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Toshiba DR5 or Samsung R135

post #1 of 18
12/30/06 at 1:31pm
Thread Starter 
Trying to decide between buying a Toshiba DR5 or Samsung DVD-R135. only big diff seems to be samsung has DV input (i don't care) and can upconvert at 1080p whereas toshiba is only 1080i. but again not a big deal since i'll probably buy whoever wins the HD dvd battle in a year or 2. so!

Toshiba DR5 OR Samsung DVD-R135.. ?
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post #2 of 18
1/2/07 at 7:16am
I had lots of problems with the Toshiba DR-5. See thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=766808

I took it back and got the Panasonic ES25S and couldn't be happier.
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post #3 of 18
1/2/07 at 9:52pm
I just bought a Samsung DVD-R135. It up-converts to 1080i-not 1080p.
I am happy with the unit so far. I originally purchased a Panasonic ES25S and it wouldn't respond to the remote out of the box. The remote itself was fine as it controlled my TV, but the Panasonic wouldn't respond. After a long time with a customer service rep who wasn't very helpful, I returned the unit and bought the Samsung. It seems to do a pretty good job of up-conversion (although my first impression is that my Bravo D-1 player outputs a slightly better picture.

I've only done 1 recording on a DVD-R and it was easy to record with good video quality and the disc played on 3 other DVD players without problem.
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post #4 of 18
1/3/07 at 8:59pm
After more critical viewing of the Samsung, I notice that the picture from commercial DVDs is a bit grainy and very dark on my 46" Sony rear projection HDTV. Since the Samsung doesn't have its own picture adjustments (except black level, which doesn't make much difference), I have to brighten the Sony, making all of the other sources look washed out. I like the Samsung as a recorder, but not impressed as an upconverting player.
Anyone have any suggestions for a recorder that also does a great job of upconverting commercial DVDs?
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post #5 of 18
1/9/07 at 2:09pm
I've been very impressed with my Samsung R135. Moving all my old 8mm tape movies to DVD was a snap and the playback of DVD movies is very good.

I've had it connected via HDMI to my HP PL4260N plasma. I've also used it with the component cables.

I've had two minor issues:

1) On playback it will lock up sometimes on fast forward through recorded DVD content and has to be power cycled to clear.

2) When using component cables, the picture from certain DVDs will start to waver or flicker but this only happens with the opening credits of The Sopranos Season 6. Very, very strange because it doesn't always happen and it is correctable by switching to HDMI and/or restarting the DVD. No other DVD content has ever caused that behaviour. It actually seems to be triggered by the HBO splash screen with all the static right at the beginning.

Other than those two nits, the player is fantastic. Works great with my Harmony 880 remote too.
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post #6 of 18
1/22/07 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackstar79 View Post

Toshiba DR5 OR Samsung DVD-R135.. ?

I bought the R135 last week to record shows offloaded from my HD Tivo ["24" and "Rome" just fill up the unit real fast...]. The R-135 only accepts a 480i signal, but the quality of the signal over the S-Video connection is good. Easily recorded 16x9 material the first time, with very easy (almost one button) recording. Quality of the playback was very good on my Panasonic 50" plasma, and no difficulty at all with fullscreen 16x9 playback. Not quite an HD solution, of course, and I wish the unit had component video inputs, but I'm very happy with it.

It uses Divx MPEG 4, so the discs are not playable except on another MPEG4 capable player, but those are very plentiful now.
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post #7 of 18
2/3/07 at 6:13pm
I bought the Samsung DVD-R135 about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed with the recording made from the built in tuner, but on the next day it started making really overwhelming buzzing noises when the tuner was in use. Also from the start the audio level was very low. I also find the picture really dark and hard to get right. I was about to return it on the very next day, but the weather turned really cold and I did not feel like going to the store so I still have it (about a week from then). In this time I have experienced a bunch of other problems, most of them related to the tuner, but some to playback too.

The tuner will not sync very well over progressive scan with my projector, and the picture disappears randomly quite often. The buzzing sound seems to be getting louder and unfortunately ends up on the recordings. I tried all audio outs - both digital and the analog and it is present on all of them.

Upconversion is a two-step process - progressive has to be selected from a button hidden behind a door on the front panel, then confirmed by the remote control, and then the resolution of the upconverted signal from the HDMI has to be set up through a menu. Luckily using the progressive scan does not disable the signal in the coaxial and S-video outs, like some other recorders I have used.

Another weird problem is that it will just stop playback for no apparent reason. This has happened maybe 3 times in the week I have had it. It will resume from the same spot even if you turn the recorder off, but not if you eject the disc.

My other complaint about this, and any other DVD recorder I have used is that you cannot get the clock to be displayed on the front panel unless the recorder is off. This drives me nuts.
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post #8 of 18
2/5/07 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbyslav View Post

I bought the Samsung DVD-R135 about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed with the recording made from the built in tuner, but on the next day it started making really overwhelming buzzing noises when the tuner was in use. Also from the start the audio level was very low. I also find the picture really dark and hard to get right. I was about to return it on the very next day, but the weather turned really cold and I did not feel like going to the store so I still have it (about a week from then). In this time I have experienced a bunch of other problems, most of them related to the tuner, but some to playback too.

The tuner will not sync very well over progressive scan with my projector, and the picture disappears randomly quite often. The buzzing sound seems to be getting louder and unfortunately ends up on the recordings. I tried all audio outs - both digital and the analog and it is present on all of them.

Upconversion is a two-step process - progressive has to be selected from a button hidden behind a door on the front panel, then confirmed by the remote control, and then the resolution of the upconverted signal from the HDMI has to be set up through a menu. Luckily using the progressive scan does not disable the signal in the coaxial and S-video outs, like some other recorders I have used.

Another weird problem is that it will just stop playback for no apparent reason. This has happened maybe 3 times in the week I have had it. It will resume from the same spot even if you turn the recorder off, but not if you eject the disc.

My other complaint about this, and any other DVD recorder I have used is that you cannot get the clock to be displayed on the front panel unless the recorder is off. This drives me nuts.

Can you explain more on 2-step upconversion? How to confirm with remote control? I could not get HDMI work. There was no output to my HDTV. I was wondering if the player I got was a lemon.
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post #9 of 18
2/5/07 at 5:17pm
Well on the front panel, under a little plastic cover there is button labeled "progressive", you have to push that to switch between progressive and interlaced signals. But then under a menu in the set up you have to select the desired resolution for the HDMI - 480p, 720p, or 1080i. The component output is limited to 480p. I already returned it so I can't really check the exact steps, but if I remember correctly after you press the button on the front panel it will ask you if you are sure that you want to activate the progressive scan, then you have to use the remote to highlight "yes" and then confirm. So it's more like a three-step process. I don't have an HDMI input on any of my monitors so I could never check to see how that connection worked, but in theory that's what you need to do.


I just read your question again and thought of something else. Did you first connect the recorder with a different connection? Most likely you are not going to see anything on the HDTV before you complete the set up over some lower type connection. Try hooking up a plain RCA yellow cable or anything else along with the HDMI just so that you'll be able to see the menus and prompts that come up on the screen.
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post #10 of 18
2/6/07 at 8:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbyslav View Post

Well on the front panel, under a little plastic cover there is button labeled "progressive", you have to push that to switch between progressive and interlaced signals. But then under a menu in the set up you have to select the desired resolution for the HDMI - 480p, 720p, or 1080i. The component output is limited to 480p. I already returned it so I can't really check the exact steps, but if I remember correctly after you press the button on the front panel it will ask you if you are sure that you want to activate the progressive scan, then you have to use the remote to highlight "yes" and then confirm. So it's more like a three-step process. I don't have an HDMI input on any of my monitors so I could never check to see how that connection worked, but in theory that's what you need to do.


I just read your question again and thought of something else. Did you first connect the recorder with a different connection? Most likely you are not going to see anything on the HDTV before you complete the set up over some lower type connection. Try hooking up a plain RCA yellow cable or anything else along with the HDMI just so that you'll be able to see the menus and prompts that come up on the screen.

Thank you so much for the info. You are right, I did not use RCA/Component cable to connect it at all. I used only HDMI, since that's the connection I want to use. I'll try to connect RCA first to at least get the menu showing up.
Thanks again.
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post #11 of 18
2/6/07 at 8:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hahahaha View Post

Thank you so much for the info. You are right, I did not use RCA/Component cable to connect it at all. I used only HDMI, since that's the connection I want to use. I'll try to connect RCA first to at least get the menu showing up.
Thanks again.

I just read on another forum a user who had his system set up by the cable company. They connected an RF cable from the box to his TV in addition to the HDMI. When the user disconnected the RF, his HDMI no longer worked. He reconnected the RF and it worked again.

Something to try...an RF cable from either a cable box (if you have one) or from the same component that you're running HDMI from?
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post #12 of 18
2/6/07 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hahahaha View Post

Thank you so much for the info. You are right, I did not use RCA/Component cable to connect it at all. I used only HDMI, since that's the connection I want to use. I'll try to connect RCA first to at least get the menu showing up.
Thanks again.


Let me know if it worked out, I am curious now!
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post #13 of 18
2/6/07 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabjxo View Post

I just read on another forum a user who had his system set up by the cable company. They connected an RF cable from the box to his TV in addition to the HDMI. When the user disconnected the RF, his HDMI no longer worked. He reconnected the RF and it worked again.

Something to try...an RF cable from either a cable box (if you have one) or from the same component that you're running HDMI from?

Interesting...

Initially I just wanted to see the result of HDMI upconversion. Therefore, I connected ONLY HDMI, not even cable. I could not get any output from the DVD player to TV. From what you said, I probably need to connect cable RF as well. Will report back soon.
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post #14 of 18
2/7/07 at 11:38am
Have to give up. I could not get output from HDMI in anyway. Plus, I couldn't even open the DVD tray... Called Samsung and would have it repaired.
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post #15 of 18
2/9/07 at 12:06pm
I have a Samsung and unfortunately for me the in stor warranty ran out before I could realize the DTS had a problem with playback. Samsung states this is a stand alone issue, so I am about to use it as a recorder only and go by another upconversion player to watch movies with DTS.....otherwise love the look and features of the Samsung. I may even by the Samsung version without recorder.
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post #16 of 18
3/7/07 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hahahaha View Post

Have to give up. I could not get output from HDMI in anyway. Plus, I couldn't even open the DVD tray... Called Samsung and would have it repaired.

Just got it back from repair after 3 weeks. Looks it work ok now. I havn't really tried all functions yet.

bbeckham: what's the DTS problem with your unit? I'd like to try on mine before warranty exipires.

by the way, does anyone know if the regional hack exists for US version?
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post #17 of 18
3/7/07 at 11:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hahahaha View Post

by the way, does anyone know if the regional hack exists for US version?

You can try this hack for the R135...2nd response down.
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post #18 of 18
3/7/07 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wabjxo View Post

You can try this hack for the R135...2nd response down.

Remembered tried it before. It does not work for US version (Region 1)
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