Toshiba DR410 1080p Upconverting Tunerless DVD Recorder | AWESOME DVD RECORDER!! AWESOME DVD PLAYER!

Toshiba DR410 1080p Upconverting Tunerless DVD Recorder | Second unit purchased

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Toshiba DR410 1080...

	Toshiba DR410 1080p Upconverting Tunerless DVD Recorder Toshiba Toshiba average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

AWESOME DVD RECORDER!! AWESOME DVD PLAYER!

Just got this thru Amazon after making a 3 week research on what kind of recorder I should get. First of all, I got this to mainly transfer VHS home movies and Hi-8 tapes to DVD. I have tried cumbersome and time-consuming methods including the type where you transfer the movies to your computer. Somehow with the transfer to PC method, I always encounter audio sync problems. The Toshiba beats them all for its ease of use, simplicity and affordability.

Pros:

*Affordable, by far the cheapest name brand out there for a stand-alone
recorder.
*Simple, easy to use, no holds barred recorder. No complicated set-up.
*It physically looks good.
*It is multi-format
*It has an array of connections including HDMI, S-video and DV input

Cons:

*The only thing that I have found fault in this recorder is the remote,
it is flimsy and lacking some basic controls such as a volume control

Other than the remote (which is really negligible but I must point out since this is a review), this is one user-friendly stand-alone recorder. I was thinking of getting a DVD/VCR recorder combo which is a bit expensive than a stand alone but I still have 2 usable VCR's at home so I might as well just utilize what I still have and save money in the process. Before finally settling with the D-R410, I had my sights on the Sony VRDMC5 DVDirect DVD Recorder, another stand-alone recorder which is compact, multi-format, has an array of connections including the ability to connect memory cards and a small LCD screen. A little bit expensive than this Toshiba but with all its bells and whistles, its no wonder. The only thing that drew me away from the Sony was not having the ability to monitor audio and video on your TV screen since it doesn't have any video/audio output. You can monitor your recording task (video only, no audio) on the small LCD screen. Reviews for the Sony were very good just like the Toshiba.

The very first time I used the D-R410 was a quick breeze. Doing all the necessary connections going in to the recorder and out the TV took less than 5 minutes. Not a lot of figuring out to do since you are basically doing the same connections like the previous set-up with your TV and DVD player. When you are ready to do your recording task: 1) insert a blank DVD (I use a DVD+R), 2) cue your VCR or Hi-8 camcorder to the exact point where you want to start recording, 3) go to the DVD recorder's set-up menu and 4) set the recording speed (SP in my case since almost all my VHS and Hi-8 tapes are the T-120 type where you get 2 hrs of recording), 5) also on the set-up menu, hit auto-finalize, 6) push the play button on your VCR or Hi-8 camcorder and hit the record button on the remote of the recorder and just wait until the recording is finished. NOTE: NEVER FORGET TO FINALIZE THE DISC. If you fail to do this, you will not be able to play the DVD in your other DVD players. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. If your recording finishes BEFORE the allotted recording time, you can finalize the disc manually. You can also set-up chapters and you can decide on how many minutes you want for each chapter, default is 5 minutes for each chapter.

If you have a MINI-DV camcorder, you can connect it to the IEEE 1394(firewire port) on the front of the recorder and you can manipulate the controls of your camcorder.

You CANNOT copy DVD's or tapes that is encrypted with copyright protection. I haven't tried this yet although some reviewer mentioned that this recorder is not that particular about copyright protection compared to Sony since Toshiba does not make or produce its own movies like Sony.

Other than all the things I mentioned, this is a very good recorder for basic recording of home movies. Tapes gets worn out, eaten by your VCR from constant playing. It can also grow molds in them if not used at all. Transferring to DVD preserves your precious memories for a long time.

I highly recommend this DVD recorder!!!

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Second unit purchased

This is my second purchase of this recorder and I am happy with how it works. I had to do a destructive exploratory on the first one to extricate a stuck disc. Don't know exactly how that happened - perhaps I did not seat the disc properly at load time - the tray got stuck and would not open. I think I could have removed the cover but instead forced the tray. Oh well. Just something for you to keep in mind if it happens to you. For the price, I don't think you can beat it. I recorded maybe 70 discs and the result is pretty true to the original, rock concerts, movies and stuff from food network. The unit records a little more than 2 hours at the highest resolution. For point of reference, I have DirecTV with HD coupled to a 7.1 Yamaha home theatre receiver and 46" Sony XBR4 (both from Amazon, and also all hdmi cables). Maybe the only tiny tiny thing is, this unit gives like a default title that has nothing in it and you can't get rid of it. I have not played with manual chaptering, just letting him put in markers at the default 10 minutes. One more thing. ABC Warehouse here had a Sony recorder for $99. I got it home and discovered it only had the RCA video connection, not S-video input. The picture degrades very noticeably with RCA so I took it back immediately. This Toshiba has S-video, a very important consideration.

Since this is my second one, that also means I have now a remote that is not needed. If anybody out there needs one, submit a response comment and we'll get it together.

Buy this unit, you won't be disappointed, imho. Price, free 2-day delivery, functionality, ease of use. Amazon is a great thing.

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Typical Toshiba - rock solid and easy to use

Got this to replace a Samsung. Excellent quality, easy to use. Works very well with my Tivo.

Definitely Worth The Money

This product is definitely well worth the money. I'm a semi-professional editor and needed a dvd-recorder that was not only competent but also efficient and easily transferable. After seeing this one in the store for $120 and reading the specifications on the box I was hesitant to say the least. However, after unbox and hooking it up (a no brainer for any technically inclined person) I was pleasantly surprised at the finalized results.

I was able to seemlessly transfer the recorded copy over to my make and burn the result in Popcorn and/or Wondershare. Definitely worth the bill.

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Worked for three weeks.

I bought this recorder because of the reviews, even the ones that didn't like the unit. Not real crazy about the way it operates and the slowness of the funtions. After reading deep into the manual I found that recording on +R DVD's only records in the 4:3 format not the 16:9, ONLY -R DVD's will record in all formats, bummer.

All in all it seems to be okay except for it going out just three weeks of very limited usage. I went on line and did a return and Amazon was perfect on the return, had a new one in two days. I sent the old one back the very same day it went out. I'll give this one a try and hope it gives good service.

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