I currently have a Samsung 145 DVD recorder that upcoverts to 1080i. Just upgraded to a 1080p set, so looking for a new DVD player that can record (no HDD necessary) and up to 1080p. The Toshiba D-R400 is the only model I could find so far that suits the requirements. Anyone have firsthand experience with this model? Or know of any other players that other the same features?

I was looking for some information on this one too. Might be able to get it in exchange of airline miles I dont need.

I have been using this model for the last 5 months and I should say that this is one of the best. If you search for my posts, I did write about the pros and cons ever since I have been using. Although, I dont have a HD Tv so i havent tried the upscale option but I have heard that works fine too...if you r in North America and have access to a Costco near you, you can get the twin model of D-R400 which is a KR-10 for 120 with HD cables included...go for it...

looks like Toshiba DR400 is the winner
From reading the issues the others have been facing, i think by far the best model that can record any signal except HD( I dont have a HD receiver)..

Well yes it doesnt have a digital tuner, probably thats wat makes it work with premium channels. here are couple of things which you shud remember when buying this recorder:

1. works well with the output coming in from DVRs / Satellite receivers, but u will be unable to change channels while it is recording

2. most movies are 2hrs ++, u may lose the quality of the picture on a LP (4hr) recording. XP is 1 hr, SP is 2hrs 3 minutes exactly. so u will have to burn on 3 discs for superior quality or 2 for SP quality (if anyone has a workaround for fitting the content exactly into the disc, do share them)

3. there is no commercial skip option, instead you can delete chapters that too only on RW discs.

4. Do not expect a fancy title menu, it is a plain text with edit option.

5. No component input, but works with standard yellow, red, white a/v inputs and S-Video inputs. Has 2 line ins which is good. Has a DV input which comes handy with camcorders

This unit can also upscale (though i havent used it as i dont have a hd unit).. and has a HDMI out for video...

Overall a good unit, too bad i paid $156 cple of months before for a unit which is sold at $99 in most places now. If someone has costco membership, you can pick up the twin version Toshiba KR10 for $120 or so which includes HDMI cables...

I would say go for this unit, you always can return within the first few days if it doesnt work with ur cable provider.

5. No component input, but works with standard yellow, red, white a/v inputs and S-Video inputs. Has 2 line ins which is good. Has a DV input which comes handy with camcorders
.

No component inputs? I plan on mostly recording from my DVR into this unit, but if it only support S-Video I am thinking that the quality will not be that good. Are people pleased with the recording quality of this unit when using only a S-Video cable for input??? Thanks very much

Jeff

S-Video In for DVD recorders seems to be the norm, and all that is necessary for 480i. The few that have component are very expensive. In any case, the recording quality is excellent. HD source material from my DVR looks as good as a commercial DVD, to my eyes anyway.

Hi.

I love this unit because:

1. its quiet and cool
2. it plays RAM
3. the best (for me anyways)-- it has chasing playback, AND you
can record/play at same time on a -RW disc
4. never got a "copy protected" message (Like I did with the LG 787)


Id prefer the 550 which has the digital tuner though but had to find them!
enjoy!

Boo

Thanks for the reply. I find it odd that I have found the D-550 at the same price as the D-R400. For instance, Buy.com sells them for the same price http://www.buy.com/prod/toshiba-d-r550-dvd-recorder-with-built-in-tuner/q/loc/111/204113508.html

Weird, huh? Thanks again...

Jeff

I live in CANADA and i got the Toshiba DVD-Recorder D-R6 (same spec as D-550) . I can say that it easy to use , and the scaler in very good (SD to 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p) . This scaler is a little better than the one in my TV LCD 46LX177.

The downside of this D-R6 is that it is a little long to load the disc, a little noisy and no DV input for digital camcorder.

2. most movies are 2hrs ++, u may lose the quality of the picture on a LP (4hr) recording. XP is 1 hr, SP is 2hrs 3 minutes exactly. so u will have to burn on 3 discs for superior quality or 2 for SP quality (if anyone has a workaround for fitting the content exactly into the disc, do share them)



I'm ready to pull the trigger on the Costco version. I hope there's a work around but from what I've read there needs to be a content calculation built in for this. I hope I'm wrong.

No workaround besides pause during recording for some on the fly editing. Even then,you can't pause during a timer recording. Panasonics have a "flexible" mode to sqeeze any length of time onto one disk at the highest possible quality. Toshiba doesn't have such a thing. Small sacrifice though for such a low price.

I have this DVD recorder and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what HDMI setting I should be using. I have it hooked up to my th42pz77u plasma via HDMI cable. In the settings menu under HDMI -> Format, I can choose either RGB or YCbCr. How do I know which setting to use? They both work, but there is definitely a difference in the picture color between the two settings.:confused:

YCbCr is digital Component video, and RGB is analog Component. Commercial movies/DVDs are produced with YCbCr video, so they should look best with that setting, assuming your TV is YCbCr-compliant... specs may show that or, if your TV is like my LCD, it shows what format it's receiving in the on-screen display when switching to HDMI input.

On my Philips 3575, my HDMI format auto-converts from YCbCr setting to RGB if the attached display is NOT YCbCr-compliant. I suspect your DVDR does the same?

Thanks for the quick response;).
It sounds like I should set it to YCbCr since the TV supports it? Also, I tried really hard to tell a difference in the quality of the picture when switching the DVD output mode from 420p > 720p > 1080i > 1080p and I settled on 1080i, but the difference between all of them was barely noticeable. I would guess then that the upscaling and deinterlacing process is about equal for the DVD recorder and the TV... or my eyes are just really bad:o

No, I run my Philips 3575 at 480p since my 1080p LCD seems to do a better job at upscaling than the 3575.

A "p" setting is always best for LCDs/plasmas since that eliminates a deinterlacing step that takes just enough time to show rough edges on fast-moving objects with sharp edges, like in the Star Wars movies.

YCbCr is digital Component video, and RGB is analog Component. Commercial movies/DVDs are produced with YCbCr video, so they should look best with that setting, assuming your TV is YCbCr-compliant... specs may show that or, if your TV is like my LCD, it shows what format it's receiving in the on-screen display when switching to HDMI input.Would you happen to have a reference for this that goes into a bit more detail. I have always wondered about the functional difference between RGB and YCbCr -- was there something more than just different representations of the color space. I admit I am a little confused by your reference to YCbCr as digital component video. Component, S-video, composite and the RGB of VGA are all analog transmission signals. HDMI and it's little sister DVI are the fully digital transmission protocols. So, your reference to YCbCr as digital component could mean I'm missing something more here.

Would you happen to have a reference for this that goes into a bit more detail. I have always wondered about the functional difference between RGB and YCbCr -- was there something more than just different representations of the color space. I admit I am a little confused by your reference to YCbCr as digital component video. Component, S-video, composite and the RGB of VGA are all analog transmission signals. HDMI and it's little sister DVI are the fully digital transmission protocols. So, your reference to YCbCr as digital component could mean I'm missing something more here.
Here's a simple and direct explanation: Answers.com on YCbCr. (http://www.answers.com/topic/ycbcr?cat=technology)

Here's another simple explanation: alphabetical listing from Vizio manual. (http://www.vizio.com/support/glossary/)

Here's a multi-page technical treatise: Fundamentals of Embedded Video, Part 2. (http://www.dspdesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202103097) It says this: "YPbPr is used in component analog video, YUV applies to composite NTSC and PAL systems, and YCbCr relates to component digital video."

Here's a Wiki entry on YCbCr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YCbCr), which says this about its "digital" nature:

"Y'CbCr signals (prior to scaling and offsets to place the signals into digital form) are called YPbPr, and are created from the corresponding gamma-adjusted RGB (red, green and blue) source using two defined constants Kb and Kr as follows:"

Thank you, very illuminating.

Here's a simple and direct explanation: Answers.com on YCbCr. (http://www.answers.com/topic/ycbcr?cat=technology)

Here's another simple explanation: alphabetical listing from Vizio manual. (http://www.vizio.com/support/glossary/)

Here's a multi-page technical treatise: Fundamentals of Embedded Video, Part 2. (http://www.dspdesignline.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202103097) It says this: "YPbPr is used in component analog video, YUV applies to composite NTSC and PAL systems, and YCbCr relates to component digital video."

Here's a Wiki entry on YCbCr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YCbCr), which says this about its "digital" nature:

"Y'CbCr signals (prior to scaling and offsets to place the signals into digital form) are called YPbPr, and are created from the corresponding gamma-adjusted RGB (red, green and blue) source using two defined constants Kb and Kr as follows:"
Now I think I finally understand it enough to know what setting I should be using, thanks! I was getting confused because it was referred to as component video and I was trying to associate that with the component video cable connections, but they use the YPbPr signals.

I have this Toshiba and i really like it. I have my DirecTV plugged into it via S-Video, and then i connect the Toshiba to my Onkyo via HDMI and the Onkyo is connected to my Hitachi via HDMI. I got a great deal on it because i had some points on my card and I paid about $31.00.

I am suprised how well it plays on my Hitachi...I'm 1080i and movies have been brilliant. I use it to record kids shows and use the 2hr XP which my kid then plays on her Elemental DVD player. It does a great job of recording, 480i and in stereo i believe. I also use it to transfer my tapes from my camcorder via firewire and I can store my tapes and play the DVD on any player. It also does a really nice job on playing my CD's. Much clearer than my older Panasonic 5 disk changer F-85. Although i'm keeping my Panny because it does play DVD-Audio well.

This Toshiba has made me rethink my purchase of the Oppo I was planning on. At least now i'm thinking of buying the 981H mainly for the SACD and DVD-Audio playback...even though i'm sure it upconverts better. But for now i think i can wait on it...

The only PITA about it is that the way I have it set up, i have to turn darn near everything on just to watch some TV...small price to pay. Still have a lot to learn about it i'm sure.
john

I have a question - I already have a DirecTV DVR box - can I use this to copy stuff OFF the box onto a DVD?

That's the main reason I have one. Works great.

Hi,

Can I jsut plug my cable from the wall into this recorder and then the recorder into my TV and then record TV shows or do I need one with a TV tuner built in?

Thanks,
jeff

Thanks for bringing this up, as I was about to look for the combo DVD/VHS recorder counterpart to this, which I believe was the D-R600 (well, now they have the D-R610, which was supposed to replace that). I'm wondering what the quality difference was between the D-R4 series with DVD alone vs. the D-R6 VHS/DVD recorder combo?

Hi,

Can I jsut plug my cable from the wall into this recorder and then the recorder into my TV and then record TV shows or do I need one with a TV tuner built in?

Thanks,
jeff

I don't connect the cable directly to the recorder, like one normally would with a recorder that has a tuner. This one connects via either S-video cable or component cables, not coax. It's also got an HDMI out that I connect directly to my TV.

I've connected mine with component cables for the moment, but I'm thinking of also trying to use an S-video cable to see which looks better when recording. So far, though, it seems the way I've got it hooked up, it looks OK. BTW I bought it to record things off of TV or off of my DVR, and so far it's done both VERY well. I'm happy with it.

The only thing is, it will only record what TV channel you're watching at the time. I think however you do need a cable box of some kind to use this, though, since it has no tuner of its own.

DGK

Hi,

Can I jsut plug my cable from the wall into this recorder and then the recorder into my TV and then record TV shows or do I need one with a TV tuner built in?

Thanks,
jeffThe D-R400 doesn't have a tuner so you can't plug it into the wall. You need a recorder with a tuner for that.

4 everyone getting and using a dvd recorder; if u can swing it get a separate machine for playback only. this will allow the recorder to last a LOT LONGER. having the recorder record AND playback will wear it out sooner.


even just a temporary cheapo player until u can get a better class of player, if $ is an issue.

True, the only way to get a tuner to work for these types of recorders is to have a DP-5000 and a cable set-top box. Those would be the way to go for the moment... Preferably a digital cable box. Just so long as you record non-HD channels, since HD channels will look real funny, and won't record the same.

Thanks to the thread participants. I can't go wrong for $99, but my local store says the DR400 is discontinued by Toshiba. Is there any point in waiting for the DR410? And is it a direct replacement?

Yes, Amazon seems to be carrying the D-R410, but I believe that TigerDirect was carrying the D-R400, tho. However, I'm wondering how much better the D-R410 is over the predecessor?

Well, I don't think I'm allowed to post any specials or deals here, but I do believe that if you go to J&R, you'll be in for a big surprise with the price tag. Just pulled the trigger this morning when I found the price at an all time low on any upscaling DVD recorder I've ever seen. Just felt good to grab it at the price I found it, with the types of reviews it's been getting.

Hmmmm. Great price, but it's a shame it doesn't also record to DVD-RAM along with playing it.

Yeah, wouldn't surprise me that it would sell out by Easter with a price tag like that.

That IS a good deal, even better than the one I got for mine just before Christmas. Ah well. ;)

That's the only thing I wish the D-R400 did that it does not do, is record to DVD-RAM. Otherwise though I like it so far. Anyone who's looking for a good recorder and doesn't mind getting one w/o a tuner will be happy with it, IMO.

DGK

Looks like I should be getting this recorder on Tuesday, according to the scheduled delivery date, so I'll definitely wait around that time, or Wednesday before telling you my verdict about what I think about it. Seems like it should be a very dependable recorder according to a lot of reviews I've been reading.

I'm guessing that this recorder is almost on par with Panasonic as far as being one of the better recording units around? At least it's probably gonna be far better than my Samsung, that much I can tell ya. That DVD-R135 is a bigtime pain in the butt. Glad to get rid of it sooner than later. At least a good thing is that the R135 had two AV inputs, so besides a cable box, I could've added a VCR as a second source, but oh well. I'm not too sure if the DR400 will have a second AV source, tho.

Hi everybody
I ordered the DR 400 of J &R at amazon for 79.9$about 2days ago.I live in Sri Lanka.So I get my stuff from us from po box in us. In my country TV is analog (PAL)and cable is digital. The price is good as i have to pay 86% custom duty and courier charge when I clear customs plus I have to use a convertor as voltage is 220v.still the price is better as you cannot buy DVD recorders freely.
digtal signals are they also graded as pal and NTSc or does it matter?
Also what does the digital tuner in some models do ? is it like VCR where you can tune TV channels and then watch one channel while taping a another?
also what is the power consumption of the DR 400, as the step down unit I have is 50watts.
Thanks in advance
hiran

Yep, got my Toshy just about an hour and a half ago, and seems to me that this is far superior to the Sammy DVD-R135 that I replaced it with. It's not that picky of a recorder at all, doesn't stop me from recording anything off my digital cable box. If it can record HBO without needing a DP-5000, then it's gotta be great. It also upscales better than the Samsung, so I'm glad I picked this DVD recorder up. J&R and Amazon for that $80 was well worth it. Don't think I'll be going back to any other DVD recorder now. I even gave my DP-5000 stabilizer and Samsung DVD recorder to other family members now. Now I'm gonna try using the second input for a VCR and convert all my old tapes to DVD. Put all those VHS tapes in a landfill somewhere.

Yep, got my Toshy just about an hour and a half ago, and seems to me that this is far superior to the Sammy DVD-R135 that I replaced it with. It's not that picky of a recorder at all, doesn't stop me from recording anything off my digital cable box. If it can record HBO without needing a DP-5000, then it's gotta be great. It also upscales better than the Samsung, so I'm glad I picked this DVD recorder up. J&R and Amazon for that $80 was well worth it. Don't think I'll be going back to any other DVD recorder now. I even gave my DP-5000 stabilizer and Samsung DVD recorder to other family members now. Now I'm gonna try using the second input for a VCR and convert all my old tapes to DVD. Put all those VHS tapes in a landfill somewhere.

Glad you like it! I've been VERY pleased with mine as well. It's easy to use, and it records off of TV and DVR nicely, which is what I really wanted it for.

DGK

Yeah, just glad I don't need that video stabilizer anymore... Copy protection means ziltch to Toshiba, obviously. Just need to hook up an old VCR of mine and try converting some old VHS to DVD, and put those VHS tapes in the trash once and for all.

The stabilizer would've been good to keep around if you ever wanted to copy a pre-recorded DVD or VHS tape.

Plus, just because you don't have any copy protection issues now doesn't mean you won't have any in the future, with this or any other provider.

Also, make sure you use the best possible blank DVD's to record those tapes, especially if you're getting rid of the tapes, because the DVD's can degrade over time and not be playable. And I'd keep the most important stuff on tape around still, just in case.