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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$350.00
from CRUTCFIELD.COM Summary:
This DVD Recorder works better than any of the others in this price range.
I have compared the TOSHIBA DR-2 to the JVC DR-M10SL
and Pioneer DVR-320-S DVD recorders.
Neither one of those recorded as well in the 4 Hour Speed.
They also did not have as many advanced quality features.
After using the Toshiba DR-2 for nearly four months now
I would not consider buying any of the others.
There are so many advanced features it takes time to learn
But once you do , your recordings will be outstanding.
The main manual is 150 pages and well written.
Every important feature is bookmarked with its own section.
This DVD recorder records with DVD-R/-W,& DVD-RAM media.
The Toshiba's video performance was outstanding.
Picture quality is very good to excellent.
There are several pre-set One-Touch recording speeds.
They are labeled like VCR Speeds.
SP(2 Hours),LP(4 Hours),EP(6 Hours)
But if you like to tweak your recorder to
get the highest quality quality recordings.
The Toshiba DR-2 offers Variable bit rate settings.
This allows you to manually adjust the bit rate.
The manual Bit rate settings are variable anywhere
from 9.2mps (1 Hour) to 1.4mps (6.5 Hours).
The higher the bit rate, the better the quality.
But the higher bit rates also means less recording time.
The lower the bit rate, the lower the video quality.
But it also means more recording time.
Recordings made at the SP(2.5 Hrs)4.6 Mbps bit rate,
looked noise-free,and as sharp the live Cable TV image.
The bit rate settings which allow FOUR Hours
of Recording time are about equal in quality
to settings that allow TWO Hours of recording.
I couldn't tell any real difference between recordings
made using the TWO hour setting and the FOUR hour.
The Six Hour Recording speed quality was good.
But only when using the Digital Noise Reduction.
If you have a DVD player with Video Noise Reduction
settings. Then recording in the 6 hour speed should
playback with very good quality.
For timer recordings , there is an AUTO FIT function.
This automatically matches the recording length to
the best record speed and bit rate.
I have played DVDs I have recorded
on several brands of DVD players.
They all played back the Toshiba recordings fine.
I did not seen any difference in playback quality.
The TOSHIBA has a total of six different settings
for the Digital Video Noise Reduction feature.
With any of the the Noise Reduction settings on.
It really cleans up any incoming video signal.
Three Digital Video Noise Reduction settings may be
used for for DVD Playback,Tuner,or Line input viewing.
There are also three Digital Video Noise Reduction
settings to use for DVD Recording.
The incoming signal(TV/CABLE/LINE) can also be
adjusted for brightness,contrast and volume.
It has advanced timer recording using VCR Plus + C3.
Which includes an infrared (IR) blaster that you place
next to your cable or satellite receiver for automatic program timer recording.
In timer mode, the infrared(IR)blaster automatically
turns on the unit,changes the cable channels,then it
puts the unit into Record Mode.
You could also use the "quick timer" feature,
To avoid having to go into the programming menu.
The Remote is very smartly made. It also controls your
TV,& Cable box. The main buttons for basic DVD playback
are in the center where they can be easily found.
The controls for Setup and VCR Plus functions are located below a flip-up latch at the bottom of the handset.
The on screen menus are easily found using the Easy Navi button on the remote.
Pressing Easy Navi calls up a screen that clearly lists
the recorders many features and menus.
Like most DVD player/recorders. Most of the important
controls are on the remote only. Not on the unit itself.
So don't misplace that remote control!
All DVD Recorders are finicky about the brand of DVD Media.
For best results try, TDK,PANASONIC,FUJI,SAMSUNG Disks. Strengths:
Advanced PROFESSIONAL Quality Features Weaknesses:
This unit wont record Any COPY ONCE PROTECTED content
while using DVD-R/-W Disks. Similar Products Used:
JVC DR-M10SL,Pioneer DVR-320-S
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