Toshiba RD-XS32 Help Thread, Current Owners Only - Page 12

Interesting! I hadn't even heard about this. Only time will tell ... bring on the upgrades!!

That only appears to affect older, play-only units.

I think Toshiba's indifference towards customers (which includes the whole black level bug blow-off) is more at fault than anything... As much as I like the idea of a "fixed" XS34, I would probably find myself going Panasonic next time around...

(I have to say, not releasing prepared, well-functioning, firmware is just laziness or indifference. It appears to really help the XS32s that have it, and not making it easily and widely available for US consumers is a pretty stupid move.)

Those of you that have upgraded the firmware, what have been the results ?

Other than being able to recognize disks that before you could not use, have you noted any other "improvements" ?

Would it be safe to say that you would choose the Panasonic E95 over the Toshiba RD-XS32 if you could do it over again? If so, is it solely due to the issues fixed by the "canadian firmware" and the black level bug or are there other reasons why you dislike the XS32?

I love the XS32. I hate the company that made it and some of the bonehead things they've done in the last 6 months or so.

I'm not familiar enough with the E95 to make that call. I will say I have an E80 and hate the way it works compared to the XS32. I do probably 90% of my recording on the XS32, saving the E80 for timeshifting, and/or projects that I may send to people who I am concerned about the black level bug hitting me. But for most of my personal stuff I use the XS32 as I feel it provides much better overall quality (both of the video and of the finished product).

I got a call last night from Panasonic wanting me to extend my E80's warranty 2 more years (since I got it a year ago Saturday) for $150. I had to laugh; if the E80 went out I'd definitely be looking for a brand new one (model, not E80!). At this time I'm really interested in the Panasonic EH50 (or whatever the new model is) but I would definitely want to be sure the whole editing/playlist situation is better than the E80.

(I should add I think the E85 is much closer to the XS32 in editing than the E80; so I assume the E95 is as well.) I'm talking things like making playlists based on original shows to dub, so you don't have to use 'shorten segment' to edit commercials (but still do a high-speed, non-reencoding dub!), the 10 second 'instant replay' button, the configurable fast-skip button, getting a time bar up on the screen so you can see where you are, etc. This all makes editing on the XS32 painless, compared to the E80.

I know computers can do much better editing in general but for the way I use DVD recorders (usually making quick archives of TV shows and occasionally special occasion type stuff) I've never found a smoother workflow for me than just using the XS32 for everything. (I can't find a program that just always works-- I'd go nuts testing everything I do for audio sync, or proper encoding, etc.. stuff I seem to have a lot of trouble with. I probably just haven't spent enough time mastering it but at this point I feel like what's the point? the XS32 does everything I want.)

I would never buy a DVD recorder that doesn't write to DVD-RW. Period. For me, the only way to guarantee burn quality is to rip the finished disc and re-burn using my PC's DVD burner. NONE of the standalones update firmware nearly enough and it gets hard to find good media. The XS32 DESPERATELY needs a firmware update as (IMHO) its burner is horrible. (I've done the scans on my Plextor, it's ugly, folks). But since I can burn to DVD-RW, it's fairly irrelevant as long as the burn is readable one time...

So, it's a tough call. I'm not in the situation, thankfully, or else I'd go crazy trying to figure out what to do. Panasonic makes nice all around units but without some of the flash of the other models. I really think the XS32 produces a better product than the E80 does. Now, how the E95 compares, I don't know. So, no, the Canadian firmware doesn't help in the decision.

Hopefully this way-too-long-diatribe helped!

Just wondering, does the fan on the XS32 stay on ALL the time?? I just received the XS34 yesterday and the fan has been on ever since I plugged in the power cord, regardless of whether the power is switched on or not. Is that normal???

shawbros,

No, the fan on my XS-32 does NOT stay on if the power is switched off.

The XS32's fan turns off when the unit is off...at least I've never noticed it blowing when off... mine is really quiet but some people have louder ones.

Anyone with an XS32 looking to upgrade to a newer generation or diff manufacturer? Lemme know..I can't find any new models locally and refurb kinda scare me esp. from these off-off brand vendors (erfurb depot, pcmall, etc)

I will probably just bite the bullet and go with the XS34..but maybe someon ehas a new boxed xs32 sitting around..right??

Wow, thanks JMSCOTT!

You made the decision more difficult. ;-)

I knew the XS32 had a pro with the ability to write in -R, -RW and -RAM but you make it sound like an even bigger advantage.

I am concerned about the black level bug but I'm not sure how big of a deal it really is. I am also concerned about getting a refurb although it is waranteed.

On the other hand, the Panasonic has a bad rep for not being reliable. Someone said that it may be a non-issue as many more Panasonics are sold but I'm not so sure. Every web site that has reviews has many more reviews for the XS32 compared to the E95.

And then you have about a $40 higher price for the Panasonic.

It is a tough decision.

One question though, I thought the XS32 could do timeshifting just like the Panasonic. Don't they all call it timeslip? Is what you are referring to the ability to pause a live show while it is recording and come back to watch from where you left off while the recorder continues recording in real time?

Thanks for your feedback, guys! I'm kinda concerned, at this rate the fan's gonna be howling in no time! Any XS34 owners out there have the fan running constantly???

Well, the RW advantage is that you're burning a basically "complete" disc. RAM is great for some things, but if you're not editing it on the computer it's a bit useless as a "pre-master". With the XS32 I can just burn a -RW as I would a -R, and can just rip/re-burn it in about 20 minutes (with 8x media) and I'm done.

I bring it up as without firmware upgrades, media that these various set top units like gets harder and harder to find. I have a stash that will hopefully last through my E80's useful life but I definitely notice the newer the media, the worse the old burner in that unit works. (using quality scanning, again)

I do think Panasonic's overwhelming popularity (like them or not I am sure they sell MANY, MANY more units than anyone else.) plays a lot into it. I've had really good luck with most Panasonic electronics I've ever bought. Of course, it IS luck.

Black level can be an issue. It really, REALLY depends, which is awful. Depends on what you're recording (I notice it most from DirecTivo recordings and much much less on VHS recordings, and I don't think it exists by definition from DV/firewire recordings), the type of playback DVD player, how the TV is calibrated, etc. What is frustrating as you could almost as likely find a TV miscalibrated so that "standard" (proper IRE levels) DVDs are too dark. There are too many variables to be able to predict how it would affect you.

And yes, the XS32 does timeshifting (timeslip). Just the way I have the system hooked up the E80 is the unit I usually use to do that...

How long have you left the XS34 turned off? I wonder if they've designed it to keep blowing for 5-10 minutes after power off, just to be sure it's truly cooled down? (Which would be a great design. But probably not the case).

I'd call Toshiba and see what they say...

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing like on those Enermax power supplies. But no, I turned it off last nite and it was still blowing in the morning!!!

Well, I'm in Canada and mail ordered it from ecost so Toshiba probably won't entertain me unless I ship it back to the US. I thought I was getting a real deal but just noticed the local Best Buy just got it in stock for only $100CAD more (that's like $80USD). I'll drop in tomorrow to check out one of the display models but I'm thinking it will probably be off like the XS32. Damn...

JMSCOTT,

Thanks a bunch my man. You are a wealth of information!

So, when push comes to shove, do you still lean toward the E95 or XS32?

It sounds like it comes down to the following:

RXS32 = BLB bug, -RW capability, 80GB HDD, good quality, refurb
E95 = no -RW, good recording from analog tapes but potential overall "PQ" issues, 160GB HDD, possible quality issues, brand new

Does anyone have any experience with Digital1234.com?

Here's their page from Resleer Ratings.com:

http://resellerratings.com/seller8288.html

as always Caveat Emptor!

Crappy website and customer service but they seem honest which is most important. Not sure why they got a non-existant returns rating as one guy had a good experience with the XM radio reciever he returned.

Just a followup to my own post and for jmscott42 or anyone else who might be interested...
I went to Best Buy to check out the display model and was shocked to find that the fan continues to blow even after switching the power off! So this happens on both US and Canadian models and is either intentional or a design flaw!

Hey all,
Just wanted to drop a line to let you all know that just over a year into having my XS32 it died. I didnt use it much either, maybe the first couple of months I got it I recorded some things and then it sat for about 8 months before I started recording some cartoons for my daughter. Had it running for about 3 days when I came home from work to find it was dead. No power, tried different outlets, played with the power cable, no luck. I called Toshiba and they told me to hit the road. Unfortunately, I paid about $550 for it a year ago and I can only imagine what parts and labor is going to cost should I opt to go that route. I was always a big fan of Toshiba but this is the second dvd product of theirs that has malfunctioned on me. That fact, coupled with the "customer support" I received will ensure I never buy another Toshiba product. I hope I can save what I did have on the hard drive but who knows, I would not know where to begin. I can see me sending it away for service only to have it come back with the hard drive reformatted and my wallet a few hundred dollars lighter.
I was very happy with it when it worked, it was difficult to figure out but I taught myself enough to do what I had to do and it worked great, too bad the workmanship was so shoddy.

Burgh

Hi there,
just a note that I received the new Toshiba 1416 software update. Toshiba couldn't tell me what improvements it makes but I went ahead and updated all 3 of our units immediately. I've also been asked by Toshiba to no longer provide/upload the ISO image of the update. Canadian customers are asked to contact Toshiba directly at 1-800-268-3404 to request the update. US customers may be outta luck...

The upgrade arrived via CDRom. I don't have any 4X DVDRWs to test unfortunately.



nick

Did they send you a disc containing it or what?

Can you try a 4X DVD-RW to see if it now works?

Hey guys, I was reading the manual for the XS34 last night and was wondering about whether or not the unit would pass the composite or S-Video signals through. Let's say I send the audio and S-video signals from my SAT reciever into one of the inputs on the recorder. Will I get the same signal from the audio and S-video output from the recorder? If so, will it pass the signal if the recorder is off or only when it is on and/or recording? I it passes the signals because I don't want to split the output from my SAT reciever.

If it's like the XS32, you can hook up your sat to one of the inputs and then just watch it through, yes. You don't need to be recording, you just need to set the TV to Line1 (wherever the XS34 is hooked up), and the XS34 to Line1 (or wherever the sat box is plugged in).

The XS32 does need to be turned on, I would assume the XS34 would as well.

Excellent, thanks guys. I may try to hook the bad boy up tonoght but I have to say that the owners manual takes some time to get through.

Well, I gave it a try this morning and the composite video signal fed through when the unit was powered on but went away when I powered it down. I set the input on the XS34 to the input my SAT receiver signals were plugged into. Any ideas?

I don't know of anything that passes through s-video or composite without power. My old VCR was the same. Seems to me RF is the only signal that passes through with no processing; for any of the others, including RCA audio, you need power to the box.

I think the time has come for A/V signal pass-through. If you find yourself sending your only output into your DVD recorder, you really need to have that signal passed though. I guess I will have to either split the signal or use a switch.

Does someone have a link to which thread has the info where someone opened (I thought) an XS32?

I wanted to look up info on the DVD-recorder inside to see if there were firmware updates for it to deal with higher speed DVD-RWs.

This thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2&page=9&pp=20
says that the RD-XS34's manual says "Discs labeled DVD-RW Ver. 1.1 or 1.2 can be used.
Discs compatible with 2X speed recording (labeled Ver. 1.1/2X etc.) can also be used."

The RD-XS32 manual says:
Discs labeled DVD-RW Ver.1.1 can be used.
Discs compatible with 2X speed recording (labeled
Ver.1.1/2X etc,) can also be used.

though page 6 says "ver 1.1 or later".

So now I'm confused whether the "write protected" problem I had with 4X DVD-RW was really the fact that they're 4X or not. If so, it'd be useful to find that other thread so we can see if there is a firmware update from the recorder manufacturer. (It was a non-Toshiba DVD recorder inside, right?)