto DVD-R, Intuitive & Easy to Use Menus -
Handle a Video Using Thumbnail Picture Based GUI, Library Function - up to
3000 Titles (999 discs), Store Recordings by Genre - Films, Music, Sport,
Soaps etc, DVD-Video Player Function.

Recording Features
Picture Quality - LP / SP / Auto / Manual (1.4, 2.0 - 9.2Mbps),
Audio Quality - Dolby Digital 1 (192kbps, 2ch)
- Dolby Digital 2 (384kbps, 2ch)
- Linear PCM (16bit / 48kHz, 2ch)
VideoPlus, PDC, Timer Programming - 32 Event / 2 month, Satellite Monitor,
One Touch Record, Relay Record / A-B Side Recording, Customised AV
Recording Quality (5 Presets), 16:9 Mode, Recording Capacity of HDD (60GB /
Max 78 Hours) & DVD-RAM / R Disc (Single Sided Disc; 437 GB Dual Sided
Disc; 9.4GB, Random Access Recording - Use all Available Space on Disc,
Picture in Picture Available with Time Slip.

Archiving Features
Dubbing - High Speed Mode (Max. 12x times faster than original recorded
time)
- Rate Conversion Dubbing (based on remaining disc
space)
- Content information (Title etc.) is also dubbed with the
Video Insert Chapters where you wish Copy Selected Titles / Chapters.

Playback Features
Max. 100 x Search, Instant Replay / Skip, Dolby Digital / DTS Output, 3D
Spatialiser, Resume Point Playback for each Individual Disc, Chapter
Delete.

Other Features
Auto Set-Up, Creating DVD-R Menu

Connections
2 Scart, S-Video Input (Front and Rear) / Output, Composite Input / Output,
2 Channel Audio Input / Output, Digital Co-axial and Optical Audio Output,
RF Input / Output.

Dimensions:
Width - 430mm
Height - 78mm
Depth - 350mm

 

Thanks for the info! Where did you get it? I can't find anything about it, Toshiba's UK site is useless.

I've been patiently waiting for Toshiba to release this. Originally read in February that it would be released in April then last week read that it's now due in May for the price of £700.

Have to say I'm surprised there's no component out as this seems to be common on their players.

 

It looks a good machine and will take the 'top slot' for DVDRs off Panasonic for the time being. I was a little disappointed to see the internet programming feature of the Japanese model hasn't been included. Still perhaps in the next model? And I wonder why we get a 60GB drive over the US versions 80GB?

Still these small gripes aside it looks fantasic - the thumnail images on DVD-Rs are a big step over the HS2.

 

sounds very good indeed, I think it will be close to the £1000 mark. I would be amazed if it doesn't come with component

can the HS2 do high speed dubbing? 12x Record time sounds excellent

 

Yes but only if you don't change the recording mode. The High Speed dubbing feature is one thing that's going to be ;improved' on the HS3 - how I don't know although I would suggest it might be due to the unit having a 2x drive. We'll see.

On any entirely different note to Bobbles - I just discovered it's possible to sent 'private messages' and that you sent me several in January. Sorry I didn't reply - I didn't know that part of the system existed!

 

According to The Guardian Unlimited site it will be £700. See here.

I think it's got to be around the £700 mark now that the HS2 can now be bought multiregion for £630 online.

Oh and the replacement for the HS2 will be called the E100 (according to AVLand).

 

At that price it is very tempting, I want one.


Did I, I had forgotten.

 

Rasczak, do you have sky+, if so do you recrd onto sky+ or HS2 before archiving?

I was thinking if I had a Tosh, due to the high speed dubbing it would make sense to record what I wanted to archive to the HD first, but sky+ doesn't have autoview, is there a way around this?

 

Every thing stays on Sky+ until I'm ready to archive it. I then use Sky+ copy feature to copy it to the HDD on the HS2 in XP mode, edit it and dub it in FR to DVD-RAM (from which I switch to my PC to make menus and burn it to DVD-R).

I do this whether I'm watching it live or not as Sky+ does get rid of some of the rubbish that broadcasters put on screen thse days (red dots!!!) and avoids any chance of someone bring up a menu in the middle of a recording.

If I'm unable to archive it before the Sky+ fills up - I just copy (in XP/FR mode) to a DVD-RAM until such time as I'm free.

Recording this way takes more time (obviously) but I normally get the machine working overnight so this isn't an issue for me.

 

Shame the Tosh does not include the digital inputs as the KISS [mentionned in an earlier post].


We want it all for under a monkey!!!

 

I would suggest 5.1 recording might not really be that important.

Think about it - what benefit is there of recording 5.1 for the consumer? Well you'd be able to record the limited programming Sky do in 5.1 from a Sky+ digibox (do any other digiboxes have digital out? My old Grundig hasn't) but thats about it. As virtually all of this programming is movies - which are available on DVD and so to record them with all sound intact might stop people buying the disks.

Secondly - the really big sticking point - is that if you disable macrovision. You could then copy commerical DVDs very easily with soundtrack intact. And no-one wants to encourage that!

Kiss can get away with it because it's a fairly small firm. Larger ones like Toshiba can't - not yet anyway.

 

Well the impression (or hope) is that since SKY is moving all there channels to wide screen format by this summer...it would not be long that there lonely 5.1 channel on the SKY+ platform would change.

Interestly about 2 weeks ago Sky rang us up offering an upgrade to SKY+ for free for 3months (trial-period) and then you can have the rest of the contract at half price. All quosher. Are they trying to flogg their system in the face of competion from DVD RAM (HDD).

I reckon they made be trying to enter the DVD-recording thing maybe with the help from PACE or Panny but without letting the cat out of the bag?? ??

 

Rasczak, once on the HD could you say select 6 episodes and then burn them onto -R with each episode as a seperate title?

 

Yes. If you give them names before you copy them to DVD-R they appear in the menu as such, e.g.

1. Programme 1
2. Programme 2

You can also give a name to the disk (that appears at the top of the menu). On the HS2 you get the option of 10 different backgrounds for the menus. From looking at the specs of the Toshiba you might get the option for thumbnail images etc on the menus.

 

http://www.electricaldiscountuk.co.uk/itfx_product_details.php?pid=1850

The above store is saying that it will go on sale in May

I am interested in the product but if honest I was hoping it would be Dolby 5.1 recording as well

It is also still a lot of money if it is an also ran against what seems to be the store winner of Philips - Dixons / Currys and Comet seem to only give floor space to Philips

and the Toshiba would be an expensive betamax

 

This is quoted on the Toshiba's specs. What the hell is it?

How is a DVD recorder capable of editting on the HDD and copying to DVD-R - the defacto standard for write-once DVD recording - possibly going to become a betamax? Even the next generation recorder - the Sony BluRay machine - has DVD-R recording. If you have a problem with DVD-RAM - well you won't use it much with such a machine and, considering CDR Info states it has 69% of the market for set top machines it's not going to disappear.

Not forgetting the same points that are pointed out time and time again on this forum relating to ANY DVD recorders:

1) All DVDRs record onto highly compatible write-once media meaning you will always be able to make compatible recordings.

2) All DVD formats have had a large enough take up (either in the PC or set top industry) to still be around for a long time - meaning you will always be able to get media for it.

3) All the DVDR formats will have a 'relatively' short life due to high capacity formats such as BluRay. There will not be time for them to become obsolete.

4) All DVD recorders can play DVD Video disks - so how will it become obsolete?

 

Hey, just clicked on that link from dobbo and Electrical Discount UK have it for sale at £561.99! I like that price.

 

sigh ... that statement is getting old and tiresome


The Tosh is certainly tempting me to upgrade, it may be worthwhile for me to wait for a similar machine with the DD5.1.

 

Yes good price, Hopefully Panasonic see this and make the HS3/E100 the same sort of price when launched and when I trade up from my E30

 

i can not believe that it is only 100 more than what I paid for my E30 in Jan

 

I very nearly bought the HS2 for £750 last month, glad I held off now! Sometimes it can be helpful having a fiancee saying "how much?!!"

Home Cinema Choice mag are due to review the Tosh in their next issue. I'd be very surprised if it didn't get a good review as Toshiba seem to know what they are doing in producing very good dvd players so hopefully the recorder will follow suit!

 

Spatializer 3-D Stereo technology looks at the incoming stereo signal, takes the array of information embedded between the left and right channels and further enhances the positioned cues already contained within that signal. The modified information then re-enters the stereo reproduction chain. Internal comparison against a perceptual model keeps the final output signal at optimum spatial awareness for the listener. When heard, the listener's ear/brain mechanism places the origin of the sounds well outside the left and right boundaries of the two speakers. Thereafter everything sounds much more like the original live performance, but without the physical constraints of the speaker's location.

Now, if you understood all that then you're a better man than me! As you probably suspected, it's somekind of virtual surround.

For more see here.

 

Yes we are all conflusted but well put.... the site did not mention much how good it would be with prologic 2 or neo 6....anyway it seems like to top machine at a tempting price.

All we need is a few more like those to add a bit more spice!!!

 

At that price of £561 i suppose a region hack from handset would be too much to ask for
I also alomost bought an E50 a month or so ago and this machine at under £600 looks to good to be true

General Panic

 

Forget £561, TOSH DVD-RAM - £525 from here!!!!!

http://www.unbeatable.co.uk

 

Wow, it gets even better!! Thanks for finding that price.

Incidently I've noticed digital-point.co.uk have reduced the price of a multiregion HS2 from £629 to £599 today. Isn't competition great?

 

Interestingly, Toshiba were going to launch a rival to the E30 code name RD-X2 a - Ram - R recorder, but that has now been shelved. It would appear that Toshiba think there is greater appeal in the more versatile HDD - Ram - R unit.

 

It's only in Europe and the US that non HDD DVDRs have take off at all really. This, coupled with the low price of such units - projected to be sub-£200 by XMAS - has made Toshiba think twice about such a unit.

I think there are probably right - Panasonic have the cheap E50, the mid-range will soon have the E60, the top end the JVC HMVDR10 and then there will be the HDD/combo market with the E100 and RD-X3. And this is just the DVD-RAM market - Pioneer are releasing mid and high end DVDRs for DVD-RW and Philips plan four releases this year as well (including the Philips sourced Micro ones). I'm not sure if the market is ready for so many players yet especially as they are competing with HDD solutions such as Sky+.

 

At £500 it is definately getting interesting. Very good price for what you are getting.

I am certainly glad I got my E50 Multi region Dirt Cheap

 

It's listed at Cheap Electricals for £555, with the option of a multi-region upgrade for a further £20....

https://secure.cheapelectricals.co.uk/acatalog/Catalogue_DVD_recorder_198.html

Still no details on Pioneer's upcoming budget recorders, with the added feature of recording to DVD-RW?

Desk