has anyone found the manual online yet?

- does the IR blaster have the brains to control a Sat Receiver?

- can you (easily) shove the TV Guide out of the way to make manual recordings??

you can try but I think it is a large file.RDXS34_operation.pdf (http://www.*******************/shop/PDF/RDXS34_operation.pdf)

Link doesn't work :(

Anyone know if this unit is black or silver or both? What about s-video inputs - again different numbers on these vendors site?

Vanns (http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/484499045)

ecost (http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail~dpno~533587.asp)

Which is correct? I would really prefer a black unit, but I also want a unit with 2 s-video inputs on the rear.

As mentioned in the other thread, the manual can be found online at hideflifestyle(.com). For some reason, the link won't display properly, but just look up the XS-34 at that site and there is a PDF file of the manual.

I ordered mine from ecost and it was silver, so don't know about black. (haven't seen one except the picture on their site which might not be accurate)

Rest assured, there are 2 sets of inputs on the back and 1 at the front contrary to the brochure that's been circulating the past couple months. They don't include S-video cable in the accessories though! How cheap is that?

Also, I've gotten confirmation from Toshiba and verified between my unit and a demo at a retail store that the cooling fan stays on all the time, even when the machine is turned off.

Something else wacky is I missed a couple timed recordings because the machine switched on at the scheduled time but didn't record the program!

Also, I've gotten confirmation from Toshiba and verified between my unit and a demo at a retail store that the cooling fan stays on all the time, even when the machine is turned off.

How loud does that make this unit?

Originally posted by shawbros
They don't include S-video cable in the accessories though! How cheap is that?


I don't know of any DVD recorder manufacturer that has ever supplied an S-Video cable as part of the accessory pack.

I'm more annoyed that in non HDD-based models, a cooling fan has now become a thing of the past. Also: the new Pioneer 233 now only offers 1 set of S-video inputs (down from 3 on previous models).

Originally posted by bnewt
How loud does that make this unit?
About as loud as a quite PC. It just doesn't make sense to me to have the damn thing on 24/7! Owners of the older XS32 say that their fans stop once they turn it off. I hope the fan has ball bearing but the fan will die regardless at this rate.

Originally posted by shawbros
Something else wacky is I missed a couple timed recordings because the machine switched on at the scheduled time but didn't record the program!

shawbros, did you set the recordings up using the TV Guide feature or did you program them manually? Have you figured out what caused this problem? I'm thinking of buying this unit and this is an important feature for me, so I'll likely not buy it if this is a common problem.

Originally posted by shawbros
Also, I've gotten confirmation from Toshiba and verified between my unit and a demo at a retail store that the cooling fan stays on all the time, even when the machine is turned off.
This also explains why the RD-XS34 still consumes 17W of power at standby, which is rather high. Most DVD players these days consume less than 15W of power in operation. So this recorder is basically in a power-save mode when turned off, and I wonder if it has a quicker start similar to the Panasonic DMR-ES10 and EH50 models?

I spoke with a Toshiba rep today and asked about the cooling fan in the unit. He explained that is was designed to keep the hard drive cool, just like in my computer. When I told him that my fan turns off when I shut down my computer, he said, "Yeah, that's true". He also said that the fans in the xs32 and xs52 also ran 24/7, but others in the forum are disputing this. What gives?

I was about to jump on the xs34 but can't imagine having the fan run all day. Can anyone offer an educated opinion about the possible lifespan of a fan that never shuts off? I hate the idea of plunking down $400 just to have to have the unit serviced every 6 months to replace a fan motor.

A few unrelated questions:

1. Any idea if the Pioneer 533 will have the DV connection for direct digital-to-digital copying from digital camcorders?

2. Any recommendations on how to find a bargain on a Pioneer given the restrictions on warranty coverage when purchased from retailer/etailers who are non-authorized.

3. Does a TV Guide/EPG preclude the user from manually setting recording parameters like we do with the old VCR?

4. Finally, what advantages does RAM recording capability offer? Is it easier to move a RAM disc to another machine for viewing without having to deal with finalizing discs which I believe is required with -RW discs?

Thanks for your time and all the great info.:o

I spoke with a Toshiba rep today and asked about the cooling fan in the unit. He explained that is was designed to keep the hard drive cool, just like in my computer. When I told him that my fan turns off when I shut down my computer, he said, "Yeah, that's true". He also said that the fans in the xs32 and xs52 also ran 24/7, but others in the forum are disputing this. What gives?It's been confirmed by jmscott42 and EPlay that the fan on the XS32 stops when the unit is switched off on this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=5647119#post5647119

4. Finally, what advantages does RAM recording capability offer? Is it easier to move a RAM disc to another machine for viewing without having to deal with finalizing discs which I believe is required with -RW discs?Interchangability is actually more of a pain w/RAM 'cause very few DVD players or PC drives will read it. As for not finalizing, I think +RW doesn't require finalizing but I could be wrong...

did you set the recordings up using the TV Guide feature or did you program them manually? Have you figured out what caused this problem?I've only had it for about a week but haven't figured out a pattern or cause. It happened on both manual and TV guide programs. Even weirder is the unit does turn on at the scheduled time but does nothing and if I try to switch it off it says it can't 'cause a recording is about to start! Makes no sense at all! And get this--I was transferring stuff from the HD to a disc when part way thru a scheduled recording kicked in without interrupting the transfer. So even that works properly but for some strange reason some just don't get recorded! Damn, I'm pissed!

". . . . just don't get recorded." You are sure you have the proper input connected and selected? Just don't ask why I'm asking-- I once had Channel 2 selected when I intended Line 2; never overlook the obvious.

Might try setting up a one minute recording two minutes ahead, then sit back and watch what happens. After the recording, your monitor should still show a picture on the same input connection.

Originally posted by RichardT
". . . . just don't get recorded." You are sure you have the proper input connected and selected? Just don't ask why I'm asking-- I once had Channel 2 selected when I intended Line 2; never overlook the obvious.

Might try setting up a one minute recording two minutes ahead, then sit back and watch what happens. After the recording, your monitor should still show a picture on the same input connection. Thanks for your suggestion. Even if it was selected on the wrong input it should still be recording something. It just turns on but does nothing. This isn't rocket science and they've really made it fool-proof to the point that it's tedius. But yes, I've done tests where I just sat there and it worked. When I need to work the most it doesn't and so far it's totally random. I'll have to put in some more time this long weekend, there's gotta be a pattern to it so I can at least avoid the problem. Right now I'm double dipping with the VCR just in case.

Originally posted by scottland7
Can anyone offer an educated opinion about the possible lifespan of a fan that never shuts off? I hate the idea of plunking down $400 just to have to have the unit serviced every 6 months to replace a fan motor.

From my experience with computer fans, they're fairly reliable over time. Where I work, we leave our computers on around the clock and nobody's fan ever dies. The computer I currently use at work has gone over 3 years with the fan on 24/7 and there hasn't been a problem. I would imagine these recorders use a similar fan.

Personally, I would prefer that the fan turn off when the unit is not in use, however I am more concerned with the problem shawbros has been having with the unit not recording scheduled programs.

Shawbros, if you find out a cause or solution to this problem, please let us know. This is a make or break feature for me.

I own a XS34, and until now timer recordings (is that scheduled recording?) worked fine. The unit turns itself on (about 10 minutes before the actual start) and records without problems (from aerial and from sat receiver). Regarding the fan, I don't know. Must investigate. The only thing I can say is that when turned on i hear a (very low) hum from the machine. When turned off, the unit becomes silent.

Originally posted by krisb01
Originally posted by scottland7
Can anyone offer an educated opinion about the possible lifespan of a fan that never shuts off? I hate the idea of plunking down $400 just to have to have the unit serviced every 6 months to replace a fan motor. From my experience with computer fans, they're fairly reliable over time. Where I work, we leave our computers on around the clock and nobody's fan ever dies. The computer I currently use at work has gone over 3 years with the fan on 24/7 and there hasn't been a problem. I would imagine these recorders use a similar fan. Aha, but refer back to that thread above for XS32 owners (around May7th). Some XS32 owners have complained about their fans making loud noise after about 1 year--and those fans don't operate 24/7 when the unit is off! So should I expect my XS34 fan to start grinding in a couple months??? :mad: But you can probably fix it yourself and certainly shouldn't cost $400 to have it serviced!

Well, any fan can start making noise. Most Tivos (at least DirecTivos) have fans that run 24/7, so I'd start researching there to see the lifespan. I'm sure it'll be easily replaceable but it's still really stupid design.

I don't doubt the customer support line is making up stories. Don't forget, this is the company that when faced with proof their recorders were recording the wrong IRE level said "Huh? Looks fine to us!".

The XS32 fan *definitely* turns off when the unit is off. I am sitting next to my XS32 right now and checked.

____________________________________________________________ ____
Regarding the fan, I don't know. Must investigate. The only thing I can say is that when turned on i hear a (very low) hum from the machine. When turned off, the unit becomes silent.
____________________________________________________________ ____

Bernie_pt:

Please do investigate and report back. As you know, shawbros has indicated that his machine's fan runs constantly as did a demo in store that he checked out. Also, Toshiba does not deny it, although you never really know whether the folks on the phone REALLY know the answers to some of the more technical questions or just sort of fudge it.

Thanks.

when we could be talking about PQ, ergonomics, dubbing from S-VHS tapes to DVDs, media compatibility, etc., etc... As long as the fan noise isn't objectionable, let's move on to more important things. If you use your recorder every day, it's quite likely the fan will actually last longer if it runs constantly (easier on the barrings). So I'm going to leave this fan issue to the engineers, who are certainly in a much better position to make this call than I am. Now, getting back to what we really care about...

I've got lots of S-VHS tapes that I want to copy to DVDs. PQ is a priority - the S-VHS tapes look great on my 60" TV, and I'm hoping the DVD copies will look just as good. I probably would have bought the Pioneer 520, but I've read it occasionally will blank-out if the tape isn't that good. Anyone know how the XS34 is for dubbing?

Also, I'm surprise folks aren't running comparison tests on the XS34, or at least giving their first impressions of this new model. I know we often beat this kind of thing to death, but the only thing we seem to be talking about is the darn fan.

Chuck

It is possible that the XS32 had a less reliable fan in it and that is why they have it turn off. Being an engineer, I can tell you that they had a specific reason for keeping the fan on. That isn't something that would have just been overlooked. Keeping it on is most definitely intentional. It is not unreasonable to assume that their reason holds for other DVD/HDD recorders and maybe this will be a "feature" that allows the Toshiba units to last longer.

On a related note, the IRE recording level on the XS32 was also probably set to its value for a specific reason and wasn't just an oversight. Their logic in choosing what they did may have been flawed but you can bet that there was some logic in the decision. The oversight was not having the level settable if they felt that their IRE choice was the right one even though everyone else was using a different level. They probably didn't think cross-compatibility was a concern or didn't even consider it.

Originally posted by bernie_pt
I own a XS34, and until now timer recordings (is that scheduled recording?) worked fine. The unit turns itself on (about 10 minutes before the actual start) and records without problems (from aerial and from sat receiver).

bernie_pt,

You say that the timer recordings work fine. Since the unit turns itself on 10 min before the recording starts, does that have any effect on back-to-back recordings.

On some HDD DVRs (notably the Panasonics), when recordings are made back-to-back, the last 15 sec of the earlier program are not recorded, and if you are recording to anything other than the HDD or RAM, the first 15 sec of the later program is not recorded!!!

So, if you have done back-to-back recordings, has any part of the program been skipped and not recorded?

Thanks,

rag

Originally posted by scottland7
__As you know, shawbros has indicated that his machine's fan runs constantly as did a demo in store that he checked out. Also, Toshiba does not deny it, although you never really know whether the folks on the phone REALLY know the answers to some of the more technical questions or just sort of fudge it.



I just received an email from Toshiba
tech support and they stated that the fan on the XS34 does NOT constantly run.The debate goes on.

Originally posted by Heavy Mettle
I just received an email from Toshiba
tech support and they stated that the fan on the XS34 does NOT constantly run.The debate goes on.
What debate? What kind of electronic device still consumes 17W of power when it is turned off? Toshiba Japan just announced their newest models, the RD-XS37/57 series which will have D1 resolution for the LP recordings. This means that the US market won't get that feature until next year. So the RD-XS34 is basically a rehash of the old RD-XS32 with a fixed input IRE setting, bigger HDD, TV Guide EPG, and more power consumption. At least it has a lower retail price for the future increased electricity bill.

Originally posted by swallowtail
What debate? What kind of electronic device still consumes 17W of power when it is turned off? Toshiba Japan just announced their newest models, the RD-XS37/57 series which will have D1 resolution for the LP recordings. This means that the US market won't get that feature until next year. So the RD-XS34 is basically a rehash of the old RD-XS32 with a fixed input IRE setting, bigger HDD, TV Guide EPG, and more power consumption. At least it has a lower retail price for the future increased electricity bill.

Sounds like a great machine to me!

What amazes me is that people are so hung about about a fan. I'll let you know if mine is loud enough to be an issue but, if quiet, I don't see what the big deal is.

Originally posted by Huskymaniac
Sounds like a great machine to me!

What amazes me is that people are so hung about about a fan. I'll let you know if mine is loud enough to be an issue but, if quiet, I don't see what the big deal is.

Apparently it's not just the fan. Now it's the 17W of power, or about twice as much as a night light. Is it possible that everything has been said about DVD recorders, and this is all there is left to talk about?

Well, 17W is a lot of power if it is green laser light hitting your retina!!!

Seriously though, I finally got the damn thing wired up tonight. Yes, the fan stayed on when I turned off the unit. For now, the fan is pretty quiet. Much quieter than the fan I installed in my entertainment center. I'll let people know if it get noiser or turns off eventually.

I didn't get to record anything yet but I did find the menu where the IRE level can be selected and I chose "Enhanced" versus "Standard" which I assumed was correct. In other words, "Standard" is really Toshiba's non-standard recording level that they had in the XS32. I will try to record something tomorrow and play it back on my old JVC player.

About the "TV Guide", it said to select a "Cable" box. I have DishNet so I selected none. Does anyone know if there is a "DishNet option for the TV guide?

Originally posted by krisb01
I am more concerned with the problem shawbros has been having with the unit not recording scheduled programs.

Shawbros, if you find out a cause or solution to this problem, please let us know. This is a make or break feature for me. [/B]
krisb01, I spent a few hours today trying as many different scenarios as I could think of and couldn't reproduce the problem but it just happened again on one of my real programs tonite! Also, what I couldn't find and miss is the Quick Timer feature found on VCRs, maybe I haven't found it yet so if anyone knows please post.

shawbros, thanks for the info. Perhaps it is an issue with your particular unit. I wonder what Toshiba would have to say about this. Have you tried contacting them yet? I have heard that the TV Guide feature itself doesn't always work well in any brand of recorder, but if the problem happens on manually set recordings as well, I would find that unacceptable. VCRs have been doing this for decades and I've never had a problem like this with any of the VCRs I've owned over the years.

I know the XS34 doesn't record to +R, but does it play +R. Also, what's your opinion of the XS34 as a player, e.g., PQ, picture adjustments, etc.

Chuck

shawbros, thanks for the info. Perhaps it is an issue with your particular unit. Perhaps! My software version is YG1000, DVD drive software is MT19. Tonite, I managed to crash the machine! When I came home, I found the machine on and it would not respond to any controls at all! It's working now after I unplugged the power. There's definitely software issues, I hope they'll offer some upgrades/fixes soon.

About PQ, I recall reading that the XS32 switches to half-D1 (352x480) if your setting is less than 3.2. Well, I did some testing and found that the XS34 switches to half-D1 if you set less than 4.0! That really sux!

I didn't get to record anything yet but I did find the menu where the IRE level can be selected and I chose "Enhanced" versus "Standard" which I assumed was correct. In other words, "Standard" is really Toshiba's non-standard recording level that they had in the XS32. Actually you got it backwards. Standard is the correct US setting and enhanced is for Japan--what they had on the XS32. Here are a couple frames extracted for those interested:
Standard setting (http://www.geocities.com/shawbros88/std.jpg)
Enhanced setting (http://www.geocities.com/shawbros88/enh.jpg)

I know the XS34 doesn't record to +R, but does it play +R.It plays all my +R discs, but my discs are all bitset to DVD-ROM booktype by default so actually they will play on any player. I've heard that the XS32 won't play +R if not bitset to DVD-ROM. My advice is not use +R unless you have the capability to bitset.

It plays all my +R discs, but my discs are all bitset to DVD-ROM booktype by default so actually they will play on any player. I've heard that the XS32 won't play +R if not bitset to DVD-ROM. My advice is not use +R unless you have the capability to bitset.

I've got lots of +R disks I made on a PC. I plan on switching to -R, but I was wondering if the +R disks I made on my PC will play in the XS34.

Chuck

I've got lots of +R disks I made on a PC. I plan on switching to -R, but I was wondering if the +R disks I made on my PC will play in the XS34.

ChuckWhat DVD writer do you use with your PC? If it doesn't have bitsetting capability or if you don't know what that is then chances are the discs won't play.

Is there any way to set the clock manually? When I click into Easy Navi the menu to set the clock is grayed out.

Looks like in the manual, it says when using TV Guide the manual setting is disabled. I’ve got Dish Network and just hooked up a pair of old rabbit ears to the antenna in.

Does anyone have any experience with brands of DVD-R media that are/are not compatable with this unit.

Is there any way to set the clock manually? When I click into Easy Navi the menu to set the clock is grayed out.

Looks like in the manual, it says when using TV Guide the manual setting is disabled. I’ve got Dish Network and just hooked up a pair of old rabbit ears to the antenna in.

The rabbit ears worked, and also got the TV Guide stuff for local OTA channels. I'd still like to know how/if I can set clock manually.

I have an XS32. Was wondering if anyone knows if non finalized "back up" discs made in the XS32 will work in the XS34? I have heard the black level bug is fixed on the 34, is this true?

:-)
Rob

The rabbit ears worked, and also got the TV Guide stuff for local OTA channels. I'd still like to know how/if I can set clock manually.

wallyj,

I have the XS-32 -- perhaps the XS-34 is similar as to setting the clock. Press the "Setup" button under the flap on the remote. Go to the last page, "Initial Settings". Go to "Time & Date Setting" and choose "manual".

I have the XS-32 -- perhaps the XS-34 is similar as to setting the clock. Press the "Setup" button under the flap on the remote. Go to the last page, "Initial Settings". Go to "Time & Date Setting" and choose "manual".

Thanks EPlay. I see where you should be able to set the clock. But that choice is grayed out/unavailable. The manual says when TV Guide is used to set the clock, it can't be changed manually. Just wondering if you can turn off TV Guide somehow. I use a Dish 811 box so it's really not necessary.

Does anyone have any experience with brands of DVD-R media that are/are not compatable with this unit.


I'd like to know this as well since I haven't explored burning to DVD yet.

I have heard the black level bug is fixed on the 34, is this true?
Yes, you can select the proper black level on one of the setup menus. :D

Does anyone have any experience with brands of DVD-R media that are/are not compatable with this unit. So far I've only used MIJ FUJI (8x, TY code) without problem. It took about 10mins for full capacity.
Brian (and any other xs34 owners), can you please post what software versions are installed on your machine and what country you bought it in? The info is displayed in the setup menu.

I see where you should be able to set the clock. But that choice is grayed out/unavailable. The manual says when TV Guide is used to set the clock, it can't be changed manually. Just wondering if you can turn off TV Guide somehow. I use a Dish 811 box so it's really not necessary. I only saw the clock option the first time I turned it on. After I went thru the TV guide setup it was greyed out. Afterwards I tried turning off the TV guide function but it did not restore the clock setting option. :mad:

After you have set up the TV Guide, are you still able to set recordings manually (essentially bypassing the TV Guide system)?

I read a review that it was not possible once TV Guide was setup.

Shawbros--Were you the member who was having problems getting your XS34 to record reliably? I think I remember you mentioning that the recorder seemed to be doing everything except actually recording the program it was set to record. Am I confusing you with someone else? If not, were you able to get the problem resolved? How?

Thanks.

After you have set up the TV Guide, are you still able to set recordings manually (essentially bypassing the TV Guide system)?

I read a review that it was not possible once TV Guide was setup.
You are definitely able to make manual scheduled programs! I saw a review like that on Amazon, the guy only had his machine for a couple days and probably couldn't figure it out!

Shawbros--Were you the member who was having problems getting your XS34 to record reliably? I think I remember you mentioning that the recorder seemed to be doing everything except actually recording the program it was set to record. Am I confusing you with someone else? If not, were you able to get the problem resolved? How? Thanks.Yes, you remembered correctly. It's never been resolved. It randomly misses both manual and TV guide scheduled programs. The machine does come on and even tells you a recording is about to begin but it never starts! Most bizzare thing is it thinks it's actually recording 'cause you can't turn the damn thing off even after the show is finished unless you go and cancel the program--it keeps saying can't be turned off 'cause a recording is about to begin!
That's why I want to know what versions other people have. Toshiba hasn't been helpful at all, they just keep replying my questions with 1-liners that don't answer anything. My problem is I'm in Canada but bought the US model from e-cost so Toshiba Canada doesn't recognize it. The best I got out of Toshiba US was 1-888 numbers for tech support which conveniently only work in the US. When I ask them for a regular area code number they keep referring me to Toshiba Canada 'cause my e-mail address ends with .ca! This kind of attitude and level of service is unacceptable in this day & age! It's the last time I ever buy a Toshiba product again regardless of how good it might be. :mad:

Wow, shawbros. Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with Toshiba. Unfortunately, it looks like you're in "no man's land".

Maybe wallyj can you help you out with what his software version is. Is it too late to return the unit or is e-cost one of those e-tailers that washes their hands of you once the product is sold and simply refers you to the manufacturer for warranty service?

Is there something different about a machine sold in the US versus Canada? Some kind of standard relative to broadcasting that might affect how a machine records? I don't know enough about it to be helpful, unfortunately.

Anyway, I think you are correct about the reviewer from Amazon. He seemed really high strung and it sounded like he was sort of panicking when he couldn't figure out how to manually record. Then he mentioned how noisy the fan was. While some have complained about the 24 hour fan, virtually no one has expressed concern that it was too noisy. That's when I realized he is probably a Pioneer or Panasonic employee. :-)

Anyway, good luck!

Is it too late to return the unit or is e-cost one of those e-tailers that washes their hands of you once the product is sold and simply refers you to the manufacturer for warranty service? Yes.

Is there something different about a machine sold in the US versus Canada? Some kind of standard relative to broadcasting that might affect how a machine records?No.

Anyway, I think you are correct about the reviewer from Amazon. He seemed really high strung and it sounded like he was sort of panicking when he couldn't figure out how to manually record. Then he mentioned how noisy the fan was. While some have complained about the 24 hour fan, virtually no one has expressed concern that it was too noisy.Actually, the fan is quite noisy.

So are you gonna get one? I prefer the layout of the XS32, had better buttons too. Oh well...

My software versions are as follows:
Software Version YG1000
DVD drive software MT19

I bought the unit in the US.

Brian (and any other xs34 owners), can you please post what software versions are installed on your machine and what country you bought it in?

Sorry to hear about your problems shawbros. I've only had my unit about a week and have not experienced any, yet *fingers crossed knocking on wood*.

My software version is: YG1000

DVD Drive software is: MT19

Purchased in the US

Sorry to hear about your problems shawbros. I've only had my unit about a week and have not experienced any, yet *fingers crossed knocking on wood*.

My software version is: YG1000

DVD Drive software is: MT19

Purchased in the US
Thanks for your replys. It seems like we're the only handful on here that actually own this unit! Do you guys do time shifting regularly or only occassionally?

I have only had the unit for about two weeks now, but I have been time shifting almost everything. All my recordings are manually input because the TV guide does not work on my cable system. So far, I have had no problems and love the unit. I would like to have the one touch recording capability of the Guide, but not a big deal.

I have had the unit for 3-4 weeks and really like it. I use it almost exclusively to record from the TV Guide. It works great, no problems. Have tried the time shift and it works fine.

Victor

I have had mine for a month and have had no problems. The fan is not that noisy. It is far from the noisiest thing in my living room. If I had a dead silent house and I was really anal about needing absolute silence to sleep I suppose it would be an issue

As a shopper looking to pull the trigger soon, I am interested in how the XS34 compares to the Panasonic and Pioneer HD models relative to PQ in XP and SP modes. I have seen no direct comparisons. I know the new Panny models boast better PQ in the LP mode with about 500 lines resolution. I also have read on the forum that the new Pioneer models (531, 533, 633) have improved resolution for up to 3.5 hour recording time. While several XS34 owners have said they are happy with the PQ, there have been few details. For example, how does the picture look in XP vs. SP vs. LP modes and how does that compare to the other brands? At what point on the XS34 does the PQ begin to significantly degrade making it painful to watch? Etc.?

Jason One--It would be great if you could do an A/B comparison of your E85 and your new XS34.

Actually you got it backwards. Standard is the correct US setting and enhanced is for Japan--what they had on the XS32. Here are a couple frames extracted for those interested:
Standard setting (http://www.geocities.com/shawbros88/std.jpg)
Enhanced setting (http://www.geocities.com/shawbros88/enh.jpg)


Not being an AV geek, I can't determine from your jpegs which setting is the US standard. I understand that the Japanese standard (enhanced on the XS34?) should look "washed out". Viewing your jpegs on my laptop confuses me. The bars on the left look more washed out on the "standard setting" but the boxes on the right look more washed out on the "enhanced setting".

Also, do you know if the IRE settings affect the way video is recorded to the HDD as well as DVDs or is it just how it is recorded to DVDs? I am finally getting some DVD-Rs from MAM-A and I want to make sure I've got this right before I start dubbing my old Hi8mm tapes. I would actually like to record something to two different DVDs with the different IRE settings to see if I can see the difference and was planning to do that by recording to HDD first and then dubbing to DVD using two different settings. But if the IRE level gets screwed up in recording to to the HDD then it won't be a valid test.

Seriously though, I finally got the damn thing wired up tonight. Yes, the fan stayed on when I turned off the unit. For now, the fan is pretty quiet. Much quieter than the fan I installed in my entertainment center. I'll let people know if it get noiser or turns off eventually.


Ugh, and here I thought I'd found my dream girl...No fan should run continuously, even when it's not being used. The fan on the E85 comes on several times to cool the circuits due to the downloading of TV Guide info, and goes off. Darn. :mad:

Ugh, and here I thought I'd found my dream girl...

As reported here by several owners, the fan does run all the time, but it's far from a deal breaker for most.

Jason One and any other people who also own a Panasonic E85/E95: Can DVD-RAM disks recorded to on the E85/95s be read by the XS34? If yes, can programs on them be high speed copied to the XS34 or is one stuck copying to the HDD in real time?

Once upon a time I owned an E85 then an E95. I no longer have these machines but I do have RAM disks with programs on them that I'd like to edit then copy to DVD-R (via the HDD). Not liking Panasonic's FR mode, I would consider getting a XS34 if it will easily deal with the Panasonic created DVD-RAMs I have. If not, I'll probably just spend some time using the ES10 I picked-up for a friend at BB (open box + additional 30% off coupon) to real time record onto my Pioneer--but I'd rather do high speed copies to a HDD and also be able to use the RAM disks again.

Not being an AV geek, I can't determine from your jpegs which setting is the US standard. I understand that the Japanese standard (enhanced on the XS34?) should look "washed out". Viewing your jpegs on my laptop confuses me. The bars on the left look more washed out on the "standard setting" but the boxes on the right look more washed out on the "enhanced setting".Yes, "washed out" meaning the whole picture is too bright. For the standard setting, you shouldn't be able to see any bar on the left on a properly adjusted TV because that bar is displayed at 7.5IRE (or 16RBG) which is the black reference for the US. (the background is 0, blacker than black)

Also, do you know if the IRE settings affect the way video is recorded to the HDD as well as DVDs or is it just how it is recorded to DVDs?There are 2 settings, one for playback, and one for recording. You want to make sure you got the one for recording correct.

I am finally getting some DVD-Rs from MAM-A and I want to make sure I've got this right before I start dubbing my old Hi8mm tapes. You may want to look into this, I've heard a lot of camcorders output the wrong black level. Since the XS34 allows you to select, this won't be a problem either way.

How do you manually schedule recordings from Directv receiver?
Any help ?

Yes, "washed out" meaning the whole picture is too bright. For the standard setting, you shouldn't be able to see any bar on the left on a properly adjusted TV because that bar is displayed at 7.5IRE (or 16RBG) which is the black reference for the US. (the background is 0, blacker than black)

Thanks much, I've got it now.

There are 2 settings, one for playback, and one for recording. You want to make sure you got the one for recording correct.

I will check but does the recording setting apply for recording to both HDD and DVD or just DVD?

You may want to look into this, I've heard a lot of camcorders output the wrong black level. Since the XS34 allows you to select, this won't be a problem either way.

I have a pretty old Canon Hi-8mm camcorder. Bought in 1997. I have never noticed a washed out image from it but, then again, how good is the image from a Hi-8mm camcorder of that era anyways.

does the recording setting apply for recording to both HDD and DVD or just DVD?Applies for all recording.

sorry fo the long delay....
Dunno if others have answered to the fan issue, but AFAIK Toshiba US models with EPG have a constantly running fan. Philips european models with EPG have 'always on' fans too - I suppose because downloading of EPG data occurs nightly. My french XS34 (I live in Portugal, but bought the Tosh by net) turns off the fan when in standby, and the manual reports for Eco mode a power consumption of 1.9W.
As for FW versions, mine are ZW10 (main) and MT19 (drive).

Hey xs34 owners. Can you report on a couple issues?

I am interested in how the xs34 PQ compares to the Panny and Pioneer models in 1, 2 and 4 hour modes. (Panny boasts 500 lines resolution in 4 hour mode and the PQ on the new Pios is supposed to be improved for more extended recordings.)

At this point, I will be recording an analog signal (pathetic, I know), so I imagine that the unit's ability to convert analog to digital effectively is paramount.

Also, I have reported that my es10 shows some obvious video distortion when viewing television through its own tuner. On playback the DNR feature seems to improve the PQ a bit on recordings.

Just wondering how the picture through the xs34's tuner might compare to a direct cable or satellite feed. For example, if you toggle between viewing the same TV channel through the xs34 and the regular antenna/cable/satellite feed, how do the pictures compare in terms of overall clarity?

Thanks for anything you can offer.

I am also interested in the tuner section of the Pioneer models. I have the Panasonic 55 recorder & I also have what I call a "screen door" effect when watching the tuner portion. I also have analog ota signals, but I also have a satellite dish connection via s-video. The satellite portion should be digital.........shouldn't it. When viewing a dvd made with this recorder, I really can't complain about the picture quality.....but then again, I am still a novice at this.

I though I would repost this question, hopefully someone will have an answer. Nobody needs to reply to the BL Bug, already answered. But I am also wondering if the backup discs for the XS32 work, if I could redub them to the XS34 HD and then make new finalized discs without the BL Bug?

I have an XS32. Was wondering if anyone knows if non finalized "back up" discs made in the XS32 will work in the XS34? I have heard the black level bug is fixed on the 34, is this true?

:-)
Rob

I created a playlist and it contained chapters which I didn't want in the playlist. I know it should be fairly easy to do, but after much reading and playing with the re-edit playlist and edit playlist functions, I still can't figure out how to remove the unwanted chapters. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Victor

I created a playlist and it contained chapters which I didn't want in the playlist. I know it should be fairly easy to do, but after much reading and playing with the re-edit playlist and edit playlist functions, I still can't figure out how to remove the unwanted chapters. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Victor

Don't have the X34, but there is a Merge chapter section in the manual page 94.
Look for chapter break edit mode in the Quick menu, and Merge with previous cpter/following cpter, and see if you can figure out how to. Seems as straightfoward as Combine chapter feature on the Pan E85...

Good luck.

I created a playlist and it contained chapters which I didn't want in the playlist. I know it should be fairly easy to do, but after much reading and playing with the re-edit playlist and edit playlist functions, I still can't figure out how to remove the unwanted chapters. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Victor

Victor,

I have the XS-32, and the procedure would probably be similar.

1. Choose Edit Menu on your remote.
2. Highlight "Delete Selected Items". Enter.
3. You will see the thumbnails for every title displayed across the top section. HIGHLIGHT the playlist title from which you want to delete some chapters.
4. Press the "Star" symbol on your remote.
5. Now you will see the individual chapter thumbnails for that title displayed across the top. Highlight and select the chapters you DON'T want. The ones you've chosen will be displayed in the bottom section. When everything you want to delete is chosen, highlight the "Start" button at the bottom right of your screen, enter. It will ask you "Delete selected items"? Choose yes, and it will be deleted.
(If you want to double check the content which goes with the chapter thumbnails at the top, highlight that thumbnail, and press quick menu. You will get some options -- press "Preview" and it will show you the beginning and end of that chapter. If it's the one you want to delete, highlight and enter to select.)

Thanks EPlay, I will give it a try.

Victor

Victor,

Just realized there's another way to do it, though I don't like it as much because I can't double check the chapter content as easily.

You could select "Content Menu" on the remote. Highlight the playlist title you want to delete chapters from. Press the "Star" key on the remote. You'll see all the chapter thumbnails. Highlight the one you want to delete, select quick menu on the remote, and choose "Chapter delete" near the bottom of list of options. This way does NOT give you the preview key, so it's best if you know exactly what the chapter numbers are. (You could always highlight and enter to play it, but then you'd have to go all the way back into the title through the content menu again.)

I am interested in how the xs34 PQ compares to the Panny and Pioneer models in 1, 2 and 4 hour modes. (Panny boasts 500 lines resolution in 4 hour mode and the PQ on the new Pios is supposed to be improved for more extended recordings.)

At this point, I will be recording an analog signal (pathetic, I know), so I imagine that the unit's ability to convert analog to digital effectively is paramount.

Just wondering how the picture through the xs34's tuner might compare to a direct cable or satellite feed. For example, if you toggle between viewing the same TV channel through the xs34 and the regular antenna/cable/satellite feed, how do the pictures compare in terms of overall clarity?


I am also interested in the tuner section of the Pioneer models. I have the Panasonic 55 recorder & I also have what I call a "screen door" effect when watching the tuner portion. I also have analog ota signals, but I also have a satellite dish connection via s-video. The satellite portion should be digital.........shouldn't it. When viewing a dvd made with this recorder, I really can't complain about the picture quality.....but then again, I am still a novice at this.

BUMP.

scottland,

I too have analog only cable. I have the XS34 running into my TV trough a component input. I also have a 40 hour tivo that runs in through a composite input, and a direct input to the tv's tuner. When I compare the picture quality from the toshiba to the tivo, hands down the toshiba picture is MUCH better than what I get out of the tivo. When comparing the xs34 to the TV tuner, it appears that the xs34 does a little better job with the reduction of noise, but the picture is pretty much comparable. of course, the tv is a toshiba too. I guess the overall answer to your question is that in my opinion, the xs34 will not degrade the quality of the picture.

Very helpful post, Brian. I hope other xs34 owners will join in.

I'm glad the picture is at least comparable. The es10's tuner is not even close to comparable to the TV's, but it does a good job during playback eliminating noise. Of course, I choose to soften the picture a bit to eliminate some of the PQ issues. Recording and dubbing from high quality sources, however, is supposed to be top notch with the es10, although I haven't experienced it directly yet.

Out of curiosity, are you feeding your Tosh and Tivo into a HDTV monitor or an analog set?

Thanks again.

scottland7, here is another XS34 owner joining in. This weekend OneCall had a 2 day special for $359.88 + $19.73 shipping. I couldn't pass it up. It arrived this afternoon by FedEx. I already have it recording a VHS tape that I wanted to preserve. I'm sure I'll be bugging you guys with dumb questions, so get ready.

Ken

Comparison of XS34 and RCA DRC7005N
Quality of broadcast picture (analog cable) and record programming is the same.

The DRC7005N was far easier to use, no extra steps to enable time shifting, one button record - e.g., press record twice to record next 30 minutes.

DRC7005 allows channel to be changed with time shift active, XS34 does not.

My cable company does not pass TVGuide through so manual recording is the only option. While it works fine the manual process is cumbersome.

XS34 editing capabilities are seem quite good at first glance.

The infamous fan. The DRC7005 fan ran all of the time as well - but it was significantly quieter. Reality is that if the TV is on the fan noise is completely masked; if the TV is off and the room is quiet then the fan is fairly loud. Maybe an option is to replace the fan with a quieter model from Silenx or similar. I have not taken the cover off yet to check the fan and see what it really is. Has anyone else pulled the cover off yet?

Hi xs34 owners. Below are a couple quotes from a review of the xs34 on Amazon.com. Would you kindly share your experiences relative to these two issues?

1. "When I switched different input Lines using the 'Input Selection' button, switching between, Satellite, Cable etc, sometimes the audio was lost."

2. "I was unable to watch something else on TV when a recording was on."

Is there not a TV/Recorder toggle that will allow you to switch to the TVs tuner to watch a program while the recorder's tuner is busy recording a different program (sort of like the TV/VCR button on our VCR remotes)?

1)I had a similar problem when timeslipping. After selecting timeslip over a recording, and doing a few jumps (to view some scenes in detail) I lost the audio. And jumping again resulted in freeze of video. But cancelling timeslip revealed that I didn't lose anything of the recording.
The only thing I did before was an editing session, and I guess I mess a little the HDD. Why this affected timeslip dont'know. Luckily this appeared only once.
2) the Tosh remote has a section to control the TV, so it's easy for me to switch from AV to TV broadcast. It has also a TV/DVR button, but I have yet to discover the function of it.

Scottland7,

Here are my experiences:

1) never happened to me.

2) I assume they meant that they could not watch a second program through the XS34 tuner. However, the XS34 has a RF pass through. Recorder is hooked to the TV through the conponent of composite outputs, and your regular cable is hooked to the TV rf input. therefore, watching one program while recording another is no problem.

Thanks bernie_pt and brian12773 for your experiences. I hope others will continue to post their experiences as well.

brian12773-- I suspected that the reviewer indeed was trying to watch something else on the xs34's tuner, which would be impossible if it is recording a program. Seems that he is not aware that he needs to switch to the TV's tuner to watch something else. Seems kind of basic and not really any different than a VCR operation.

Anyway, have you been generally happy with your xs34? Anything you wish it did/didn't do or feature you wish it had? Why did you choose it over the Pioneer and Panasonic models?
How does the picture look (esp. when viewing analog signals) through the xs34's tuner? Is it comparable to the PQ through your TV's tuner?

Thanks again for your input.

there is a Yahoo discussion group and mailing list specifically for owners of Toshiba DVD recorders. About 20 members now and growing.

All are welcome to join

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ToshibaDVDR/

Anyone has the "inside" or "interior" photo on the toshiba XS-34 ? (i.e. to show various components including the HDD & DVD burner ?)

Looking for your own pic or any link & many thanks !!! :p

Anyway, have you been generally happy with your xs34? Anything you wish it did/didn't do or feature you wish it had? Why did you choose it over the Pioneer and Panasonic models?
How does the picture look (esp. when viewing analog signals) through the xs34's tuner? Is it comparable to the PQ through your TV's tuner?

Thanks again for your input.

I have had my XS34 (my first DVDR) since last Wednesday and have really given it a workout. It performs as advertised. The fan runs continuously but I have to consciously think about it before I even notice it. Not an issue.

I chose it over the Pioneer, Panasonic, and JVC based on many hours of internet research. This included reviews of features, picture quality, and durability. I never actually saw one before I ordered it.

I have been recording to HDD off air and from VHS tapes. I cannot see any difference on the TV from the HDD or DVD-R or DVD-RAM playback as compared to a broadcast signal or from the VHS player.

I have an IEEE1394a cable on order (they sent the wrong one the first time) so that I can download from my mini-DV camcorder. I'm anxious to try that.

I have found the Owners Manual to be very easy to use. Editing a recorded program to remove the commercials by creating new chapters is very easy. Then a play list is made with out the commercial chapters. I realize that this is all very elementary stuff to you gurus out there but it's new to me and easy to accomplish.

The TV Guide feature works like a charm.

So far, I'm really glad I bought the XS34.

rcflyer--

Have you viewed the PQ with the xs-34 in all the various modes (1 hr., 2 hr., 4 hr., etc.)? At what point does the picture become significantly degraded? In other words, how much can you squeeze out of it before the picture becomes unwatchable?

Thanks for your comments. I am not a guru, but I have been reading about the new recorders for several months. I am leaning towards the Toshiba because it seems to have the most "bang for the buck" and I am reading about fewer reliability issues with the Tosh compared, in particular, to the new Pioneers.

For me, the decision boils down to -RAM vs. dual layer. I already have an ES-10 that I use to record from TV onto -RAM media. If I can move that media between the Tosh and the ES-10, that would be a big plus. But some are suggesting that the Tosh will not read a -RAM made on a non-Tosh machine. (One member, however, has indicated his Tosh xs-52 will read -RAMs made on his EH50). My only reservation with the Tosh beyond that is that it will not record to dual layer media. But that's not a deal breaker since the media is so expensive and my PRIMARY use will be for recording from TV for everyday use and not to necessarily archive.

Thanks again for your comments.

rcflyer--

Have you viewed the PQ with the xs-34 in all the various modes (1 hr., 2 hr., 4 hr., etc.)? At what point does the picture become significantly degraded? In other words, how much can you squeeze out of it before the picture becomes unwatchable?


I haven't used it other than the SP mode. When I get around to doing that I'll let you know how it looks. I doubt that I'll do much other than the 2 hr mode because media is so cheap and I'll be deleating items that I am nolonger interested in on the HDD.

Is the jury still out on how many years a DVD-R will last before it is unplayable?

rcflyer--

Have you viewed the PQ with the xs-34 in all the various modes (1 hr., 2 hr., 4 hr., etc.)? At what point does the picture become significantly degraded? In other words, how much can you squeeze out of it before the picture becomes unwatchable?The resolution on the xs34 gets cut in half when setting less than MN4.0, I think that's around 2hrs20min with lowest audio setting of AC3 at 192kbps (SP=4.6, LP=3.2).

Thanks shawbros.

I guess the Tosh's 2.33 hours would be in contrast to the new improved 4 hour mode from Panny (4 hours at 500 lines resolution) and the Pios 3.5 hours before a significant dip in PQ? Do you think that's a fair comparison?

BTW, have you been able to get help from Toshiba with your unit's issues?

Thanks shawbros.

I guess the Tosh's 2.33 hours would be in contrast to the new improved 4 hour mode from Panny (4 hours at 500 lines resolution) and the Pios 3.5 hours before a significant dip in PQ? Do you think that's a fair comparison?

BTW, have you been able to get help from Toshiba with your unit's issues?Hey Scott! Yeah, that sounds 'bout right. I'm pretty much giving up with the xs34, the TV guide stopped downloading a couple weeks ago too! I intend to get another, the xs54 with Ethernet sounds very attractive for my purposes but I probably don't want to get another Toshiba after this experience.

Hey Scott! Yeah, that sounds 'bout right. I'm pretty much giving up with the xs34, the TV guide stopped downloading a couple weeks ago too! I intend to get another, the xs54 with Ethernet sounds very attractive for my purposes but I probably don't want to get another Toshiba after this experience.Followup to my own post--I just got the Pioneer 633 over the weekend and the TV guide also hasn't loaded so I think it's a problem with the cable provider.
I also made a quick PQ comparison between the xs34 & 633--recorded same content both in comparable setting.
Pio633: MN19(2h20m/DVD)4.34Mbps
Toshiba xs34: MN4.2
The 633 was significantly more blocky especially around subtitles. I'm disappointed. I like almost everything about the 633 over the xs34 except for the PQ so I might send it back and wait for the xs54.

In a little over a week since I got my XS34 I have used it extensively to record programs from the antenna and it has never missed a scheduled recording. As a test you might hook your XS34 to an antenna and re-setup your TV Guide for over the air recording and see if that works. Of course, I don't know if you live in an area with broadcast TV stations.

I sure do like the PQ of the XS34.

I haven't used it other than the SP mode. When I get around to doing that I'll let you know how it looks. I doubt that I'll do much other than the 2 hr mode because media is so cheap and I'll be deleating items that I am nolonger interested in on the HDD.

Is the jury still out on how many years a DVD-R will last before it is unplayable?

I am on top of the DVD-R reliability. I will report information as I get it. For now, Mitsui has released their gold disks. I don't know what the ink is nor is there much information out there on their quality or reliability. Mitsui was the best for CD-Rs so I would hope that they step up on the DVD-Rs too.

A question for you, have you noticed a vibration or buzzing noise from your unit when you do 8X dubbing from the HDD to the DVD? It scared me a little but the disks seemed to write OK.

Huskymaniac, I googled dvd disk longevity and found that several manufacturers were estimating 50 - 100 year lifespans. I won't be here that long to check them out and by then no one will be using them anyway. ;)

When I dub HDD to DVD-R on the XS34(both SP) it takes a little over 15 minutes for 2 hours. That must be close to 8X. I don't hear any unusual sounds but then again, my hearing is not 20/20.

Today I got a chance to record from my Sony HC42 camcorder (the right IEEE1394 cable finally came in) and I was extremely satisfied with the quality. Noticeably better than from an analog VHS tape which I thought was very good. It was as good or better than the local broadcast stations. :p

Huskymaniac, I googled dvd disk longevity and found that several manufacturers were estimating 50 - 100 year lifespans. I won't be here that long to check them out and by then no one will be using them anyway.

I'm not buying these predictions since discs I recorded 2 - 3 years ago have "faded" to the point where they don't play anymore (Vivastar brand, which was touted here before the company went out of business).

When I dub HDD to DVD-R on the XS34(both SP) it takes a little over 15 minutes for 2 hours. That must be close to 8X.15mins is 4x, 8x should be 8-9mins.

I also made a quick PQ comparison between the xs34 & 633--recorded same content both in comparable setting.
Pio633: MN19(2h20m/DVD)4.34Mbps
Toshiba xs34: MN4.2
The 633 was significantly more blocky especially around subtitles. I'm disappointed. I like almost everything about the 633 over the xs34 except for the PQ so I might send it back and wait for the xs54.Another followup to my own post--I tried recording some rather old/poor quality recordings (VHS) to both the Pio633 and XS34. The result on the XS34 is a LOT more stable than that of the 633. This is not an issue with good quality sources but my main objective is to transfer old tapes. Despite features, user interface, etc, ultimately PQ is the most important. Although I really like the Pioneer and got a pretty good deal on it but I can't accept such a big PQ difference from the Toshiba so therefore it's definitely going back for a refund.

When I dub HDD to DVD-R on the XS34(both SP) it takes a little over 15 minutes for 2 hours. That must be close to 8X. I don't hear any unusual sounds but then again, my hearing is not 20/20.

I may play around the next time I hear the sounds. I could be something in my entertainment center that is vibrating due to coupling from the recorder.

Hey, the XS34 looks like a totally different beast in Japan!
http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/B00068M0TK.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

what's the difference suppose to be between the XS34 and the XS54 ?

what's the difference suppose to be between the XS34 and the XS54 ?Main differences are 250GB vs 160GB, networking via Ethernet, and HDMI output. Refer to this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=543157&highlight=xs54) for more info.

I'm not buying these predictions since discs I recorded 2 - 3 years ago have "faded" to the point where they don't play anymore (Vivastar brand, which was touted here before the company went out of business).
My gosh, surely these DVD discs will have a longer life span than VHS tapes I hope. I have tapes that still work fine that are 20+ years old. I have laserdiscs that still play flawlessly that are 20-25 years old. If stuff recorded to DVD won't last more than a few years, what is the point of all this?

I've been looking at a recorder for a week or so and needed the firewire connection for my camcorder, needed the HD. I do have a couple of questions that I'd like to finalize before moving on any purchase, some of which are a concern:

1) 17W of power consumption when off is not insignificant, especially when you live in NY City and see the size of your Con Ed bills. Are we talking about significant power consumption beyond comparable units (I'm not sure what they are since few have firewire)

2) Can the XS34 record HDTV broadcasts in full picture but with scaled down resolution? Obviously I'll have to wait for full HDTV recording but I was hoping to get an NTSC 16X9 recording of the same material (perhaps output from my HDTV?) at the recorders native resolution. Using a VCR from the input of my HDTV I get the middle section of the picture and it doesn't seem to scale.

3) There are now a bunch of Amazon reviews that seem to imply that you cannot do manual recording once you've activated the TV Guide and can only record using that feature. Is anyone using a manual record successfully? At this point it seems that the other unit possibly worth buying is the Pioneer 520HS although I'm hesitant to buy older models and wonder with the XS34, if it works, is a far better buy (and much better features given Toshibas presence in this area.)

I looked at the Panasonic machines and was surprised that they are behind, especially lacking the firewire connector on their high end units.... what also really irks me about all the DVD players I've bought is the inability to play MP3s and WMAs off of DVDs. They only seem to recognize music off of CDRs which is ridiculous.

My gosh, surely these DVD discs will have a longer life span than VHS tapes I hope. I have tapes that still work fine that are 20+ years old. I have laserdiscs that still play flawlessly that are 20-25 years old. If stuff recorded to DVD won't last more than a few years, what is the point of all this?

I'm with you, squonk. I almost gagged when I read vferrari's comments about picture quality fade over a few years on disks highly recommended when the recordings were made. I'm using highly recommended DVD-Rs and -RWs right now and obviously, there's no way to look into the future and know how things will look in 3,5, 10, 20 years.

I am recording to DVD things on Betamax and VHS tapes a good 20 years old. The tapes look great when recorded to my HDD (before making copies to DVD-R). Is the only safe thing to do to store these tapes rather than throw them away after making DVD copies? What a headache.

I'm with you, squonk. I almost gagged when I read vferrari's comments about picture quality fade over a few years on disks highly recommended when the recordings were made. I'm using highly recommended DVD-Rs and -RWs right now and obviously, there's no way to look into the future and know how things will look in 3,5, 10, 20 years.

I am recording to DVD things on Betamax and VHS tapes a good 20 years old. The tapes look great when recorded to my HDD (before making copies to DVD-R). Is the only safe thing to do to store these tapes rather than throw them away after making DVD copies? What a headache.

The other alternative is to store to external hard drives, which is several times the cost per Gigabyte of blank DVD-R's.

It is frustrating that there is no information available on brands from accelerated aging tests. We know from NIST studies that there are huge, huge differences in predicted archival performance, but NIST does not name names.

My own current approach is to record everything on two different highly regarded brands, and also record the most precious material also on a firewire hard drive.

And I never throw away the original tapes.

I'm with you, squonk. I almost gagged when I read vferrari's comments about picture quality fade over a few years on disks highly recommended when the recordings were made. I'm using highly recommended DVD-Rs and -RWs right now and obviously, there's no way to look into the future and know how things will look in 3,5, 10, 20 years.

I am recording to DVD things on Betamax and VHS tapes a good 20 years old. The tapes look great when recorded to my HDD (before making copies to DVD-R). Is the only safe thing to do to store these tapes rather than throw them away after making DVD copies? What a headache.
One of my goals in getting a DVD recorder was to finally get rid of the VHS tape clutter in the basement. If these things really "fade" after a few years, I guess I have to hedge my bets and hang on to important originals. From RonDawgs posts, he appears to be more trusting of their shelf life.

1) 17W of power consumption when off is not insignificant, especially when you live in NY City and see the size of your Con Ed bills. Are we talking about significant power consumption beyond comparable units (I'm not sure what they are since few have firewire)

2) Can the XS34 record HDTV broadcasts in full picture but with scaled down resolution?

I looked at the Panasonic machines and was surprised that they are behind, especially lacking the firewire connector on their high end units
The power consumption in standby mode is due to downloading the EPG update info, while other models with the same features seem to turn on the fan only when the temperature reaches a certain point, the Toshiba model is the only one not using a temperature-driven fan and therefore consumes more power compared to other models. The Panasonic DMR-EH50 model consumes about 13 W in standby mode, for example. Even if the EPG feature is turned off, the fan on the Toshiba model is still on all the time, and apparently not a very smart design.

All DVD recorders, like VCRs, can only record whatever video sources are fed to them. So whether they will record 16x9 actually depends on the incoming signals no matter which brand, although some brands such as Sony and Toshiba have better control on adding the 16x9 flag to the recorded materials.

Panasonic models are not behind in terms of new technology, they just don't seem to believe in the utilities of DV input, and Panasonic's newest high-end models introduced in Japan do not have DV input as well.

Thanks for the info (as I type on my cell phone!) To put it eloquently... that blows, literally. I don't care for the TV Guide which probably is not going to happen when I move to satellite, but the XS34 doesn't care. Ilm worried about how it handles manual only recording as design seems to asuume all will use TVG.

Regarding the 16:9 recording and HDTV, I don't know what is input out of the TV and out of a Time Warner cable box or the Panasonic RPTV but I believe it is a 16:9 pic in NTSC. What is deficient in the Pioneer 520 vs. the XS34?

3) There are now a bunch of Amazon reviews that seem to imply that you cannot do manual recording once you've activated the TV Guide and can only record using that feature. Is anyone using a manual record successfully?That idiot on Amazon has no clue what he's talking about. You can absolutely make manually scheduled recordings on the XS34.

That idiot on Amazon has no clue what he's talking about. You can absolutely make manually scheduled recordings on the XS34.
They are saying that you can make manually scheduled recordings but somehow there is a tie in to the TV Guice feature. Apparently some report that turning off the TV Guide feature also affects the sources from which you can record as well. While there should be an "easy off" button on a number of these units there isn't one and I'm trying to determine what I may need to do if I don't want to use the TV Guide.

Editing my post, apparently someone cleared up for me the reason why EPG is likely a funky addition to DVD recorders. Since commercials are being downloaded (and why it likely takes forever and requires 24/7 connection) the manufacturers wouldn't want you to easily bypass the TV Guide or make it unpalatable to do so. I would not be surprised that this is another "hidden revenue stream" for manufacturers at the consumer's expense (in several ways...)

TV Guide problems!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi There,

I recently purchased the Tosh XS34 and hooked it up to my Cablevision SA4200HD STB. The guide won't load no matter what I do. Worse than that, my manual recordings only work as long as the Tosh is powered on. When the Tosh turns itself off after three hours of inactivity, it starts its "download" of cable channel info. After a few hours it turns the cable box off! So, when the manual recording I've set wakes up the Tosh, the STB is off and nothing but black is recorded!!! Question is: How can I either keep the Tosh powered on or the cable box powered on? Either one would allow manual recordings of all kinds.

I've spoken to a Toshiba rep(s) and they say TVGOS is working on the problem...that was 3 weeks ago. I went on vacation this past week with 3 manual recordings set for 2 and 3 days later, and none of them worked. The cable box was turned off as was the Tosh. I work professionally in television production and, quite frankly, this one has me stumped. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Update:

I figured out a way to timer record without the TVGOS: Went into TV Guide setup and answered "no" to the question "Do you have a cable box hooked up to the recorder?" I can use the cable box "VCR Timer Record" feature to get the box to switch channels on it's own. I then set start & stop times in the Tosh, with the input "Line 1". This method stops the Tosh from eventually turning off the cable box (because it thinks it's not there). I can now confidently timer record 6 days at a time if I wish, on any channel. It would be nice if TVGOS worked, but this is an acceptable solution until that happens- if ever.

Received my XS34 yesterday while I was at work. Bought from B&H photovideo where I buy most of my camera equipment. $375 plus shipping. I work nights so I got home at 2:00 am, unpacked the XS34, hooked it up where my VCR used to be (VCR was killed by thunderstorm and after pricing and trying to find a good VCR decided it was time to move up). Turned on the XS34 set the language and time and turned it off to allow TV Guide to do it's thing. I slept until about 8:00 am and decided it was time to play with the XS34 some more. Checked the TV Guide and nothing, oh well, it said 24 hours. I hit record and taped 10 minutes of TV, played it back and PQ was excellent. Turned it off and came back a few hours later, checked TV Guide and it was ready to go. Set recorder to tape a movie at noon. XS34 turned on and started recording. I went to work, now I need to go home and check if the movie recorded okay. Very happy with unit so far. Now I have some serious reading to learn how to operate all the features.

I will give a longer review in about 2 weeks. When I decided it was time to move up from a VCR, I found this forum and some other reviews, checked prices and made my decision kind of quick. While waiting for delivery I did more research and found that I think I made a good decision.

Tim

Tim I have had mine for 2 weeks (tomorrow) now and I'm very satisfied with it. It does every thing that I want plus some. :)

Ken

Finally had the opportunity to “exercise” the DV/1394 input on my XS34 this week-end.

Had a great time recording the video to the HDD, editing, and burning/finalizing to DVD.

I have an older Digital 8 Sony camcorder, but the I thought the PQ looked good and sounded good, not that picky though.

It was relatively easy to record to the HDD and place “Chapter Marks”. While a little amateurish, the DVD content menus were adequate and I had no problems selecting the “Thumbnail” image for each chapter.

I think the remote has a too many “Menu” buttons. If I remember I had to use 3 different “Menu” buttons depending on what I was trying to do. Sure would be nice to have a PC keyboard port to type in the Chapter Titles and not have to clumsily hunt and peck a letter at a time with the on-screen “Keyboard”.

Time to dub and finalize were acceptable. I used Verbatim DVD –Rs and had no problems playing on my Sony DVD player (about 7 years old).

Anyway, this was a big selling point for me, so I was pleased with the results. I look forward to archiving more DV tapes soon. Sure beats pulling out the camcorder and stringing up the patch cords across the floor!

wally

Had a great time recording the video to the HDD, editing, and burning/finalizing to DVD.


Is it possible to select both burn and finalize at the same time with the XS-34? One significant annoyance with my Panasonic E-95 is having to burrow down a completely different menu tree after burning in order to finalize the DVD-R.

I don't mind another few minutes to finalize. I do mind having to be engaged for another few minutes to do something I do on each and every burn.

I would think that most owners of HDD DVR's would most often want to finalize their DVD's as soon as they burn them. I use DVD's to save programs for viewing on another unit or to pass on to others. They are almost always more than half full and will never be added to. Yet I must go through a separate process to finalize every DVD I burn.

Am I unusual in this regard?

Rick

Am I unusual in this regard?

Yeah, I think so, but maybe that's just me.

I usually try to put similar shows on the same disc, and sometimes it takes a while to build up enough shows of similar genre to fill up a DVD. In order to avoid clutter on the hard drive, I'll often burn a show to a DVD-R fairly soon after it was recorded, but it might be quite a while before that DVD is full. So I prefer to do the burning and finalizing in separate steps.

That said, the RD-XS34 does allow you to do it in one step, although it appears to be a somewhat complex process. I'm happy just doing the two things separately.

I agree with wallyj that there are too many "menu" buttons on the remote. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad, but for a new user, it's a bit much. And yes, it would be really nice if there was some way of entering letters with a regular keyboard instead of the hunt-and-peck method currently employed.

On another topic, last night I experienced two failures with timed recordings using the "end late by" feature. I had programmed a couple recordings to "end late" by 90 minutes and 120 minutes, respectively. (It's an easier way to record several consecutive shows on the same channel than to program each one individually, and it also avoids cutting off several seconds between shows.) In both cases, the machine stopped recording about 54 minutes before it was supposed to stop. (Not exactly 54 minutes in both cases, but close. It stopped recording 54:03 early the first time, and about 53:20 early the second time.) Very strange. Has anyone else experienced this?

Rick, yes you can burn and finalize in one operation with the XS34. Here is the difference. If you want to dub (copy) more than one title to a DVD-R before finalizing then you use the EASY NAV button. After all of the titles have been dubbed, you press the EASY NAV button again and select Finalize R/RW.

If you only want to dub one title to a DVD-R then, under the door on the remote press the EDIT MENU button and select DVD-VIDEO CREATION. The DVD will be finalized automatically.

There is not much burrowing down to another menu tree here. As with most pieces of equipment that have a lot of options, once you have dedicated some time to learning the XS34 it is really fast and easy to use. I've heard people complain about the vast array of buttons that the XS34 remote has but consider this, many of the buttons allow you to select a menu tree directly without having to borrow down to find the right tree.

I do wish that they would add a socket on the back to accept an optional PC keyboard for generating text on titles. Seems like that would be one of the easier items to design in.

Ken

If you only want to dub one title to a DVD-R then, under the door on the remote press the EDIT MENU button and select DVD-VIDEO CREATION. The DVD will be finalized automatically.

I have the 32, but I seem to remember there is a way of dubbing multiple titles in one step and finalizing. Are you sure you can't pick multiple titles in the DVD VIDEO CREATION process?

I guess I should find the xs34 manual online and compare a few things, especially the remote layout. The Edit Menu is on the front of the 32 remote (not under the door), and I think it'd be WAY more inconvenient under the door.

(Then again, I want the DELETE button on the main part of the remote and not under the door, which it is on the 32's remote.)

I think the 32 is easy to use, though admittedly I'm a techy person. It's definitely not as easy to use as a Tivo for example, but it's much easier/more capable than a VCR. I actually think the remote is _fairly_ well layed out, even though it's a bunch of mostly tiny buttons. The lever-like buttons around the OK button seemed bizarre at first, but they're convenient and easy to use.

I have the 32, but I seem to remember there is a way of dubbing multiple titles in one step and finalizing. Are you sure you can't pick multiple titles in the DVD VIDEO CREATION process?Don't worry, you can most definitely pick multiple titles and/or chapters in the DVD VIDEO CREATION process.

I almost gagged when I read vferrari's comments about picture quality fade over a few years on disks highly recommended when the recordings were made.He meant the media fades, not the picture quality. This is actually worse than you thought because it means the disc might not work at all.

There is not much burrowing down to another menu tree here. As with most pieces of equipment that have a lot of options, once you have dedicated some time to learning the XS34 it is really fast and easy to use. I've heard people complain about the vast array of buttons that the XS34 remote has but consider this, many of the buttons allow you to select a menu tree directly without having to borrow down to find the right tree.

Yeah, I gotta agree with Ken there. When I first got my RD-XS34, I hated it -- it was so different from the Panasonic (E95) that I was used to. Seemed awfully complicated. But it turns out to be pretty well designed after all. The "Quick Menu" button is remarkably useful....it gives you a large number of functions to choose from, and it's context-sensitive (i.e., the functions it makes available are related to what you're doing or where you are in the system). The result is that you can do almost anything just by hitting the "Quick Menu" button.

It's a little harder to delete chapters. With the Panny, you just go to the chapter view and press the pause button on each thumbnail you want to delete. With the Tosh, you have to choose each chapter and then hit Enter to put it in the lower section of the screen, as if you're creating a playlist. The result is that on the Panny, it's easier to delete chapters than to create a playlist, while with the Tosh, it's pretty much the same process. Of course, the Toshiba manual discourages you from just deleting chapters anyway, due to the fragmentation problems it can cause. (At least they warn you; Panny doesn't say anything about it.)

It's also harder with the Tosh to divide a title into two or more titles. (In fact, it's impossible to do directly.) You have to create a playlist for each subtitle you want to create, then dub each playlist to either a DVD or back to the hard drive. This creates a "new" title for each playlist, at which point you can delete the original title. It would be nice if they would allow you to just divide a title the way the Panasonic can.

Nevertheless, once you get used to it, the Toshiba is actually quite easy to use, and in fact, I'm going to retain it as my "primary" recorder, even though I got my Panasonic back from the shop the other day. (Haven't re-installed it yet.) (I wonder if I'm gonna have to re-learn how to use my Panny? :) )

I do wish that they would add a socket on the back to accept an optional PC keyboard for generating text on titles. Seems like that would be one of the easier items to design in.

Ken

Yeah, that would've been nice.

I have the 32, but I seem to remember there is a way of dubbing multiple titles in one step and finalizing. Are you sure you can't pick multiple titles in the DVD VIDEO CREATION process?


Yes, you are correct, my mistake.

Ken

Rick, yes you can burn and finalize in one operation with the XS34.

<snip>

There is not much burrowing down to another menu tree here.

<snip>

Ken

For comparison, my Panasonic E-95 requires 16 clicks on the remote to finalize a disk that has just been burned. No option to burn and finalize at the same time.

The power consumption in standby mode is due to downloading the EPG update info, while other models with the same features seem to turn on the fan only when the temperature reaches a certain point, the Toshiba model is the only one not using a temperature-driven fan and therefore consumes more power compared to other models. The Panasonic DMR-EH50 model consumes about 13 W in standby mode, for example. Even if the EPG feature is turned off, the fan on the Toshiba model is still on all the time, and apparently not a very smart design.
As much as I like parts of the Pioneer 633 and its double layer capability and low power consumption on standby (under 0.42 watts) the rest of the design leaves something to be desired. OK, the Toshiba fan is always on which is a power burn (to the tune of 17W) but just how loud is the fan and the hard drive noise? I'm concerned about the noise due to the EPG in a living room 20x12 and whether it might be noticeable. What have been your experiences? I've noticed they seem to vary here with regard to the irritation factor but it may also have something to do with the size of your rooms.

Is it loud enough to get a RS meter reading from the primary seating position?If so,how much? That would seem to be the only way to get an objective idea on the volume level.

lonwolf615, in a way your post struck me as hilarious. I was not even thinking about the DVE geek factor, lol. I was just wondering generally whether people in my living room might be irritated if we just sat around chatting. Some have reported it as a noticeable distraction although I seemed to get the feeling it was mostly a bedroom issue where it could really distract sleepers.

My media center is in the barn so I have enough ambient noise to mask the fan noise. I think the sleight fan noise would be comforting in the bedroom, it's that dang bright blue light that I would not like. As is, another good use for the manual is to throw it over that HDD light.

Ken

Agree it was a geeky suggestion,lol.But really,there were posts on some threads making the fan noise a deal breaker.If everyone is gonna keep talking about it, it would be nice if us possible buyers could have some idea how loud it is.So,with nothing else on,sitting at the listening position in a quiet room,will the rat meter pick up the noise of the fan?
BTW,anyone having trouble with the OneCall site?I can't get the purchase page to display,or otherwise my XP34 would be on the way by now.

I have a Dell 4100 PC and the fan is about is about the same loudness as the fan on the PC. Probably about the same as some other DVDRs except it runs all of the time. I never notice it unless I think to notice it. The cows and chickens make more noise.

I looked at the OneCall site and didn't see anything wrong with it. I didn't go all the way to the order page. Their # is 1-800-340-4770. I'm sure they will take care of you with a phone call.

Subject change: I had previously recorded about 30 min of outdoor radio control flying on my Sony Handycam and then transfered it to HDD at 4.2 (sp) using the Firewire connection. The recorded video is extremely crisp and clear. Today I dubbed it 3 times to DVD-RAM (4.2 sp, 3.2, and 2.2 lp quality). When I play the titles back on my Panasonic DVD player and Sony TV and I can't tell the difference in quality. I sure thought there would be a noticeable difference.

Ken

:mad: Anyone having problems with their TV Guide On Screen? Mine has not worked for three weeks now. The VBI channel will not set to the PBS station anymore. My cable box is constantly being probed by the IR blaster going from 1-999 then going through the whole process again. I've had the recorder freeze up numerous times. The recorder sometimes will not record programs even though they have been scheduled to do so. I've reseted the TVGOS (sometimes freezing the recorder up to where none of the buttons will work). All of these problems seem to stem from the TVGOS.

Willie, I've read of several people having a lot of trouble where a cable box was involved. Is there any way you could put a "T" in the line to the cable box and pipe the cable straight to your DVD recorder? I don't have cable so this may have been a dumb question. People without a cable box seem to report good performance with TV Guide that is fed straight from cable.

Ken

Well.. I was ECSTATIC for the first week after purchasing my xs34. But now (this is going to sound like some earlier posts).... the TV guide listings are not downloading now for about the last 2 weeks (they were downloading content perfectly before!) and I am not using a cable box.. just over-the-air.
Now my scheduled recordings are not working. Some shows record; other don't. I know how to work this machine and have quadruple (and more) checked the timer to make sure I didn't screw up. It is definitely missing recordings. I had read some reviews where others were complaining of this (before I bought the machine), but I thought maybe they just messed up on setting up their timer LOL. I am so disappointed.
My first xs34 from Amazon came defective (outer casing), so I thought, hey, I will send back this one too. Well, this is part of the response I got back just tonight:

"Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.

I am sorry that your replacement shipment was also problematic.

As it seems that the problem with this item is more widespread than
we originally thought, we are not able to send another replacement.
We will investigate and remedy the situation with the item; however,
I cannot guarantee when the error may be fixed.

We will gladly refund you in full for the return of this item. If
the item was part of a set, please return the entire set. "

Ughhhh... So now what do I do?? I am using this for satellite school for my children.

the TV guide listings are not downloading now for about the last 2 weeks (they were downloading content perfectly before!) and I am not using a cable box.. just over-the-air.
Now my scheduled recordings are not working. Some shows record; other don't. I know how to work this machine and have quadruple (and more) checked the timer to make sure I didn't screw up. It is definitely missing recordings. I had read some reviews where others were complaining of this (before I bought the machine), but I thought maybe they just messed up on setting up their timer LOL. I am so disappointed. Since the TV guide listings are not downloading, are you manually setting the programs or are they regular daily/weekly programs set from before when you still had the listings?

My first xs34 from Amazon came defective (outer casing), so I thought, hey, I will send back this one too. Well, this is part of the response I got back just tonight:

"Thank you for writing to us at Amazon.

I am sorry that your replacement shipment was also problematic.

As it seems that the problem with this item is more widespread than
we originally thought, we are not able to send another replacement.
We will investigate and remedy the situation with the item; however,
I cannot guarantee when the error may be fixed.

We will gladly refund you in full for the return of this item. If
the item was part of a set, please return the entire set. "

Ughhhh... So now what do I do?? I am using this for satellite school for my children.


I purchased mine from Amazon as well! :eek:

My media center is in the barn so I have enough ambient noise to mask the fan noise. I think the sleight fan noise would be comforting in the bedroom, it's that dang bright blue light that I would not like. As is, another good use for the manual is to throw it over that HDD light.

Ken

Both good points Ken.

I presently have my 34 in the bedroom. It will be moving to the basement as it will be finished soon. I haven't mentioned the fan issue to my wife and she hasn't noticed it. The "wooosh" of the ceiling fan pretty much masks the xs34 noise. She has however complained about the blue light and that's just the clock showing :eek: I don't want to hit the dim button all the time, so I haven't told her I can turn off the display. Is that wrong?

Shawbros, they are new timer settings. I record from my satellite receiver, so I have the xs34 (manually) set to record "Line 1". I've read the manual inside and out and know this is the recorder messing up.

Now I'm in a dilemma..I need a good DVR with hard drive that can handle plenty of timer settings..any suggestions?

It's sad; other than these two issues (and I could care less about getting the TV Guide listings - I, however, don't like that they were downloading just fine and now they do not show up at all) - I LOVE this unit. But the timer recordings are a big deal to me. Thankfully the satellite school sends the class out twice.. so I always have a second shot.

Well.. I was ECSTATIC for the first week after purchasing my xs34. But now (this is going to sound like some earlier posts).... the TV guide listings are not downloading now for about the last 2 weeks (they were downloading content perfectly before!) and I am not using a cable box.. just over-the-air.


For about a week I was recording a program that started at midnight. I noticed during that week that the TV Guide stopped updating. I stopped the regular recording at midnight and the TV Guide started updating again. However it did not go back and fill in all of the "no listing" slots. I guess it only updates once every 24 hours.

rcflyer,

Interesting..because I have one scheduled recording (set back when the listings were working) left in my lineup. I am going to try deleting it and see if all works again. LOL.. you know something's got a bug when we're going through this!

Thanks..

AshleyinVA, If the TV Guide data was being transmitted several times a day then I don't believe this problem would happen because there are bound to be periods of time when the DVDR is powered down.

Let us know if you start getting updates.

Shawbros, they are new timer settings. I record from my satellite receiver, so I have the xs34 (manually) set to record "Line 1". I've read the manual inside and out and know this is the recorder messing up.Ashley, thanks for your confirmation! I've had my unit since May, probably among the first and have had exactly the same problem since the beginning but when I inquired on here 3 months ago everyone thought I was on drugs!! The TVG listings also stopped downloading a month ago! Have you ever been around to observe the machine when it's programmed to come on? My unit does actually power up but recording just won't kick in and if I try to power it down during the program I get the message that it can't because a recording is in progress even though it's not!!!
It's usually the programs that have been sitting in there for a while that randomly get missed. So far it hasn't missed anything I've set just the nite before. Anything set for daily or weekly is a hit and miss.
I hope they will release a new firmware to fix this issue soon!

So,um,am I getting the gist of this ?
1)Just because the XS34 works fine when I get it doesn't mean it still will a month from now?
2)If I set a timer recording,I may or may not get it?
The 531 suddenly looks a whole lot better...

So,um,am I getting the gist of this ?
1)Just because the XS34 works fine when I get it doesn't mean it still will a month from now?
2)If I set a timer recording,I may or may not get it?
The 531 suddenly looks a whole lot better...
I agree with you. I've been reading many issues with the XS34 recording reliability and it's not like it's a few sporadic ones. At the same token, I've come to find out that the Pioneer 53x,63x series has no chapter mark button like predecessors have and the XS34 do as well. This way you can mark chapters as you are watching the program. If you plan on using the DVD recording function and editing your videos, marking chapters and points of interest and also removing commercials while watching, it isn't happening. You have to watch again in the edit mode with the little window and run through it again to find edit spots.

As a result, I'm returning my 633 for now and hope that somebody will build a unit that at least gets the essentials right. Toshiba will have to fix this and I'm sure they eventually will and an update will be provided -- at least it can be fixed. Unfortunately Pioneer doesn't plan on putting back a feature that saved you plenty of life now wasted during edit mode.

I've had about enough of my xs34. If I could get a Pioneer 530HS for 350$ (which includes s&h and tax), would it be wise? Why would I not want to get a European model?

I'm a little confused though. The military exchange, where I can get it, says it has 80GB HDD.. and the European website says it has a 160 GB.. huh? Hmm.. also, the military exchange is selling it and not mentioning anything about it being the European model (which now that I've read on has some kind of EPG IT'S supposed to download too LOL..I'm sure the equivalent of TV Guide, but for Europe) Can it be that there is a U.S. 530 H S that has a 80 GB drive?? I'm stumped.. help oh knowledgable people! The pictures are identical.. and I couldn't find a U.S. Pioneer DVR that matches the picture of the one on the exchange website..oh brother.

It's usually the programs that have been sitting in there for a while that randomly get missed. So far it hasn't missed anything I've set just the nite before. Anything set for daily or weekly is a hit and miss.
I hope they will release a new firmware to fix this issue soon!

Hey Shawbros. Sorry you're still dealing with this nonsense. I know you have posted a number of times about your troubles, but I don't remember what your set up is. Are you running through a cable or satellite box or directly from the wall to the xs-34? Also, have you spoken with toshiba lately? Have they said anything about an update? Finally, do these firmware updates usually involve them sending a disc which will load software onto your machine or is it loaded in some other way? I've never been through that kind of process before and am clueless.

I hope, for your sake and others, that they come to some resolution soon. Certainly, DVD recorders should be able to handle the most basic function that VCRs have mastered for decades--the programmed recording.

I'm glad I waited, but who knows how long before they fix this thing. It's really the unit that appeals to me the most, but I want it primarily for recording from analog cable, so I need to know my programmed recordings will record reliably.

Very well put,Scottland-you described my feeling exactly.And whats really scary is we haven' had any XS34 owners posting they never have problems recording..Maybe its our own fault,really.All these manf.seem to be trying so hard to impress us with more and more features that they are given short shift to the basics,Reliable recording,a usable programming guide-you would think that would be a given by this time,wouldn't you?Or am I expecting to much?

I've had about enough of my xs34. If I could get a Pioneer 530HS for 350$ (which includes s&h and tax), would it be wise? Why would I not want to get a European model?

I'm a little confused though. The military exchange, where I can get it, says it has 80GB HDD.. and the European website says it has a 160 GB.. huh? Hmm.. also, the military exchange is selling it and not mentioning anything about it being the European model (which now that I've read on has some kind of EPG IT'S supposed to download too LOL..I'm sure the equivalent of TV Guide, but for Europe) Can it be that there is a U.S. 530 H S that has a 80 GB drive?? I'm stumped.. help oh knowledgable people! The pictures are identical.. and I couldn't find a U.S. Pioneer DVR that matches the picture of the one on the exchange website..oh brother.
I don't know about the 530 but if it is in the 531/533 series which it seems likely and not the 520, then you have to deal with the TVGOS issue that will only work in the country where it's sold and intended. At least in the US it relies upon US based zip codes which is why many in Canada are screaming bloody murder because they can only use a US based zip code to receive the TV Guide data. Not only would putting in a US zip code result in many missed cable channels in Canada but I cannot imagine trying to correct all the station identification errors. Thanks to TV Guide (I will never patronize them) and their paying manufacturers to put it into DVRs, it is NOT an option to turn off TVGOS in most of these units and many of them will still seek it even if not used. More in other threads.

scottland7, right now the time to buy isn't really at hand unfortunately. With the new introduction of the TV Guide TVGOS comes other problems which should not have occurred. I won't buy the XS34 because of the lack of recording reliability. At the same time I'm returning my 633 for reasons I mentioned above and elsewhere regarding inability to verify/review recordings full screen and put in chapter marks like virtually every recorder has been able to do since cassettes were mainstream including Pioneer's own prior DVRs. The latest Pannys have their problems and the Sony units have not featured flexible recording. It's a sad quarter for DVR purchasers...

Hey Shawbros Are you running through a cable or satellite box or directly from the wall to the xs-34?Directly from the wall.
Also, have you spoken with toshiba lately? Have they said anything about an update? Finally, do these firmware updates usually involve them sending a disc which will load software onto your machine or is it loaded in some other way? I've never been through that kind of process before and am clueless. I gave up on Toshiba support long ago. I'm in Canada but pre-ordered the US model from ecost. Toshiba Canada won't entertain me 'cause it's not their's and the US 1-800 numbers are only good in the US but they refuse to give me an area code number and insist I contact CAN! Also those support people are morons who evade your questions because they don't know the answers. Fortunately timeshifting is not a big deal for me, I only need good quality recording and it's able to deliver the goods in that department so I won't die.
I'm not too optimistic about a fix being released anytime soon. The only updates I've heard of are distributed on a disc for supporting newer medias on the XS32. I also heard they still don't acknowledge the black level bug in the XS32. I still cringe at the thought that I might support this shady company again when the XS54 comes out later this year!

Well, I am realizing that the 530H is not the one to buy. My timer recording worked this morning on the Toshiba..

I'm going to try making sure the DVR is on within 3 hours of the timer recording (so the unit doesn't turn off). Maybe then any "updating" that the unit is trying to do (that didn't work anyway) will not be happening. The unit shouldn't be "distracted" by anything if it's on, correct? I really want this thing to work..in all other ways it is AWESOME.

Has Anyone had, or heard of someone who had problems with recordings when TVG did not work at all. My cable company does not have the PBS channel that carries the data, so my XS34 has never had the guide populated. This being said, I have never had a timer recording fail and set it up to record almost daily. Sounds like it might be a problem with the TVG implementation in this unit messing up the recording mechanism.

My cable company does not have the PBS channel that carries the data, so my XS34 has never had the guide populated. This being said, I have never had a timer recording fail and set it up to record almost daily.

Hmm..I'm wondering something now. If I take the antenna cable out of the DVR and go through the TVGOS setup and press "no" when it asks if there's an antenna attached, do you think my nightmare will be over (with the timer recordings working sporadically) ?? At this point I, at least, could keep the unit - if this works mind you- I just won't be able to tape any TV shows, which at this point is no big deal. I can hope that Toshiba will resolve this problem, and if not then I have a 3 year extended warranty I might just use..

Very well put,Scottland-you described my feeling exactly.And whats really scary is we haven' had any XS34 owners posting they never have problems recording..Maybe its our own fault,really.All these manf.seem to be trying so hard to impress us with more and more features that they are given short shift to the basics,Reliable recording,a usable programming guide-you would think that would be a given by this time,wouldn't you?Or am I expecting to much?
lonwolf615, on my XS34 I have had 100% reliability out of timed recordings using TV Guide. I've never found it necessary to use the manual record feature. I've had mine for almost a month and have recorded in the neighborhood of 30 programs. The only problem that I've had was when I was regularly recording a one hour program starting at midnight. During that week the TV Guide stopped updating. When I stopped the regular recording the TV Guide resumed updating. My assumption is that the TVG data, in my area, goes out between midnight and 1 am and since the XS34 must be off to receive the data, it could not update.

I have a very simple setup, antenna only, and at this point I am 100% satisfied with the XS34. Every day, as I explore the features, I like it even more especially the chapter marker button and the ability to edit and copy back to the HDD instead of having to copy to a RAM. :)

You give me hope,because this was the one I want to get.Having it less than a month gives me pause though,because more than one poster has stated the weird stuff started after 30 days.Keep us posted if it keeps working flawlessly.I've set the last week of sept.as my purchase date to own a recorder, and part of me stil wants this one.

I'm with you, lonwolf. I was actually shooting for labor day (hoping I might find some internet specials), but now I am reconsidering. Rcflyer has been a real fan of the xs-34 (as have others), so I am interested in continuing to read about their experiences (both positive and negative).

Maybe I'll grow a little more comfortable in the coming weeks, but I am aware that with this new TV guide system, it seems you roll the dice with almost any brand you choose. If I was not planning to use the unit PRIMARILY for tv recording, it wouldn't be that big a deal.

BTW, I shot off an e-mail to Toshiba making them aware of this discussion regarding missed recordings through the TVGOS system and asking what they are doing about it. I don't expect a particularly helpful or informative response (it will probably never get past a c.s. rep to a manager), but I figured it was worth a shot. I'll keep you posted. Perhaps if we all inundate them with questions and concerns regarding this issue (esp. those who have not yet purchased due to these concerns), we'll make enough noise to get some action. Or is that my naivete talking again...

Does the squeaky wheel REALLY get oiled? Apparently, the squeaky wheel that was the "black level bug" never did-- at least not until the redesign.

I have had my X34 for a little over two months. I also have a simple setup...cable goes directly into the xs34. I have never missed a recording either EPG or manual. In fact, I really like the unit and would buy it again.

Hopes this helps those sitting on the fence.

Victor

I have had my X34 for a little over two months. I also have a simple setup...cable goes directly into the xs34. I have never missed a recording either EPG or manual. In fact, I really like the unit and would buy it again.

Hopes this helps those sitting on the fence.

Victor
This gives me hope - maybe this sounds dumb, but I almost wonder if I should take Amazon's offer and get reimbursed for the recorder and then make the same purchase from someone else. Maybe Amazon just got a bad batch? I sure wish they would replace it one last time. But then again, if their response was that it is a "widespread problem", then maybe they have had too many problems (but maybe with their batch?) My first replacement was because of the casing being defective - it's not like I've had the same "defectiveness" twice.

I have had my X34 for a little over two months. I also have a simple setup...cable goes directly into the xs34. I have never missed a recording either EPG or manual. In fact, I really like the unit and would buy it again.

Hi Victor. Thanks for jumping in. The more I hear from those who have not experienced problems, the more comforting it is, for sure.

Can you estimate how often you record? How many recordings have you made since you connected your xs-34?

Can you tell when it is downloading EPG data? Is it once or multiple times a day? Have you ever had a program scheduled to record around the time of a scheduled download? AshleyinVA has reported having some missed recordings around the time of a download (midnight) which also seems to be preventing the recorder from populating the latest data.

Thanks for your input.

AshleyinVA has reported having some missed recordings around the time of a download (midnight) which also seems to be preventing the recorder from populating the latest data.
Yes, but remember that the the list did not populate for almost 2 weeks before I started ANY recordings at night. And also, 2 recordings in a row were missed during the day (which, then again, I know could still be when TVGOS is sending out info). One at 6:10 am (start time) and one at 7:50 pm. This is what has me confused (and the Toshiba guy on the phone).

Yes, but remember that the the list did not populate for almost 2 weeks before I started ANY recordings at night. And also, 2 recordings in a row were missed during the day (which, then again, I know could still be when TVGOS is sending out info). One at 6:10 am (start time) and one at 7:50 pm. This is what has me confused (and the Toshiba guy on the phone).

AshleyinVA--If you decide to keep your xs-34, will you please keep us informed of your progress in dealing with Toshiba. If you have no luck getting "real " answers/ resolutions with c.s. reps, then try a manager and see what happens. I can only hope they are more responsive to customers with this issue than they apparently were with the "black level bug".

I e-mailed them about these issues and this discussion in the forum. Their response was basically that they are working with TV Guide to resolve any customer concerns. No mention of what that resolution might be or a possible timeline. But my guess is that you'll have better luck than me since you are actually dealing with the problem.

Interestingly, the "average joe" (defined as not someone participating in this forum) is surely becoming aware of this problem because there is at least one other review on another website complaining of the same issue. If Toshiba and the TV Guide/Gemstar folks do not get on top of it, it will sting. Such a shame on what appears to be a nice machine, otherwise.

Good luck!

I just finished watching the Charlie Rose show on PBS that I recorded at 2 am this morning using the TVG listing. I honestly can't say why mine is working so well and a others can't seem to get reliable recordings other than mine is a simple setup in simple DFW area with no satellite or cable box or cable involved. I even wonder if some people have set up something wrong in the "setup" section. I really don't like not being able to setup a TVG listing for midnight but that's a small price to pay for it working good the rest of the time. I would guess that all brands that use the TVG have the same problem unless their local stations transmit the data more than once a day.

I would really like to know more of the technical aspects of TVG from a true expert (one who works in the business), not a pseudo tekie just blowing smoke.

Hi Scottland,

I have probably made about 30 recordings. I don't know when the EPG downloads. I only recorded past midnight once or twice, but never encountered any problem.

Victor

Can you estimate how often you record? How many recordings have you made since you connected your xs-34?

Can you tell when it is downloading EPG data? Is it once or multiple times a day? Have you ever had a program scheduled to record around the time of a scheduled download?

Thanks for your input.

I record daily. I have figured out when the TVGOS updates in my area. The major updates occurs 1pm-5pm PT. The cable box must be in tuned to the PBS station & in standby mode to receive the updates. If it is on nothing will be received. The entire guide will not populate within a day. This takes several days to receive the entire eight day schedule, but I have never gotten that far before.

Having no guide now for three weeks, I've re-entered the system settings and formatted the hard drive. This seems to make a difference when problems occur. The TVGOS (when working :rolleyes: ) always wiped itself clean on Fridays and was out throughout the weekends.

Last week I had problems with anything recording (strange, always occurs on Fridays :confused: ). I made a backup recording onto my VCR in case nothing came out again, however this time it was okay:). I figure formatting the HDD works, although this is only a theory.

Last night I had the XS34 lock up on me again :mad:. This occurred while timeslipping one program against another that was ready to record. No button had worked after the second recording started, with the exception of the eject button. After pressing that button all the others worked again. It seems that the unit has to "take a break" in between back to back recordings. About an eight minute respite should work during those situations. These DVD recorders certainly do not act like VCRs. :(

Okay, you guys won't believe this one. I was fiddling with my TVGOS (as most of you know, mine hasn't been showing listings for weeks now) Anyway, went to the Search bar and searched alphabetically (I was seriously doing this just to see if something would trigger LOL) Well, you would never know that there are no listings; programs for 8/26 even came up. Go figure. So I went back to the Listings to see if there was anything there..nothing. I turn off the unit and turn it back on. No listings. I REFORMAT the hard drive.. no listings.. Finally I take off any schedule of recording I had (which took forever to type in LOL) .. no listings.. but if I do a search.. EVERYTHING is there..even still.. with name, station, etc. I'm stumped.. and am calling Toshiba again.

I am going to hassle Amazon with sending me a new unit. If they really refuse, I am going to get a reimbursement.. and then rebuy this unit. It just has to be faulty (even as I say that though..I think of all the others with the same problem).. but maybe there are just a handful of defective ones??

The next time you guys hear of someone's TVGOS suddenly not working.. ask them to do a search and see if all the info is there.. BTW..any theories are welcome..

*update*
I talked to tech support; she said she has never heard of this. She led me through a series of numbers while in the Setup screen of the TVGOS. It's supposed to "reboot" TVGOS (it did something because all of the searchable listings are gone now.. and after entering the numbers and pressing enter, TVGOS did turn off on its own). I had to unplug the unit for 30 secs and then plug it back in; now I'm supposed to leave it off (to download info) for the next 24 hours. We will see. At least she wasn't one of these "unha unha.. okay" tech people. She seemed as though she really wanted to figure this out. LOL I probably sound so naive.

AshleyinVA, thanks for the post. Very interesting. I suspect that Toshiba has some written instructions about problems that would be very valuable to have but that we will never get.

Well, no listings came in overnight at least. I think the only reason I'm even pursuing trying to get the TVGOS thing to work correctly is because I want to know if something's wrong with my unit. I'm tempted to just unplug the antenna cable and answer "no" to the TVGOS questions about hookups. Would that even work? Do you HAVE to have an antenna cable plugged in for the unit to pick up anything?

I so wish I had just gotten the 520H (Pioneer) months ago when an authorized dealer might have had one left. But now it seems like such a poor choice to get one without any warranty.

Well, no listings came in overnight at least. I think the only reason I'm even pursuing trying to get the TVGOS thing to work correctly is because I want to know if something's wrong with my unit. I'm tempted to just unplug the antenna cable and answer "no" to the TVGOS questions about hookups. Would that even work? Do you HAVE to have an antenna cable plugged in for the unit to pick up anything?

I so wish I had just gotten the 520H (Pioneer) months ago when an authorized dealer might have had one left. But now it seems like such a poor choice to get one without any warranty.
You do have to have an antenna or cable connected for the TVG to update and the XS34 has to be in standby mode. Obviously you have a faulty unit.

You should have bought a Pioneer to start with since I keep reading that they are the ultimate DVD recorder with no problems. Any brand except Toshiba. ;) Get rid of that one as quick as you can and buy a Pioneer.

*update again* LOL I just turned the unit off (power supply) and on and now the listings are there.. but it says "No Listing" for each one (which just means it hasn't downloaded completely... AND Amazon just emailed me to let me know that another one is on the way, that they will indeed replace it.. isn't this just how it works? I don't care if the TVGOS is starting to work now..I AM going to let them replace this one. There's just been too much weirdness here.

Sorry for so many posts, but hopefully it will just add more info about this product.. and one thing I do know.. the "rebooting" of the TVGOS that Toshiba had me do worked.

You should have bought a Pioneer to start with since I keep reading that they are the ultimate DVD recorder with no problems. Any brand except Toshiba. Get rid of that one as quick as you can and buy a Pioneer.
Hmm..well, if this next one is faulty, it is as good as gone.. and I will be getting a Pioneer. I'm still wondering though.. what is wrong with the Panasonic EH50S..okay okay, I will read the forum to find out. When I went to Amazon and watched the video for it (the Panny), it sure made MY eyes grow a little bigger.
-All listings are in.. *sigh*-

I am going to hassle Amazon with sending me a new unit. If they really refuse, I am going to get a reimbursement.. and then rebuy this unit. It just has to be faulty (even as I say that though..I think of all the others with the same problem).. but maybe there are just a handful of defective ones??



Ashley, how long have you had your unit? I may do the same with mine since I purchased from Amazon as well.

As for my TV Guide it still is not working and I have flat given up on it. The cable box still gets probed constantly when the recorder is off. When I don't use it I just turn off the box (saves electricity plus gets hot).

Anybody wanting the TVGOS codes they are:

Diagnostic: 753159852 - nothing can be changed inside here.
Reset: 653214741 - wipes out any listings but retains recorded shows.

The codes must be entered from the setup menu from the service bar then only highlight change system settings.

:confused: Anyone know how to manually change the time? Mine is always ghosted out in the setup screen.

Willie, I may have asked this before but can you plug the cable directly into your XS34 without the cable box?

Ken

Ashley, how long have you had your unit? I may do the same with mine since I purchased from Amazon as well.


Willie, the first one (with the defective outer casing) I bought July 7. The replacement for that one (the DVR I currently have) says July 13. So technically I have had this more than 30 days.. I was kind of wondering if they would do it.

I tell you.. everything is working so nicely on my DVR right now.. I am going to try the replacement out for a week or two once I get it.. and THEN bring mine to the UPS dropoff..just to make sure.

Willie, did you do a Search.. just to see if there's anything there? I don't know if you read what I had discovered.

Thanks for keeping us informed, Ashley.

I think rcflyer's comments ("You should have bought a Pioneer to start with since I keep reading that they are the ultimate DVD recorder with no problems. Any brand except Toshiba. ;) Get rid of that one as quick as you can and buy a Pioneer.") may have been made in jest (or sarcastic), because he's been pretty happy with his XS34.

I've had pretty good results with mine, and overall I'm quite happy with it. Haven't had any problems downloading the TVGOS data. (I have Comcast cable, but don't use a cable box.) However, there have been about four recording failures. The most common failure (happened about three times) is when I set the machine to record several programs in a row on the same channel. Rather than set each recording individually, which results in losing about 10 seconds of the broadcast between each recording, I just set it to record the first show, then choose "end late by" and add 60, 90, or 120 minutes to the end time, as appropriate. But more often than not, this seems to result in the machine's stopping recording after about 1.1 hours of recording, regardless of the programmed end time. It typically stops recording four to six minutes after the top of the hour. I have no idea why that happens. (For what it's worth, it doesn't seem to happen every time. On one occasion, I kept an eye on the machine while it was recording [using this "end late by" method], and it recorded properly all the way through. No doubt because I was watching it. ;) )

The one other failure I experienced was a straight failure to record a scheduled program. This time I was there to witness it. A minute or two before the scheduled recording, a notice came up on the screen (as it's supposed to), saying a scheduled recording was about to start. All well and good, I thought. But then a few minutes later, I noticed it wasn't recording. It just never started.

That only happened one time, and I haven't had any other failures in the last few days, but it's still enough to rattle my nerves, because now I can't trust it to record my favorite shows when I want it to. I still like the machine -- it has many fine qualities and it's actually pretty easy to use, once you get the hang of it, and I haven't experienced any freeze-ups or crashes -- but it makes me nervous. I know these things are complicated, but something like starting and stopping on time is something that VCR's have been doing for decades (as someone else in this forum has noted). That shouldn't be a source of problems.

I have another "end late by" recording scheduled for tomorrow night (Sunday, Aug. 21). [The Simpsons / Family Guy / Family Guy / American Dad] I programmed my XS34 to record "The Simpsons" at 8:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time), and then told it to start a minute early (because "The Simpsons" always does), and end 90 minutes late. That is, from 7:59 to 10:00. I'll let y'all know if it works or not.

Thanks for keeping us informed, Ashley.

I think rcflyer's comments ("You should have bought a Pioneer to start with since I keep reading that they are the ultimate DVD recorder with no problems. Any brand except Toshiba. ;) Get rid of that one as quick as you can and buy a Pioneer.") may have been made in jest (or sarcastic), because he's been pretty happy with his XS34.

The one other failure I experienced was a straight failure to record a scheduled program. This time I was there to witness it. A minute or two before the scheduled recording, a notice came up on the screen (as it's supposed to), saying a scheduled recording was about to start. All well and good, I thought. But then a few minutes later, I noticed it wasn't recording. It just never started.


I was just kidding Ashley because she (an assumption) has had so many problems.

About 6:27 this evening I had the same notice pop up about a scheduled recording about to start. There was a yellow highlighted pick something about "change channel and continue with this recording" I can't remember exactly. There was also another pick to the effect that "don't change channel and delete this recording". Once again not the exact wording but you get the gist. I selected the first option by pressing enter and the channel changed to the scheduled one and the recording started. I don't know that if I had sat there without making a pick if the recording would have started. If the unit had been in standby I would have never seen this message.

Memo to Ken: Try it tomorrow without making a pick to see what happens.

Ashley, hang in there and best of luck with the new recorder. :)

Willie, did you do a Search.. just to see if there's anything there? I don't know if you read what I had discovered.

I did a search for everything in all categories and there is no data. :(

Willie, I may have asked this before but can you plug the cable directly into your XS34 without the cable box?

Ken

Hello Ken,

I believe you previously asked this of another member. I can but all the cable channels are scrambled.

I may see what you are getting at. If I just plug in the cable (sans box) I can retrieve the listings without the scannings. Unfortunately I don't believe this would bring up my digital channels within the listings.

I really despise how the cable companies forced subscribers to use and charge for these boxes.
It was a simpler process to plug the cable directly into the tv, vcr, dvr etc.

About 6:27 this evening I had the same notice pop up about a scheduled recording about to start. There was a yellow highlighted pick something about "change channel and continue with this recording" I can't remember exactly. There was also another pick to the effect that "don't change channel and delete this recording". Once again not the exact wording but you get the gist. I selected the first option by pressing enter and the channel changed to the scheduled one and the recording started. I don't know that if I had sat there without making a pick if the recording would have started. If the unit had been in standby I would have never seen this message.



This is normal when viewing with the DVD recorder. I most always (though sometimes do not) see the notice. You don't have to make a choice for it to record. This notice does pop up while in standby mode when the unit fires up (two minutes before the recording begins).

While chase playing a back to back recording, this is where it will lock the unit up. I barely see the notice before the next recording begins, which immediately shuts off the timeslipping program.

I believe the XS34 has serious software issues. Hopefully Toshiba can somehow patch these up for us! Without these problems the XS34 is a great DVD recorder.

The one other failure I experienced was a straight failure to record a scheduled program. This time I was there to witness it. A minute or two before the scheduled recording, a notice came up on the screen (as it's supposed to), saying a scheduled recording was about to start. All well and good, I thought. But then a few minutes later, I noticed it wasn't recording. It just never started.

...but it's still enough to rattle my nerves, because now I can't trust it to record my favorite shows when I want it to. I still like the machine -- it has many fine qualities and it's actually pretty easy to use, once you get the hang of it... but it makes me nervous. I know these things are complicated, but something like starting and stopping on time is something that VCR's have been doing for decades.



I feel the same way myself. You expect something to perform well after shelling out $400+ only to have it let you down!

What is Quality Assurance at Toshiba doing? :mad:

...I just set it to record the first show, then choose "end late by" and add 60, 90, or 120 minutes to the end time, as appropriate. But more often than not, this seems to result in the machine's stopping recording after about 1.1 hours of recording, regardless of the programmed end time. I've only used this feature a couple times and exactly the same thing happened to me the first time I tried it!!

The one other failure I experienced was a straight failure to record a scheduled program. This time I was there to witness it. A minute or two before the scheduled recording, a notice came up on the screen (as it's supposed to), saying a scheduled recording was about to start. All well and good, I thought. But then a few minutes later, I noticed it wasn't recording. It just never started.

That only happened one time, and I haven't had any other failures in the last few days, but it's still enough to rattle my nerves, because now I can't trust it to record my favorite shows when I want it to.Be nervous, this happens to me a LOT! Next time if it happens when you're there--try to turn off the machine and you'll get the message saying that you can't turn it off cause a scheduled recording is about to begin!!! (even though the program has already finished and it never actually recorded it!)

I'm so glad all you guys are finally coming out and describing the same problems I've been having for the last 3 months! Now I know there's nothing wrong specifically with my unit or firmware, everyone's machines are messed up! Hopefully the handling of the xs32 (BLB) isn't an indication of how Toshiba deals with bugs--like saying screw all those suckers let's force them to buy the new model if they need the fix!

Well, as I said I was going to, I programmed my XS34 to record The Simpsons, Family Guy, (two back-to-back episodes) and American Dad. I set it to record The Simpsons in the "normal" manner by using the TVGOS, then adjusting it to start one minute early and end 90 minutes late. So it should've recorded from 7:59 to 10:00.

It started recording right on time (at 7:59), but then spontaneously stopped at 9:03, exactly 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 12 seconds into the recording. It was as if I had hit the "stop" button -- the red recording light went out and a little square "stop" icon appeared in the upper left corner of the TV screen. Power didn't shut off.

This is about the fourth time this has happened. Only once has it worked correctly.

On another note, I also had several problems trying to burn some DVD-R's last night. I had a 2:53 "MP" mode (i.e, "3 hour" mode) title that the machine just would not write to my TDK (4X speed, printable) DVD-R. Got an error twice in a row. (Resulting in two "coasters".) I then tried using a Philips 8X DVD-R and it worked fine. (At this point, if I were to call Toshiba and complain, they would say the problem was with the TDK discs, not their machine. But they've worked fine in my Panasonic without any problems.)

I also tried copying two other titles to DVD-R (again using my TDK printable 4X discs). The first title burned okay, but the second one just wouldn't work -- kept getting errors (with useless messages that didn't explain what was causing the problem). That resulted in another coaster. I tried yet again with another blank DVD, and the same thing happened. First title burned fine; second one, error. :mad: This time, just for the hell of it, I decided to try finalizing it. (What've I got to lose, right?) Shockingly, that worked. (But of course I ended up with a DVD with about 60% unused, wasted space.) I tried recording the second title by itself on yet another blank DVD, and that worked fine. (Haven't finalized that one yet, but at least it appeared to burn the second title [by itself] OK.) For some strange reason, the two titles just wouldn't allow themselves to be burned on to the same discs. I have no idea why.

I wish DVD recording and burning were more reliable. Clearly, this industry is not yet ready for prime time.

I tried high-speeding dubbing another DVD-R this evening, and again it failed. ("This operation was terminated because of error on the disc.") ("ERR 14" on the front panel display, if anybody's interested.) There was still some room on the disc, so I tried again with a shorter program, and it failed again. And again. Different error messages each time, but same result. The disc ended up being a coaster. This was a TDK 4X speed printable DVD-R, just like the others. I think that's about four frisbees now. (Out of five attempts -- an 80% failure rate.) On the other hand, I've dubbed a couple of Philips 8X DVD-R's, and they've worked fine. So you might think it's a media problem, not a Toshiba recorder problem. But then why haven't I had a single failure with those TDK discs on my Panasonic? (I've dubbed around 8 or 10 of them on my Panny.)

I just don't get it. I don't know why burning DVD's should be so unreliable. Do other folks have this much trouble?

And what about computers? People use DVD's to save data on their PCs, right? Do they have the same problems we do (or at least, I do)? And to the same degree? I recently bought a DVD burner for my computer (haven't installed it yet), but I can't imagine backing up my computer data onto a DVD if this is the kind of reliability I can expect. :mad:

I bought 100 Sony 8X when they were on sale at BB for $19.95/50. I've gone through about 30 on my XS34 and not a coaster in the bunch. I messed one up because I recorded the wrong program but that was my fault.

So far I have not had a single problem with my XS34 (received 7/20) and I use it daily to record VHS tape or programs with TVG. I'm sure sorry that you are having so many problems with yours. I'm looking forward to hearing from Ashley with her third new one.

Instead of stewing about the DVD-R problem you might save the TDKs for the Panny and use the Philips on the XS34. If you find the Sonys on sale then pick up a pack. It's obvious that we are not dealing with tapes any more and we need to do what, through experimentation, works. :)

Ken

I have burned about 20 DVD's now (I'm recording satellite classes) and not a problem yet. I haven't used anything but Verbatim 16x dvd-r though. I know that's faster than this DVD goes, but I got them at SamsClub in a 100-pack for about 40 bucks.

Everything has been working perfectly with my DVR now. Go figure huh? Now that the Amazon replacement for this is on its way here. I am going to keep THIS one for at least a week while trying out the replacement.

TVGOS is working great.. all recordings are working just fine. I actually started to feel some excitement.. that is, until I read the last few posts.. *sigh again*

On the other hand, I've dubbed a couple of Philips 8X DVD-R's, and they've worked fine. So you might think it's a media problem, not a Toshiba recorder problem. But then why haven't I had a single failure with those TDK discs on my Panasonic? (I've dubbed around 8 or 10 of them on my Panny.)

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Captain. Out if curiosity, what brands of discs does Toshiba recommend in the owners manual?

Thanks for your sympathy, Ken. I only have one Philips disc left, though. It's what's left of an expensive 5-pack ($1.40 per disc) that I bought to test against a spindle of Samsung 8X DVD-R's that were causing my Panny to reboot (and occasionally lose all the TV Guide data, including the basic settings) whenever I tried to enter a disc name or change a thumbnail or title name. I feel like I'm cursed or something. Especially when everybody else seems to be able to burn DVD's without any trouble.

Rather than use the TDK's on the Panny, I think I may just return them to the place I bought 'em if I can find the receipt. I can't allow manufacturers and retailers to sell defective media to the public without paying the price. That's The Captain's policy. :)

Thanks for the tip on the Sony discs. I'll keep an eye out for them. And Verbatim 16X's -- thanks, Ashley. Glad to hear your machine is up and running again.

I'm kinda pissed off, though, that the TDK's don't work. I mean, TDK is a major manufacturer, not some small time fly-by-night outfit. They make a big deal on their website (http://www.tdk.com/recmedia/dvd/dvd-r.html) about great their DVD-R media is. Well, it doesn't work! :mad:

Ashley,not to lay this responsibility on you,but I was one click away from ordering the XS34 when I read of your problems.The fear of it not recording something important was unacceptable,so I went back to studying the alternatives.But the more I learned about the panasonic and Pio the more desirable the toshiba became for my needs.I've been following your progress closely,and its great that the machine seems to be working.Am I correct it all came about from someone at toshiba giving you codes to use?So if I buy the XS34 and have the problems you had I can have some confidence they can be corrected with a phone call?Do you have the procedure you followed or the name of who helped you?You don't have to post either now,I'm just looking for a safety net in case the problem pops up.I had about decided to pull the trigger on this player anyways and take my chances,but your latest posts have added to my piece of mind about it.Thanks for leting us follow your progress-you've been a huge help.

Captain, TDK is listed as 1st class on this site:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

You may just have gotten a bad batch even if they do work in the Panny.

scottland7, this is the recommendation from the XS34 manual:

Recommended discs
That’s (Taiyo-Yuden) 4X, 8X
Tested discs
Panasonic 4X

Ken

Willie,

You may have a cable company that doesn't support TVGOS. I do, and this is what I did: I disabled the TVGOS so that the g-link doesn't do anything. I set my recordings in the cable box (vcr timer record) and set the start and stop times in my Tosh. They work independent of each other but get the job done: I can record any channel at any time up to 6 days. Hope this helps.

Mike

The fear of it not recording something important was unacceptable,so I went back to studying the alternatives.
I definitely don't feel this machine is reliable at this point. Thankfully the satellite school I tape sends out two block feeds, so if I miss one I can record the next.
Am I correct it all came about from someone at toshiba giving you codes to use?So if I buy the XS34 and have the problems you had I can have some confidence they can be corrected with a phone call?Do you have the procedure you followed or the name of who helped you?
Yes, she gave me a sequence of numbers to type in while I was in the TVGOS Setup screen. It worked for me (at least from what I can tell so far). If you look back through the posts, one of the guys gave out the numbers. I need to go back and make sure I copy them down.
I had about decided to pull the trigger on this player anyways and take my chances,but your latest posts have added to my piece of mind about it.Thanks for leting us follow your progress-you've been a huge help.
I would go for it. I really love this DVR. Hey, in my view, if it has a warranty we're safe. If this happens even in the next 2 years I will send this thing back a million times if I have to until they offer me a refund LOL.

Captain, TDK is listed as 1st class on this site:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

You may just have gotten a bad batch even if they do work in the Panny.

Ken

Most perplexing. They certainly look okay. Absolutely no visible imperfections at all. (Yeah, I know what you're going to say -- this stuff works on a microscopic level so what I can't see with the naked eye is irrelevant. But still, the surface is absolutely smooth and flawless. One would think that a defect that causes a total failure to record might be at least barely visible on close inspection.)

Somehow, using the hard drive seems to be involved in the error-causing process. Dubbing at high speed or regular speed results in errors -- and at unpredictable times. (In addition to the problems I've described with trying to do high-speed dubs, I also experienced failures today when trying a "real time" dub -- the first time, after 33 seconds, and the second time, after 19 minutes. Error message said "Recording failed. DVD disc might be dirty." [Of course there wasn't a speck of dirt on it.]) On the other hand, I then tried just recording to the DVD-R straight off the TV broadcast, and that worked fine (28 minutes, no failure).

As I said, very confusing.

I can't talk to Toshiba about it because I have no confidence in their customer service department (notwithstanding Ashley's good luck in that regard). "Scott" (from Toshiba Customer Service) previously told me that the Toshiba recorder will not recognize a DVD-RAM recorded on another machine. Simply not true.

I suspect that my only response from TDK, if and when I contact them, will be finger-pointing at Toshiba. :(

Captain, why don't you put all of the problems that you have had in a letter and ship the thing off to the Toshiba repair center. After all, that is what a warranty is for. There is no use in continuing to frustrate yourself with these problems. That is, unless you are addicted to frustration.

I guarantee you, they don't all work the way yours does.

Well, the funny thing is, the unit actually works pretty well, for the most part. There is a problem with recording shows using the "end late by" feature, and I will notify Toshiba of that fact. Otherwise, it works quite well. No problems with the TV Guide system, no problems recording and playing programs to or from the hard disc drive, or DVD-RAM. Editing's a breeze.

The problem with dubbing to DVD-R's.....it's perplexing, but it seems to be more of a media problem than a recorder problem. I took Ashley's advice and bought a 50-pack of Verbatim 16X DVD-R's at Best Buy about an hour and a half ago (still on sale for 20 bucks! Amazing! Thanks for the tip, Ash). I just dubbed a movie onto one of them, and it worked perfectly the first time.

What threw me off was the fact that the TDK's which failed every time in my Toshiba had worked fine in my Panasonic. So half the evidence points to a media problem and half the evidence points to a recorder problem. No wonder I'm confused and frustrated! :(

For now, I'll just stick with the Verbatim media. I'll try to return the TDK discs if I can just find my receipt......

Acording to the manual, it is stated that you have to set the bitrate to 4 or 4.2 in order to burn a DVD video of programming recorded so it can be watched on another dvd player. Is this due to the DVD video standard? I would have thought you could record at a lower bit rate so that you could put 4 hours on a single disk?

My clock setting is wrong and there is no way for me to change it. Apparently, you get ONE chance to set the clock when you first turn the unit on. I hit the wrong button while setting the clock and it gave me the message "Set Clock?", and I tried to back out, but it set it anyway. When I tried to go back in, it was grayed out. I unplugged the unit for about 4 hours and the clock was still bad. I'm guessing its a CMOS clock, so maybe there is a battery inside that needs to be pulled. Toshiba Tech support told me the only way to fix the time would be to get the TVGOS to sync. Unfortunately, I have Directv and the system is not compatable. They said to hook it up to an antenna and let it sync that way.

You've got to wonder how the hell this unit ever got past QC. I work in a company that manufactures time-based equipment and I find it reprehensible that anybody would manufacture a product that only allows you to set the clock once and permenantly. I guess Toshiba had Al-Qaeda engineer this thing.

If anybody knows a hack so I can get into the service menu and reset it, please let me know.

Acording to the manual, it is stated that you have to set the bitrate to 4 or 4.2 in order to burn a DVD video of programming recorded so it can be watched on another dvd player. Is this due to the DVD video standard? I would have thought you could record at a lower bit rate so that you could put 4 hours on a single disk?

Brian, I've recorded to DVD-R using 2.2 (LP) with no problem. I really couldn't tell a significant difference in quality. After finalizing I can watch it on a Panasonic player. What page in the manual did you find that information?

ak199, I noticed the same thing when I set the time initially. It was about a minute off and I couldn't change it. After the TV Guide updated through the antenna the time was correct and has been ever since.

Ken

It was in the DVD creation preparation notes at the bottom of page 122. I thought it was kind of strange.

Brian, I've recorded to DVD-R using 2.2 (LP) with no problem. I really couldn't tell a significant difference in quality. After finalizing I can watch it on a Panasonic player.
I second that. I've even done a recording in EP mode and fit six hours onto a DVD-R that plays just fine on my other DVD players. I see what you're talking about though..it's right here in front of me on page 122.
*Preparation
--Record contents which you want to copy to DVD-R/RW disc to make DVD-Video, to the HDD with the flollowing settings:
*"DVD compatible mode"(page 162) "Main or SAP"
*Bit rate of 4.0 or more
--Load a new DVD-R/RW disc. (Follow the instructions on handling of the disc.)
--Press HDD button to select the HDD mode.

I've read this whole manual and didn't really pay attention to that bit rate part.

My replacement DVR came today. It's still in the box on my kitchen floor awaiting hookup...I almost feel scared to open the package LOL

Awww go and plunge right in Ashley. We'll back you up.

Ken

My clock setting is wrong and there is no way for me to change it. Apparently, you get ONE chance to set the clock when you first turn the unit on. I hit the wrong button while setting the clock and it gave me the message "Set Clock?", and I tried to back out, but it set it anyway. When I tried to go back in, it was grayed out. I unplugged the unit for about 4 hours and the clock was still bad. I'm guessing its a CMOS clock, so maybe there is a battery inside that needs to be pulled. Toshiba Tech support told me the only way to fix the time would be to get the TVGOS to sync. Unfortunately, I have Directv and the system is not compatable. They said to hook it up to an antenna and let it sync that way.

You've got to wonder how the hell this unit ever got past QC. I work in a company that manufactures time-based equipment and I find it reprehensible that anybody would manufacture a product that only allows you to set the clock once and permenantly. I guess Toshiba had Al-Qaeda engineer this thing.

If anybody knows a hack so I can get into the service menu and reset it, please let me know.

I had to deal with the clock set forward in the future to the year 2069 for an entire weekend. Not to mention the clock was slow 19 minutes. It wasn't until the TV Guide update the following Tuesday when it was correct. During that time, I lost all my scheduled shows and couldn't record any without doing some math.

I'm sure this does have a CMOS clock. This XS34 is a computer and not like a VCR which is mechanical. Pull the battery out and it would reset to the factory settings. Only thing is, if you crack the case open you end up voiding your warranty.

Awww go and plunge right in Ashley. We'll back you up.

Ken

Yes, we're all in this sinking boat together! :D

New to the board...I've had the XS34 for about 3 months now and it has worked great until 2 weeks ago. Same problem as Ashley: no TV Guide listings. I can see the shows in the search function but not on the standard listing.

Ashley, I saw where you were instructed to input a code in the setup screen. I also have the code from a previous post. Where exactly do you input this number? I only see an option to input a zip code....

Thanks and hope I can give some help back someday.

I saw where you were instructed to input a code in the setup screen. I also have the code from a previous post. Where exactly do you input this number? I only see an option to input a zip code....



Input the code from the setup menu on the TVGOS service bar. Make sure to only highlight change system settings. Do not press enter for it to work, otherwise you end up inside the TV Guide setup. On the remote key in the code numbers.

TVGOS diagnostic menu: Setup menu, change system settings highlighted press 753159852.

TVGOS reset code: Setup menu, change system settings highlighted press 653214741.

Willie,

You may have a cable company that doesn't support TVGOS. I do, and this is what I did: I disabled the TVGOS so that the g-link doesn't do anything. I set my recordings in the cable box (vcr timer record) and set the start and stop times in my Tosh. They work independent of each other but get the job done: I can record any channel at any time up to 6 days. Hope this helps.

Mike


Unfortunately my digital cable box is unreliable as well. I've had entire scheduled recordings get wiped clean for no apparent reason. Technology...phooey!

Input the code from the setup menu on the TVGOS service bar. Make sure to only highlight change system settings. Do not press enter for it to work, otherwise you end up inside the TV Guide setup. On the remote key in the code numbers.

TVGOS diagnostic menu: Setup menu, change system settings highlighted press 753159852.

TVGOS reset code: Setup menu, change system settings highlighted press 653214741.
I was told to press "enter" AFTER entering in the numbers (and I don't know which string of numbers it was). Oh, well it must have been the reset code. Nothing happened for like 10 seconds and then suddenly TVGOS turned off on its own.
Then I was told to unplug the unit and wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Then she told me to let it sit in standby mode - off - (to update listings). I did check back every couple hours (out of my own impatience) and it did work.

Hey.. I hooked up the new DVR (replacement) and it seems to work without flaw so far. I say that, but then again.. after I put the day and time in and pressed enter and then got out of the setup screen by pressing "setup".. it didn't bring me back to TV.. the same blue splash screen stayed up and at the top left it said "Packet" in big letters LOL oh well.. seems to be working fine. We will see if the listings show up. It's very hard for me not to check this thing HOURLY LOL

I second that. I've even done a recording in EP mode and fit six hours onto a DVD-R that plays just fine on my other DVD players.

Ashley, how did you fit 6 hours onto a 4.7gb disk? Mine has no EP mode.

Today I dubbed 3hrs 55min of HDD recording onto a DVD-R. All this had been recorded to the HDD at a bit rate of 4.6 SP. To do this I had to do rate conversion dubbing to dub at 2.2 LP. Unfortunately it takes 3hrs and 55min to do this. The picture quality is very good at 2.2 played back on my Panny player. The long time that it takes to do this is a little frustrating. Does anyone know how to do it faster?

I suppose that if the original program had been recorded to the HDD at 2.2 then high speed dubbing would have worked to write it to the DVD-R at 2.2. Seems that high speed dubbing only works when the same bit rate is used on both ends. Not a problem, just an observation.

Ken

Ashley, how did you fit 6 hours onto a 4.7gb disk? Mine has no EP mode.

Today I dubbed 3hrs 55min of HDD recording onto a DVD-R. All this had been recorded to the HDD at a bit rate of 4.6 SP. To do this I had to do rate conversion dubbing to dub at 2.2 LP. Unfortunately it takes 3hrs and 55min to do this. The picture quality is very good at 2.2 played back on my Panny player. The long time that it takes to do this is a little frustrating. Does anyone know how to do it faster?

I suppose that if the original program had been recorded to the HDD at 2.2 then high speed dubbing would have worked to write it to the DVD-R at 2.2. Seems that high speed dubbing only works when the same bit rate is used on both ends. Not a problem, just an observation.

Ken
Hmm.. well, I record to my HDD only. I've never done a direct recording to a DVD. How can you not have EP mode? Even when you enter a manual recording into the TVGOS, it gives you an EP option (let alone when you go to "user record" on the quick menu OUTSIDE of the TVGOS) If you look in the manual on page 49 you can see each mode's recording time. When I go to tape something that's a little less than 3 hours (more than 2 hours) I record in Main (and sometimes set my own bit rate). TVGOS's manual record timer gives you the MP option also, but it's a default of 3.0 bit rate. When I tape something that's more than 4 hours, but less than 6 I record in EP (extended play).

It is good to try to record at the right bit rate that you want so that you can high speed dub to your DVD. I've done the conversion thing, but like you said, you have to wait for the whole program to go through. If you do end up doing the rate conversion thing, do it right away (before you've made chapter marks and names), because it erases all that. I would make the copy go to your HDD, and then go back to the final copy and make the chapters with names. This is all of course if you are writing to a DVD-R (which I mostly am).

Acording to the manual, it is stated that you have to set the bitrate to 4 or 4.2 in order to burn a DVD video of programming recorded so it can be watched on another dvd player. Is this due to the DVD video standard.Actually the specs are still legit DVD standard but they prob put that blurb in just in case it doesn't work on the odd machine.

I've recorded to DVD-R using 2.2 (LP) with no problem. I really couldn't tell a significant difference in quality. :eek: You gotta kidding! 4.2 is barely acceptable, LP wouldn't be worth my time.

Hmm.. well, I record to my HDD only. I've never done a direct recording to a DVD. How can you not have EP mode? Even when you enter a manual recording into the TVGOS, it gives you an EP option (let alone when you go to "user record" on the quick menu OUTSIDE of the TVGOS) If you look in the manual on page 49 you can see each mode's recording time. When I go to tape something that's a little less than 3 hours (more than 2 hours) I record in Main (and sometimes set my own bit rate). TVGOS's manual record timer gives you the MP option also, but it's a default of 3.0 bit rate. When I tape something that's more than 4 hours, but less than 6 I record in EP (extended play).

It is good to try to record at the right bit rate that you want so that you can high speed dub to your DVD. I've done the conversion thing, but like you said, you have to wait for the whole program to go through. If you do end up doing the rate conversion thing, do it right away (before you've made chapter marks and names), because it erases all that. I would make the copy go to your HDD, and then go back to the final copy and make the chapters with names. This is all of course if you are writing to a DVD-R (which I mostly am).

Ashley, obviously I was unclear. I never mentioned TVGOS. I know about that EP which is the only "EP" in the book. I was only talking about dubbing from HDD to DVD-R. Unless I'm wrong, been there done that, you still can't put more than 4 hours on a DVD-R. If you can then please educate me. So far I have never directly copied a program from the antenna input to ram/r/rw.

shawbros, I skipped around the 2.2 (3hrs 55min) DVD-video recording that I made today and found the video quality to be very good. I would like to agree with you that it looked like crap but I can't because it doesn't. Ashley, what is your take on 2.2 LP as far as video quality?

Ken

Unless I'm wrong, been there done that, you still can't put more than 4 hours on a DVD-R. If you can then please educate me. So far I have never directly copied a program from the antenna input to ram/r/rw.

shawbros, I skipped around the 2.2 (3hrs 55min) DVD-video recording that I made today and found the video quality to be very good. I would like to agree with you that it looked like crap but I can't because it doesn't. Ashley, what is your take on 2.2 LP as far as video quality?
LP quality is okay for me, but see, I'm strictly taping classes. The biggest deal to me is that I get a full week's worth on a disc - I don't really care about the quality so much. That said, in LP mode I can definitely tell the difference. Only if it were a matter of getting a long movie onto one disc would I use it.

On page 49 the manual says you can even fit 8 HOURS onto a disc (not that I'm advocating using a 1.0 bit rate (hey, 1.4 for EP is bad enough LOL) Am I not getting this right? I'm probably much more a rookie to all this than you all. But I do know that I've fit almost 6 hours onto a dvd-r. I do know that :)

On more thing. I see what you mean about EP being only seen in the TVGOS timer recording section. Outside of TVGOS though, if you press quick menu and choose "User record quality", you can set the "mp" - manual play to 1.4 (which would be EP). Further help would be on page 41-42 of the manual. (sorry, but I love manuals - I read them for fun LOL)

I've skimmed over this thread. The only problems that I've seen have been related to the TV Guide feature. I have no use for this so please answer me this question...

Is there any reason, other than TV Guide issues that I should not buy this recorder?

Thanks

I've skimmed over this thread. The only problems that I've seen have been related to the TV Guide feature. I have no use for this so please answer me this question...

Is there any reason, other than TV Guide issues that I should not buy this recorder?

Thanks

I can't think of any reason not to buy an XS34. My TV Guide has been very good so far. If you read other threads you will notice problems with TVG on almost any brand you can think of. I'm very satisfied with my XS34.

Ken

I've skimmed over this thread. The only problems that I've seen have been related to the TV Guide feature. I have no use for this so please answer me this question...

Is there any reason, other than TV Guide issues that I should not buy this recorder?

Thanks
The only other reason would be that timer recordings on random machines are not starting. It's just not super reliable at this point (some machines, at least). But I really love the xs34 also.

Ditto.

I've only experienced one failed timer recording (although even one such failure is unsettling), but I have experienced several stoppages in mid-recording when using the "end late by" feature.

Other than that, it's a pretty good machine.

By the way, while I'm at it, has anyone in this forum who owns an XS34 used TDK media in theirs? I'm still trying to figure out why supposedly top quality media that works fine in my Panasonic doesn't work in my Toshiba. :(

On page 49 the manual says you can even fit 8 HOURS onto a disc (not that I'm advocating using a 1.0 bit rate (hey, 1.4 for EP is bad enough LOL)

That's an improvement from the xs32. The xs32's minimum is 1.4. (it goes 1.4, 2.0, then up by .2 increments to 9-ish) I record LOTS of watch-and-delete shows at 1.4.

When I haven't gotten around to dumping stuff off to DVD, I've recorded a few things that I thought I might even want to keep at 2.0 with LPCM sound. It's a pretty decent picture, IMHO.

Well, the funny thing is, the unit actually works pretty well, for the most part. There is a problem with recording shows using the "end late by" feature, and I will notify Toshiba of that fact.

What is the problem? I'm just curious. The ability to pad recordings was something I was very interested before I actually bought the XS32.

What is the problem? I'm just curious. The ability to pad recordings was something I was very interested before I actually bought the XS32.
If you read just a little ways back through the thread you can see all the problems we've had. :)

That's an improvement from the xs32. The xs32's minimum is 1.4. (it goes 1.4, 2.0, then up by .2 increments to 9-ish) I record LOTS of watch-and-delete shows at 1.4.

When I haven't gotten around to dumping stuff off to DVD, I've recorded a few things that I thought I might even want to keep at 2.0 with LPCM sound. It's a pretty decent picture, IMHO.

Do you record at 1.4 because you are afraid of running out of HDD space? Is there another reason?

Ken

What is the problem? I'm just curious. The ability to pad recordings was something I was very interested before I actually bought the XS32.

In a nutshell, some owners have had failure of the timer recordings. I would be less concerned with the "padding" failure because that has to do with the TVG system. If you read all the threads, there appears to be a problem for some, regardless of manufacture. The problem that some have experienced is that they have missed recordings when the system was set up to manually record. Could this be to to the internal clock being messed up by the TVG??? maybe, maybe not....no one know why this happened. Correct me if I am wrong, but people who have the TVG working perfectly have had no problems, and people like me , who don't use it, have had no problems(I can't recieve the datat because my cable company doesn't carry the channel that provides the data).

I personally thing that the biggest problem with this unit is there is no way to conpletely disable the TVG system....it is too integral to the unit operation.

How is the XS34 for Playback?

I've spent a ton a' dough lately and my wife is resisting the DVD recorder purchase. We could use another player, though so I'm thinking of using that justification. If I had my druthers, I'd probably replace my HT player with a Panny 77, move the old one to the play room AND get a 34. But I'm already pushing it. So here's the sitch...

I have a 50" Optoma DLP in the HT. Average viewing distance is roughly 12'. My value, Toshiba SD4900 puts out a very nice picture for that distance. Do you think the XS34 is capable of keeping up with that, relatively basic standard?

Thank you.

I do use the XS-34 as my main player, and I am very happy with the picture quality, both as a recorder( the tuner is better than many other devises I have had) and as a DVD player.

I do use the XS-34 as my main player, and I am very happy with the picture quality, both as a recorder( the tuner is better than many other devises I have had) and as a DVD player.

Ditto on both counts.

Ken

Ditto on both counts.

Ken

Cool. Thanks, guys.

Anyone else?

I do use the XS-34 as my main player, and I am very happy with the picture quality, both as a recorder( the tuner is better than many other devises I have had) and as a DVD player.

Me Three!

Well, it's been two days and no listings on the new replacement. It's been two nights. I did notice that the search categories are there, but nothing when I do a search. Does it usually take this long? *sigh*.. hopefully I will be saying, "me four" by tomorrow morning LOL

Other than that, timer recordings have been right on target and I've burned two DVD's already with this new one. I even have done the rate conversion and it works perfectly. C'mon TVGOS.

Ashley, seems that I left mine off over night the first time probably about 12 hours rather than the required 24 hours. I think it populated about 2 days worth of data. After that over time I got as much as 8 days and it stays at 8 days ahead now.

Ken

Do you record at 1.4 because you are afraid of running out of HDD space?

Yeah basically. I'm even closer to always-full on my XS32 than I am on my Tivos. (I'm finally starting to get many hours of free space on my Tivos, after I'm watching stuff while there's mostly reruns and deciding NOT to check out a few new reality shows.)
I've got lots of musical performances that I need to dub off. Because they don't have real titles, I sometimes have to play them to figure out what they are -- then I batch a few up, put 'em on DVD-R and so on.

and especially because I've gotten addicted to 2x-with-sound, I'm recording more stuff directly on the 32 than on the Tivos. (for newsy kinds of shows, or sometimes slow parts of history detectives and so on)

now with my couple of batches of DVD-RWs, and 6 double-sided DVD-RAMs from Office Depot (mentioned in a thread a while ago, but mine was at $8.99, though the price sticker said $15 on the shelf), I'm getting a whole bunch of un-labelled discs with recordings on it. Almost as bad as videotapes. Almost, but not quite.

Originally Posted by mattack
What is the problem? I'm just curious. The ability to pad recordings was something I was very interested before I actually bought the XS32.
When using the "End late by" feature, it stops recording after 1.1 hours, regardless of how long you set the "end late by" period. Not always the exact same elapsed time every time, but close -- it typically stops 1 hour and 4 minutes to 1 hour and 6 minutes after the recording has started. I have no idea why. I don't know if it's a TV Guide OnScreen problem, though -- my TVGOS seems to work pretty well.

By the way, have any XS34 owners out there tried high-speed dubbing with TDK media? I kept getting failure after failure every time. I don't understand what the problem is, since TDK is supposed to be good stuff. (And it worked fine on my Panny.)

Well, it's been two days and no listings on the new replacement. It's been two nights. I did notice that the search categories are there, but nothing when I do a search. Does it usually take this long?

Could it be that your turning on the machine every couple hours to check is slowing things down? (I have the same impulse, too, but I try to resist it.) :)

Well, it's been two days and no listings on the new replacement. It's been two nights. I did notice that the search categories are there, but nothing when I do a search. Does it usually take this long? *sigh*.. hopefully I will be saying, "me four" by tomorrow morning LOL

Other than that, timer recordings have been right on target and I've burned two DVD's already with this new one. I even have done the rate conversion and it works perfectly. C'mon TVGOS.
Unfortunately, it takes at least a full 24 hours(perhaps a little more) with the machine off-with no peeking, to see if it's downloaded.
If it still doesn't download, see if you're using the zip code where your cable company is located in, and try that, if it's different from the one your house is located in...

Guilty as charged.. yes, I do peak.. but I DO leave it during the day for like 4 hours at a time. And I thought turning it off at 10'ish and then checking on it at 8'ish would do the trick.. that is 10 hours, ugh..

I don't need the DVR for taping classes tomorrow..going to leave it off alllll day and alll night and then we'll see.. thanks guys.

Could this be to to the internal clock being messed up by the TVG??? NO, 'cause the unit does come on but just doesn't record. See prev post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6051536#post6051536) earlier in this thread.

I personally thing that the biggest problem with this unit is there is no way to conpletely disable the TVG system....it is too integral to the unit operation.True but this problem is not specific to the XS34 but rather ALL machines implementing the TVG.

I just received my XS 34 from Amazon yesterday. The problem I have besides the TV Guide saying it has no data is that when I hit the input selection button it doesnt change fron input 1 to input 2 or 3. The first time I tried it yesterday it worked but not since then. Has anyone else run across this major problem.

I just received my XS 34 from Amazon yesterday. The problem I have besides the TV Guide saying it has no data is that when I hit the input selection button it doesnt change fron input 1 to input 2 or 3. The first time I tried it yesterday it worked but not since then. Has anyone else run across this major problem.

Did you leave it in standby over night?

You should be able to push the input select button and cycle from 1 to 2 to 3 to U. If it is sitting on line 1 then the channel up/dn buttons in the top right corner of the remote should change the input selection. What is your XS34 connected to? Antenna, cable, cable box? Have you set up the TV Guide? What was the last thing you did before it quit?

Did you leave it in standby over night??

Did you leave it off for at least 24 HOURS?

To repeat, the recorders with the TVG must be left off for a FULL 24 hours, will no turning on to peek to see if it's downloaded, or manual timer recordings set...
;)

Did you leave it in standby over night?

You should be able to push the input select button and cycle from 1 to 2 to 3 to U. If it is sitting on line 1 then the channel up/dn buttons in the top right corner of the remote should change the input selection. What is your XS34 connected to? Antenna, cable, cable box? Have you set up the TV Guide? What was the last thing you did before it quit?

Thanks, that worked, I was almost all set to send it back!

My TV guide still says no data, I have it hooked to a comcast Cable digital box (Motorala Brand) I followed the instructions which said I could use the recorder but should shut it off when not in use and I will at the point retrieve the data needed. I've had it on and off a few times, about 12-15 hours of shut down time so far.

How can I start from scratch again if needed. Also shouldn't that magic wand or whatever it's called be able to manually change my cable channels, I was able to do this with my old Xs32.

If need be can I do manuel timer programs if I set it to the correct channel in advance like the Xs32 did?

Thanks

PS do you guys like the XS34 more than the XS32

One more thing, where do I make the adjustment to defeat the old black bug problem that the 32 had?

chole, correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the G-link (magic wand) have to find the correct channel on your cable box in order to access the TVG during Standby time?

If you have set the TVG up correctly and the XS34 is in standby, then you need to pay someone to kidnap you and haul you away kicking and screaming for 24 hours.

The correct black level for input (in the setup menu) and output is Standard.

Ashley is your best source for starting from scratch.

Since the XS34 is my only DVDR ever, I like it better than the XS32. :) :p :D

Ken

You guys, I'm having withdrawals.. can I really do this? I want to turn on the DVR TVGOS so badly.. I literally have to leave the room and think happy thoughts elsewhere.. Can this really be done? LOL I think I need to be kidnapped.

I wasn't going to turn it on at all today, but my children turned it on this morning. So I put it in standby at like 10 o'clock. I do have a timer recording starting at 1'ish a.m. too.. so oh well, this is it. I have to download classes - no choice. So hopefully in these 15 hours something will happen. The TVGOS came in just fine on my last xs34, so hopefully this will work. Again, I really could care less about having the listings..but this will be a good determiner if the unit's timer recordings will work correctly.

^^LOL!

No peeking...no manual timer recordings. Must stay off for a full 24 hour period...:D :d

Can anyone tell me how to start all over programing the TV Guide set up information. I must of done something wrong and can't seem to start over again?

At one point it asks you what channel do I get my TV Guide info from, How would I know.

Can anyone tell me how to start all over programing the TV Guide set up information. I must of done something wrong and can't seem to start over again?

At one point it asks you what channel do I get my TV Guide info from, How would I know.
Press the Guide button, arrow over to SETUP, then down to Change system settings. There you'll see 3 options listed, pick repeat setup process or Yes but my channel lineup is incorrect, to start over.

I can do without the TV Guide. It's only for people who cannot program a VCR or in this case DVDR. What I don't like is that the unit will mandatorily shut down after 3 hours has past. I'd rather leave it on and avoid problems with my digital cable box. The cable has a mini guide which shows two channels at the bottom of the screen.

The other day I had no recording because the box didn't change channels. It was on another channel with the mini guide sitting at the bottom of the screen. The show set for the recording was highlighted within it. It stayed on screen for 5 minutes recording the wrong channel! When the unit is on "standby" the g-link IR blaster sends out signals to cycle through all of the channels (which is continuous now). Certain channels (I think those that I don't receive) will propagate the mini guide.

Oh yeah, the TVGOS has been out for a month now! :mad:

When using the "End late by" feature, it stops recording after 1.1 hours, regardless of how long you set the "end late by" period. Not always the exact same elapsed time every time, but close -- it typically stops 1 hour and 4 minutes to 1 hour and 6 minutes after the recording has started. I have no idea why. I don't know if it's a TV Guide OnScreen problem, though -- my TVGOS seems to work pretty well.

I'll have to try this on my Panasonic E-500 to see if it occurs. So far my EPG has worked perfectly, but I have not tried the "end late by" feature.

RG

I can do without the TV Guide. It's only for people who cannot program a VCR or in this case DVDR.

Not true. The TV Guide EPG provides detailed program information that is not available in newspaper TV sections or the TV Guide magazine. It is very useful and I refer to it and use it all the time.

And I know how to program VCRs and DVD recorders.

RG

I have connected my Toshiba xs34 from my Comcast 6412 via S-video and then ran the audio cables over to the XS34 as well. I then have it going from my XS34 into my tv via composite cables. My problem is with the guide as well but after reading these pages I see that I need to leave it off continuously, something I did not do you know how it is when you get a new toy, and I did not I guess causing it to not set up. So I have restarted the process today to see the outcome. My question is when I had it on I did not see any video in the guide section in the screen at the top of the page if there is supposed to be any before the guide is set up, I just wanted to make sure that connecting it via S-video was right. Also I was trying to run my VCR into to copy a VHS tape onto the hard drive to convert to DVD but the XS34 would not let me switch the input from number 1 input. I checked all of my connections and they were correct. Any ideas? Thanks for any help.

My cable company is comcast (motorala digital cable box) I was told they don't support the TV Guide function, can I do timer recordings like I did with my XS32?

chole, what did you mean by this?

"I just told told they don't support the TV Guide function,"

When using the "End late by" feature, it stops recording after 1.1 hours, regardless of how long you set the "end late by" period. Not always the exact same elapsed time every time, but close -- it typically stops 1 hour and 4 minutes to 1 hour and 6 minutes after the recording has started. I have no idea why. I don't know if it's a TV Guide OnScreen problem, though -- my TVGOS seems to work pretty well.

I just tried the "end late by" feature on my Panasonic E-500. I set the recording (30-min length) to start 00 min early and 90 min late (total recording time = 2 hrs).

The timer recording worked perfectly. The 30-min program recorded and an extra 90 min was recorded, for a total of 2 hr. Therefore the "end late by" failures that are occurring on the XS-34 are not caused by a faulty TV Guide EPG.

By the way, the maximum "end late by" time allowed by the E-500 is 99 min as there are only 2 digits allowed.

Captain, when I set the timer recording to end late by 90 min, the little gauge under the program set to be recorded had 2:30-4:30PM marked, which represented the 30 min + 90 min (end late by) = 2 hrs. When you set the XS-34 timer to record "end late by" does the added time appear on that little gauge under the program? If not, that might indicate that the setting, for some reason, was not accepted.

RG

I just tried the "end late by" feature on my Toshiba RD-XS34. I set the recording on TVG (2-hrs length) to start 00 min early and 30 min late (total recording time = 2 hrs 30 min).

The timer recording worked perfectly. The 2-hr program recorded and an extra 30 min was recorded, for a total of 2 hr 30 min. Therefore the "end late by" failures that are occurring on Captain Shirk's XS-34 are not caused by a faulty TV Guide EPG.

When I set the TV Guide to do the recording, I noticed that the little time bar was set to 2 hrs 30 min which was correct.

This was recorded over the air. Once again the TVG has never failed. :)

Ken

I just tried the "end late by" feature on my Panasonic E-500. The 30-min program recorded and an extra 90 min was recorded, for a total of 2 hr. Therefore the "end late by" failures that are occurring on the XS-34 are not caused by a faulty TV Guide EPG.It doesn't happen all the time, but you've only tried it a couple times. Although the TVG operates the same but the implementation is different on different machines, theres definitely issues with the TVG on the xs34.

When you set the XS-34 timer to record "end late by" does the added time appear on that little gauge under the program? If not, that might indicate that the setting, for some reason, was not accepted.YEs, the added time properly appears.

It doesn't happen all the time, but you've only tried it a couple times. Although the TVG operates the same but the implementation is different on different machines, theres definitely issues with the TVG on the xs34.

YEs, the added time properly appears.

Point taken.

STILL having crazy TVGOS problems.

Thanks to Wilie G., I am able to reset the system using the code. But, here is the weird part: I reset TVGOS, it shuts off, and then when I turn it back on, most of the listings are showing. Turn it off and back on, and it gives me the "system is updating listings..." message until I reset again.

Hate to do it, but should I reformat the hard drive and start over?

Hate to do it, but should I reformat the hard drive and start over?
From what I have learned, reformatting the hard drive does NOTHING for the TVGOS. I even told the Toshiba tech that I did that, and she confirmed that the TVGOS software is completely separate and is not associated with the hard drive.

On a separate note... my TVGOS listings have NEVER showed up yet guys on this replacement xs34. And, today I was recording something and at the very end it said, "Recording failed. If problem persists... "(I didn't get to read the rest before it shut off) It was something important too.. aghhhh!!!! Drives me crazy. This never had happened on the first machine. I think I am going to rehook up the initial one.. I am just very unimpressed with the bugginess of these machines - enough is enough already.

Ashley, sure sorry to hear about your latest troubles. Are you going to keep the 2nd one and send the 3rd one back or send them both back and ask for a 4th one?

I know by now that you folks think I'm lying about the excellent performance of my XS34 and how my TVG seems to work flawlessly. I have no reason to lie or stretch the truth on this matter. I've done a lot of thinking about why mine works well. I live in a large metropolitan area with excellent over the air TV broadcast. I have only an antenna for RF input. All stations are crystal clear.

After installing the XS34, I turned it on, set the clock, and told the TV Guide that I had an antenna and what ZIP code I lived in. I then turned it off and left it for 12 - 14 hours (yes, I know 24 is required). When I turned it on the TV Guide had updated and I've been using it this way ever since. Several times the power has gone off and when it came back on the 34 said "wait". I did and the time came up properly.

It seems that a lot of people who have cable, cable boxes or satellite systems have the most problem. I guess Toshiba or TVGOS didn't research this enough.

Anyway, I just got through recording the second episode of Origins on PBS and have 9 more programs scheduled from TVG through next Tuesday.

Does the 34 record widescreen movies, I got some weird results, it seemed like the top and bottom black frames doubled in size, the movie itself had very little height?

It also added borders to a 4.3 movie?, Am I doing something wrong?

I used the Sima SCC Color Corrector which is going back to Amazon, The picture quality was bad as far as I'm concerd, faces looked pasty and the hair didn't look real.

These recordings were done directly to dvd disc, not the hard drive.

It's in your manual on page 39:

Aspect ratio
“4:3” and “16:9” cannot be mixed in one title.
Therefore, set the aspect ratio before recording.
4:3: Set the aspect ratio to 4:3
16:9: Set the aspect ratio to 16:9

Wide screen is 16:9.

I've had no reason to try it since I don't have a wide screen TV.

Ashley, sure sorry to hear about your latest troubles. Are you going to keep the 2nd one and send the 3rd one back or send them both back and ask for a 4th one?
Well, the second xs34 worked just fine after the reset of the TVGOS that the Toshiba tech had me do, so I think I will stick with it and send back this 3rd one. Like I said, still drives me crazy to keep even that one, knowing how buggy these units are. Even the problem you had with not being able to record at midnight so that the listings will update.. that just seems so limiting.

Maybe I should try resetting this 3rd one? Aghhh!

*update* Okay, went and reset the 3rd one..big LOL .. the listing SLOTS are there now (showing the network icons and "No Listing"), so I'll betcha all is fine now..it will probably start updating shortly. How frustrating..

I just tried the "end late by" feature on my Panasonic E-500. I set the recording (30-min length) to start 00 min early and 90 min late (total recording time = 2 hrs).

The timer recording worked perfectly.... Therefore the "end late by" failures that are occurring on the XS-34 are not caused by a faulty TV Guide EPG.

RG

Actually, I never said they were. Somebody else had previously said that (it might've been shawbros), and I simply said "I don't know if it's a TV Guide OnScreen problem, though -- my TVGOS seems to work pretty well." I was actually expressing some doubt as to whether it was a TVGOS-related problem.

....When you set the XS-34 timer to record "end late by" does the added time appear on that little gauge under the program?

Yup, it appears as it should, taking into account the modified timer setting. So it seems to know what to do, it just doesn't DO it. :rolleyes: I haven't tried it lately (a week and a half)....maybe I'll try it again tonight. I'm hoping that maybe it's an intermittent problem that will go away by itself. Otherwise it's a great machine. (Had repeated frustrating failures trying to dub to TDK discs, but otherwise no major problems.)

[QUOTE=rcflyer]I know by now that you folks think I'm lying about the excellent performance of my XS34 and how my TVG seems to work flawlessly. I have no reason to lie or stretch the truth on this matter. I've done a lot of thinking about why mine works well. I live in a large metropolitan area with excellent over the air TV broadcast. I have only an antenna for RF input. All stations are crystal clear.

The main reason I am reading all these comments and concerns is that the XS34 is the only machine in this price range that has certain features I am looking for.

Actually I prefer the ability to use DV+Rs, but have not found a DVR+ recorder that has a hard disk, offers pass through coaxial connections, and also has the TV Guide onscreen - in this general price range.

If there are any models out there that you folks no about, I would appreciate hearing about them. If not, I am seriously thinking about trying out the Toshiba from a store that will let me return it if not satisfied.

Thanks for the info written here.