Toshiba RS-TX20 DVD Recorder with 120 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder

Toshiba RS-TX20 DVD Recorder with 120 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder | Tivo service is great, but the DVD burner is un-reliable

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Toshiba RS-TX20 DV...

	Toshiba RS-TX20 DVD Recorder with 120 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder Toshiba Toshiba average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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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:Records in DVD-R & DVD-RW Media;Up to 120 hours of recording;Digital Cinema Progressive for both DVD & TiVo playback;ColorStream Pro Component Output for both DVD & TiVo DVR;JPEG Viewer;WMA & MP3 Playback;24-Bit/192kHz Audio D/A Converter;Optical TosLink Digital Audio Output;DVD/DVD-R/RW/VCD/CD/CD-R/RW/MP3 Playback;TiVo Basic Service included;120 GB hard drive for up to 120 hours of record time;Up to 3 days advance program guide to record your favorite programs;Control Live TV - pause, rewind, instant replay;Easy-to-use TiVo User Interface;Front Panel TiVo Service & DVD Controls;Instant Replay;IR Blaster for Cable and DBS Box Control (C3 Control);Front Panel A/V, S-Video & IEEE1394DV Input for camcorder connection.

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Know what you are buying

Think of this equipment as a space saving unit that will replace your Tivo recorder and DVD recorder/player. But that's it. Giving bad ratings because it's not capable of recording HD, having bad basic Tivo programming capabilities, or not outputting recorded materials to digital audio is like criticizing it for not cooking your dinner. Free basic Tivo service comes with the ALL Tivo recorders (this isn't exclusive to Toshiba machines). Tivo has always offered 3 days advance programming without Season pass and other extra features found in paid service. Think of it as a test drive feature that'll suck you into paying for subscription, which, by the way, is worth it. Tivo Series 2 was never meant to record HD. If you have a standard TV, the recording quality at High setting is perfecly fine (both Tivo and recorded DVD). Yes, you can see digital compression artifacts (especially on large screen HDTVs). If you are looking for recording HD look else where--or Get the Toshiba HD DVD, wait for Tivo Series 3, or get satellite service and pay a lot for HD DVR. If you are happy with your standard cable, this machine will make you happier.

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Tivo service is great, but the DVD burner is un-reliable

I have had this product for over 1 year. At the beginning, I tried to get by with Tivo basic service -- it simply wasn't working. After I subscribed to the Tivo-Plus, I got hooked with the service, it was my dream came true. I had some initial troubles with my DSL service because the program guide was downloaded through the phone line shared by DSL. But, some weeks later, the problem disappeared. Another issue is, sometime the download will cause my phone line to be "busy". The phone company test shows that I have a phone somewhere in my home which has not hung up (Tivo phone). Fortunately, the problem occurs rarely, and once I know it, it can be fixed easily (just unplug the phone line from Tivo and re-plug).
The problem came about 2 months ago, the DVD bruner broke. We have used the DVD burner to store TV programs, because even it said it can store 140 hours of program, in reality, only the highest quality video is acceptable, and that makes the total program time to be less than 70 hours.
Without the DVD burner, the Toshiba unit lose more than 50% of its value.
I guesse Toshiba knows the issue now, because I don't see them actively selling this unit.
Also, when you subscribe to Tivo Plus service, make sure you also subscribe to more cable channels. That makes your 13 dollar Tivo-plus monthly fee worth-while.
One more thing-- Tivo records analog TV signal. For HD, it is already digital, so you need another type of DVR (Digital Video Recorder) for it. Right now, several digital cable & satellite TV companies provide those boxes as part of the service package. Unfortunately, they don't include DVD burner. It may be due to copy right concern.

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A good deal, especially if you don't want more than Basic TIVO

I bought this unit a year ago on sale (at a ridiculously low price) and have found it to be just great. It offers everything you might want in a TIVO and DVD player/recorder unit (although it does not HD-record, if that is what you need). It is especially good for those who don't need all the bells and whistles of full TIVO service and who only need the basic TIVO service (which is just fine) WITHOUT A RECURRING MONTHLY CHARGE (that is the great benefit of this unit).

I had TIVO Basic for about 9 months and was satisfied with it (and especially with no recurring charges). Having said that, I did upgrade to full TIVO service, but only because TIVO was changing its business model and was eliminating lifetime subscription service--if I had to decide what to do now without that possibility, I would get this unit and live quite contentedly with TIVO basic. I mean, Season Passes and wishlists are great, as well as a 2-week look at listings, but not at $150+ a year for me (no cable here, which makes a difference as well, as there is less to search). The Basic service makes the unit into the equivalent of a charged videotape recorder.

By the way, despite what is written below, other boxes do NOT all come with Basic TIVO service--you must get a TIVO subscription with most. Again, that is the great benefit of this box, especially for those of us with more limited TV service or needs, or who do not want yet more monthly charges or the equivalent.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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