Toshiba D-VR600 Tunerless 1080i Up-Converting DivX Certified DVD Recorder VCR Combo

Manufacturer: Toshiba Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours List Price:$249.99 Our Price:$150.28 Features: Included - Composite Video & Audio cable, remote control, batteries for remote, user's manual External TV tuner source required to record television programming - Toshiba DVR600 does not have a built-in TV tuner Copy from VHS videocassettes to DVD (not made or sold for unauthorized use of copyrighted works) 10-Bit/54MHz Video DAC 192kHz/24-Bit Audio DAC Description:

Reviews:

Great Product
Works great. Great value for the price. I saw some of the expensive ones out there and after reading reviews decided to go with this product. It works as intended and great for copying from DVR.


DO NOT BUY
I bought this unit for me for Christmas with the intention to double my bands of video tape recorder of family and bands of hi8mm on dvd. as reported by others, it copies it for approximately 1 1/2 minutes, then a fast box comes on the screen... the imput that visual changed, the meter of dvd goes again to zero and doublings stops me... already ruined the dvd 2 dozen. sent the unit to toshiba, recovered again to him 10days later, and it was réemballé in the box in 30mins to go rite again to them... technology indicates to me that the unit could feel a problem in the band of 8mm (rubbish, it is a pan of the large throat), or it feels copyright infrigment/etc/etc. I said technology if the exit is nondefined, I want a refunding (gross chance).. the unit SUCKS. DO NOT BUY


use as VCR only
What a junk of a product! The remote and the power button on the unit sometimes do not respond at all, so you have no choice but to unplug it. I have had to take a disc out and watch it on my computer, where I was able to do with ease. My unit upconverts up to 720p only. The audio coming out is delayed by a couple of seconds, no less. After calling Toshiba support, they said warranty for labor is only up to 3 months, and they would charge me $70. There has not been any firmware updates, so I don't know what they intend to fix! It gets one star because, on the bright side, you can at least watch VCR.



Didn't excpect a combo player to be this good
I have owned this player for 3-4 months. Awesome little player! I wanted a combo players because I wanted to transfer videos of my kids videos that we have had an various tape formats. Some of which we don't have the camera for anymore. I was able to rent/borrow VHS adaptors that let you play your old tapes in this machine and transfer them to DVD. this is my main dvd player for my home theater, it's quit impressive for a combo player!!

The good:
SD DVD upconverting is very good through the HDMI output. I didn't expect a combo unit to do this so well. I think the 720P looks better than the 1080i on this player. Just my opion.
Plays all of my back up DVD flawlessly.
If you connect composite cables to the players you can record tv programming.
It has a mini firewire plug in the front so you can connect you DV camcorder.
Luv the blue display



The bad:
Internal fan is a little noisy



Save your money
As other reviewers have noted, response is very slow, both when starting the unit, and when hitting any function button.

My biggest complaint is the 'time record' button. I believe this is the first recorder I've seen in probably 15 years which requires you to set a separate 'time record' function in order for the timer to work. Sadly, I've missed numerous programs when I either didn't set it, or when I turned it off to remove the DVD and then didn't re-set it. It's certainly my fault I don't hit the right button, but it's irritating that an additional step is necessary.

Another drawback is that if you record multiple programs, you have to watch them in reverse order (last to first) in order to clear up space on the disk. If you've only got time to watch a 30 minute program that's in the middle of your recordings, and want to record another one, you'll have to put the new program at the end, rather than in the space from the program you just watched.

I've also noticed the unit starts warning you about pending programs nearly 30 minutes before the programmed record time. It'd be one thing if it shut down playback 10 minutes early, but 30 minutes seems a bit excessive to me.

All in all, a very disappointing purchase. I'll be replacing it as soon as I can.


Had Problems
I cannot recommend this product. Although upconvert was nice, players remote did not work after set up. Response on panel buttons was sluggish.


Another Burn
I bought this product to convert my rather large collection of bands of VHS into discs of DVD-R. With the name of Toshiba and some good reviews, I thought that I had made a smart purchase. I was wrong. Sometimes, while doubling, it continues to play the band of VHS but it stops the recording without any opinion of on-screen! Sometimes I receive "the message changed by visual system of entry" that others reported, but it usually occurs that I observe 2 or 3 hours of band to note only that the unit recorded of the 5-10 seconds beating flat seam. If you want to double your old bands with the disc, then your money most probably better will be spent in product of a different manufacturer. Shame on you Toshiba!


Review purchase
All was very well until delivery, etc prompt, but the product starts from something be desired (Toshiba DVD Recorder/VCR combo. D-VR600, however I keep it because I do not have energy to return it.


Great Product! Just follow instructions.
We have Directv with Tivo, and it filled to the top of rapid after approximately 30 mintues of installation of material, I was things of recording in addition to of Tivo and in DVD! I examined it on the portable player of DVD which we have. Now I have more than enough of drawings animated for my daughter; the god American, thus you think that you can dance, the supernova rockstar, exposures of oprah for my wifey; and more space on the tivo for my exposures! Installation, material: Easy, as a long time as you have all the ready cables. Install, DVD/magnétoscope: Easy, as a long time as you follow the instructions. Recall you to carry out the disc before examining it on another system. Seriously however, read the instructions before the establishment. It saves the alot time and destruction.


Dubbing is not working for me
As other reviewers have said, this is a great value for the money. However the #1 reason that I bought it was to dub old (personal) VHS tapes to DVD, and that just is not working at all! Separately, both the VCR and DVD recorder are working fine. I have been able to record to DVD from my Direct-TV TiVo. But whenever I try to dub from VCR to DVD-R I get an error: "Can't record. TV system of input video has changed." That looks like a cryptic translation from Japanese to English. The unit actually records video to DVD for the minute or so that the error message is onscreen, so the signals are all connected, but then it just stays in dub mode without recording.

I am waiting for a response from Toshiba customer service, but if anyone else can help that would be great. Or if VCR to DVD-R works for you, just let me know.

Otherwise..
POSITIVES:
1) low price
2) nice appearance
3) no problem putting it between my Direct-TV receiver and my TV. Good for recording programs to archive permanently from my TiVo.

NEGATIVES & BUGS:
1) won't dub for me
2) using the text entry system with the remote to title discs and chapters is pure AGONY (slow & error prone)
3) there are two modes for watching the video output - VCR or DVD and the DVD mode introduces a delay on the audio so that you see someone's mouth move before you hear the words
4) there is some sort of undocumented sleep mode built-in. If I leave the unit in DVD mode for viewing regular TV, after some period of time the audio output is cutoff. I need to toggle between VCR and DVD modes to get the sound back. Hence, I must leave it in VCR mode to avoid having the unit go to sleep.
5) the remote is poor - not illuminated though dimly glows in the dark, multi-function button labels difficult to read, not a learning or pre-programmed remote - so add one more to your collection.

Addendum (Oct-25, 2007)
I finally got in touch with Toshiba Technical support, who advised that the dubbing problem was caused by the VHS tape being too noisy. That still doesn't explain why the recording worked for ~1 minute while the error message was on the screen, and then stopped, but I finally did get a tape to dub to DVD. Buyer beware, results may vary. Some tapes may dub, while others won't.


All that I need it to do
I purchased the unit primarily to copy old VHS tapes to DVD format. The unit does all that I want it to do. I often hear that these combo units (with VHS and DVD) are troublesome, but I don't find this with the unit. I like of feature of adding chapters to the DVD recording at set intervals, so I can go back and write up an accompanying list of topic chapters. The only weakness is the time it takes for the signal from the remote to the unit. There is a slight delay if you are accustomed to punching keys in rapid succession. However, with patience and adjustment, I quickly became used to how it works, and I don't find it a annoying anymore. A nice feature is the DV port on the front panel allowing for direct transfer of movies from a digital camcorder or other devices. There is no tuner in this unit, so I have it directly connected to the cable digital box. Overall, you cannot beat the value for what you get. I did some research before purchasing this unit and chose it over the comparable Samsung.


Works OK, Price competitive
We had it during one week and that functions WELL for our goal envisaged, which is to double VHS with DVD-R. I was agreeably astonished to see that it played a result DVD of the area 0 stake and a result DVD I of the area 3 NTSC to have. The handbook indicates it plays only area 1 and "ALL" (never saw a WHOLE) DVDs and states to him specifically that it will not play stake DVDs. It seems to be Multiregion and able produced by NTSC/PAL. This only makes him a cut above other units of the same price. I noted that it played Spiderman that 1 DVD with the comment jump- rises (special use which sucks) even when I stopped them. Other that that, it plays DVDs well. It also plays DVD-Rs which I burned of Nero and CDs image of JPEG. People are correct when they say that outside is a little slow. It is most obvious using the on-screen "keyboard" for retitrer the DVD and Title(s). Moreover, my unit seems to go "to sleep" from time to time not while using. I guess that I must read the handbook still to see what is upwards with that. I think that it is right that outside and the unit are not in same mode (DVD or video tape recorder). The weather would be nice to have an internal tuner, but our government (FCC) decided that we will be only with high definition from here 2010, thus the manufacturers do not want to worry with tuners.


Works ok but controls are slow
With obtained the unit to replace a unit similiar of Samsung which did not function too well. It was easier to employ the unit of Samsung -- a contact operate instruction to double video tape recorder with DVD which is my principal reason I needed this unit. However Samsung had the trouble to place the advance of video tape recorder which had like consequence of the unacceptable results for the doubling of DVD and the output with a TV. Worked Toshiba very well. However the orders are really slow. If you employ the buttons on the plane panel which I recommend to press on the button during at least 2 seconds to obtain it to answer. Outside is really iffy. Moreover the orders are not too easy to use, you must really read the handbook to appear out way of doubling video tape recorder with DVD. If what you want to do must copy the video tape recorder with DVD or the output with a PC by a device as DVD then express work of this unit very well. If you seek a unit easy to use which is mainly employed for the playback I would seek another unit.


Adequate but not stellar product... but look at the price...
I bought this item to replace a regular DVD-VCR combo drive recently. After comparing various models side by side, I went with the Toshiba. This was a good choice on some levels, although I'm not completely happy with the unit either.

This unit doesn't have a tuner, which is what makes the price reasonable. You should not buy this unit unless you use a separate cable or satellite box to control your TV (I have DirecTV Tivo and it works perfectly with that). On the other hand, there's none of that silly aligning of the channels with this box and the satellite box.

As a player, this unit is easy to set up and works well. The playback quality is good, although damaged or scratched disks seem to suffer from more skip than other players produce. The recording function is painfully simple to use and works extremely well. For most day-to-day things, this unit is nice.

The remote is not cheesy, as some DVD players, etc., have. However, response is glacially, almost comically s-l-o-w. I'm not sure if it is the remote or the unit, but pressing a button produces a response after a very long second of pause. Not good.

However, the price is difficult to beat. Feature for feature, this is pretty close to other units, records flawlessly on all media, and upcoverts to 1080i (not the clearer 1080p). The slightly better units (with tuner and 1080p) cost nearly twice as much. As it sits: this is a good choice.


OK, but a little slow.
This is my first unit with a DVD recorder & VCR all-in-one unit. Although my primary movie collection is all on DVD, I occasionally still watch video tapes and I still have very few VHS titles that are not on DVD that I'm still willing to keep. My old VHS tape player broke down earlier this year and I decided to get a DVD/VCR combo instead of getting another VHS player. After reading several reviews about DVD/VCR recorders (which have been mostly negative), I decided to take a chance on the newly released Toshiba D-VR600 with 1080i up-conversion that had no Amazon reviews. My review of the Toshiba D-VR600, which I only had for a few months now can be broken down into three parts.

THE GOOD; Fantastic features! You can record from either the DVD or VCR or dub from either source. You can also record from your camcorder via a jack that is located in the front of the unit. Although there is no internal tuner, my Comcast box plugs in directly to the unit. The unit has a HDMI output for 720 or 1080 resolution. If you don't use HDMI, you can use component or composite cables (480 resolution). It also has an external audio out for surround sound systems. The remote control is nicely designed and it glows in the dark! So far, this unit plays and looks great on my flat-panel LCD television!

THE BAD; Slow. With all the loaded features, the unit is slow when you operate the unit via remote or press the buttons directly on the unit itself. Not as fast as the Sony DVD player it replaced (which was just a DVD player, not a DVD recorder/VHS combo), but if you are patient it will work. Another minor complaint I have is that I found a few of my DVD-R movies are not compatable with this unit, but the same DVD-R's played OK on my Sony DVD player (and Playstation 2). However most of my DVD-R's did play OK on this unit, but just a few did not.

THE UGLY; For some reason, the unit has occasionally stopped for no reason during some recording sessions. I was extremely upset when it stopped recording during a pay-per-view boxing event. However, it has worked flawlessly when I recorded other programs so the verdict is still out on this unit because I only had it for a few months. I'm curious if other owners of this unit had any recording problems?

Overall, despite the slow responsiveness I am still satisfied with the unit so far after just a few months. If you are looking for just a reliable DVD recorder only you might want to look elsewhere, but if you must hang on to that VHS side of you, this unit is OK. Just be patient with it!




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--end of Toshiba D-VR600 Tunerless 1080i Up-Converting DivX Certified DVD Recorder VCR Combo