Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder, Black by Toshiba
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Digital camera reviews of Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder, Black
Digital camera Review: "Skip step 7? Really - Are you kidding me? ...Nope!"
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this player to transfer home-made VHS tapes of our family to disc. We purchased it for Christmas and watched DVDs and tapes for for several weeks before I tried the transfer feature over a weekend. I read the entire manual, rereading some sections several times to make sure I both knew and understood the steps. The manual was passable, although further editing from a technical writer was needed. I followed the steps, of which there were 9, to no avail; the device would not transfer the data to disc, in fact the VHS would not run during the DVD recording process. Not good. I tried several more times, and even experimented with changing some of the instructions that seemed incongruent with the others - no luck, and the return deadline was the next day. I called Amazon and made arrangements to return the device if Toshiba customer service could not help on Monday. I then went to Amazon customer reviews (perhaps one of the top reasons I truely enjoy shopping Amazon). I found someone who had the same experience and spent time on the phone with the Toshiba tech guys. Eventually he reached someone who told him that in the Owner's Maunal (page 51) Step 7 (of 9 - sorry, I couldn't help it) should be skipped - it wasn't suppose to be there - I mean, really, it is the wrong thing to do even though it is in large font. I deleted step 7 and the process has worked without a problem, at least so far (thanks for the tip MattWest). The other guy didn't have as much luck and returned his unit.
Aside from that, the unit performs well. The picture is quite good, and it is a significant improvement in sound even when it is run through a very old Denon receiver. I am pleased with the result. The remote is not particularly intuitive but it serves a variety of functions well. For the price, the unit does quite well in terms of sound and picture. This would be a "4" if the manual was more readable, and, of course, accurate. With these caveats I recommend the unit.
Digital camera Review: A good buy
Summary: 5 Stars
Had to really study the manual prior to set up, as there are so many variations, but the connections went smoothly. Once again, study the manual prior to recording and the unit works great, the burned DVD's are of excellent picture quality.Digital camera Review: A good performer, but very bad timer setup problems
Summary: 2 Stars
I've had the DVR620 for almost a month now. It reads my VHS tapes well, the DVD recorder/player does a great job. I've dubbed a VHS to a DVD with no problems, done some straight forward recording from my DishNetwork box, etc. Picture and sound quality is excellent using the HDMI connection to the TV.
One flaw in the dubbing process; going from VCR to DVD you may have more on the VHS tape, six or eight hours, than will fit on a DVD at LP speed (4 hours, decent quality). But instead of stopping the VCR when the DVD fills up it just leaves it going. Automatic VCR shut off here would be helpful.
One important note about using the DVR 620 with DishNetwork. A nice looking feature of the DVR620 is Satellite Link (Page 43 in the user manual), supposed to start recording when it detects a video signal from the tuner when a timer switches it on, at, say 3:00am. It doesn't work, because even when the tuner is "off" it has a video signal, so recording starts the minute you set Satellite Link. Sat.Link is USELESS with Dish Network. Whether it works with DirecTV or not I don't know.
Basic hookup was relatively straightforward, but it helps to be a bit of a geek to pull it off. You should know a composite input from S-Video from HDMI, for example. The quick start guide is adequate for basic functions. Also, it lacks both RF (coaxial cable or TV antenna type) input and output.
The manual needs an index, a more complete glossary, and more clarity in the writing and illustrations.
The DVR620 is feature rich, which means it isn't simple once you get beyond the basics. I haven't even looked at editing a DVD yet, I'm still learning my way around the remote, which is littered with a welter of buttons and small lettering that's hard to read.
Setting up a timed recording is my greatest frustration. With my old setup (satellite box and VCR) it was just a matter of setting the timer on the tuner and letting it start and stop the VCR with what is called an IR Blaster. If I could get the tuner to fire off the control codes for the DVR620 I could do that, but my tuner doesn't have the codes to control the DVR.
And there's no screen display to tell me how things are set on the recorder, such as DVD mode and that Sat.Link is on. Once the DVR is off there is no pass through, so you can't just set things up, put it into standby mode and keep watching until you fall asleep or whatever.
I'm dissatisfied primarily because of the timer setup issue. I do a lot of time shifting and I have yet to succeed in setting a timer. I've complained to Toshiba about the Sat.Link problem with my Dish Network tuner but their attitude is that the feature works as it is supposed to, (not with my tuner it doesn't) and refuses to take the DVR back and refund my money. If you use Dish Network and do a lot of late night recording, don't buy this.
Digital camera Review: A good quality and affordable combo unit from Toshiba
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this as a gift so I wasn't able to test out all of the features but I did get to test out the basic ones. First of all the recording quality is very good from the DVD recorder. In XP mode there is no difference in quality between the actual broadcast vs the recording. It looks identical.
The image quality of DVD playback is also good. I did not test this unit with a HDTV so I don't know what the upscaling is like but assume it is at least as good as competing models. The VCR could also record.
The unit's exterior design is elegant and simple and doesn't look cheap. It's not as tall as it looks in the pictures. The front bottom half is a door that flips down to reveal more buttons. The door has a shiny clear finish. This unit is very easy to operate out of the box, it doesn't require much tweaking to do basic functions. The remote is nice too with lots of functions.
The only thing that you should know before you buy this unit is the fact it DOES NOT have a built-in tuner so keep that in mind. You will need to connect a separate tuner, cable box, VCR etc. to record OTA broadcasts. Since it has no tuner, you cannot simply hook an antenna straight into this unit to record broadcasts.
Digital camera Review: Arrived Broken: DVD Door didn't open-Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder, Black
Summary: 1 Stars
I wish Amazon would not use UPS, they always leave my stuff next to the street and say they put it on my porch.
Secondly, this DVD/VHS recorder arrived brand new, but totally non-functional with a dvd door unable to open. Customer service was nice, but suggested I send it back to Toshiba and pay to have it serviced. So I sent it back to Amazon.