Toshiba DVD Recorders: Toshiba RD-XS54
Not to be confused with DVD burners which are connected to or installed in your personal computer, nor digital video recorders which are standalone boxes that you can use to record television shows onto a hard drive for later viewing, DVD recorders are simply recorders that allow you to record video onto a blank DVD disc.
DVD recorders combined with digital video recorders provide even greater flexibility than either standalone digital video recorders or DVD recorders. With a DVD recorder, digital video recorder combination it is possible to record and pause live television as well as burn the recorded programming to a blank DVD disc.
The Toshiba RD-XS54 received rave reviews at PC World and customers seem to agree as well. Users say that it is very easy to record live television and that the interface is particularly TiVo-like in nature. While this TiVo-esque interface may be appealing to many casual users, some users reported frustration at the over simplified features of the Toshiba RD-XS54.
For example, users report being unable to set up future recordings using traditional start and stop times. Instead, users seem forced to use the TiVo type display and future record options that are dependant upon local television providers listing schedules. If a cable television provider doesn’t list television schedules for longer than thirty hours in the future, then that is as far ahead as users are able to program the unit to record.
If this is not a problem for you, then perhaps the simple interface is good for those uncomfortable with manual programming of recording devices. But for most of us that are accustomed to dealing with such details, the simplistic display and programming may be a detraction if not a complete nuisance.
In my own experience, most people are comfortable with inputting specific start and stop times for programmed recording. Having to sort through TV Guide listings just to program recording a future program can really be a huge pain.
Though the television recording features may be a serious detraction for some and nice for others, it remains doubtless that this unit has some nice features such as super speedy copying from HDD to blank DVD discs.
