Toshiba RD-XS52 DVD Player/Recorder with HDMI

Other products by Toshiba

Product Details

Product Manual [4.52mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 17 x 13.3 x 3.1 inches ; 13.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 21 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002ZRRBI
• Item model number: RD-XS52
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,142 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 3, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Taking DVD and home-video entertainment to new heights, the Toshiba RD-XS52 combines a topnotch DVD player with a DVD-R/DVD-RAM optical-media recorder and a hard-disk drive (HDD) with a stunning storage capacity of 160 GB. Whether you're watching the latest DVD movie releases in your home theater, recording your favorite TV programming, or archiving home movies and other videos to long-lasting DVD, the RD-XS52 is your ticket to world-class entertainment. And did we mention that the unit spins your homemade CDs filled with JPEG image files or MP3 and WMA music tracks?

The RD-XS52's HDD lets you store around 135 hours of audio/video programming, ample room for time-shifting your viewing and keeping a fair amount of "must-watch-soon" content at the ready. Imagine the contents of a fleet of 30 VHS tapes, all recorded in 6-hour/EP mode, available at once and with easy navigation, no fast-forwarding or rewinding, and in much higher resolution.

When you have programs you decide you want to keep, just offload them to DVD. Archiving is lickety-split: 24x normal speed when transferring from the HDD to a write-once DVD-R and 12x when burning to DVD-RAM. Time Slip recording/playback lets you begin watching a recording that's already in progress or pause a live recording and return to it later.

The EASY NAVI menu's user-friendly preview screen instantly gives you access to the recorder's key features and can be used to preview and access your content.

The RD-XS52 is also one of the first DVD recorders to offer an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with upconversion capability from standard 480i resolution to high-definition 720p or 1080i--perfect for viewing your DVDs, camcorder footage, and television programs on a high-definition-equipped TV, now or in the future. HDMI provides a single-cable digital connection for the highest-quality interface between the DVD player and a compatible television, maintaining the digital audio and video signals until they reach the monitor. Other picture enhancements include 3D digital noise reduction (DNR), mosquito DNR, and block DNR.

Front-panel inputs accommodate VCRs and camcorders, including digital camcorders through an IEEE 1394/DV input. The digital-video input even includes controls for your camcorder to simplify the process of selecting and transferring the scenes you want. Other inputs include 3 each of composite- and S-video (1 each on the front panel) and an RF/antenna input on the rear panel.

For DVD recordings, you can create virtual titles on the hard drive--including menus and chapters with thumbnail images--then burn your programming to DVDs with high-quality MPEG-2 encoding (the DVD-Video standard). A convenient library function maintains an inventory of all your recorded content by disc or title so you can sort by date, time, or genre.

The RD-XS52 offers broad flexibility, with both a hard drive that holds up to 135 hours of programming and the ability to record to DVD-RAM and DVD-R.

The RD-XS52 offers the flexibility of recording on DVD-RAM--perfect for instant chapter access and for multiple rerecordings--as well as on DVD-R, one of the most widely compatible DVD formats (great for sharing camcorder footage with loved ones). DVD-RAM offers double-sided recording (9.4 GB total storage), and the format is rewriteable, too.

Advanced timer programming lets you use the unit like you would a VCR, specifying a time and channel for recording, and built-in Gemstar VCR+ C3 greatly simplifies this. Significantly, this model gives you the option of recording audio in higher resolution than the MP3-like Dolby Digital 2.0. Choose from 3 separate formats, depending upon your desired quality and available disc space: Dolby Digital 1 (192 kbps), Dolby Digital 2 (384 kbps), and linear PCM (1,546 kbps).

For playback, ColorStream Pro progressive-scan component-video outputs (switchable between 480p and standard 480i) provide great color detail and high purity when connected to compatible televisions. The unit also has standard composite- and S-video outputs, with an RF coaxial output for passing tuner signals to an external device such as a VCR (the RF output does not pass a DVD or HDD signal). Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio output (Toslink optical) for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver.

The RD-XS52 records to two DVD types:

	DVD-RAM The most flexible of the recordable DVD formats when it comes to recording, editing, and playback. Even more, you can rerecord content approximately 100,000 times.
	DVD-R A write-once format perfect for sharing treasured video moments with virtually anyone who has a DVD-Video player.

What's in the Box
DVD recorder, DVD-RAM, audio/video interconnects, a universal remote control with television control capability, remote batteries, a user's manual, and warranty information.

Product Description

Toshiba DVD recorders are designed to provide the greatest flexibility in recording and playback by supporting DVD-RAM and DVD-R recordable disc formats. This drive can store up to 135 hours of recorded content and can be used to perform the Time Slip (Chase Play and Pause Live TV) function just like DVD-RAM. The RD-SX52 will allow high-speed dubbing from the HDD to DVD-RAM or DVD-R without any deterioration to the digital MPEG2 signal.(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video connection. HDMI provides the best interface between a DVD player and compatible products, such as a digital television (DTV). When matched with a compatible TV, this single interconnecting cable combines: Multi-channel audio, uncompressed digital video, intercommunication between devices and simple control Protocols. This single cable connection ensures that all signals remain in their pure digital form and secure by use of High Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) regardless of signal output resolution. HDMI can support uncompressed digital video up to HDTV level resolution. Thus, the player makes use of this conduit by up-converting the standard DVD picture resolution to nearly HDTV-quality with output resolutions of 720p or 1080i. This makes a DVD player with an HDMI connection the perfect match for today's digital televisions. And because this conversion is performed in the player, the signal remains free from excessive digital-to-analog conversion artifacts.Recordable Compact Discs (CD-R & CD-RW) with music stored in either the Windows Media Audio or MP3 file formats can be enjoyed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Halo Effects and Bad Image Quality, No Control of Set top box + poor customer service, September 17, 2005

By	Stephen Witte (Poway, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hello Folks,

I purchased this DVD recorder from another internet provider, BuyDig.com, who I do not recommend. I also don't recommend this DVD recorder itself for several reasons. I have a Sony 30 inch widescreen HDTV ready TV and I thought the HDMI connection would keep the picture clearer. Well, the Toshiba RD-XS52 has a tuning problem of some kind that results in a halo effect around high contrast video. This effectively reduces a high quality signal to one that is similar to a non-HDTV or worse. It is a subtle problem that gets more annoying every time you watch TV.

The second problem is that I too am having difficulty getting the recorder to operate my set top box, a Cox San Diego area box built by Scientific Atlanta. I called the Toshiba tech support and told a helpful woman technician about the difficulty and that I suspected the IR blaster wasn't working at all. She described a method whereby I could inspect the IR blaster using a camcorder or digital camera to verify that it was at least transmitting something. I did this and determined that nothing was coming out of the IR blaster at all! (I could clearly see signals from all the remote controls I owned, but nothing from their IR blaster) So she offered to send a replacement IR blaster. This came and the same result. I felt a little brave and annoyed, so I actually removed the DVD recorder sheet metal cover just to have a look and see if I could reconnect something that might have broken loose inside the unit. What I found is that mechanically, the IR blaster connecter is soldered onto the circuit board with what appears to be a broken connection. Hence, the unit is defective. I then called Toshiba to schedule a repair and had to argue with their technician, a man this time. He practically refused to service the unit! After I threatened to sue in small claims court, he allowed the unit, which was purchased only three weeks ago to be shipped back to the repair facility in Alabama.

I'll keep you posted on the progress of this repair.

The only good thing that I have to say about this unit is that I did record a DVD from my camcorder to the unit and that worked fine. I also used the time slip function, and that worked fine too, although with the aforementioned halo problem always present.

Good luck finding a decent DVD recorder, and buy it from a store where you can drive right back and return it if you don't like it. Don't follow my footsteps, it isn't worth the $150 savings to be stuck with a unit you don't like.

Update: Oct 6, 2005:
In the above review (September 17), I described problems with communicating with a set top box and halo effects. I sent the unit in for repair and the repair technician reported back by phone that he didn't find anything wrong with the unit. The unit was shipped back to me and after reinstalling it, I was able to get it to properly control the set top box. Also, the Halo problems have mysteriously dissappeared. I would now rate this 4 stars except for the poor phone call experience I had earlier with a support person before I sent the unit in for repair.

One important note: The IR blaster used to control the set top box has to be positioned exactly in the right spot, 1 inch in front of the IR reciever, to function properly. I used a flashlight to look carefully at the front face of the set top box to find the IR reciever. I did this after the unit came back from repair, and I realized that I originally had the wrong location of the IR reciever, so I may have had a properly working unit all along. A strong flashlight works great to see through the magenta tinted plastic in front of most IR recievers.

When the unit came back from repair, it was returned with a different type of IR blaster, which also could explain why it started working.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caveat, August 24, 2005

By	Mens Sana (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

While this unit does everything it claims to do, and does it well, it has two problems for the potential buyer.

The editing program that assembles file units for transfer to DVD-R or DVD-RAM is not particularly intuitive and will require a major learning curve.

And the major problem for me: you will NOT be able to transfer your recordings of premium channel programs (HBO, etc.) to DVD-R/RAM. The built-in copyright protection means that if you want to keep the programs, they will have to remain on the hard drive!

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tivo-jr, September 24, 2005

By	Steven Schwartz (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

it was extremely easy to connect to the dish and tv and also very easy to use. For the basic recording, timer recording, and transferring to dvd you don't even need to read the manual. The only drawback to this machine is the dvd only records on -r and -ram and you can not re record on -r dvd's and ram dvd's are too expensive. It would have been 5 stars if it recorded on rw-dvd's. There is no reason to buy a tivo machine and pay for their service