Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner by Toshiba
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Our Price: $329.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner
Digital camera Review: Does the main job, few minor deficiencies
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the product because it provided me the digital over-the-air ATSC tuner my 32" Sharp Aquos 720p LCD television (purchased 2005) did not have. Setup was simple using HDMI cable (not supplied) and the picture quality is very sharp. That's the 4 stars - it does its job. (I haven't used the DVD recorder yet.)
Minor gripes: (1) I have been unable to program my Sharp Aquos remote to control the unit - I tried every code - the manual does not specify any product remote code and the Toshiba support website states it doesn't know of any specific code. So I'm stuck with having to use 2 remotes, one for volume, one for chanels. No backlit feature either.
(2) Small delay when switching between channels
Despite those drawbacks, I now have free digital HDTV.
Digital camera Review: Does what it's supposed to (very loudly)
Summary: 4 Stars
I am actually on my second one of these DVD recorders. The first one I got arrived promptly from amazon, was easy to set up, and played a movie with no difficulty. We then put a blank DVD in the machine - and it died. Nothing would work, not even power off. We weren't very pleased, although we were happy that it wasn't a Netflix disc that we lost forever (it was shipped back to Amazon with the disc still in it.) Amazon sent a replacement out very quickly, and we haven't had any problems with it.
Some thoughts:
It (obviously) has a built-in tuner, which means if you are getting your channels over antenna you don't have to leave your TV/tuner box on the right channel to record.
As other people have mentioned, it is very loud (kind of a whirring/whining noise) when it is loading playing a DVD. So loud that if you are sitting in a room by yourself watching a DVD at low-normal volume, you will hear the noise.
Overall, we are happy with this because it allowed us to scrap our VCR, and it works well for less money than most other products like this.
Digital camera Review: Ease Of Use
Summary: 4 Stars
I took it out of the box and found that it was very easy to hook up and operate. The operation manual that comes with it is very clear and easy to read. It is not very complicated to understand like some manuals. I am very happy with the choice I made.Digital camera Review: Easy to set up and great picture
Summary: 5 Stars
For ease of use, picture quality, digital TV reception and price, I think the DR560 deserves five stars. It took minutes to hook up and set up. I live in a rural area and don't have cable or satellite and was afraid I'd have to get satellite by February when the digital conversion is complete. I got my converter coupons and bought two converter boxes, but when I tried to set them up on two TVs, I got nothing but snow. I tried everything I knew to try. I should have checked the reviews first, because the Magnavox converter boxes I bought were the lowest-rated on the market. If I return them to Walmart, I can get back the $10 each I paid out of pocket, but my government coupons are gone and can't be refunded. I figured I would have to get new converter boxes and pay full price or get satellite. Not only will I not need to do either, I won't even have to buy a new TV. The DR560 has a digital tuner, and paired with my Terk TV5 antenna, it is pulling in crystal clear digital channels. Wow, was all I could say when I saw the picture. It wasn't even that good when I had cable in the city. The analog channels are coming in no better than they were with just the set-top antenna, but by February, they all will be digital, too. There is one button on the remote for switching between analog and digital channels. Easy. And, as a bonus, it plays music CDs, too. I'm not an audiophile, and I don't know much about all the new audio-video products on the market. I don't even know what HDMI or upconversion are, and I am totally overwhelmed by all the different TVs to choose from. What I do know is that this player was easy to set up, and I'm getting both my analog and digital channels without a converter box or cable/satellite. Heck, I'm even getting a local digital weather channel I didn't know existed. I'm very happy with this purchase. Oh, and to the person who said the disk tray is the noisiest he's ever heard, you might have gotten a bad one, because while mine isn't silent, it's not loud or annoying.Digital camera Review: Exactly what I was looking for, exceeded expectations
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for: 1) a way to record OTA broadcast programing, 2) built in tuner, & 3) up-convert my DVDs to the 16:9 format of my TV.
1) I don't have cable or a dish so that limits my recording options. I wanted something reliable (so far so good), something that could record in 16:9 format (you can select 4:3 as well), and something fairly easy to use (it is - after the initial learning curve). I use the 3rd setting that lets 4 hours fit on a DVD - I tried a lower one and I could see a quality difference.
2) My TV (a Toshiba 32" purchased earlier this year) has a NTSC (digital) tuner as well, so I only use the DVDr tuner when taping. It's nice to be able to record one show while watching another - you need to split your antenna signal to do that if you want. The DVDr's tuner seems a little weaker (than the TV's) but still crystal clear - just not as strong (I think my TV is 96% and the DVDr is in the 80ish%). It does have a longer lag when changing channels.
3) I've only watched one DVD since I've hooked up the HDMI cable. (My limited understanding is that the HDMI is the only way to use the up-converting feature.) It looked nice, but I did not compare it to my old DVD player and on my size of TV - it won't make that much of a difference anyway.
Cons:
1) the manual is over 100 pages. And there were a few sections I did have to read (setting the quality of the recording & the type of medium being used as -R (I've only used -R), and -RW has even more features).
2) the remote - it works well, but the design with dark key on a black control doesn't do the user any favors in a darker room.
Bottom line: This is the only DVDr I have ever used, but I read a number of reviews before selecting this model, and for my needs I feel I made the right choice.