Customer Reviews

Toshiba SD-H400 Combination Progressive-Scan DVD Player and TiVo Digital Media Server

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I wanted something for my wife and me to better manage our TV viewing, yet I'm completely against paying a monthly-fee for recording TV programs. The Toshiba SD-H400 with TiVo Basic turned out to be a perfect product for us, until Media Center PCs go mainstream.

I didn't really need another DVD player at home (we already have 5 other stand-alone DVD players), but if that's the only way to get TiVo Basic service, so be it. Plus, the price I paid for this Toshiba (no rebate) is only (a bit) more than a stand-alone Series 2 TiVo (after rebate). For (the money), I got a progressive-scan DVD player, progressive output for TiVo, AND free life-time subscription to TiVo Basic service. What a bargain.

TiVo Basic Service:
Okay, so I don't get the Season Pass feature. However, once you're set to record a show (say, Friends at 8PM this Thursday), you can navigate to the To-Do list and select that program, and change the recording option to "Repeat this recording". Change it to weekly, then you're all set. The only risk if that if NBC changes the time of Friends to 9 due to say the State of the Union Address, then you'll record 30 minutes worth of a bunch of people clapping at nothing. But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

One feature I don't get with the Basic service is the show search feature. However, we got the TiVo to help with managing the shows that we KNOW we want to watch. With young children, we really don't have time to watch the programs that we didn't want to watch in the first place but are suggested to us. So I won't miss that feature. For new movies we have had Netflix 4-disc service since 2000. You can always navigate using the program guide to set up recording if you want to watch something.

If you visit TiVo forums such as tivocommunity.com, you'll see that other TiVo owners complaining about the fact that you can no longer use TiVo Series 2 for anything, including manual recording, without paying the (monthly) fee. With the Toshiba SD-H400, not only you can use it for manual recording, you have a 3-day program guide available to you over the phone or wireless network.

If the Plus features are important to you, then you can always upgrade to the full TiVo feature for the same fee as a stand-alone Series 2. It goes without saying that we have no intention of upgrading.

To get program guide via wireless network:
My Toshiba came with version 5.1.1 of the TiVo software, but version 5.1.1b is required for the newer version of the Linksys USB Wireless Adapter (v 2.8). It took a few tries to download the new version of the TiVo software. It would have done it over night, but I was impatient and wanted to pull the sw manually. Note that landline is required to get the software upgrade.

To record one channel while watching another:
I can watch a different channel than the one I'm recording because I split my cable signal so that one cable goes to the Toshiba and one goes to the TV. While recording on the Toshiba, I can use the regular TV remote to switch to other channels.

Any cons?
Remote: The Toshiba remote is not as nicely designed as that of the TiVo, which had just been recognized by the NY Times as one piece of industrial design mastery. The Toshiba remote is long and hard to use if you change channel via numeral buttons often.

Wireless adapter: Since the TiVo software it comes with is version 5.1.1, it does not support the newer versions of the Linksys USB wireless adapter (I got a v. 2.8). You will need a landline to download a new TiVo software to upgrade to version 5.1.1b for the Toshiba to recognize your network adapter.

Video extraction or copying: Like the stand-alone TiVo Series 2, there is no easy way of extracting the recorded video from the Toshiba device without opening it up (voiding the warranty) and load some files onto the base Linux operating system. The only other way is to video capture (analog cable to digital to analog to digital again) it back into a PC. Not the most elegant solution.

Upgrade: according to TiVo specialists at Weaknees, it's not simple to upgrade the HD on the Toshiba. You can replace the 80G HD with a larger one, but it will not see beyond the first 80G. Weaknees is working on a solution.

My TV cabinet didn't have much room for extra components, so a new Tivo unit was going to be a tight squeeze. That's where the Toshiba DVD/Tivo (or as a friend coined, DVDivo) unit comes in. The DVDivo solves this problem by being rather small and by replacing my existing DVD player.

Not counting the mandatory rewiring of the video and audio cables, the install was mostly a piece of cake. You first setup and configure the box with the phone line (a handy 25' phone cable is included.) That took about 30 minutes. After that, the Tivo was supposed to recognize my Linksys network adapter. It didn't. I had to reconnect with the phone line and spend another 90 minutes downloading (are we there yet?) the 5.1b Tivo software update. After that, the wireless worked A-OK.
During all this update time I could, of course, still watch and pause live TV.

On the downside, I'll admit that the unit is a little noisy. If I'm cruising the Tivo menus without the TV audio on, I do notice the sound of the hard drive actuators softly clicking away. I'm not sure if that noise is specific to the Toshiba design. If so, then I figure it's just a trade-off for having such a small footprint. It's not a major problem for me. Besides any audiophile will already have this issue "covered" with glass component doors.

The other item to consider is the remote. Toshiba, I assume, had to stack extra button on their remote to support the DVD player. This remote works well, except for when you want to use the number buttons the change channels. The placement of these teeny-tiny number buttons (0-9 + Enter) at the bottom of the remote makes me occasionally use two hands to change channels. I hope my thumb gets used to it. Better yet, I hope that Tivo is so good that I'll never have to manually enter channel numbers again.

Despite those two items, I'm very pleased with my purchase. Now all I have to do is decide between Basic and Plus Tivo service.

Okay, there's a lot of ignorance about this machine in these reviews, so I feel the need to comment. This is my second Tivo, and I am an avowed audio-phile. Do I own $10K worth of AV equipment? No, but then, I do know that you don't have to buy the priciest product from the priciest brand to experience exceptional quality.

First, this is not a simple "home video" compnonent. It is actually a Small Form Factor (SFF) Linux computer, with hard-drive, modem, processor, and RAM. Hence, it does have a fan, as do all computers except that one model of Apple G3 (or was it 4?). As such, it does not ever "power off" completely (nor do most "home video" components). It will often run in the middle of the night, for 2 reasons: first, it is recording shows based on the "Tivo Recommends" function; second, it will generally make its daily call in the middle of the night when you are unlikely to need to use the phone. If you don't want it to be whirring its drives in the middle of the night, turn off the Tivo Recommends feature and you will free yourself from all but about 30 minutes of activity. You can also upgrade to a LAN or WLAN connection to make those daily calls all the faster. Or, like I do, put it in a glass doored entertainment center. I barely hear mine in the dead of night, and it certainly doesn't keep me up in the next room. If you are OCD, maybe you should consider no Tivo at all: they all do it!

As for a noisy DVD player: huh? Even with the glass doors open I can't hear the player running during DVD playback. I'm not sure what some people want from a player, I guess. I mean, a silent tray? Or maybe a DVD drive that can change tracks on the disc (like when it accesses the menu) without repositioning the laser? I mean, come on. That's just silly.

Also, the LAN features on this model do indeed work wonderfully, but no, not right out of the box: you are REQUIRED to make at least one initial phone call. This model registers itself for the Tivo Basic service and downloads the operating system's most recent updates. Please also note that since October, when the review concerning "wireless and broadband not ready for prime time" was posted, Tivo has corrected the compatibility problems with the Linksys WUSB11. You could also use the WUSB12, or several models from Dlink and Netgear that are known to work appropriately. (...) It is a pain that you need to buy an adapter, but I imagine that this model with native WiFi or ethernet would cost an additional $50-$100: less than the price of the adapter, so its probably a wash. But note: if you don't know how to set up a wireless or wired home network, or don't already have one, well, at best you're going to need help with using the Tivo on a LAN. It's still a computer, and you still need to manually adjust some settings. Just get your techy neighbor/son/daughter/nephew/cousin to help. Please also note that you do not need to get the Home Media Otion upgrade in order to put the unit on your LAN and take advantage of your broadband internet connection. That is only for sharing information between Tivos and computers on the LAN.

Which brings us to money. Yes, its expensive. But there are considerations you need to make. First, if you're like me, you already own at least one DVD player. Which you will no longer need. There's a great website for getting rid of high quality, used items. It rhymes with "see-bay." So there's a little less out of pocket. (...) And lastly, once you cancel that Premium service and rely on the basic service, you are saving yourself $155 a year in subscription fees over other Tivo devices. This is indeed the only model of Tivo currently available that offers free service. You can't use other Series2 Tivo's without service anymore, as you could with Series1 DVRs. So if you want Tivo, and you want to buy new, you've got to pay - manual recording is no longer supported. Unless you buy this Toshiba!

Next, picture quality. I have noticed no loss in picture quality at all for live TV since I got this unit, on a 35 inch CRT television. If you follow the correct setup instructions (mine is connected separately to a VCR and AV receiver) and use quality cables, your experience should be no different. I also find that, while the Best Quality setting is indistinguishable from live TV, the High Quality setting is more than clear enough for my needs, and gives the unit 35+ hours of total useable space (as opposed to 24+ using the Best setting).

I really, really, really recommend this unit if you're in the market for Tivo. If you're "just curious," maybe give it a shot. Personally, its the best value out there.

This is a dual review, for the Panasonic DVD-R Recorder DMR-E80H and the Toshiba sd-h400. Hopefully it can help those deciding between the two. I had done the research and was on my way to collect the Panasonic when the video store I had called told me they were just unloading the new Toshibas. It was a hundred plus less than the Panasonic and included TIVO. My fiscal side took over and I figured I'd give it whirl. I have an extended digital cable box and the Sony KP57WV700 57" HDTV that I was going to interface this with, pretty straightforward system.

Here is the simple layout of what I wanted to do: 1. cable in to digital cable box, out via component cables [red, green, blue] to HDTV [this produces the best signal and HD channel output on the TV]. 2. cable in to Toshiba/Panasonic for recording basic cable Ch. 1-98. 3. Video [composite?] out from digital cable box to Toshiba/Panasonic to record HDTV or whatever channel is on, on the digital cable box.

First off neither the Toshiba or Panasonic boxes has component in, so they couldn't receive the best signal from the component out on the digital cable box.

The Toshiba touts and comes with Tivo basic, which gets you 3 days advance programming via their guide, chasing playback, etc. This was the first experience I had had with a Tivo product. The setup for the Toshiba took a long time [multiple phone calls and data manipulation], and compounding things it was required that a phone line be utilised for the connection. A bad thing if you don't have a jack around, so I had to string one across hallways in ungainly fashion. Not good. I should say, you can buy a wireless USB adapter if you want, or a USB Ethernet connector to get your updates if you want.

Second hit against the Toshiba/Tivo, and this is what bothered me the most: they do not allow recording / timer recording from a second video input source unless you upgrade to the Tivo Plus service. This bit of info is nestled in the middle of the manual during extended setup. So for my set up which had cable signal in via RF and composite video in from the digital cable box, it meant I couldn't record as line in from the digital cable box.

Finally, the recording quality of the Toshiba ranged between three levels, taking their appropriate chunk of the HD. The Panasonic offered more flexibility here with more levels and their times. Tivo also is constantly writing to the HD to maintain their `manipulate live tv' functionality.

The DVD playback output between the two was comparable, you can choose between progressive and interlaced if you have a TV that supports it.

So I took the Toshiba back and got the Panasonic which I should have done I the first place. It has a much more professional finish, there are no fourth grader designed graphics/buttons on it like the Tivo. The Panasonic allowed me to hook up three more video inputs and record against them and do timer recordings on them. Bingo. The picture quality is very close to source using the second to top recording mode which gets you 36 hours of record time, 104 for EP, 74 for the next, and 18 for the top of the line. The Panasonic also has the time slip functions that let you watch a prior recorded item from the HD if you're currently recording, and it lets you watch the beginning of a recorded item *while* it's recording. Nice if you show up for the program 10 mins. late. It also records to DVD-RAM and DVD-R if you want to dub your VHS tapes or something you watch on broadcast TV, but that's a secondary feature to me so I didn't get too into it.

And so, for my setup, the Panasonic was the superior choice I should have exercised the first go around. Be alert to the limitations of the Toshiba if interested in it. I'm definitely enjoying the functions and features of the new Panasonic and can recommend it highly.

Purchased Jan, 2004. Since we prefer to limit the amount of visible A/V equipment in our house, this TiVo/DVD combo unit seemed perfect. (One less ugly box to look at.)

Setup was a piece of cake. A little time consuming due to the phone calls, but I was up and running with Basic within an hour. Another 20 minutes and I had Plus working.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of noise about which others were complaining. While not accessing the hard drive the unit makes no audible noise from watching distance. In fact, to hear anything at all I had to put my ear within 6 inches of the unit. The fan is absolutely quite. I can only hear the hard drive when right next to it. And I can safely assume this is standard for all DVRs using hard drives.

While this is my first TiVo, I could not imagine it being any more user friendly. The only reason I read the manual was for learning tricks or less needed functions. Normal recording/viewing was almost to easy.

Picture quality (both live and recorded) was indistinguishable from the live cable feed. In fact, I almost never use best quality recording any more. Although, we only have a 30" TV. I think others have had more signal degredation with large screens. I've been told using S-video would make it better.

During programs, pause, fast forward, reverse, pause, and play work instantly. No annoying time lags.

I also don't mind the two different interfaces between the DVD and TiVo. The TiVo interface works as TiVo should and the DVD interface works as a DVD should. Pushing one button easily switches to the other mode.

The few controls on the front of the unit help occasionally.

My only complaint is the remote. For only TiVo/DVD/TV it is great. Everything makes sense and there are no problems at all. The number pad is a bit too low, but I don't seem to use it all that much. The main problem is that it is not a true universal remote. I cannot control my CD player and the bulk of my pre-amp. I was down to one remote previously, but am back to two for need of the new TiVo buttons and control of the other A/V equipment. A couple more buttons (I know, too many already) and a few learning commands would have been great. Hence, I take away one star for the limitations of the remote. (I have yet to find a suitable replacement.)

Overall, I highly recommend this product.

This is a great model. I love the space saved with a Tivo and DVD player in one unit. The noise is not a problem for me- it is definitely audible, but no different the sound of a computer hard drive. If the tv is on, or there is other sound in the room I can't hear it at all. The set-up was pretty easy. The interface is so easy to use. I barely even needed the instructions to get started. I am going to love this thing! One more thing- I was under the impression that you can't watch something on live tv and record something else at the same time. Well you can't do both through the tivo, but with one click, the tivo goes on standby (keeps recording) and you are free to watch any show through your regular tv by changing channels with your tv remote. Also, you can watch previously recorded material on the tivo while it is recording new programs. In sum, everything I thought I would like about this machine turned out great, and everything else I have learned about it since using it has been great too.

This is a great device. For a very reasonable price you get a high quality DVD player and a Tivo player, with numerous outputs including S-video, RCA, and component video. I hooked mine to a Motorola digital cable box. The Toshiba is able to drive the channels via a cable that goes from from the Toshiba to a serial port on the Motorola box. I had to reboot the Motorola box after I first connected the cable to get the connection to work.

The machine is networkable via a built-in USB port. I have a Linksys wireless network in my house that links into an always-on DSL connection. The Tivo program info downloads automatically at night over the wireless connection to the Internet. It worked like a charm, although I had to use a slightly older version of the Linksys USB wireless adapter (version 2.6) because the TIVO software doesn't work with the newest (version 2.8). Other than that little hiccup, everything worked great.

The basic Tivo service, which comes free with this box, is pretty good -- you get a listing of all the programs (3 days worth) and you can select to record a show at a given time and day each week, each weekday, each weekend day, or all days. If the show time changes, you have to go in and rejigger the record time manually.

The DVD player part works very well, and you can watch a DVD while the Tivo part is recording to the hard disk.

To clear up something in these other reviews, you can watch a show while it is being recorded, and rewind, pause, etc.

The Toshiba SD-H400 has changed the way I watch TV, as I look back, I can't imagine watching broadcast TV with out it. As I evaluated my purchase, I read all of the review here, and found some to be very helpful, and others to be way off, here are my experiences;

1) Wireless / Wired Network support: It works, just not right out of the box. You have to connect via a phone line twice, once to subscribe to TIVO, the next to download the "b" version of the software with allows for connection via network. Once that's done, it's as simple as plugging in the adapter into the USB port and pressing a few buttons on the remote. Worked the first time.

2) Noise from fan: Yes, there is a fan, and it makes a slight noise, I have a Sony digital cable box that is alot louder so the low hum from the Toshiba is hardly a concern for me, if it was, I'd put all the components in a rack behind glass as others suggest.

3) Lack of tuner or cable box: This is a little kludgey, as the H400 expects you to set up IR connectors in front of your cable or satellite box. The other problem is the H400 only addesses two and three channel cable tuners, my Sony happens to use four digits for the channel number and the result is a delay in channel changing as the cable box waits for the timeout for the 4th digit before switching channels, minor annoyance when surfing.

4) Inability to record and watch different shows. I overcame this by splitting my cable signal and running one line into the H400 and the other into my TV. But it would have been nice if there way some way within the box to handle this.

5) TIVO: This is awesome, the ability to set up recordings and not worry about tapes, rewinding, and such is a dream come true. Just press a few buttons on the remote, and TIVO does the rest, can't ask for more. I may even upgrade to the plus service for the Season pass and other benefits.

6) No more commercials: Like to watch alot of shows but don't have the time, this device will cut your tv viewing in half, or allow you to watch twice as many shows. My wife and I start watching TV between 8:30 - 9:00, which is just enough time to get you to 11:00 and fast forward through all the commercials. That 2 hour American Idol really only lasts 55 minutes when you get rid of the intro's and commercials, its great.

7) Remote: Ergonomically, it's not perfect. The zero (0) is to the right of the numbers as opposed to the bottom, and the numbers are in two rows as opposed to the normal 3 or 4 on most remotes which can be annoying. The buttons are almost all the same size and feel except for the TIVO button, so until you get used to the button placement, keep a light on. This is probably my biggest gripe with the unit.

8) Progressive Scan DVD Player: Nice add-in would have been ok if it didn't have one or would have preferred a recordable DVD, but given the price, it's a nice freebie. Works great, though others have said they had problems with certain media.

Overall, I highly recommend the product, if they improved the remote, or added a recordable dvd or extra tuner, I would have given it 5 stars.

We've only had this unit for a few weeks, and already we're hooked on TiVo. Since we didn't have DVD player already, this machine made perfect sense for us.

Set-up was easy, but a bit time consuming while TiVo dialed in to get programming information, etc.

Believe it or not, this unit actually simplified our TV set-up. Before, we had to toggle through various modes of a universal remote to turn on the VCR, TV, and receiver. Then again to change channels and volume. The Toshiba remote has 2 on/off buttons. One controls the TiVo/DVD player, the other is programmed to turn on both the TV and the receiver. When programmed to work with a receiver, the remote's volume control drives the receiver, not the TV. The TV/video button does drive the TV's input, but unfortunately, when the input is set to TV, the channel changer still tries to change the TiVo's channel rather than the TVs channel. So when we're recording with the TiVo and watching a different channel, we have to use the TV remote. But that's not that big of a deal.

The TiVo system is excellent. With a new baby around the house, we love being able to pause and rewind live TV. And the recording quality in the highest mode is just like watching live TV.

We're currently trying the free trial of TiVo plus, but once it expires, I think we'll stick with the basic (free) service. We only record a handful of weekly programs, and setting it up to repeat record is easy enough without the Season Pass feature of the subscription service.

In general, we are very pleased with this product. If I could change anything it would be the lay-out of the remote control. The number pad for selecting channels is located at the very bottom of the remote, making it awkward to hold the remote and change channels with only one hand. Not impossible, but it could be improved.

First, a summary of key points:
1. You need Tivo. No, really, you do. One week of Tivo and watching old-fashioned TV will make you angry. I only watch the TV I really like, and I watch it when it's convenient, as opposed to missing good shows because they're at inconvenient times and then settling for dreck those times when you want to watch but nothing's on.
2. If you're also in the market for a DVD player, get the combo unit and simplify your life. Yes, of course you can watch a DVD while Tivo records.
3. The DVDivo, as I like to call it, includes free basic Tivo service. The free trial of Plus service will probably suck you in, but still, if all you want is to be able to manually record your favorite shows, this is Tivo without a subscription cost.

Now, to address some of the issues mentioned in other reviews:
1. Noise. If I'm sitting near the TV, and I'm watching a very quiet show, I can sometimes hear the fan, but it's very very faint. I don't have my Tivo in an enclosed cabinet, and I can honestly say noise is never an issue for me - the Tivo is certainly far quieter than my computer, the heating/cooling system, the refrigerator, or all the other background-noise sources in my apartment.
2. Image quality. I'm using pretty shoddy coax cable lines, and the live image through Tivo is still fine - just as good as without the Tivo. Unless you have a huge TV or HDTV, image quality is probably more dependent on your coax cables than the Tivo. With Basic service, your only option is to record on best quality, which is equivalent to seeing it live. If you upgrade to Plus, you can choose to record at one of four quality levels. I nearly always record at the lowest or second-lowest setting - yeah, it gets a little grainy, but for most shows, it doesn't matter.