Customer Reviews

Toshiba DR560 1080p Upconverting DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This is a review of the Toshiba DR560 Upconverting DVD Recorder with built in high def tuner.

BACKGROUND:
I bought this unit to handle a few needs with one piece of hardware:
1. I wanted a high def tuner for my tuner-less Sharp Aquos 26" LCD TV (purchased in 2007 before the new rule requiring tuners in TVs!)
2. I wanted to be able to take old analog home movie footage and transfer it directly to DVD with no editing. My old VHS tapes were approaching their shelf life limit.
3. I wanted to upconvert standard 480 resolution DVDs to make them look better on the Sharp TV.

SETUP:
The setup of the device was simple. I hate the fact that manufacturers still don't include HDMI cables with hardware that costs this much. So I grumbled for a minute and then purchased an HDMI cable for it (don't get me started on how most electronics stores charge an obscene price for digital cables! I bought one at a large discount retailer). All I had to do was connect the HDMI-out from the Toshiba to the HDMI-in on my high def Sharp. That's it. No audio plugs needed. I like having just a one wire connection.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
For the remote control I don't have many complaints. It does not appear to be capable of controlling my TV - I didn't see anything in the guide about programming other devices. Someone please comment and correct me if I'm wrong on that. The keys are not lighted.

When I first started the player I went through the simple setup prompts. The instructions said I might need to hit the HDMI button on the remote to match up to the display of my TV, but it automatically selected 1080 for me. (there are lighted 480, 720, and 1080 indicators on the player itself, so you can tell what mode it is in) If you are not connected via HDMI then these lights don't function. I initially tried a component video connection and noticed that the resolution selection was not available.

When I first opened the DVD tray I thought I had activated a paper shredder! It is the loudest, oldest sounding motor noise I have ever heard from a DVD player. To me it sounds like it is straining just to open the tray. I hope that holds up long term.

I found the disk read and startup time to be a little long.

SPECIFIC IMPRESSIONS:

UPCONVERTING DVD PLAYER:
I put in a DVD - "Star Wars Attack of the Clones" - to test the upconverting video quality. I was immediately concerned with how loud the motor was in spinning up the DVD. But my worry went away once I hit "play". Once you start playing the movie the motor noise goes away and is very quiet.

To test the upconverting quality I played a scene from the movie on the DVD player, and then switched over and played the same scene on an Xbox 360 connected to the same TV via a component video connection. To my untrained eye the upconverted picture was brighter and had a slightly higher level of detail. So I was satisfied with it.

DVD RECORDER:
I have only used DVD-R recording media. Once I try a DVD+-RW disk I will update this review. But using the DVD-R was very user friendly. You pop in a blank DVD-R disk and the machine has it ready to go in a few seconds. No interaction needed.

I then hooked up a VCR using the RCA video and audio ports (the recorder included RCA and S video cables). There's one set of inputs on the back and one on the front. I used the back ones because it was just as convenient for me.

Before recording I went into the DVD recording options menu and selected it to do automatic 5 minute chapter breaks.

All I had to do what hit play on my VCR and hit record on the DVD recorder. A little red disk of light displays on the panel so that you know it's recording. Going from memory I believe the recording quality options were 1 hour, 2, 4, 6, and 8.

I was able to record successfully from both VHS and a HI-8 Camcorder feeds (both using the RCA jacks).

Once the tape finished I hit stop on the recorder, and it finished writing the recording very quickly (less than one minute for 2 hours of recording). I then had the option to edit the title that appears on the menu, which is not the most intuitive process using the remote control. I had also expected it to create a DVD menu with chapters for every 5 minute break, but it only had one menu selection. When playing back the disk it did skip 5 minutes every time I hit the Chapter+ button.

As a final step I "finalized" the DVD to make it able to play on other DVD players. I tested the disks on a circa 1997 Sony DVD player, and also a 2005 Toshiba. DVDs that I created from VHS played fine on both players, but the DVD I recorded from the Hi-8 tape source would not play correctly on the 1996 DVD player. It played fine on the 2005 player. I still need to test more Hi-8 recordings to see it that was an isolated problem or not.

UPDATE 05/30/08: I think it's just my 1997 Sony DVD player that just can't handle DVD-R media very well. After replaying VHS source and HI-8 source videos, they are both hit or miss as to whether they play correctly. I don't think this will be an issue for most people with newer DVD players.

I still need to test recording from a mini-DV digital source.

HIGH DEF TV TUNER:
I have a large UHF antenna mounted in my attic receiving local HD quality broadcasts (see my other reviews for that). I ran a coaxial cable from that antenna down to the DVD recorder and connected it to the antenna-in port. Then using the same HDMI-out feed to the TV I was able to tune in and watch local digital broadcast stations. I watched the season finale of American Idol on it (David vs David), and the picture quality was excellent. Changing channels does take about 2 seconds, as another reviewer said. That is a little slow, but I am willing to put up with slow channel changing for free high def!

Overall I would rate this DVD Recorder 4 of 5 stars. It certainly does serve the three needs I outlined at the start of this review.

Got my Toshiba DR560 on Amazon, shipping was quick as usual, been using it for 2 weeks and is hooked up to my Samsung LN37A450 37-inch 720p LCD HDTV via HDMI cable. I'll focus on my user experience:

Pros:
- IT WORKS. Easy push-button to setup one-time recordings
- GOOD WITH COMCAST CABLE. Picks up my Comcast channels both the regular Analog *and* the Digital TV (DTV) cable broadcast channels. I'm not sure why the other reviewer said it did not work with Comcast digital?? It works just fine and tunes to both the analog and digital signals from Comcast cable, DO NOTE that there is an "EXTENDED SCAN" mode to learn the digital cable channels maybe the reviewer missed that option and just did the regular analog cable Scan.. I have not tried tuning into the FREE OTA (Over the air) HDTV programming since I get weak air TV signals in my area.
- DECENT UP-CONVERSION. I did find a better picture quality in the upconversion of regular DVDs compared to my regular DVD player, however my old DVD player was connected via cheap RC/A AV cables not composite not S-video so just by nature of HDMI there would be a difference already!! In any case I now get deeper blacks, less noise, and sharper details. Can't complain.
- HDMI CONTROL. here's a pleasant surprise.. the Samsung "AnyNet" HDMI control actually recognizes the player and now I can use buttons on Samsung remote like the Play/ Pause / Stop/ FFW / REV to control basic functions on the DR560 which is great since the Toshiba remote totally SUCKS as mentioned earlier! Tip: you do have to activate the HDMI Control on the DR560 in one of the setup menu settings.

Cons:
- POOR MENU. the system setup menu navigation is very poor and reminds me of the old DOS programs before there was a Windows operating system! You can't see the live TV picture when you enter system setup menu to program recordings, set the date/time, etc... However there is another shorter settings menu called "Display" which brings up a semi-transparent menu-bar on top of live picture and you can tweak most things like audio, black level, etc.. so it's OK for most things during playback you don't have to enter an archaic menu system.
- TIME SLIP RECORDING. The "Time Slip" Tivo-like recording mode only works on DVR-RW (the minus "-" RW) media, so i'll need to buy new disks to try that feature. I addition the manual says you can't tune to other channels while recording.. bummer. However the regular recording mode (without time slip feature) works on both DVR-RW and DVR+RW so no big deal if you already had DVR-RW media in your home or if you don't miss the Time Slip functionality.
- BOOT TIME. The thing takes forever to boot! Longer time if it has a disk inside the tray. Afterwards there is no noticeable lag it's response time is decent.
- NO EPG. No EPG (Electronic Progamming Guide).. but you should already now that most manufacturers of DVD recorders after 2005 dropped this functionality since the whole thing was a fiasco.. the greedy Cable companies were blocking the free programming guides or charging subscription fees, and the existing EPGs feeds were coming from public stations like PBS that sometimes shut the feeds off by accident. For those of you that must have an EPG note there's only like one brand/model out there a Samsung DVR model with built-in Tuner that still includes EPG but apparently was discontinued this year and it's very hard to find one also reveiws are mixed saying EPG sometimes not work at all.. the model is Samsung DVD-AR650. Oh well.. it's time for Sunday paper TV GUIDE for everybody i guess.
- POOR DTV TUNER PICTURE. Ok.. here is the final catch: The DR560 digital tuner works fine, BUT the picture quality is noticeably inferior compared to the native Samsung HDTV built-in digital tuner. I tuned to PBS 11-1 digital 1080i broadcast on both the DR560 tuner and the Samsung HDTV built-in tuner, switched back-forth, and no matter what the DR560 HDMI output set to 480p/ 720p / 1080i/ 1080p the native Samsung's HDTV digital tuner is waaaay superior in sharpness, detail, and color rendition. It almost felt like DR560 was downscaling the image to SD 480p and then trying to up-convert to 720p or similar.. there's quite a visual difference from both tuners. The DR560 lost many fine details and colors were not as punchy as in the native Samsung HDTV digital tuner no matter what the color tweaking I did on the TV.


------- Bottom line: i'll keep it until something better comes along at this price point that improves the menu system at the minimum (I would have chosen the Panasonic-? brands but users complained of very sluggish controls..). For now, it will happily replace my archaic VHS tape recorder (VHS.. tape.. what's that?? LOL !!) which was second reason I bought it for. And the main reason the playback video i get from both DVDs and TV recordings is still decent quality so i'm happy with it. I really don't mind the digital tuner output since I use the TV one instead. BUY IT - I Recommended it for the price of about $178.

I waited for the release of this new model (end of March) and it was WELL WORTH IT! Setup was easy and the ATSC/NTSC/QAM digital/analog tuner produces a clean, crisp, 3D-like picture on my analog TV from over-the-air broadcasts. We were blown away by the HD-like quality! I use an outdoor antenna and bought this mainly for the digital conversion and recording of TV shows. Recording quality is awesome, even recording in LP (4hr) mode produces DVD quality video with perhaps a hint of fuzziness on the edges of numbers/letters. I will use this mode most of the time because of the quality and 4hr record time. SP (2hr) gives superb quality all around. It's hooked up to my 36" Toshiba TV with a component video cable for best pic quality and I am using optical cable for audio to my home theater amp. It does have HDMI for those with HD TVs. Power up takes a few seconds if there is a disc in the tray as it scans/loads it. Formatting is very quick. I use DVD -RW's but it can do DVD +RW as well. When changing digital channels there is a 1-2 second delay but I can live with that. Only con is with the remote. The lettering should be done in bright-white to make it easier to read in low to moderate lighting conditions. Because of this I would give the whole package a 4.5. Highly recommended this product and think it's one of the best on the market to date.

Does as advertised. I primarly picked this up for its DTV tuner. I am getting away from cable and their year to 2 year contract agreements. This in combination with the DB2 antenna has changed how I watch local TV.

Sure, I don't get HBO or comedy central, but with the DIVX playback on this DVDRec. all I need do is download my favorite shows and burn them to a dvd-rw/r. Please, don't download movies, it's illegal. But as far as I know, TV shows broadcast on tv are fine. :)

As the DTV tuner was my main reason of purchase, that is what I'll focus on. Reception with an decent antenna (DB2, I can't recommend it enough) quality is great. DTV channels take a few seconds to load, but that has been the case for most OTA DTV set top boxes. I can't compare times, but it is roughly 2-3 seconds for the channel to display. Nothing drastic. One touch recording works perfectly, so long as you pre-load a DVD-r/rw. Recording starts withing a half second of pressing record. And this model has a live pause feature called "time Slip" which lets you pause where you are watching and it will continue to record.

This combined with the "Play" while recording feature, is essentially a DVR. I've done this 2 times in the 30 days of ownership. It works as advertised. There is a one minute gap in what you can watch, as that is the buffer of recording.

Example: Program a show to record (yes, DTV broadcasts in HD can be recorded)for best results so that it will stop automatically. Now, press play and the recording will return to the beginning of the show, yet still continue to record in real time. Another option is the "Time Slip" function. The time slip will let you jump back to where you pressed Time slip and continue where you stopped.

Toshiba delivers again.

Only negative, like some have said, the DVD drive is loud on opening and closing, but I had an old RCA which sounded like a metal door opening under hydraulics... so this isn't too bad. The gears do sound shaky, so use the eject button at all times, even when closing. Pushing the drive in feels as though it will crumble.

DVD playback, is upconverting. 1080i over component and 1080p on HDMI. The front display will show you what resolution you are displaying if you have HDMI, but not with component (RGB). It makes my current DVD collection look amazing. Currently my Toshiba rear projection (5 years old and still looks great) does not have HDMI, but my Next HDTV will be a model with HDMI and it will be a Toshiba again. :)

Sorry for the long review.

This unit has about every feature you can imagine & then some. It has a built in tuner for both analog & digital. Something you want to have for a number of reasons. Automatic channel scan; add or delete channels as you like. Beware the cheap ones that are just players. Read the reviews; most are pretty negative. The Toshiba has input & output connections for all kinds of devices so you can connect other components you have. All brands of DVD-R & DVD-RW blanks work. I've had no problem playing commercial DVD's or ones I made off my computer. DVD-RW's automatically format when you insert the disk. The set-up menu allows you change most anything to suit your specific needs, but the defaults will do just fine. You're good to go from the time you plug it in. The complete list of defaults is in the manual so it's easy to find & change anything to your liking.

Don't be intimidated by the 117 page instruction manual. In case you think it's long because it's multi-language, not so. The reason it's long is because each feature is treated separately & explained in very simple instructions with diagrams. The manual has index tabs so you can find what you're looking for very easily. Unlike most, you don't have to read all of it to do the task you want. The topics stand alone on one page. Best manual I've seen. There's also an index of terminology. Not needed to use the machine, but you can impress your friends.

You can select recording quality just like on a VHS machine. The higher the quality, the less recording time you get. I use the middle setting which gives 3 hours, 45 minutes with excellent quality. I can't see a difference versus the highest Q that gives only 1 hour recording. But, the low end Q, 8 hours recording time is poor so I wouldn't recommend it. Remember, the maximum quality is dictated by the source not the recorder so adjust according to what you're doing.

There have been comments about the lettering on the remote being hard to read. Yes & no. For all the primary functions (channel, play, record, fast forward), the keys have bold white on black which is very easy to see. The lesser functions (set-up, program timer) are harder to read but that's the same on all remotes since black became the popular color. But, the keys are logically placed & after a week of use, I was able to use all functions on the remote at night with no lights on. The objections are overstated.

The second big objection I noted in these reviews is that you have to add the closing code to the DVD to make it transportable to other players. That's the same with CD or DVD off your computer. Computer software does it automatically as default. Not so with the Tosiba but it's mentioned on every applicable page in the instruction manual & very easy to do. You can set the Toshiba to do it automatically, but you don't want that on a VCR because it complicates the erase of recorded tracks on DVD-RW's. Read the manual. Do the disk closing by your command.

Negatives. None major. (1) On DVD-RW's, the track recording has to be consecutive. So, if you have 4 programs recorded, deleting # 3 will not allow you to record a replacement in the empty space. Deleting both # 3 & # 4 will allow 2 more. (2) The video screen format can be adjusted using the "zoom" key to cover various source material. But, what you enter isn't retained. Have to set it each time. (3) An HDMI cable isn't included. But, you may not need an HDMI cable depending on what TV & cables you already have. A quick look saves time & money.

I like it. Best deal was on Amazon. From the mouse click to my door took 48 hours so I'm really satisfied.

I don't often write reviews on products, but I usually always consult Amazon's reviews when making purchases, especially electronic equipment. Over the years I've seen a trend in how people make reviews of products. Those giving 5 stars usually bring out only the pros or good points. Those giving 1 or 2 stars either actually got a "lemon" or have little idea how to operate the product. Those giving 3 or 4 stars explain both good and bad points and are pretty honest in their reviews.

My review concerns the Toshiba DR560 DVD recorder. After recently purchasing it, I tried it out EXTENSIVELY and ended up agreeing with VERY FEW of the major problems that the "1, 2, & 3 star people" brought up. These I have listed below. They are the complaints that I heard most about ...........

1. "Poorer tuner picture quality than their TV" --- Maybe so with an antenna TV, but mine is connect to a cable system, and the picture looks GREAT !!
2. "Hard to Scan or Preset Stations" --- Again, no problem. You select "Extended Scan"(wait a while) and everything comes in fine. If there is a problem, and some channels are missed, re-scanning does solve it.
3. "Noisy, whining drive motor sounds" --- Sorry! I never heard it.
4. "Loud disc tray mechanism noise" --- Some noise, but REALLY no more than any of the other four DVD recorders I've had. Definitely not as bad as some have described.
5. "Poor picture quality on 8 hour recording" --- Yes, it's not the greatest, but it is viewable and acceptable for some things. Again, not as bad as some claim.
6. "Fast forward is slow and jumpy" --- Well then "kick it up" to the next faster speed. It's only there to view scan what you recorded. Didn't see anything "jumpy" either. ???
7. " Setup, connecting, and owners manual - hard to follow and do" ---
Flat-out - No!- Everything is diagrammed, described, and explained quite clearly. The manual has 117 pages, so everything is covered.
--- And finally ---
8. "Remote button descriptions are hard to see" --- YES ! I'll give them this one. It IS hard to read which buttons do what, but with a lamp and glasses on (or good vision) you CAN get used to it and be successful.

The unit's LED display screen could be a little bigger and the recorder doesn't produce "thumbnail" images of what you recorded, but all in all, it"s a very good DVD recorder. Let me tell you, there aren't many of them "out there". And I've checked many of them out. Ya, there are "lemons" out there, and some people have trouble getting things to work, but with a little patience, time, and reading of the manual, anyone can do it! I think the DR560 is a really good recorder. It does what it's supposed to do and so far, has worked flawlessly. Worth the money.

My Story - :-)

I bought the D-R560 before the Olympics to replace my GoldStar VCR, which had served me well for over 16 years of frequent usage. The VCR's clutch went out, then the belt, and when the encoder went bad, I figured it would be too expensive to fix it. Besides, digital broadcasting was about to replace the traditional analog broadcasting, and my SHARP TV, also another workhorse, entering its 11th year, was still as good as when I bought it. When I bought the Toshiba D-R560 from Amazon.com, I was looking for another workhorse to serve me for at least the next decade while being compatible with the upcoming standards. I certainly found what I was looking for.

The Connections -

My input/output requirements were a minimum of 1 S-video input, to connect with my computer's video card, and a set of composite outputs to connect to my TV, as back then, composite video (RCA video) input/outputs were the most common. My requirements were quite simple then, but I did not realize how many more high-quality features the D-R560 actually contained until I bought the HDTV. Anyway, for the time, my little ingeneous master-plan of connecting the TV and the computer worked well. Muahahahaha!

Anyway, let's get back to the connection features. Just recently, I bought a SONY 720p HDTV. No, I didn't buy it to show off. I am not that type. :-P Those crystal clear images of super-models on a flat-screen HDTV must have somehow influenced me or something. Kidding, kidding! But I certainly appreciate the clarity of HDTVs. BTW, the 11-year-old SHARP TV is working well as the backup/bedroom TV, hooked up to a digital video converter. Getting back to my story, again, :-). The D-R560 offers four alternative TV connections to composite video (the yellow RCA jack). In the order of good to better quality, they are antenna-out, S-Video, component (red, green, and blue split into individual signals), and HDMI (digital audio/video interface). For component-out, it offerred the progressive scan output options. At the time of this posting, I am using its component output set-up with progressive scan on the HDTV. The picture quality is excellent. Since my SONY TV also comes with HDMI inputs, I am looking forward to trying out the HDMI option when I receive the HDMI cable I ordered from a seller at Amazon.com. Not only would using the HDMI cable provide better quality images, it would also take care of the audio, which means, I can get away with using only one cable for both audio and video instead of five (three RCAs for the component video and two RCAs for the left and right audio). Besides, the D-R560's HDMI interface also offers the amazing Dolby digital dts output. Nice!

The Recording -

In my VCR days, I had three video recording options. The short play, SP, the long play, LP, and the Extended Play, EP. If you are not familiar with VCR recording speeds, here is the skinny on it. On a standard two-hour VHS tape, SP lets you record up to two hours of recording with the best video and audio your VCR can provide. LP lets you record up to four hours, and EP - up to six hours on a similar VHS tape. When I bought my D-R560, I wanted to have the same flexibility as the VHS tape, but with the DVD R/RW disc instead. To my pleasant surprise, the D-R560 comes with a comparable feature. In fact, the D-R560 actually offers five-modes of recording, two more than my belated VCR. Better yet, the worst quality (SD quality) it can record is actually the best quality the VCR was able to record. The modes are as follows.

XP: Maximum recording time is about an hour on a 4-GB DVD R/RW. Supports Dolby digital audio, and provides the highest recording quality.
SP: Maximum recording time is about two-hours on a similar disc.
LP: Maximum recording time is about four-hours on a similar disc.
EP: Maximum recording time is about six-hours on a similar disc.
SLP: Maximum recording time is about eight-hours on a similar disc. This modes provides the lowest video recording quality out of the five. This is the same quality as the SD quality to which we have been quite satisfied all this time until recently when all of us got spoilt with high-definition.

Here is my favorite part about the D-R560. I can use a regular single-layer 4-gigabyte (4-GB) DVD rewritable disc for my everyday recordings, over and over and over again to record my favorite shows for viewing at a later time. When the disc gets full, I can either erase the disc which is as easy as a few quick menu steps, or I can erase only the shows that I no longer want. The selective deletion option is quite nice. Not to go too far into it, here is how it basically works. Whenever the D-R560 completes a recording operation, it creates a title, with a little preview in the top menu, which allows you to easily access the partilular recording and play it back without having to fast-forward or rewind through the entire disc. It does it on both timer recordings and manual recordings. The new title with its little preview appends to the existing title and its preview. Each title can be deleted separately in any order to make room on the disc without affecting the other existing titles. The D-R560 also lets the user rename the titles. As long as the rewritable disc has not been finalized, the editing is possible. If the disc has been finalized, it doesn't mean that it is the end of that precious rewritable disc. The D-R560 lets you format it and use it again. Of course, that is if the disc is still physically capable.

The Manual -

The D-R560 comes from the factory with a well-written, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand manual.

The Verdict -

Anyway, this has been my review of the Toshiba D-R560. I hope that this information has been helpful in doing your research in shopping for DVD recorders and such. I am very happy with my D-R560. I recommend this product to anyone, who is looking for a well engineered, easy-to-use, good-quality product with future upgradability. Toshiba has done a very good job on this particular model.

[...]

Happy Shopping!

Originally posted on January 8, 2009
Last edited on December 18, 2011
Changes made during my last edit were the words NTSC being replaced by the words SD, to more accurately refer to the display-resolution.

The recorder has been used to timer record daily hdtv. The atsc/qam tuner performed flawlessly using both off air antenna and cable tv hookups. I have tested all input/output configurations and all have performed as specified. This unit has been in use daily for one month. It is the third dvdr that I have owned and is by far the best. I am extremely pleased with this product.

I just got my Toshiba DR560 and as far as DVRs are concerned it's OK. Watching TV with it, the picture doesn't seem to be as good as my analog Panasonic 80H DVR. However, that might not be a fair comment because I don't have the Toshiba hooked directly into my TV which doesn't support HDMI. And since my TV's inputs are already taken up by my satellite receiver and my Panasonic DVR, I had to hook up my Toshiba's outputs into the Panasonic.

One disappointment, however, is that my Toshiba won't pick up digital channels from my Comcast Basic Cable Service. So if you're buying this DVR in hopes of getting free HD channels from cable, it probably won't work. But I'm sure it can pick up Over-the-Air HD signals using an external antenna. I will try that next, however, I live pretty far from the stations so I don't expect to pick up more than a few channels.

By the way, the comment in the review by "S. Naglic" that he is using "optical cable for audio to my home theater amp" really puzzles me. There is no optical output on the Toshiba DVR. There is a coaxial digital audio output jack to connect to amps with Dolby DTS, however. I think this is what he might mean, but it is not an "optical" connection.

Anyway, this is a good DVR for the money.
--------------------------------------------------------
Update: After rescanning for digital stations my Toshiba does indeed pick up digital HD stations from my cable.

But I have one gripe that I didn't mention before: The remote control is very poorly designed. The buttons are small, and the lettering on the remote is very difficult to see in dim light.

This Recorder would have been 5 stars, Everything works great with the exception of the Digital Tuner. On set up you do a scan, which searches for Analog and Digital stations. You can add or delete Analog stations but only delete Digital ones! You can't add digital stations! I have an Indoor Antenna (Terk HDTVa) It works fine pulling in stations some with weak signals which may be a problem for this recorder. The weaker stations did not scan in during the auto search. I tried adjusting the antenna position over and over resulting in gaining some and losing others. Digital channels 2,4,5,11,20 would come and go.

I boxed up the unit to send back and purchased a Phillips DVR3506. When I took the Phillips out of the box, I noticed the back panel looked identical. It was the same as the Toshiba! So was the display, set up... (Same DVD Recorder, A rebranded Funai) Sure enough the Digital Tuner was just as weak if not, worse. So it was one last try with the Toshiba and it finally worked, pulling in all the local stations! Happy Dance! It would be nice if you could manually add digital stations. There is an antenna strength indicator on the menu to help you adjust the antenna for best reception but it does no good if it won't even scan in the channel to begin with. Now I know it's not the antenna that isn't up to the task, My Vizio TV digital tuner pulls them all in clearly, So does my RCA Digital Converter box which is hooked up to a VCR.

So only if you have a set of rabbit ears or a low gain outdoor antenna, you may run into this problem. If you have cable or any other pay service your signal strength will be more than enough.