Toshiba RD-XS54 DVD Recorder with 250 GB Hard Drive

Other products by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 3.2 x 13.4 inches ; 12 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 20 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000B658N2
• Item model number: RD-XS54
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,412 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Watch your favorite television programming on your own time with the powerful and easy-to-use Toshiba RD-XS54 DVD recorder with integrated digital video recorder (DVR) with a massive 250 GB hard drive. You'll also get amazing video results when playing DVDs, thanks to the RD-XS54's upconversion from 480p to 720p/1080i formats and its progressive 3:2 pulldown detection. It also comes with TV Guide On Screen program guide, which provides access to eight days of programming. It's easy to find the programs you want to record--just search by keyword or sort programs by category, then highlight the listing and simply press the record button. It will also control your cable box (via IR blasters) for simplified unattended recording.

The RD-XS54 records to affordable DVD-R/RW discs as well as DVD-RAM discs, a very flexible format that enables you to re-record on the disc up to several thousand times. In addition to playing back those recordable formats, this DVD player is also compatible with playing DVD movie, CD audio, CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, VCD, and SVCD, as well as MP3 and WMA digital audio files.

Recorded content remains easy to find with the help of a menu that will be automatically created when you record. It displays the date and channel you recorded, along with a thumbnail of your recording by capturing the first video frame of the recording. The date and channel can be change to any 64-character title and the thumbnails to any image within the recording. Chapters within the recording can also be created by either predetermined intervals, or by the user selecting specific points within the recording.

With Toshiba's Network NAVI system, you can connect to your home network via a LAN 10/100 port (Ethernet), allowing for easy integration between your home entertainment center and your PC. The NAVI system enables you to:

• Dub copy-free content from one RD-XS54 to another if both are connected to the same network
• Stream recorded content or even live programming to a PC
• Upload custom Menu backgrounds for creating DVD-R/RW discs
• Edit and add title information to recorded content from a PC
• Remotely schedule recordings via email
• Receive automatic software upgrades
• Use a PC scroll mouse to control the recorder for detailed video editing

With the HDMI connection, which supports uncompressed digital video up to HDTV level resolution, the RD-XS54 can up-convert 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.

The RD-XS54 performs 3:2 pulldown detection and reversal, too--a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. To adapt 24 frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video, frames in the original movie must be duplicated; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this duplication by removing the redundant information to display a frame-accurate picture. A 3D Y/C comb filter further enhances resolution by removing blurred edges between colors and reducing dot crawl (tiny, moving dots of color along a sharp color separation in a vertical line, as in a depiction of a character's striped T-shirt).

It offers the following connection options:

• Composite AV (RCA): 3 in (1 front, 2 rear); 3 out (1 front, 2 rear)
• S-Video: 3 in (1 front, 2 rear); 3 out (1 front, 2 rear)
• Component video: 1 out (Y/Pr/Pb)
• HDMI: 1 out
• RF: 1 in, 1 out
• Analog audio (RCA, L/R): 3 in (1 front, 2 rear); 3 out (1 front, 2 rear)
• Firewire: 1 in
• Ethernet: 1
• Digital optical audio out: 1
• Headphone: 1

Tech Talk
HDMI -- HDMI makes an uncompressed digital RGB connection from the source to the screen. By eliminating conversion to an analog signal, it delivers an unblemished image. The non-degraded signal reduces flicker and leads to a clearer picture. HDMI intelligently communicates the highest output resolution with the source device. The HDMI input is fully backward compatible with DVI sources but includes digital audio. HDMI uses HDCP copy protection.

What's in the Box
DVD player/recorder, remote control (with batteries), AV cable, printed operating instructions

Product Description

Reliability. Performance. Technology. Leadership. The Toshiba name means all this and more. Toshiba builds upon this heritage by delivering the industry's most innovative, high-quality solutions.PRODUCT FEATURES:High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) brings Home Theater to the next level by streaming multi-channel digital audio and digital video information together on one cable to digital televisions and monitors;Toshiba's Multi-Drive Recorders allows users to record and playback their favorite videos in stunning MPEG-2 digital video on DVD-RAM, DVD-R, or DVD-RW formatted discs;Video Up-conversion displays a pure digital signal at both 720p or 1080i, matching the resolution of the HDTV monitor and thus eliminates signal degrading A/D-D/A conversion;Preset bit rates and audio settings for 11 different recording options plus one user adjustable setting, including selections for LPCM audio recording;High-Speed Dubbing from HDD with DVD-RAM and DVD-R (16x Drive);Toshiba's Network NAVI system provides connection and control within a home network for: advanced editing, streaming content to a PC, e-mail timer and recordings and more;TV Guide On Screen IPG allows users to schedule programs to record using the easy to use TV Guide functionality;Time Slip Recording/Playback offers the user the ability to begin watching a recording that is already in progress, or 'pause' a live recording and then return to it later using DVD-RAM media or the Hard Disc Drive.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I should have listened to Gregory..., November 19, 2005

By	Thambi (White Salmon, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I should have listened to Gregory C. Weber in his earlier review of this product, but I didn't. I have owned and used the original Toshiba HDD-DVD recorder (RD-SX32) for the last year or so and have been quite pleased with it, though once you have been spoiled with a "one click" recording capability (which the SX32 does not have), having to specify exact start and stop times and channels is a bit of a bother--at least for pampered Americans like me. So when I saw that Toshiba had come out with a new version with a huge (250 gb) hard drive and had the "one click" recording capability, I couldn't resist, even though I had read Gregory Weber's review. However, being cautious, I called the Toshiba customer hot line to ask whether the new model (SX54) was compatible with my DirecTV satellite system, and I was told that it was compatible (wrong!).

Not only did the SX54 turn out to be irrevocably incompatible with my DirecTV, but the manual bypass, which is really pretty slick on the older SX32, has been converted into a monster that takes about five times as long to program a single recording. What were the Toshiba engineers thinking when they made this change?!!!

And like Gregory said, the fan does run 24/7 regardless of whether the unit is turned on or not, and even behind the closed glass door of my entertainment equipment cabinet, it's still quite audible.

It's really too bad that Toshiba didn't do a better job with the above issues. If they had, the SX54 HDD-DVD recorder would be pretty much a dream machine-so much so that I might never feel the need to upgrade again (famous last words).

98 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Close, but no cigar, September 26, 2005

By	Gregory C. Weber (KSC, FLA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had purchased a Toshiba RD-XS52 DVD recorder 8 months ago from Amazon and was quite happy with it's performance. When the XS54 came out, I purchased one right away as a second home DVD recorder because of three features:
(1) The 250 GB hard drive vs. the XS52's 160 GB drive
(2) The RAM/-RW/-R write cabability (the XS52 only does RAM & -R)
(3) The new ethernet/networking capability

After getting one of the first XS54 units from Amazon, I quickly discovered a few flaws in the XS54 that caused me to send it back:
(A) The cooling fan runs ALL THE TIME, even when the unit is turned off (i.e.; in standby mode). I had heard about this flaw with the RD-XS32 and XS34, but my trusty XS52 does NOT do this- the fan goes off when you turn off the unit. Admittedly, the cooling fan is fairly quiet, but when you place this recorder in a bedroom or other place where you want/need complete quiet at times, I personally found the noise it made to be very annoying. Not to mention the fact that the expected life of the fan (a three-wire low speed/high speed affair and undoubtedly pricey) has to be relatively short when it is running 24/7. To be fair, if you have this unit buried in an entertainment unit with doors, you might not even notice the noise the fan makes. I called the Toshiba service hotline concerning this 'always-on' fan design, but all the the customer service drone on the other end could tell me was that the fan was 'always on to keep the hard drive cool'. This excuse for an always-on cooling fan is completely bogus- I verified that power is removed from the hard drive when the recorder is turned 'off' (i.e.; placed in standby mode) and thus requires no 'cooling.'
(B) The built-in TV Guide channel selection software is clunky, clumsy and difficult to navigate through. And that's being polite. Contrary to other reports that I have seen on this feature in the XS34, you CAN bypass the TV Guide selection feature- but they sure don't make it easy to do so. I'll take the straightforward, easy to program, non-TV Guide process of the XS52 any day.
(c) In the admittedly short time that I had the unit, I could NOT get it to communicate with my G5 IMAC, even though the user manual says that it should interface with either Microsoft or Apple software. The computer-to-recorder setup process described in the manual is poorly written and unbelieveably complex and confusing.

Addenda:
I see that an "A. Guest" wrote a reiew on this unit and gave it a 5-star rating BEFORE HE EVEN RECEIVED OR USED ONE. Give me a break. Read Thambi's second opinion on this unit if you have not already done so. He and I speak (and rate) from our hands-on experience with an XS54, not from 'glowing reviews' in a magazine or from self-serving spec sheets put out by Toshiba. You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
P.S.- Learn to spell and capitalize words correctly and you might be taken more seriously.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for the tech-challenged, June 11, 2006

By	Thomas Welling (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Knowing what I know now, I would purchase the RD-XS54 again. This DVR/DVD recorder will do everything you would expect from such a device. There is room for improvement though. My gripes, in no particular order, are listed below.

- As others have mentioned the fan runs 24/7. I can't hear it when I'm watching TV, but I can definitely hear it in a quiet room. After a while the sound blends into the background and you don't notice it. The RD-XS54 has a setting that will turn off the hard drive after a period of inactivity. As I understand it, the fan is meant to cool the hard drive. Toshiba should modify the unit so the fan shuts off when the hard drive shuts off.

- The built-in TV guide has a few "issues". First the positive. It's great for searching upcoming movies. It's also nice to be able to program a recording without having to enter start/finish/channel info. The RD-XS54 has a setting that allows you to have all programmed recordings start a little early and/or end a little late so the show doesn't get clipped. Now the downside. The TV guide needs a long time to update itself. I read that it takes about 3 hours for a complete update. The unit needs to be powered off without interruption during the update. Unfortunately, there is no way to know what time the update starts or ends. The RD-XS54 has an ethernet connection to connect to your computer network. It seems like that would be a faster way to update the TV guide, but it doesn't work that way. Navigating the TV guide is a slow tedious process. That seems odd to me since the information is stored in the unit and access should be almost instantaneous. It's great for movie searches, but for everything else I use my computer and the Yahoo TV guide.

- As with so many gadgets these days, the user interface WILL require you to crack open the operating manual. There is no way you will be able to figure out the RD-XS54 just by trial and error. Tech-challenged people who hate operating manuals should look elsewhere. For example, there are SIX buttons on the remote that say "MENU". All of them have different functions. In my opinion, if a device requires a person to read an operating manual then the design of the user interface is flawed. Want to be a billionaire? Start a company that does nothing but design good user interfaces for gadgets. There is no shortage of work. Gadget manufacturers could advertise the fact that their user interface is designed by (insert your company name here). I think it's one of the last great untapped opportunities out there. I'm waiting with my credit card in hand...