I get that "non-standard" error message sometimes as well, albeit under somewhat different circumstances. Did you record the two titles at different bitrates? If you do that, you can't combine them into one title. (Although I think you could get around that by using the real-time "rate conversion" dubbing function.)

On another subject, I recently had a catastrophic failure that I will mention in a separate post.....

Sorry about the failure. Bad news.

Are you sure about the merging of titles at different bit rates? I've had no trouble merging titles with different bit rates. This to me is a pretty darn good feature of the XS series and most other brands of recorders can't do this.

I get the "non-standard" message when trying to do hi speed dubs of 3.0 - 3.8 bit rate recordings from the HDD to DVD -R.

I get that "non-standard" error message sometimes as well, albeit under somewhat different circumstances. Did you record the two titles at different bitrates? If you do that, you can't combine them into one title. (Although I think you could get around that by using the real-time "rate conversion" dubbing function.)


Thanks everyone for your suggestions. As far as I know the original recordings to combine were all 9.2 Mbps and the same audio settings. However, these questions asked by most causes me to think about a potential problem. I have a Sony HC42 camcorder that records in 4:3 or 16:9 format. Even though I always now set it to 16:9 the first couple of seconds on a tape for some reason record as 4:3 and then switches over. I thought I put in chapter marks accordingly to in essence edit out the 4:3 areas, but I know there is a restriction that you cannot have both on a DVD. I will check to make sure that is all cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I am open to any others until I solve this.

I get the "non-standard" message when trying to do hi speed dubs of 3.0 - 3.8 bit rate recordings from the HDD to DVD -R.

Are your settings in the Setup menu set for DVD-Compatible Mode to be "Main" (I think that's it)...?

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. As far as I know the original recordings to combine were all 9.2 Mbps and the same audio settings. However, these questions asked by most causes me to think about a potential problem. I have a Sony HC42 camcorder that records in 4:3 or 16:9 format. Even though I always now set it to 16:9 the first couple of seconds on a tape for some reason record as 4:3 and then switches over. I thought I put in chapter marks accordingly to in essence edit out the 4:3 areas, but I know there is a restriction that you cannot have both on a DVD. I will check to make sure that is all cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I am open to any others until I solve this.

9.2mbps is the max "legal" bitrate for MPEG-2 video destined for DVD, which includes audio. (what is the audio setting you're using?)

It's possible you've pushed the bitrate so far up that the Toshiba can't merge them without making an invalid DVD so you quite literally have non-standard video.

As a test, try to record a few minutes at like 6.6/PCM or 7.5/DM2 and see if you can combine them. Those should be within the DVD spec.

I get the "non-standard" message when trying to do hi speed dubs of 3.0 - 3.8 bit rate recordings from the HDD to DVD -R.
Huh. Strange. I'm not quite sure if I understand your post. Are you saying anything between 3.0 - 3.8 bit rate dubbings? I just did a test. I merged two titles. One recorded at 6.6 and the second recorded at 4.6. And was able to high speed dub the resulting single title high speed to a -RW. Not sure what is going on.

edit - I stand corrected. I just merged a 3.2 and a 3.8 into one title. And yes I got the alert. I never knew this. Anybody know why?

Are your settings in the Setup menu set for DVD-Compatible Mode to be "Main" (I think that's it)...?

Yeah, I think it has to do with that setting. Page 162 of the XS34 paper manual says that when DVD compatible mode is set to "Main" or "SAP", the picture quality may be lower. I no longer have an XS34, but I just tried this with my XS54, and it gives the error message on an HDD-DVD -R hi speed dub of a 3.0 recording with DVD compatible mode set to "Off," but it's okay when set to "Main."

It happens on a single title with no chapters, not just with combined titles. I found that you can do a rate conversion HDD-DVD dub at the same bit rate, but that reduces quality.

Edit to ask: Why would DVD compatible mode reduce picture quality only between 3.0 and 3.8?

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. As far as I know the original recordings to combine were all 9.2 Mbps and the same audio settings. However, these questions asked by most causes me to think about a potential problem. I have a Sony HC42 camcorder that records in 4:3 or 16:9 format. Even though I always now set it to 16:9 the first couple of seconds on a tape for some reason record as 4:3 and then switches over. I thought I put in chapter marks accordingly to in essence edit out the 4:3 areas, but I know there is a restriction that you cannot have both on a DVD. I will check to make sure that is all cool. Thanks for the suggestions. I am open to any others until I solve this.
Would it help to set the aspect ratio to 16:9? Referring to pages 162 and 104 in the manual, the aspect ratio setting applies to hi speed dubbing.

"...my XS54 gives the error message on an HDD -> DVD-R hi speed dub of a 3.0 recording with DVD compatible mode set to "Off," but it's okay when set to 'Main.' "That's because there are two audio channels that can be recorded simultaneously: the "Main" audio channel, and the "Second Audio Program" (SAP) which is typically (though not always) a Spanish language translation. The hard drive and DVD-RAM can handle these two audio channels, but DVD-R and DVD-RW cannot. (Another argument for the superiority of DVD-RAM! :D ) Thus, if you plan to high-speed dub your recording to DVD-R or -RW, you have to disable one of these channels first. (That is, before you make the initial recording.) You do this by choosing which channel you want: "Main" or "SAP". If you set "DVD compatible mode" to "OFF", you'll record both channels, but then you won't be able to hi-speed dub to DVD-R or -RW.
Page 162 of the XS34 paper manual says that when DVD compatible mode is set to "Main" or "SAP", the picture quality may be lower....Why would DVD compatible mode reduce picture quality only between 3.0 and 3.8?Boy, that's a tough one. I have no idea.

Thus, if you plan to high-speed dub your recording to DVD-R or -RW, you have to disable one of these channels first. (That is, before you make the initial recording.) You do this by choosing which channel you want: "Main" or "SAP". If you set "DVD compatible mode" to "OFF", you'll record both channels, but then you won't be able to hi-speed dub to DVD-R or -RW.

Good explanation, but this problem ONLY happens with bit rates between 3.0 and 3.8 and with DVD compatible mode "Off." It doesn't generate an alert with "Off," and any other bit rate (4.0 and above or 2.8 and below). It also doesn't give an alert if I do a rate convert HDD-DVD dub from, say, 3.8 to 3.8 with mode "Off."

Sometimes I'll dub less important stuff at 2.2 - 2.8, but I record most things at the highest quality that will fit on a DVD, that's why I love the Toshibas with their user settable bit rates. I probably did 200 hi speed HDD-DVD dubs before one day I got a "non-standard" message, when I had the bit rate set to 3.8. I didn't find anything in the manual, fiddled around for a while and found I only had the problem with 3.0 - 3.8, so I just stayed away since I rarely used that range anyway. When I finally found the mode info on page 162, I could dub to -R in the 3.0 - 3.8 range, but the comment about reduced picture quality concerned me. I decided to leave it "Off" and just stay away from 3.0 - 3.8.

Edit: The actual message is "DVD recording was terminated because a title or chapter with non-standard properties was detected."

Apologies in advance for the extreme length of this diatribe! :(

Over the last few months, I've been having problems with scheduled recordings on my RD-XS34. The most common problem is that it prepares for recording, but then “hangs” and never actually starts recording. It just sits there at 0:00, thinking it’s recording, but isn’t actually doing anything. When this happens, a “hard” shutdown has to be performed to get the machine working again.
Also, sometimes it fails to stop recording. It just keeps on recording after the scheduled stop time until you press the STOP button twice.
On other occasions, it spontaneously stops recording a few minutes (or even seconds) into the program. (On one recent occasion, I ended up with a recorded title that was just four seconds long!)
And last, it occasionally starts several minutes late, for no apparent reason.
Also, when one of these problems occurs (especially #1 or #2), if I try to change the channel using the ^ or V button, the unit goes to Line Input 1 instead of the selected channel. Then, when I try to change the channel again, it just scrolls through Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, and Line U. I can’t get out of it, and a hard shutdown is required. (If a channel number is entered directly instead of using the up or down buttons, the command is simply ignored.)

(Anyone else ever have problems like this?)

On Sunday, disaster struck. I can't remember exactly what I was doing the moment it happened, but while I was using my machine (I guess I was trying to play back something I had just recorded), I got an error message saying something to the effect that the data on the HDD was corrupted and I would have to reformat it. It became unresponsive and I had to do another hard shutdown, and then when I tried to enter the Content Menu, it said the disk (HDD) was empty. But if I tried to record something (manually, by pressing the Record button), it would say there was no free space on the hard drive. So it was both empty and full at the same time! After a couple more unsuccessful attempts to play or record something, I gave up and reformatted the hard drive. I lost 34 hours of recordings! :mad: Most of it I hadn't even seen yet. And much of it was good stuff that I really wanted to save for posterity. (For various reasons, I hadn't yet gotten around to burning it to DVD, but in my wildest dreams I never thought I would lose it all!)

It really pisses me off that these things are so unreliable. Shortly after I bought my Panny E-95 a couple years ago the "digital board" failed, rendering the device unusable. It was fixed under warranty, but in the process, they had to reformat the hard drive so I lost about 27 hours of recorded programs that time.

These devices appear to be inherently unreliable because it seems like any small glitch somewhere -- a bit or a byte in the wrong place, or a 1 when there should be a zero -- results in total failure of the hard drive and complete loss of ALL data. That doesn't seem right. No system should be designed in such an interdependent way that one small problem in one place results in a total loss of everything. Losing a few seconds of a recording is one thing. Losing even an entire title would be tolerable. But EVERYTHING? The whole damn enchilada?

It's the exact opposite of the redundancy you see in safety-critical systems like commercial aircraft. Most large commercial airplanes have three or four independent hydraulic systems so that if one goes out, you still have several backups. What if the airplane needed all three systems to work together, so that a failure in any one of them would result in a crash. How would you feel about that?

Or say you're a rock climber using a rope with, say, 200 strands, each one loaded to its maximum capacity. If any one of those strands breaks, you're dead. 200 ways to die. What would you think about a system like that?

Yet it seems like hard disk drives are designed in just such a way. I have to wonder what's the point of having such large drives if they are so prone to complete failure. If you have to back everything up to a DVD within a short period of time (to limit your exposure), there's no need for a large drive. Or to put it another way, with a large hard drive, it takes a while to fill it up, and by the time you do, you will have had a catastrophic failure.

I feel your pain.


You make some very good points. I don't know of anyone, anyone, who hasn't lost data, either on a computer or on an HDD recorder. At least on a computer, you can back up your data or ghost your drive to an external drive, and people who have been suffered catastrophic data loss tend to become more serious about performing backups, but on an HDD recorder, burning discs is the only way, as you say, so what's the point of a big drive? If they don't make these machines more reliable, at least they should have USB or firewire ports that allow for backing up to an external drive.

Huh. Strange. I'm not quite sure if I understand your post. Are you saying anything between 3.0 - 3.8 bit rate dubbings? I just did a test. I merged two titles. One recorded at 6.6 and the second recorded at 4.6. And was able to high speed dub the resulting single title high speed to a -RW. Not sure what is going on.

edit - I stand corrected. I just merged a 3.2 and a 3.8 into one title. And yes I got the alert. I never knew this. Anybody know why?

Perhaps between 3.2 and 3.8 with DVD compatibility mode off, the recorder creates videos with non-standard resolutions, e.g., 480x480 or 544x480, which is what the Pioneer recorders do with recordings set for MN 9 to 15 (180 to 240 min on a DVD) when video mode is off and VR mode is on. On the Pioneers, with video mode on and VR mode off, these resolutions are not used.

Perhaps the recorder is balking at merging titles with different resolutions.

Just a guess.

Would it help to set the aspect ratio to 16:9? Referring to pages 162 and 104 in the manual, the aspect ratio setting applies to hi speed dubbing.

Ok. Here are the results of my testing based on the ideas presented in this forum thread plus some of my own.

My compatibility mode has been set to "Main". I tried doing two TV recordings at 4.6 and 9.2Mbps and was able to combine the titles and not get any "Non-Standard" warning on the DVD Video Create. Since I was getting the non-standard warning when combining titles from a mDV camcorder using a firewire cable I did a number of tests there. My camcorder can record in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios. I found out that if I record to the HDD two separate segments as two separate titles in 4:3 mode, I can combine those titles ok with no warning. However, if I record two separate 16:9 titles, I can combine them but then get the warning when preparing for DVD burning in the DVD Video Creation process. So it appears the XS34 does not like to combine 16:9 titles taken from the DV input. Strangely though in my testing yesterday, even though I got the warning about being non-standard content and they would be separated into different titles, I was able to choose just a chapter menu and I previewed only chapters in the menu created. In my previous tests, I was forced to have a title and chapter menu. I cannot remember what I did differently.

So a question to all of you out there is, has anyone ever combined 16:9 titles and burned them to DVD with only chapter menus? Are there any sources of 16:9 content without using the DV input on the DVD recorder?

Another observation. When I record a 16:9 aspect ratio DV camcorder segment, it seems to always start recording to that new title in 4:3 aspect ratio for 1-3 seconds and then changes to 16:9. I thought before it was the camcorder recording 4:3 at the beginning of the mDV tape but I later proved that wrong by starting in the middle of a tape that I had recorded before and verified it was 16:9 (in the chapter editting function) but when it was recorded to the HDD of my XS34 it first started at 4:3 and changed to 16:9. Does anyone know if this is related to the aspect ratio setting in the setup screens? What is the purpose of the aspect ratio setting when the DVD Video Creation screens allow me to tell it what aspect ratio I want to burn at?

Well, I have posed enough questions. Answer which ones you can. Thanks everyone.

I found out that if I record to the HDD two separate segments as two separate titles in 4:3 mode, I can combine those titles ok with no warning. However, if I record two separate 16:9 titles, I can combine them but then get the warning when preparing for DVD burning in the DVD Video Creation process. So it appears the XS34 does not like to combine 16:9 titles taken from the DV input. Strangely though in my testing yesterday, even though I got the warning about being non-standard content and they would be separated into different titles, I was able to choose just a chapter menu and I previewed only chapters in the menu created. In my previous tests, I was forced to have a title and chapter menu. I cannot remember what I did differently.


It seems like the XS34 has a firmware bug so it does not handle 16:9 content correctly. It almost appears like it assumes all content has 4:3 aspect ratio in it so if you ever try to burn 16:9 content, it warns you to do the pre-burn Writing Test such as Parts Test or All Test. At least there appears to be a work-around as described below.

But I did determine how to get a chapter only menu on my burns even though I got the following message when I added my combined 16:9 aspect ratio content "Selected items include non-standard properties. Content will be divided into multiple titles on the DVD." Even though I got that message I then selected "16:9 fixed" in the Set Aspect Ratio option. If I chose "Chapter" for the Menu Create option I would get the chapter menu with the combined title showing the chapters I wanted on the preview menu. If I chose "Original" for the Set Aspect Ratio option, I got the title menu and a chapter menu - the content had been split into two titles. (Since "Original" means it will take content as is for burning, this must be the XS34 thinks there is 4:3 content in my 16:9 recordings)

So the XS34 thinks it is seeing 4:3 aspect ratio content in my titles even though the source is 16:9. It is either corrupting the content internally where it is not obvious where the corruption is or it always assumes there is 4:3 aspect ratio content in everything so when I add 16:9 content, I have to force everything to be written as 16:9 content. Any time I add 16:9 content to the selection for burning I always get the following message window "Selection of Pre-writing Test in the next option setting is recommended to check whether aspect Ratio coexists."

Anyone have any experience burning 16:9 content?

Anyone have any experience burning 16:9 content?
Not me, but if no one with more 16:9 experience chimes in, I try a couple 16:9 recordings/DVD dubs from my Sony TRV27 when I find my dv cable and some extra time.

On Sunday, disaster struck. ... to put it another way, with a large hard drive, it takes a while to fill it up, and by the time you do, you will have had a catastrophic failure.


Been there!
http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=685072 :(

Wow.....not taking pleasure in your loss, but in a way it's a slight relief to know that I'm not the only one this has happened to.

What's up with Toshiba? Losing all of one's recorded programs is the worst thing that can happen to a DVR owner. They really need to be making less failure-prone machines. I've had my current personal computer for five years, using it every day -- and never had a catasrophic failure like I had with my less-than-two-year-old RD-XS34. (And yes, I've also experienced the same freeze-up problem you [Willie G.] did when watching something in chase-play mode and a timer recording starts. The whole thing locks up and you can't do anything with it for at least several minutes.)

And Toshiba compounds the reliability problem by not having any provision for backing up one's recorded programs. And no defragmentation function, either. Why is that? Although I was careful not to delete individual chapters -- or even entire titles if they were just a few minutes long -- I strongly suspect that previous freeze-ups and hard shutdowns resulted in fragmented files or extraneous bits and bytes scattered across the HDD that eventually accumulated to cause its demise. (Page 21 of the manual says "This [a forced shutdown] is an emergency measure, which may cause losses and/or damages of data. Avoid casual use of this measure....")

Wow.....not taking pleasure in your loss, but in a way it's a slight relief to know that I'm not the only one this has happened to.



Oh I have had corrupted data on this thing three times now! I'm getting used to it. Unfortunately I just have to deal with it and get over it.

I've called Toshiba numerous times with no answers so I've given up on them. Besides no major manufacturer makes hard drive DVD recorders anymore.

Okay, I have acquired the service manual to the XS34 http://www7.toshiba.com/secured/tass/technical/dvd/RDXS34_SU_SC_SVM.pdf. If you want to crack open the case you can purchase a hard drive to have as a backup in case the whole thing goes.

Incidentally the hard drive inside of the XS34 is a 160GB Seagate ST3160022ACECS.

I really like the XS34 without all the headaches endured from it.

...
Incidentally the hard drive inside of the XS34 is a 160GB Seagate ST3160022ACECS.

I really like the XS34 without all the headaches endured from it.

Here's a post from a thread you should read. Read the entire thread. It should be helpful:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10409379&&#post10409379

I too have had the unit appear to "hang" while watching something in Chase Play and a scheduled recording begins. It happens to me all the time. The first time I kind of freaked out and was ready to panic and then things went back to normal. When I saw that it happened all the time I thought "Oh well."

Here's what I do. When it happens I press the TV Guide button. In about 15-20 seconds, it appears. I then close the TV Guide screen and press Play. I'm right where I was while chasing (but no longer in chase mode). It's like a 20 second intermission. Could it behave better? Yes! Do I worry about it? No.

I suspect what is happening is the the unit must wrap up the content being chased but, at the same time, instantiate a new session for the timer recording. With the content being chased, it never really got to the spot where it is 'officially' saved to disk properly and must then complete that operation and start the next. I don't think it actually hangs. I think it is trying to get it's "ducks in a row." After all this is not a full blown computer that is designed for flawless multitasking.

In any case, I have NEVER lost data and have had no HDD Isues whatsoever. Then again, I have never performed an emergency shutdown either (for which the manual warns of the possiblity of data loss).

Oh I have had corrupted data on this thing three times now! I'm getting used to it. Unfortunately I just have to deal with it and get over it.

I've called Toshiba numerous times with no answers so I've given up on them. Besides no major manufacturer makes hard drive DVD recorders anymore.

Okay, I have acquired the service manual to the XS34 http://www7.toshiba.com/secured/tass/technical/dvd/RDXS34_SU_SC_SVM.pdf. If you want to crack open the case you can purchase a hard drive to have as a backup in case the whole thing goes.

Incidentally the hard drive inside of the XS34 is a 160GB Seagate ST3160022ACECS.

I really like the XS34 without all the headaches endured from it.

Great post, thanks so much for this! Do you happen to have links to any of the other models? (I couldn't figure it out based on filename tweaks)

Do you happen to have links to any of the other models? (I couldn't figure it out based on filename tweaks)

This is the XS32 file name, paste it in and it should work:

RDXS32SU_RDXS32SCSVM.pdf

I'll look up some of the other service manual pdf file names later.

I have been able to find service manuals using the "www7.toshiba.com" site for the following models by doing different variations of google searches:

XS34
XS52/KX50
XS54

Using google you can link directly to the pdf manuals and save them.

This is the XS32 file name, paste it in and it should work:

RDXS32SU_RDXS32SCSVM.pdf

I'll look up some of the other service manual pdf file names later.

The cut and paste worked perfect. So I can add the XS32 to my list of service manuals. Thanks.

XS54 is here:

http://www7.toshiba.com/secured/tass/technical/dvd/RDXS_54SU_SVM.pdf

XS52/KX50 is here:

http://www7.toshiba.com/secured/tass/technical/dvd/RDXS52SVM.pdf

Anyone needing owner's/installation manuals they all can be found here: http://tacpservice.toshiba.com/ConsumerProductSupport/Manuals/dvdr.asp

Is the RD-XS35 service manual available, too?

I am the proud new owner of a doorstop/digital clock/fan.

Last week, my XS34 froze during the power-up process. It was doing it's loading thing, when I tried to change the channel and it got stuck. After waiting several minutes, I unplugged it, forgetting the hard-reset process of holding the power button for 10 seconds. Since then, it doesn't turn on. When power is applied, the "WAIT" message appears, followed by the correct time (when connected to cable), but otherwise no dice. No error messages either.

It still responds to the hard-reset (which resets the clock), and it responds to holding down the channel up/buttons to set DR (whatever that is). I've tried unplugging for upwards of 36 hours with no luck. I've removed the HDD and formatted it on a PC (as detailed on another thread), and reinstalled with no change in behavior. Other reset codes I've found on the forums require the power to be on to work. :eek:

A friend of mine who is an electronics tech has looked at most of the components looking for blown fuses, bad caps, bad solder joints, and the like to no avail. He is not done, but it's not looking good!

I don't suppose anyone's been unlucky enough to have the same problem but lucky enough to fix it? Oh, to see that bright-as-the-sun blue light again...! :cool:

The absense of HDD or DVD drive error codes on startup leads one to believe it might be one of the circuit boards. There are 3 predominate circuit boards in the XS34. The power supply, motherboard, and the digital PC board. This might be the digital PC board. It is the one that sits to the side of the DVD drive and snaps into the top of the motherboard. Unfortunately this is an expensive part. I'd call Toshiba CS and see if they offer some sort of flat rate repair.

Mesaboy, i'm ABSOLUTELY not trying to insult your intelligence posing a question: the Tosh is totally irresponsive to remote control or also to panel buttons? I'm asking that because AFAIK the DR you mention is for matching IR codes between the remote and the machine itself (i.e. they MUST have the same DR code). This is for controlling multiple Tosh with only one remote. I seem to remember that this is explained in the manual (installation I think).

I looked around the web for the digital PC board, and found a couple places selling it, but for more than I paid for the whole unit 2+ years ago! :eek: Paying for repair probably isn't worth it either, given I now have a Comcast/Moto HDD DVR and can get back to my basic functionality (play & burn DVDs) for less than $100 by buying a basic DVD recorder.

No offense taken, bernie. I'll look into the DR function further. The remote has been totally unresponsive, and all the panel buttons can do is hard-reset (hold Power for 10 secs) or DR toggle (hold Channel Up/Down for 3 secs). Powering up by simply pressing Power on the front panel does nada, which makes the other buttons fairly useless! ;) I work on Navy flight simulators and often times it is the obvious stuff that bites you when something doesn't work: ("The flux capacitor isn't working!" My response: "Try it with the flux capacitor turned on."). :rolleyes:

Appreciate the feedback!

For the XS34 crash, what you describe makes me think that the firmware on the HDD got corrupted. I am not familiar with the HDD formatting process you referred to but did it account for firmware on the HDD? If you did not, your machine might not reboot because the firmware got cleared out by the reformat. I am hoping that overall, the XS34 might not be toast yet. I would suggest you contact Toshiba and ask them if your HDD dies, how do you reinstall the firmware. I know I got an update firmware DVD from them before but am not sure if my system does not boot up whether I could install the firmware to the HDD. It might be possible that for the firmware update that it actually boots up from the DVD drive instead of the HDD but Toshiba will have to tell you that. Keep us posted on what happens.

Another good idea. I only did a standard NTFS format on a Windows PC. When nothing changed from before, I assumed the HDD was always fine. Hmmm, I wonder how I would install firmware if I can't power it up? That would be a question for Toshiba for sure.

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.

I thought you said it partially powers up. It might be enough for the firmware update - not sure. After the "WAIT" message, when you hit the power button, what does it do? Was the format on the HDD originally NTFS?

After WAIT, the clock sets and that's it. It does not respond to pressing the power button--only HOLDING the power button for 10 secs, which of course resets it to WAIT, then clock. Rinse & repeat. Only other response I can get is when I HOLD channel up/down, toggling the DR function.

As for the format, I did NTFS only because that is Windows' default. The other thread (for swapping hard drives), did not seem to mention what kind of format was necessary, only that a format was necessary. If I read it right, the machine would recognize the blank drive and supposedly recover from there. Mine didn't.

Thanks!

Does anyone know if the TV Guide On Screen will still work on the RDXS34 when the TV industry moves totally to digital TV broadcasts? The way I understand it, TVGOS piggybacks on the analog TV signals being broadcasted. Because of this I was wondering if the guides in our units will stop working when we go to digital since my understanding is that the RDXS34 does not have a digital tuner in it.

That's a very good question. Wish I knew the answer. Also, I assume that the over the air recording will have to go through a converter box. Any Ideas if we will even be able to use this recorder after Feb 2008?

That's a very good question. Wish I knew the answer. Also, I assume that the over the air recording will have to go through a converter box. Any Ideas if we will even be able to use this recorder after Feb 2008?
I assume you meant Feb 2009 not 2008 because the required switch is in 2009.

People on antenna (OTA) should be able to use the new Echostar TR-40 digital-to-analog converter, due out soon. Not sure, but don't think it can tune NTSC/analog cable channels... anyone know for sure???

Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/07/hands-on-with-the-echostar-tr-40-and-tr-50-converter-boxes/) writes this about the TR-40 during CES 2008 (emphasis added):

"Just like you heard from the press conference, EchoStar is showing off a couple of new analog converter boxes. While this kind of device doesn't have a place with DISH, splitting off EchoStar gives the company freedom to take on these ventures. First up, there's the TR-40 box with a built-in 7-day EPG, program search functions and VCR auto-tune timers. This device will be coming to you under both the EchoStar and Sling Media monikers for a penny under your $40 coupon; expect it in March."

I assume you meant Feb 2009 not 2008 because the required switch is in 2009.

Yes, my mistake.

That's a very good question. Wish I knew the answer. Also, I assume that the over the air recording will have to go through a converter box. Any Ideas if we will even be able to use this recorder after Feb 2008?
I know one way that we can still use it but not with TVGOS. I do it today at times. I feed my digital cable box output into Line Input 1. I then do a manual record and set the time of the schedule program I want and specify line 1 as the source. I then have to set the cable box to the channel I want to record ahead of time. I believe you might be able to use the Glink hookup to allow the XS34 to change the channels as needed but I have never tried that function since I did not have to with my current configuration. But the question will still be is whether the proper data will be available that the XS34 can receive to put together listings.

"Just like you heard from the press conference, EchoStar is showing off a couple of new analog converter boxes. While this kind of device doesn't have a place with DISH, splitting off EchoStar gives the company freedom to take on these ventures. First up, there's the TR-40 box with a built-in 7-day EPG, program search functions and VCR auto-tune timers. This device will be coming to you under both the EchoStar and Sling Media monikers for a penny under your $40 coupon; expect it in March."

Sounds to me like there is some sort of TVGOS available in digital that the converter boxes can decipher. I suspect the boxes transmit on analog channel 3 or 4 so the analog TVs can work with them. I also suspect the guide functions will be through a remote from the converter boxes. If so, this means that the TVGOS information is transmitted digitally and our XS34 units will only work as standard recorders with the convert boxes feeding them and without the built-in guides of the XS34.

Is anybody else out there having trouble with getting a 7 day EPG? In the past couple of weeks my unit has only stored about 24 hours at a time. If I advance 48 hours or further I get "no listings". I've tried unplugging the unit for a couple of minutes and doing a re-boot by holding in the power button but no change. I'm hooked up to analog cable. I always used to get listings 7 to 8 days in advance. Anybody else having this issue?

Is anybody else out there having trouble with getting a 7 day EPG? In the past couple of weeks my unit has only stored about 24 hours at a time. If I advance 48 hours or further I get "no listings". I've tried unplugging the unit for a couple of minutes and doing a re-boot by holding in the power button but no change. I'm hooked up to analog cable. I always used to get listings 7 to 8 days in advance. Anybody else having this issue?
I've been having that trouble—and more—since last October. At one point last year, Toshiba actually had TVGOS give me a call, and one of the TVGOS techs actually seemed willing to find and fix the problem. Early this year, the tech advised that they'd gotten an XS34 in their "lab," and that it exhibited the same problem.

The strange thing is that sometimes only Day 1 data appear, whereas other times it will populate the schedule the expected four days at a time, up to a full eight days...and then a few days later, be back to only Day 1. In the last three weeks, the system has twice completely lost all lineup, requiring a complete reinstall/setup.

When I called TVGOS last week, the answer I got was not good. I was told that (1) they can't figure out what the problem is and (2) since the XS34 is an "old machine," they're not going to bother to work any further on fixing the problem.

The next day, I had other reason to call the Toshiba TVGOS "specialist" folks, and in that conversation was told that (1) "TVGOS isn't our product"; (2) the "all digital" system will be in effect in Feb 2009; (3) a cable provider in a region would need to assure an analog rebroadcast of the (now) digital channel carrying the VBI data to allow TVGOS V8 to continue to work; and when I pointed out my carrier already does provide an analog rebroadcast, that "there was no guarantee that the provider would continue to do so in the future." Just a bunch of excuses to take no action.

Unfortunately, it was the typical "We don't know of any problem, we don't know how to fix the problem, it's not our problem to fix" response that Toshiba is prone to give. I've often wondered whether if a hard drive (not a Toshiba unit) or a DVD drive (not a Toshiba unit) in the XS34 failed, would Toshiba claim "It's not our product." As far as I know, the TVGOS subassembly is soldered to the mainboard...and that pretty much makes it an albatross around Toshiba's neck, in my opinion.

I'm trying to get a name of a decision maker at TVGOS who will either take action to direct that the XS34-related TVGOS problem be fixed or say for attribution that they no longer support the model. I tried many, many times to get someone at Toshiba to take some responsibility and use contractual leverage with Gemstar...but all I ever got was the dummy treatment. (It almost seems that some nefarious Gemstar folks would sneak into the Toshiba plant late at night, solder in TVGOS daughterboards into the XS34s being assembled...then escape without anyone in Toshiba manufacturing knowing where the boards came from. Yeah. Right.)

Sorry for the cynicism...but Toshiba's performance re TVGOS has been deplorable. I wonder if they expect any brand loyalty?

In the meantime, what seems to help—sometimes—my system when it loses data is to issue a "cold reset": 653-214-741.

Sorry for the cynicism...but Toshiba's performance re TVGOS has been deplorable. I wonder if they expect any brand loyalty?

In the meantime, what seems to help—sometimes—my system when it loses data is to issue a "cold reset": 653-214-741.

I have not had any trouble with my XS34 for a while even though every few months when I am doing something on my machine I lose the entire schedule. But fortunately, it has come back. Currently, I have a full schedule.

I have resigned to the fact that when things go digital in 2009, my TVGOS will be unuseable. At that time I will need to come up with another solution for DVR functions. My XS34 has served us well for archiving our home videos and for recording TV programs and sometimes burning them to DVDs. Once it a while a program is not recorded correctly or it runs long because the guide was not correct so I miss the last couple minutes. But overall, we are satisfied.

It is true that Toshiba is out of the DVR business. I was told by the tech support people about a year ago that Toshiba was bowing out of the business because they could not compete with the free or low cost DVRs that satellite and cable companies were now supplying. I suggest you keep trying to get a solution. I know when I had a number of troubles with the guide not being correct, I kept working with Toshiba reps until it was solved. However, I would suspect that there are less "experts" available at Toshiba for the product. I do not know what will happen when things go digital if TVGOS will also go digital because I am unclear how the TVGOS technology would work in a digital world. Sorry I could not offer a solution. I just wanted to let you know that the problems are not everywhere. It is likely your cable company or host stations that are changing their support for analog TVGOS. Good luck.

Any fellow XS34 owners out there?? I've been reading some of the other Toshiba threads regarding HD and DVD Burner failure...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=840132
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=884728

I really like my XS34 and dread the day when it no longer works, so I picked up a replacement HD even though the current one is working just fine. I'd like to do the same for the DVD Burner as well. It seems to me that applicable burners are going obsolete and will be getting harder and harder to find!

Is there anyone out there that can recommend a specific Burner replacement for the XS34 and where to purchase?

Well, after five plus months of virtually flawless operation, the XS34 had a major hiccup yesterday. Here are the symptoms and how I rectified it.

The first thing I noticed was that the on screen display (Loading, Play, etc. icons) were missing. Hmmm?? Next I noticed that in 1.5X playmode, the Timebar wasn't displaying.

OK, go into Setup and see if it got turned off somehow. No, On Screen display is ON. I then set it to OFF, played some content and went back to Setup to re-enable it. Still no On Screen display or Timebar. Curious.

Manually turning on the timebar displayed a blank bar. Hmmm? Turning on the Bit Rate meter was also blank. This can't be good. I tried to go back to Setup to see what else it might be. No go. Setup no longer worked. Hmmm? Definately bad! Try TVGOS... now no data!

OK, this thing is really a computer. Time to reboot.

Thinking a hard reset would be my last resort, I simply turned off and unplugged the unit for five to ten minutes. I plugged it in and the WAIT message appeared and within a couple of minutes, the correct time appeared. I turned on the unit and all was normal. All on screen displays worked, all past settings and recorded content were there (as they should be since they are on the hard drive... however, I was a little concerned as to whether the 34's software would lose it's pointers to the recorded content).

This morning I checked the TVGOS listings and all is populating as it should.

Strange... anyone else have this problem? Well, if not, now you have a quick and simple fix if it should happen to you. :)
You are not the only one, it has happened to my XS-34 twice in the past 3 years...

Willie,
I went to your link to download the service manual and it is password protected. When I called toshiba they would not give me any info from the Service Manual.
I am getting Er 7071 and all I know is that it is a Hard Drive error. I had a power outage and it booted after the "wait" indication with that ER 7071. When I unplug it for a while it does that same deal but occassionally, in fact, twice now, it eventually returns to normal functioning on after plugging in after a few days. Does anyone have a copy of the service manual and know how to fix ER 7071 by reset? I know I can replace the Hard drive but since the HD occassionally reboots and fixes itself I question whether it is the HD unit or firmware.
Thegrod


Oh I have had corrupted data on this thing three times now! I'm getting used to it. Unfortunately I just have to deal with it and get over it.

I've called Toshiba numerous times with no answers so I've given up on them. Besides no major manufacturer makes hard drive DVD recorders anymore.

Okay, I have acquired the service manual to the XS34 http://www7.toshiba.com/secured/tass/technical/dvd/RDXS34_SU_SC_SVM.pdf. If you want to crack open the case you can purchase a hard drive to have as a backup in case the whole thing goes.

Incidentally the hard drive inside of the XS34 is a 160GB Seagate ST3160022ACECS.

I really like the XS34 without all the headaches endured from it.

Willie,
I went to your link to download the service manual and it is password protected. When I called toshiba they would not give me any info from the Service Manual.
I am getting Er 7071 and all I know is that it is a Hard Drive error. I had a power outage and it booted after the "wait" indication with that ER 7071. When I unplug it for a while it does that same deal but occassionally, in fact, twice now, it eventually returns to normal functioning on after plugging in after a few days. Does anyone have a copy of the service manual and know how to fix ER 7071 by reset? I know I can replace the Hard drive but since the HD occassionally reboots and fixes itself I question whether it is the HD unit or firmware.
Thegrod

Take a look here about ER 7071: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=653912&page=5

Sorry about your problems. :(

Willie,
I went to your link to download the service manual and it is password protected. When I called toshiba they would not give me any info from the Service Manual.
I am getting Er 7071 and all I know is that it is a Hard Drive error. I had a power outage and it booted after the "wait" indication with that ER 7071. When I unplug it for a while it does that same deal but occassionally, in fact, twice now, it eventually returns to normal functioning on after plugging in after a few days. Does anyone have a copy of the service manual and know how to fix ER 7071 by reset? I know I can replace the Hard drive but since the HD occassionally reboots and fixes itself I question whether it is the HD unit or firmware.
Thegrod

I have a copy of the service manual I managed to dig up last year when my unit went Tango Uniform. Send me a private message with your e-mail and I will send it to you--it's about 1.5 megs.

Hello Captain Shirk,
I lost all the data too and got the same error as you did. However, I cannot reformat. When I read the manual, it says that I have to initialize HDD but I don't know how to initalize HDD.

Can you or someone please give me step by step instructions on how to format HDD.

Please help..I lost everything and now i can't even record.



Apologies in advance for the extreme length of this diatribe! :(

Over the last few months, I've been having problems with scheduled recordings on my RD-XS34. The most common problem is that it prepares for recording, but then “hangs” and never actually starts recording. It just sits there at 0:00, thinking it’s recording, but isn’t actually doing anything. When this happens, a “hard” shutdown has to be performed to get the machine working again.
Also, sometimes it fails to stop recording. It just keeps on recording after the scheduled stop time until you press the STOP button twice.
On other occasions, it spontaneously stops recording a few minutes (or even seconds) into the program. (On one recent occasion, I ended up with a recorded title that was just four seconds long!)
And last, it occasionally starts several minutes late, for no apparent reason.
Also, when one of these problems occurs (especially #1 or #2), if I try to change the channel using the ^ or V button, the unit goes to Line Input 1 instead of the selected channel. Then, when I try to change the channel again, it just scrolls through Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, and Line U. I can’t get out of it, and a hard shutdown is required. (If a channel number is entered directly instead of using the up or down buttons, the command is simply ignored.)

(Anyone else ever have problems like this?)

On Sunday, disaster struck. I can't remember exactly what I was doing the moment it happened, but while I was using my machine (I guess I was trying to play back something I had just recorded), I got an error message saying something to the effect that the data on the HDD was corrupted and I would have to reformat it. It became unresponsive and I had to do another hard shutdown, and then when I tried to enter the Content Menu, it said the disk (HDD) was empty. But if I tried to record something (manually, by pressing the Record button), it would say there was no free space on the hard drive. So it was both empty and full at the same time! After a couple more unsuccessful attempts to play or record something, I gave up and reformatted the hard drive. I lost 34 hours of recordings! :mad: Most of it I hadn't even seen yet. And much of it was good stuff that I really wanted to save for posterity. (For various reasons, I hadn't yet gotten around to burning it to DVD, but in my wildest dreams I never thought I would lose it all!)

It really pisses me off that these things are so unreliable. Shortly after I bought my Panny E-95 a couple years ago the "digital board" failed, rendering the device unusable. It was fixed under warranty, but in the process, they had to reformat the hard drive so I lost about 27 hours of recorded programs that time.

These devices appear to be inherently unreliable because it seems like any small glitch somewhere -- a bit or a byte in the wrong place, or a 1 when there should be a zero -- results in total failure of the hard drive and complete loss of ALL data. That doesn't seem right. No system should be designed in such an interdependent way that one small problem in one place results in a total loss of everything. Losing a few seconds of a recording is one thing. Losing even an entire title would be tolerable. But EVERYTHING? The whole damn enchilada?

It's the exact opposite of the redundancy you see in safety-critical systems like commercial aircraft. Most large commercial airplanes have three or four independent hydraulic systems so that if one goes out, you still have several backups. What if the airplane needed all three systems to work together, so that a failure in any one of them would result in a crash. How would you feel about that?

Or say you're a rock climber using a rope with, say, 200 strands, each one loaded to its maximum capacity. If any one of those strands breaks, you're dead. 200 ways to die. What would you think about a system like that?

Yet it seems like hard disk drives are designed in just such a way. I have to wonder what's the point of having such large drives if they are so prone to complete failure. If you have to back everything up to a DVD within a short period of time (to limit your exposure), there's no need for a large drive. Or to put it another way, with a large hard drive, it takes a while to fill it up, and by the time you do, you will have had a catastrophic failure.

Hello Captain Shirk,
I lost all the data too and got the same error as you did. However, I cannot reformat. When I read the manual, it says that I have to initialize HDD but I don't know how to initalize HDD.

Can you or someone please give me step by step instructions on how to format HDD.

Please help..I lost everything and now i can't even record.

Simple, go into the setup under the remote lid.

Choose Management Settings (Icon is a set of keys at the top of the screen)

Scroll down to HDD format

Select “Start”, then press ENTER button.

Confirm the message, select “Start”, and then press ENTER button.

Initialization of the HDD starts.

Everything on the drive is wiped out and the drive is like new again! :)

I'm hoping I don't have to do this yet again but I just received a message saying my HDD is fragmented. :eek: I'm backing up this time around. Though I cannot possibly back it ALL up! :mad:

:confused: Always something with this thing!

The clock was saying the correct time inside of the LED window however the clock inside the TV Guide preview screen said 1 hour and 7 minutes behind! There was also a lock (what's that about?) next to the time. I thought since the time used to change at this time of year may have been the cause. I cannot figure though why it was set back an extra seven minutes. I just did a time reset to reboot the DVR (losing all of scheduled shows). The TVGOS clock now is unlocked whereas before it was locked. :rolleyes:

About that lock, seems whenever somethings being recorded it locks up and unlocks when finished. However in my case the show wasn't being recorded yet was locked up.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Everything gone again!!!!!!!!

Wiped clean, data corrupted!

About two years of recordings (76 hours, things never to air again) lost! POS!

Sure sorry that happened. Mine is still working fine. Guess I'll have to get a DTV converter for it after Feb 17th. I always copy my important stuff to DVD. It might be time for you to junk yours.

As the kids say, sux 2 b u.:(

At this point, I think we XS owners can safely surmise that a) these machines are too undependable to be used for long-term storage, as has been reiterated on this and other forums, and b) these machines are too finicky to use the HDD to its full capacity. A safety margin of a good 10% should be kept, and anything precious or irreplacable should be burned right away. The only good, if there is some to be found in your predicament, is that it can serve as yet another cautionary tale for the rest of us, and I think this applies not only to Toshiba owners, but to owners of other machines as well.

But once again, this time in the famous words of a former president, I feel your pain (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/Oyez100/df87970f.jpg).

I was wondering if anybody else is having this problem.....when I try to load a DVD it takes many times of closing the door before it loads. Any ideas of what the problem may be and better yet any solutions?

Just make sure it is seated correctly i.e., those two small detants on the front the drive should properly align with the disc. The drive was made to handle DVD RAM cartidges so seating regular DVDs takes a special "touch."

As the kids say, sux 2 b u.:(

:(:(:( Tell me about it! Now buttons on my remote are not working! AHHHHHH!

Play and the yellow "exit button" aren't working!

BTW, I tried to insert a DVD to back up my recordings before the hard drive data was corrupted. It wouldn't read ANY dvd be it recorded or blank! So how am I to back up if it doesn't work! I now don't bother saving on the hard drive any longer and format it frequently.

I also have a Motorola cable DVR. Even though it doesn't lose data it had recorded pixilated garbled garbage. It also is unresponsive at times freezing up when pressing a command on the remote. When it feels like working again all of the commands get executed at once!!

Technology crap! :mad:

I have mine connected to analog cable and it has not had any listings for several days. My recorded data is still there and I've been recording manually w/o a hitch. I've done a re-boot and unplugged it for 5 minutes, still no listiings even after leaving it for 24 hours. Should I try to go back to the start menu and re-set my settings or should I just live with it since everything else is still working fine? Might the listings come back on their own? A minor inconvenience compared to the other problems listed here to be sure...

I was wondering if anybody else is having this problem.....when I try to load a DVD it takes many times of closing the door before it loads. Any ideas of what the problem may be and better yet any solutions?

Just make sure it is seated correctly i.e., those two small detants on the front the drive should properly align with the disc. The drive was made to handle DVD RAM cartidges so seating regular DVDs takes a special "touch."

It is even happening when there is no disc in.....any suggestions?

FYI, TVGOS service has been restored for Shaw Calgary customers. :)

It is even happening when there is no disc in.....any suggestions?
I can see how it would be hard to load a disc when you do not put one in. I am assuming this is a joke?

I can see how it would be hard to load a disc when you do not put one in. I am assuming this is a joke?

It is a not a joke....when I try to close the tray, it will close and then open right away. It will do this a couple of times with no disc in the tray. When there is a disc in the tray this will happen about 3 or 4 times if I'm lucky and if I'm not it can take 20 times before it closes and reads the disc. I did email toshiba and all they suggested was to unplug the recorder and see what happens. I have done that in the past and nothing seems to change. I can live with it when it is 3 or 4 times but the 20 or more times is more the norm now, so any suggestions would be great.....

My RD-XS34 is still working fine. When over the air TV goes away, is there a way to manually set the time. I am currently using a Zenith DV converter to record over the air digital programs.

Thanks

If you guys ever need to order a brand new remote for your XS34/35 recorder I would highly recommend (http://www.toshiba.newremotecontrol.com/catalog_item.php?catnum=P000432480)!
Part Number: 79102865

They accept credit cards & PayPal, have fast terrific service and it couldn't be easier! :D

I've heard about fixing it yourself, by prying open the remote to get to the circuit board, but you cannot do it with these! They will not open up! :o

I just got a new HDTV (a Christmas gift to myself). This new set will display the resolution of incoming signals (something my old HDTV didn't do).

Anyway...

It displays "480i" for my XS34 !

I went back thru my settings, and I can't seem to find something that switches the output from 480i to 480p. BTW, I am using the component (Y,Pb,Pr) output jacks.

Did I missing something?

My RD-XS34 is still working fine. When over the air TV goes away, is there a way to manually set the time. I am currently using a Zenith DV converter to record over the air digital programs.

If you have the updated firmware (and the firmware hasn't been updated in years), you will be able to do a master reset. After the master reset, if you don't setup TVGOS, the "set time/date" option will be un-grayed-out, and you can select it.

BTW, not everyone will loose TVGOS next month. If your "analog converter" correctly re-builds the analog VBI data, TVGOS will continue to work. Yea, I know, that is a big "if".

I just got a new HDTV (a Christmas gift to myself). This new set will display the resolution of incoming signals (something my old HDTV didn't do).

Anyway...

It displays "480i" for my XS34 !

I went back thru my settings, and I can't seem to find something that switches the output from 480i to 480p. BTW, I am using the component (Y,Pb,Pr) output jacks.

Did I missing something?

Open the flap on the remote and push the Progressive button.

Open the flap on the remote and push the Progressive button.

Much thanks! ;)

Yea, one of those "duh" moments. I had to dig out the original remote, and yep, there is that button!

Does anybody know another way to access the content menu (list of programs recorded) besides using the Content Menu button on the remote control??The button stopped working on my remote :mad: I tried the Library but its not exactly the same. I can't believe Toshiba would one make this accessible thru the controller :rolleyes:

If your XS34 is like my XS35 and the remote has an Easy Navi button, press that then select Play Contents. Presto, you're in the Content Menu!

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/2/2/1/5/2/0/webimg/225566588_o.jpg

If your XS34 is like my XS35 and the remote has an Easy Navi button, press that then select Play Contents. Presto, you're in the Content Menu!

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/2/2/1/5/2/0/webimg/225566588_o.jpg

That is the exact same remote as my XS34.

I shall try that but please help me out I have antoher problem!
Last night while playing arund with the setup options I accidentally changed the IR code from DR-1 to DR-2. Now the cotnrol doesn't respond to anything, whenever I press a button the screen displays DR-2. I tried what it said on the manual of holdign Easy Navy + 1 to change it back to DR-1 but it doesnt work :(
What can I do??

Does anyone know what the latest/last firmware version was, and if it still available for download anywhere?

I think I am one level behind. :D

What can I do??

Leave the batteries out for a while?

I shall try that but please help me out I have antoher problem!
Last night while playing arund with the setup options I accidentally changed the IR code from DR-1 to DR-2. Now the cotnrol doesn't respond to anything, whenever I press a button the screen displays DR-2. I tried what it said on the manual of holdign Easy Navy + 1 to change it back to DR-1 but it doesnt work :(
What can I do??

Try holding down the Easy Navi button while you press 1.

So now the DVD will not open at all.....any suggestions?

Does anyone know what the latest/last firmware version was, and if it still available for download anywhere?

I think I am one level behind. :D

Last version I have is YG1200.

You can download an update through Toshiba's website (http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/customersupport/model_firmware.asp?model=rd-xs34) although I don't know what version this is. :confused:

Burn the ISO to a CD-R disc. ImgBurn (http://www.imgburn.com) is an excellent free burner.

Well, this morning, my XS-34 is displaying "ER 00 0C". :(

I tried pressing and holding the power button. That is resulted in a VERY long "WAIT", eventually followed by the "ER 00 0C" again.

The manual says this is "Turning on the power failed", tough, obviously, there is enough power for the error code to be detected and for the display to show it.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Is there a "most likely" point of failure?

Gosh, I wish Toshiba still made DVR's. I would certainly get a replacement if I could. Instead, fixing this unit has become a priority.

Sorry to hear about your problem with the Tosh. It certainly is an unreliable product!

I'm currently having problems (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17797317) with the XS34 to format some DVD-RAM discs and Memorex is no help on the matter! :mad:

I had to do a "hard reset" just to get it to stop flashing the loading icon after inserting the RAM disc. I was afraid it wouldn't turn back on because I had a long WAIT as well. Luckily no error code showed up.

I was just reading this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1104814) which may (or may not) be of help to you.

Sorry to hear about your problem with the Tosh. It certainly is an unreliable product!

I'm currently having problems (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17797317) with the XS34 to format some DVD-RAM discs and Memorex is no help on the matter! :mad:

I had to do a "hard reset" just to get it to stop flashing the loading icon after inserting the RAM disc. I was afraid it wouldn't turn back on because I had a long WAIT as well. Luckily no error code showed up.

I was just reading this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1104814) which may (or may not) be of help to you.

Update the firmware of your RD-XS34 to the latest one and use Taiyo Yuden DVD-RAM and this should take care of your problem. I know it's impossible to find THAT'S brand DVD-RAM in the U.S., which is Taiyo Yuden's own brand in Japan, but check the CDfreaks forum for threads on what U.S. brands may be TY DVD-RAM. Top grade Maxell or Victor-JVC DVD-RAM may also be Taiyo Yuden, at least in Japan.

Update the firmware of your RD-XS34 to the latest one and use Taiyo Yuden DVD-RAM and this should take care of your problem. I know it's impossible to find THAT'S brand DVD-RAM in the U.S., which is Taiyo Yuden's own brand in Japan, but check the CDfreaks forum for threads on what U.S. brands may be TY DVD-RAM. Top grade Maxell or Victor-JVC DVD-RAM may also be Taiyo Yuden, at least in Japan.

Thanks for the advice. How do I go about getting the latest firmware and what version number might that be? :confused:

I just ordered some TDKs (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17935762#post17935762) and will see how they work out.

The HDD on my RD34 has been giving me headaches for a while, and today I'm getting a new error message as soon as I turn the unit on - "Data is corrupted. Try reformatting HDD. Warning: this will erase all data" (paraphrased slightly)

If I hit "OK" on that message, will that immediately start reformatting, or will I at least have a chance to dub a few things I want to keep over to DVD? Anyone had experience with this? Or with replacing the HDD with a new one?

Thanks in advance...

The bad news: Your data is basically gone for good. You have no choice but to go ahead and reformat.

The good news: Your HDD will probably be OK after this and you won't have to replace it.

So if I hit "OK" on that screen (it comes up with "ALERT" on the LED display, not any of the numerical "ERROR-xx" messages), it'll start reformatting right away, then?

I've been reading with interest the thread about someone using a hex editor to recover video in chunks from one of the Panasonic models...has anyone tried that with the Panasonic? I'm not at all averse to sticking a different HDD in this unit to get it going again, and then taking my time trying to salvage the existing HDD's content.

That message occurred with me once and I think I said OK and the next time I looked on my HDD it was blank :eek:. However it happened on another occasion (could have been a different model RD-XS) and I cancelled out of it and was able to back up my stuff before doing a reformat manually. Usually you just can't dub anymore stuff to DVD-R when you see that message.

To avoid this in the future do all your editing with playlists. I may delete the beginning and end off the original recording but any internal deletions and editing I do on playlists. I can get 1-1.5 years of service out of a HDD before having to do an all titles delete or reformat voluntarily to 'defrag' the drive.

I also make sure I archive stuff promptly every week, just to be safe.

I've been reading with interest the thread about someone using a hex editor to recover video in chunks from one of the Panasonic models...has anyone tried that with the Panasonic? I'm not at all averse to sticking a different HDD in this unit to get it going again, and then taking my time trying to salvage the existing HDD's content.

Nah for me. I don't have anything super important on my HDD that I have to go that length to recover it.

I shall have to try that once I get this machine working again, one way or another. Thanks for the suggestion! Two new questions:

1. Has anyone tried GRC's SpinRite recovery software? It gets good reviews among some engineers of my acquaintance, and it claims it can recover "TiVo hard drives," which is at least a close cousin of what we're dealing with here.

2. On a more basic level, has anyone actually tried to remove the HDD from the XS34? I've got the top off mine, and the drive seems to be secured by four screws, two on each side - but only one of the screws is easily accessible without further dismantling of the unit. Any suggestions?

I shall have to try that once I get this machine working again, one way or another. Thanks for the suggestion! Two new questions:

1. Has anyone tried GRC's SpinRite recovery software? It gets good reviews among some engineers of my acquaintance, and it claims it can recover "TiVo hard drives," which is at least a close cousin of what we're dealing with here.

2. On a more basic level, has anyone actually tried to remove the HDD from the XS34? I've got the top off mine, and the drive seems to be secured by four screws, two on each side - but only one of the screws is easily accessible without further dismantling of the unit. Any suggestions?

When you edit playlists, you are editing 'virtual' copies of the recording. It doesn't affect the original title so you don't fragment the drive.

One neat thing about the Toshiba RD-XS series is I can chop a title into several segments, create a playlist, and combine them in any combination I want. To save HDD space, I can then dub the playlist to the same HDD, then delete the original recording to free up space. All without fragmenting the drive.

In regards to removing the HDD, you must first remove the bracket holding the drive to the chassis via four screws. Use a long blade screwdriver with a magnetized tip so you don't lose the screws. Then remove the four screws securing the HDD to the bracket. The bracket sits next to the burner, and there is no space for even a stubby screwdriver to fit.

Thanks for both tips! The bracket you speak of is the one that sits under the drive, with metal "ears" that come up to hold the sides of the drive, right?

Thanks for both tips! The bracket you speak of is the one that sits under the drive, with metal "ears" that come up to hold the sides of the drive, right?

Correct. A long blade, magnetic tip screwdriver is essential for dropping the bolts back into the holes to secure the bracket. It may be hard to start the thread and they tend to fall off and roll under the burner and you have to shake the chassis to find them if you don't use a magnetic tip screwdriver.

Be sure you account for all the screws if you lose one! Otherwise they may short out a circuit board if they are left to roll around or get caught somewhere.

It reminds me of guys working on their cars who drop a bolt into the spark plug hole, and figure the exhaust will blow it out the exhaust port. It's all science; it will crack the piston eventually and the damage will cost far more than removing the head to get the bolt out.

Hello fellow XS-34 Owners!! (all of them that are still out there)

Despite losing TVGOS after the analog-to-digital conversion I am still using my unit, just have got used to setting up manual recordings instead doing so via the TVGOS guide.

Anyways the clock (somehow) has been correct since the conversion. With the last daylight savings time change about a week ago it still says the old time (one hour ahead).

I've tried the reset clock time via setup and it does it's thing (wait, powers down and then back up) but the clock is still wrong.

Assuming it is wrong now forever, Is there any way to manually set the clock? I've been trying to find an answer and it seems like I may need a firmware upgrade but that's not clear to me either.

BTW: I'm on Comcast cable with a (now) required STB :(


Steve

At least you only have to deal with the clock ahead an hour. My unit somehow got stuck in the year 2069 (http://72.9.159.100/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6084182#post6084182)! :confused: It took three days for it to revert to the correct time!