Customer Reviews

Toshiba DVR660 1080p Upconverting VHS DVD Recorder with Built-in Tuner

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I have a Samsung digital TV (1080p), and with my new Toshiba DVR660 and an HDMI cable, I can turn HD programming into sharp DVD's that appear to match my 1080p picture pixel for pixel. (In actuality, the DVR660 records it to 480p and then upconverts it back to 1080p.) By the way, I get all my programming from a portable antenna, and the DVD recorder has an excellent HD tuner.
The VCR is adequate, giving me the same picture quality as the SONY which preceeded it. After seeing how easy it was to make a DVD recording, and how fabulous the results, I realized that I would never make a VCR recording again. It did an excellent job dubbing a VCR tape to a DVD.
Although I am not a computer programmer like the "Man from Happy Rock", who found it so difficult to use, I found that the machine was not so difficult to use at all, as long as you followed the instructions. One of the major complaints from Mr. Happy Rock was that the machine turns itself off after you use the "set timer" button. My brother, who IS a computer programmer, said that his Magnavox also turns itself off when you use the "set timer" function and that they all do this. He also said it took him 2 years to master his Magnavox!
I did have a couple questions the first day, and I called the Toshiba telephone number given for DVD recorders. My call was answered by a real person with an American accent within 30 seconds. She answered all my questions easily.
Before I purchased this recorder, I spent hours reading and re-reading the reviews for like products made by Sony, Samsung, Panisonic, JVC, Philips, etc. All the other products seemed to have fatal flaws, so I made the decision for Toshiba. I'm glad I did.

I couldn't be happier with this combo vhs/dvd recorder in regards to performance, features, and ease of use. I likewise read the reviews here and for other liketype products; this one seemed to have the least amount of "issues". Here's what I found: flawlessly and easily installs out of the box, and the digital tuner works great. While this product sure has lots of features, it's really a snap to set and record to your heart's content. I've barely touched the surface, but it's great to finally (and easily) be able to record off of tv, dub older vhs tapes, and copy just about anything to dvd via the L2 inputs on the front of the unit (ie plugging in a camcorder, etc.). Priced right, easy to install, easy to use, a quality product with all of the features and more-don't hesitate on this one.

If you read the specifications for this machine it appears to be a dream and it does appear to have all the features specified and some very cool features not well documented. One would expect the latest and greatest to be the most forward looking, with this expectation I was surprised at what I have come to expect as standard features to be missing or retro.
* Even though DVD+RW is the superior technology, all the "better" recording features are only supported by DVD-RW! For example, 16:9 aspect ratios, scene delete, combine titles, etc. To me this alone warrants the loss of a rating star.
* The recording of HDTV programs will become a mandatory ability in February of 2009. I recorded several HD programs on DVD+RW media and played them back, at the six hour speed, they were so badly pixilated as to be nearly unwatchable (probably too much up and down converting). When I recorded NTSC (normal until 2/2009) TV the recording were no better nor worse than on machines without ATSC/QAM receivers. This needed to be much better than it is.
* My last three recorders have all been Panasonic's not by conscious choice or loyalty, but rather more as coincidence and superior ratings, at the time. I expect that when I define a program to record I can name the recording (on the DVD side) so that I know what is on the disk. This is not available on this machine. After you record you can label what you have recorded, this is exactly backwards from my expectations.
* VCR output is analog ONLY on RCA pin-outs not even via s-video, let alone HDMI! The TV signal continues to play out of the HDMI while the video plays. This has additional ramifications for dubbing or cross-recording below.

Perhaps the single most confusing and frustrating thing about this machine is setting the timer (programmed recording). I have been programming VCRs/DVD recorders for 30+ years and I have been a computer programmer for the bulk of this time too, so I am not easily confused by setting up a recorder and scheduling a program for recording. Besides the retro programming features above you will very likely lose or fail in your initial scheduled recording efforts. You will see an E40 error reported for the failure, unhelpfully meaning overlapping recording or recording did not start on time. What has happened is you did not press the "timer set" button, unobviously located in the middle of the last row of the remote! If you press the "red on/off button", on the remote, no recordings will be made (thus making it nearly impossible to use a universal remote on this machine as the "timer set" will probably not be defined). The unit MUST be TURNED OFF using the "timer set" button or NOTHING will be RECORDED!!! This has been so confusing I redundantly record on another device to insure I get the program. This warrants at minimum the loss of at least one rating star perhaps two. A recorder should never let you miss a recording (when properly programmed) except for a very good reason, e.g. disk full or overlapping programs. This one lets you miss all of them for silly illogical reasons.

Suppose you record "The Soup" every Friday on E!, but in between you wish to watch an episode of HBO's Rome on a DVD. Well if you press the power button (red on/off button) you will not be able to access the DVD player. It is locked for recording on Friday. The only way to access it is to press the ... you guessed it, the "timer set" button. Of course doing that kills all the programmed recordings, so you better remember to press it again or you will lose the ability to record all future programmed recordings (i.e. miss The Soup until you press the "timer set" button)! Pressing the more obvious red on/off button is not going to fix it, but only yield an e40 error.

I expect that the latest machines would have superior image processing. Sadly it is no better than a $50 Sam's Club special, when I visually compare the two on the same "passage" of a program. Obviously without an S-video out for any video tapes, a player with S-video will look better.

My primary purpose in purchasing this machine was to cross copy/dub family videos. Recording at various speeds does seem to be clean and as good as can be expected. I was very concerned that there is no way adjust the tracking on video tapes however this seems to be pretty smart and appears to be constantly adjusting for the best setting. It has worked on all the videos I have tested so far. However if you have the DVD on an HDMI or S-video connection you will need to switch back and forth between two outputs on your TV to see and cue your video then switch to the other side to set up and start the dubbing process! There is, of course, the usual problem of playing DVD+/-RW on a PC the only reliable player I have found for this problem is VLC media player portable, a freeware player.

A cool feature is the ability to watch what you are recording with DVD-RW, and have it keep track of where you are.

In short this looks like it might be a pretty good dubbing/cross recording video machine but as a general purpose family room player I think there are cheaper and better choices on the market today.

I bought a flat screen (720p) because my old TV finally shut down. I still use an antenna and I'm extremely happy with an antenna input to the HDTV! Lots of channels for free and the picture is vastly superior to cable!!

However, the ease of recording a program if I wasn't going to be home seemed to be gone. The guys at Best Buy and other people who were very technical told me it couldn't be done anymore without getting cable, or TiVO or other fancy gizmo that required a subscription to something or was hugely expensive, or both. They said it was impossible to record DTV to a tape. I didn't see why it couldn't be downconverted, taped, and upconverted again.

They were wrong (and I was right). This is just like my old trusty DVD/VCR combo with more capabilities and I can use it with HDTV! I can record to either VCR or DVD because it has a tuner. Plus I can still play my old tapes, or convert them.

The only trouble was that the setup was confusing (you have to set the input on the TV first) and I had to go out and buy the cables for DVD recording. Once you get the hang of it though, you're back to the days of easy recording of your favorite shows without a lot of fuss or expense.

JULY 17 - IMPORTANT UPDATE - THE THING DIED OVERNIGHT! I still stand by it being able to record and I appreciate the nice comment. However this morning the clock wasn't on and the thing had simply died overnight for no apparent reason. It is plugged into a surge protector. I have noticed that more machines like this are on the market now and as long as it has a tuner, you can still record digital TV directly to a VCR or DVD. Just make sure it has a built-in tuner.

Be aware (for the uninitiated like me) HDMI cable provides for only DVD signal. Standard VHS or S-video cable required to operate the VHS.

My first Toshiba DV/R 660 had problems. The memory was faulty and the unit had to be replaced. Amazon.com gets an A for good customer service and fast response. The second unit has performed very well and has not given me any trouble. Toshiba customer service in another issue, however,
Do not be fooled by the advertising. This unit will not record high definition broadcasts in 1080p. If you find a HD station that is broadcasting in 480p, then the Toshiba will perform as expected. Also, this unit will not copy commercially produced VHS tapes. They have the copyright settings so high that I had to use a time base collector to clean up the tape before I could make one only copy for my personal use.

As for most operations, be patient and learn all of the steps. It is a good idea to keep the owner's manual close-by until you have the procedures memorized.

I have purchased 2 of the these in the same exact model. I am very pleased with the ease of use and also with their performance. Not only can you record on DVD's, but you can also record on VHS. For those of us who still have blank VHS tapes to use up, this is a plus. Since you can watch your recorded items on both VHS or DVD, you can make the most out of this electronic device. Dubbing can be done from VHS to DVD so you can bring yourself up to speed in today's technology world. The Toshiba brand offers all this at prices much lower than any other name brand offering the same options. I also find it hard to be able to even find a device you can both watch and record onto VHS or DVD with. In my eyes, I made a great choice when I purchased this item....not only for low cost, but also for the ease of use of a product with many options available.

I have had this VCR/DVD combo a few weeks now and I have used it both as a DVD player and VCR to record and play back TV shows. I had seen reviews that loading a DVD is slow and it is marginally slower then the DVD player it replaced but not by much. It is taking a little getting used to programming the recorder, but I think that is just learning the unit. The maual was very clear, but who wants to keep reading the manual. I have not tried using the internal recording modes yet. I purchased the unit mostly because of the digital tuner for the VCR mode. I still time shift shows and this unit is working out just fine for me.

Initially I was looking for a VCR with a digital tuner to replace the old analog VCR. My needs were to record football games during the season, and tape overlapping TV programs for later viewing. So, I didn't need anything fancy (read expensive). Alas, there just wasn't much on the market.

So, I started to look at dvd recorders, hoping to find an inexpensive plain vanilla one, and came across the favorably reviewed Toshiba DVR 660. While the new units cost more than I'd intended to pay, refurbished ones were within my revised budget, so I bought one from an Amazon third party vendor. It was described "looks and works like new". Indeed, it looks and has worked like new...

Of course, the quality of the video and sound recorded on dvd's are far superior to those from a VCR, in fact to my untrained eyes and ears, they are pretty much equal to the picture and sound of our new HDTV. I no longer record to the VCR, it's just there to view old tapes, and maybe "dub" them to dvd's.

It has a number of features, I'll comment on a couple

I particularly like the "time slip" feature which allows me to take a break from viewing a program/event, then return and resume watching from the point I left.

Also, I can watch a program already being recorded from the start. If I get home midway through a game, I can watch it from the beginning while the recorder continues to record.

There is a "thumbnail" index of the programs recorded on a DVD. A couple of clicks on the one you want and away you go. No more fast forwarding tapes to find your selection. The "thumbnails" can be titled, and even divided into chapters.

Pretty much anything a VCR can do, this does better. And of course it is a CD/DVD player.

On first blush it seems like a complicated unit, but the manual, a 120 page tome, is well written, and takes you step by step on any topic. The basics are pretty easy to master, but if you don't follow the directions exactly you may wind up thinking something is wrong with the unit, as I did.

In retrospect, I recalled my first VCR, a Sony Betamax with a tethered remote, bought back in the 70's cost over $600. So, this was a steal...

This model is being replaced by the Toshiba DVR670. I would expect it to be pretty much the same with a few tweaks.

(Added note) One reviewer complained that setting the time recorder turns off the unit and it couldn't be used to view other programs. The standby mode CAN be "released" and you can do pretty much whatever, then put it back into standby mode again.

I found the recorder very easy to set up and record from VHS to DVD. The only fault I found was that when the recorder hit a snag in the VHS tape it would stop recording and create a chapter on the DVD. Then you would have to restart the recording process again. Instruction manual was clear and easy to follow. The quality of the created DVDs was excellent. Of course, this also depends on the quality of the source tape. I would purchase this recorder again.