Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD Recorder with 160 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder

Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD Recorder with 160 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder | One of the best Tivo units

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Toshiba RS-TX60 DV...

	Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD Recorder with 160 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder Toshiba Toshiba average customer review:based on 20 reviews view larger image
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built-in 160GB hard drive for recording/playback (holds up to 200 hours) * TiVo Basic 3-day on-screen program guide * IEEE 1394 DV front-panel input for use with a digital camcorder * records to DVD-R&DVD-RW * plays DVD-Video, DVD-R&DVD-RW, CD, CD-R&CD-RW, MP3 and WMA CD-R&CD-RW, and picture CDs (JPEG) *

Beyond my expectations

I purchased this item from Computer Brain - fully expected to not get it by Xmas - as I ordered just the week before. It came with 3 days to spare! Hookup was easy and straightforward, there was a special running so I purchased the lifetime TIVO advanced service - well worth it. I've scheduled items to be recorded on the TIVO from the web, and downloaded items to my laptop and desktop PCs. I used a USB wired Ethernet adaptor that plugs into my wireless bridge (Along with my XBOX and XBOX 360). They all coexist over the wireless ethernet just fine.

The subscription or "season pass" functionality is just awesome. I no longer watch live TV - I have the TIVO record it at the quality, frequency I want and watch the TIVOed shows. Never understood why people raved about them until I had one. The DVD burner works great - just two minor gripes - it would be really nice to have the ability to mark a begin and end point in a show and record just that - I'm not talking advanced editing, just a couple of quick bookmarks. Especially with Encore shows you typically get an extra 10 or 15 minutes of blather on either end of the movie that you end up having to record that sometimes pushes the movie over the time limit of the recording media so it needs 2 disks.

The other minor complaint is that it only takes DVD-R/RW but that's not that big a deal.

It would be nice if the unit had the secondary input jacks replicated on the back so you didn't have to plug in video recorders for dubbing into the unit in the front, but it's not THAT big a deal.

All in all a terrific unit with a nice design and a lot of utility!

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One of the best Tivo units

I got one of these for my wife at Christmas 2004. She got me a Denon AVR3805 receiver. Win win I say!

It has been a terrific machine. The ability to burn shows to either DVD-R or DVD-RW is truly wonderful. Storage space is generous to say the least. Ours is connected to the home network with a Linksys USB200M adapter - absolutley no problems with that setup. We don't use the remote, but instead use a Harmony 659. Again no troubles there. We used the monthly service for a while, but recently changed to lifetime service before Tivo discontinued them. We did not try the basic service as it would not be adequate for the way we Tivo (power users). The DVD drive is (like others I have seen) overly sensitive to scratched or dirty disks. A "bad" disk can lock up the machine so take care of your disks and keep them clean.

This has been a super machine for us.

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Getting your Toshiba DMS serviced

Be sure to save the box your Toshiba Digital Media Server comes in for as long as you own it.

We've had our Toshiba RS-TX20 for about 18 months now and are absolutely addicted to it. Last week, we were having issues with it that may have required it to have a technician service it. I think many who have a Toshiba DMS or who are considereing purchasing one would like to know that there are no local authorized service centers anywhere for their Digital Media Servers (but there are for their other products). For service you go to the Toshiba website listed on the back of your instruction manual and click on the customer support link to find a phone number to speak to a live person. He/she will make a record of the problem and your model and serial number (so have them handy) and tell you to ship the unit (maybe they pay shipping if it's still under warranty...mine wasn't) with a letter about the problem and a check for $139.95 to Haverhill, Massachusettes. Ulitmately it turned out that we didn't have to send in our unit, so I can't remember if that was a flat fee to repair the problem or just to diagnose it, so I'd ask about that to be sure.

As these units come down in price, the hassle of shipping and $139.95 may seem too high of a cost compared to just getting a replacement unit. All electronics seem to be cheaper to replace than fix these days. It's something to think about when you weigh whether to pay the monthly TiVo fee or lay out $300 in advance for the lifetime service. (Life of the machine, not yours!)

Would I buy another Toshiba DMS? Absolutely. Love my TiVo!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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