Since Christmas I've been scratching my head trying to decide which DVD recorder to buy to pair up with my 32” Widescreen TV bought last year.
I’ll try to simplify and explain the technical side of things in this review as much as I can - but unfortunately 'talking techie' is going to be unaviodable if you're going to get the best of out your DVD purchase.
Download the manual for the DR1 on the Toshiba website for the specification if you want to know more about certain features. In this review I’m aiming to give you an owner’s honest and unbiased opinion on performance and information on elements that manuals don’t tell you about.
You’re going to spend a lot of money so I’m going to give you a lot of information.
If you’re a novice then I hope to make you aware of and educate you about some of the technical issues surrounding DVD recorders as well as straightforward picture/sound quality observations. If you’re more advanced then there’ll be something in here for you too.
MY NEEDS & (BRIEFLY) THE FORMAT WAR
Like most I was after a recorder that first of all gave flawless playback on pre-recorded DVDs. Some of my collection are US Region1 discs so a multiregion player or player that could be modified to be region-free was essential - not all can so check first. Some are simple remote control code 'hacks' - others like mine may require chip modification which some retailers will do for you. Got this one from www.multiregionmagic.co.uk - in stock delivered next day £349 + £10 delivery.
Aside from pre-recorded playback the main reason for buying was to archive Sky+ programs/movies. Got Sky+ last year and it's a great bit of kit, but getting used to the quality of Sky+ perfect hard disk recording meant that I was less and less willing to accept the quality offered by archiving to VHS. The VHS collection is also taking up quite a lot of space so DVD seemed the obvious solution to putting my AV collection on a diet!
While Sky+ is a recorder with some clever features it does have its limitations in that the hard disk will hold only about 20hrs worth of programming. It’s more akin to a ‘time-shift’ piece of equipment rather than a long term archiving device.
So a DVD recorder seemed just the ticket - rush out and I buy one! Easy? Well not quite. …….
In much the same way that Betamax and VHS tape formats fought it out in the early 80’s, DVD-R and DVD+R are battling for supremacy in the 00’s. This could easily become a debate about format wars but for one thing. Think about what you’ll be needing your DVD recorder for and buy accordingly. If you never swap discs with friends then it’s really not an issue. Even if you play swapsies it’s not like the battle between VHS and Betamax where the tapes where physically different sizes so compatibility was a non-starter. Shove a DRV-R or a DVD +R into a player and the chances are it will play. I’ve played back the DVD-R’s I’ve made on two other players and a PC DVD drive (that’s supposedly DVD+R) with total success so far - so not much of a format war is it, but people do have problems so be at least aware if not wary.
I’m not telling you to ignore the format war, I’m just saying that swapping discs is lower down on most people’s list of priorities so buy according to your most important needs first. Think about the features you want and choose a machine that gives you these together with the best mix of price, reliability and quality. Finally look at your existing kit, the connection sockets available and how your new DVD recorder is going to integrate with them - don’t make the mistake of thinking "it‘s all connectable via scart leads so I‘m OK" as you‘ll see from my comments on ’recording inputs’ later on. Sure, you’ll get a picture but if you’re reading this chances are that you’re looking for the best you can get for your hard earned cash and connections are an invaluable component in the quality equation.
The DR1 is a -R/-RW/RAM machine. So it’s the 'minus' format also able to accept and record on re-writable discs (-RW) and RAM discs.
Other reasons for buying included transferring VHS to DVD (more dieting). I don’t have a DV camcorder so DV input wasn’t an issue but the DR1 does have one if that’s your thing.
This machine can record direct from digital terrestrial (Freeview) and Sky/(+) digital/analogue as well as standard ‘through an aerial’ terrestrial
TV - so you could use it as a replacement for a VCR - it has its own tuner, timer and Video Plus. As I have Sky+ I’m only using it for archiving so haven’t even connected it to the aerial, but useful to know it’s there. This review applies equally to you if your source is something other than Sky+ so don’t be put off by my references to Sky+ as they’ll almost certainly be of relevance to you and your own source device, just that I happen to have Sky+ and I reference it often.
STYLING
Toshiba have gone for a more radical styling approach than the de-rigeur silver box with basic function buttons slapped on the front. The fascia is mirrored which tends to reflect black regardless of surrounding decor. The front interestingly slopes forward at the top - cliff-edge style - although looking at it head on you can’t really tell. On the top front edge are the basic function buttons, all duplicated on the remote - On/Off and tray Open/Close being the only ones that anyone is really likely to use barring an absence of the remote.
To be honest I can’t decide whether I’m a fan of the styling or not. It’s a solid chunky machine that feels relatively well made in this day and age of everything-made-in-china. The LED display is green/blue and clear to read. I like the lack of buttons on the fascia and mirrored front giving an uncluttered look but Toshiba have spoiled it by not fitting a cover to the front AV inputs so they’re always on show.
It could be a love it or hate it design, so make sure that you get down to your local retailer for a proper inspection before you flex the plastic on the web like the savvy buyers I know you all are! Either way I think it looks more expensive than its price tag beguiles and it’s certainly different and looks like a serious machine - I am warming to it.
The remote is an improvement on previous Toshiba efforts which were an ergonomic nightmare - “switch the floodlights on, I’m going to use the remote” - we‘ve all been there! I believe that you shouldn’t have to look at a remote to perform the most used functions - play/stop/pause/ff/skip - thumbs should fall naturally to place and sense the right button to push by virtue of button size, shape and position. 7/10 to Toshiba for this one, but they can’t get away from a menagerie of 'on remote' buttons simply because the vast array of features of the machine demand it. The remote is daunting at first glance but it shouldn’t take you too long to get to grips with it. Basic functions are well laid out and where you’d expect them to be anyway.
OPERATION
Silent and smooth. After the clunk of the DVD tray closing I’m not aware of any disc spin noise or cooling fan whirr. Top marks here.
Ejecting and loading discs will take longer than on a conventional 'player only' unit. It does take a good few seconds to load the disc - although I think this is normal as being able to accept several different media types -R/-RW/RAM/Audio CD etc it’s to be expected that recognising the type of disc is going to take a bit longer than your average DVD player.
MENUS & EASE OF USE
Set up is straightforward - a 20 minute job. Comes with 3 guides. Quick Set Up for the impatient, Installation Guide for basic features and set up, and finally a Comprehensive Manual detailing all the various functions and features which will take you a while to get through. I like this approach - it allows for novice and expert alike to choose the involvement level.
It’s hard to simplify menus and functions on something as advanced as these new generation player/recorders. There are endless permutations of recording and play modes, editing functions, menu modes, input modes, output modes. It needs to be comprehensive to fit within today’s demanding and diverse technology, plus users are demanding more and more features and functionality which Toshiba has obliged its customers in the DR1. 6/10 for user friendliness and ease of use. This isn’t a machine for the confirmed technophobe, but by the same token it’s not difficult to perform basic functions . I don’t think it’s any worse than other machines out there - I just don’t think it’s any better. So an average score for the Tosh here.
PLAYBACK QUALITY
This Toshiba is a replacement for my previous 'player only' Toshiba. That had excellent picture quality and I was expecting the same from the DR1. Happily I’ve not been disappointed. All the reviews in AV magazines regularly give the thumbs up to the Toshiba players on both Video and Audio fronts. With pre-recorded material colours are rich and well balanced and definition is crisp and pin sharp while remaining natural rather than forced as can happen with some players. Shrek and Monsters Inc are delivered with breathtaking clarity and vitality. It handles shading admirably so those fans of more sombre movies like Lord of the Rings won’t feel robbed of detail in the darker scenes - it picks them up very nicely. Digital blocking (that’s the slightly pixelated picture you sometimes get with digital media) is thankfully non-existent. Stability is rock-solid, no flicker either and so far the machine has played all the DVD’s in my collection without a hitch, hiccup or stammer. Sound quality is very good too, although this will largely depend upon the source (ie Dolby Digital soundtrack) and where it’s being fed to in order to get the best out of it (ie a surround sound amplifier and speaker system). So no complaints on the sound front. It will also play audio CDs.
I’ve got a very good television that will show up any weaknesses in the original source material - an older set may be more forgiving. So far the DR1 hasn’t faltered or shown any signs of weakness, replaying DVDs faithfully and with excellent results.
Before I move on to the all important recording quality aspects, a word about cabling. Skip this bit at your peril!
Cabling is a very important factor in your set up - don‘t ignore it. The best gear in the world will perform below par unless you’ve invested a small amount in what’s connecting your precious kit. The DR1 has (amongst others) component video out and digital audio outputs (both optical and coaxial) these are widely regarded as the best output sources commonly available for the home market - and I use them! Throw out the cheap cables that come in the box with TV’s and DVD players - go that extra mile for high quality versions and transform your experience from one that’s great to one that’s really exceptional. Half decent leads start from a tenner upwards, and for £20 you can get something that won’t lose you half the signal through the wiring - I'm using 'Ixos' and 'QED' leads. If you don’t have component and digital inputs on your TV then don’t worry. The DR1 also has Scart In/Out, S-Video In/Out, DV In and even your common-all garden RF aerial connections, so there’s something there for all comers regardless of your existing set up.
RECORDING INPUTS & THE RGB DEBATE
First things first. Rubbish In, Rubbish Out. Use the best input connections from your source device (Sky/Freeview/other DVD player etc) that you can. No 'component in' on the DR1 - but I’ve yet to come across a recorder that does. Best input socket on the Tosh is the S-Video connection, front via a 4 pin Din or back via the AV2 Scart which is S-Video enabled (don't worry - it's all explained in the manual).
Now, there has been some debate about the DR1 not having an RGB input scart.
Perhaps talk of RGB makes you drowsy and your eyelids heavy, but If you want to get the best out of the DR1 then read on as the rest of this opinion is reviewed with my set up in mind - yours may well differ and this is important information if picture quality matters to you. If you really can't bear it then skip the next 2 paragraphs.
Widely regarded as the next best thing to component inputs, an RGB In scart is sadly missing on the DR1 which has I’m sure sent many buyers running for the Panasonics and Sonys which do allow RGB input and hence RGB recording (the Tosh has 'RBG Out' via AV1 scart, but not 'RGB In' on either scart). True, that RGB is technically a superior quality connection than S-Video, but from what I’ve experienced recording via the S-Video socket I can’t see any appreciable deterioration between the original broadcast (Sky+ viewed via RGB scart direct to my 32” TV) and the recording transferred to DVD. Possibly the faintest edge on colour richness goes to RGB but it’s so marginal as to be imperceptible. A recording of the Sky+ planner screen is the only time that I can pick up a hint of difference on the edge definition for on screen text and colour saturation and by this time the signal has been piped via S-Video from Sky+ to the DVD, compressed, written to DVD and then piped back up to the TV, so it’s hardly a fair comparison and yet one that yields no appreciable loss in picture quality. So while technology may say that ‘this’ is better than ‘that’ if the end result is that as humans we’re virtually unaware of the difference then perhaps it’s not one that’s worth worrying about. When high definition TV is an affordable reality then maybe these differences will be more marked, but until that day I wouldn’t let the lack of an RBG input on the DR1 put you off as you’ll see from my comments later.
Now I’m going to contradict myself by saying that it’s a poor oversight by Toshiba not to have included RGB - for the following reasons. 1. I’m an RGB fan - my DVD is connected to my TV by component video leads carrying RBG signals as I want to get the best possible picture quality that I can from my investment. 2. RGB scarts are the most commonly available sockets (after aerial RF) having already got scart leads I’m not best pleased at having to spend more money on a set of quality S-Video to Scart leads
to link up Sky+ to the DR1 - another £28, kerr-ching! 3. No RGB In means no RGB pass through - for those that don’t know RGB pass through allows you to daisy-chain your equipment rather than having a dedicated connection between each and every piece of equipment - very useful for those that may have only 1 or 2 scarts on a TV; cuts down on that mass of wiring behind the TV set. 4. Luckily I have Sky+ which has an S-Video out socket, for those with boxes that don’t chances are you’re looking to your box’s RGB scart as your best output socket. Now, unless you’re wanting to spend the money on an RGB to S-Video converter then you’ll have to use the non RGB enabled scart which might not do absolute justice to your treasured recordings. The cash till rings ‘kerr-ching’ again!Don’t get me wrong - DVD recorders are streets ahead of VCRs in terms of picture/sound quality and functionality - even via the lowest quality input the DR1 machine will blow your VHS out of the water - so don’t get too hung up on connections, just be aware of the technology and what you can do to maximise your experience.
If you’re confused by all this then first step is to dig out the manuals for your existing equipment and make sure you know what the available sockets are. If you’re still confused then try some of the AV forums on the internet and in email newsgroups. I’m always amazed at how helpful members on these forums are and how willing they are to give up their time to help those who need help in understanding the technical minefield. I’ve learnt a lot from these forums and am indebted to the people on them for helping advance my own knowledge to the point where I can write something like this with confidence. www.avforums.com and forums.digitalspy.co.uk are good places to start - although do try and search the posts first before you ask a question as chances are it’s already been answered so you’ll be able to get an instant solution.
OK, so you’ve got through that heavy passage on inputs. It’s necessary - reviews rarely tell you what other equipment the tested item is linked up to and how those connections are made, so you rush out and buy the item that was praised so highly, get it home, and then find that it doesn’t live up to your expectations. So think seriously about what’s around that space for the DVD recorder, but don’t let that put you off buying the DR1 - it’s a very capable machine and I’m going to tell you a bit more about its recording prowess now…….
RECORDING QUALITY
OK, let’s forget all that connection confusion. You’re here because having got this far, thought about what you need it for and looked at the manual you’ve decided that the Toshiba meets your criteria and will connect without problems.
Quality - this is what it’s all about. Most machines made by quality manufacturers nowadays will give you very good or excellent playback on your pre-recorded collection, the real test of DVD recorders is how they’ll handle your own 'home' recordings.
Picture quality is a combination of colour balance/saturation/definition/reproduction, edge definition, shading balance, image detail, graininess, quality of conversion of compressed material (to avoid digital blocking) picture stability and ability to cope with widely differing visuals. And a few more…… not least of all your personal preferences.
The DR1 excels in all respects and all the comments I made on playback of pre-recorded DVDs apply here - top marks. Despite this home recorded DVDs never quite live up to the standard and quality of pre-recorded material - it’s a simple fact that pressed DVDs are manufactured using professional equipment and include features such as Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround Sound which no home recorder can record, regardless of manufacturer - so don‘t go looking for one that does. You’ll have to make do with standard Dolby Digital, which, while doesn’t give you the home cinema wow factor, does give you almost CD quality sound which is very acceptable.
Going back to picture quality - like I said earlier my main use is to archive Sky+ recordings to DVD and it handles this with aplomb. I’m hard pressed to see any difference between the original broadcast (or the Sky+ recording) and the DVD recording. Sky+ broadcasts are a compressed signal and the quality of transmission varies depending on the channel - all Sky users will testify to this. So if you’re archiving Sky+ or simply using the DR1 as a Sky/Freeview recording device then you’ll be aware that the quality isn’t quite up to that of pre-recorded DVDs. This has nothing to do with the DVD recorder’s recording ability - it’s simply that the original source input from Sky/Freeview is a more compressed signal than a pre-recorded DVD. The recorder is doing its job admirably - recording what you gave it and spitting it out on to the disc exactly as it found it. Rubbish In/Rubbish Out, Good In/Good Out.
I won’t be using the DR1 to copy original DVD’s so can’t comment on how it would perform in these instances. I prefer to buy the original when I can and/or loan from a friend. Original DVDs have copyright protection on them, which you can get around by the use of special cables and/or filter boxes - but that’s not what I bought it for. I mention it because that would be the ultimate test of the recorders performance - a perfect signal in compared to the recorded version out. My gut feeling is that it would perform well, but again we go back to the issue of inputs and under these circumstances maybe having RGB in would deliver a better recording source. I don’t know as haven’t got the equipment to do this and unless you‘re in the piracy game it shouldn‘t worry you.
RECORDING MODES
A standard 4.7 Gigabyte blank DVD will give about 1 hours recording time at maximum recording quality and up to 6 hours at minimum recording quality on the DR1.
The recording length is governed by the bitrate. Higher = Lower Compression = Better. Lower = Higher Compression = Less.
At the highest setting the DR1 records flawlessly - from my designated input source - Sky+. The same goes for SP (Standard Play) mode which gives about 2 hours on a blank DVD.
Like all machines the quality deteriorates if you stretch the recording time above 2 hours, in the same way that SP and LP (Long Play) on a VCR don’t quite match up. The differences are not the same as with VHS. Recording above 2 hours on a DVD will start to show what are commonly referred to as ‘digital artefacts‘. These include loss of picture sharpness and clarity, digital blocking - most apparent on fast moving and action scenes, and occasional confusion in the software decoding the compressed images on the disc. Other quality issues also arise but those are the main ones.
So what does this mean in layman’s terms? Well up to 2 hours you’re on stable ground. At 3 hours you’re going to get something that’s falling down towards VHS standards, and above that it’s probably better to archive to VHS until the new generation of recorders arrive which promise longer recoding at high quality, but we’re years from affordable ones coming on to the market yet so don’t hang out for new technology or you’ll never buy anything!
Personally I wouldn’t push pass the 2½ hour barrier. It really depends on what you’re recording - the daily soap probably won’t bother you to have a slight degradation in quality, but a good film and especially animation will probably show up weaknesses in DVD+R technology if you decide to cram the disk to its limits. This is the same for all recorders - not a slight on the DR1 - but all in all it will give acceptable reproduction up to 2½ possibly 3 hours - after that as I said my TV is very unforgiving and it’s not much use to me but maybe you’ll feel differently, especially if you have a smaller TV screen which will be less prone to magnifying degredation in the detail.
What I do like about the DR1 is its variable bitrate recording system. Basically this means that you can fill the disk with the best quality stream for whatever length of recording you’re about to make. Sit there and play with the bitrate - the system tells you how long it can record for at each bitrate - step the bitrate up notch by notch and watch the recording time reduce until you’ve reached a level that’s just enough to record the length of program you want. Essentially, it’s all about maximising quality regardless of the length of the program you want to record. Compression rules still apply though so beware of the barriers you set yourself for acceptable recording quality.
I’ve had a couple of coasters (that’s failed recording discs to the uninitiated). Common to all DVD recorders is the need to experiment with different brands of blank disc. DVD-R’s start from about 69p (online retailers) up to £10 for a branded DVDRAM - so buy one at a time until you’ve found one that gives reliable results with your recorder.
Finally a note on editing. Limited editing facilities are available with DVD-R, more with DVD-RW and most versatile is DVDRAM, but that’s the most expensive. If you’re looking to edit frequently (home movies etc) then you might be better off with a combined DVDR & Hard Disk Recorder. They start from about £100 above the price of an equivalent DVDR and allow you to copy to a hard disk first, edit on the hard disk, and then when happy transfer from the hard drive to the blank DVD disk for a permanent copy. As I have Sky+ I didn’t need this but DVDR/HDR’s do have their advantages and are more flexible in this respect than the simplified offerings of Sky+.
CONCLUSION
I haven’t covered nearly half the functions and features of this machine but hopefully I’ve given you the information that you want to know and which doesn’t appear in the manual.
To sum up:
4 Stars - Eye catching design, but maybe not to all tastes
5 Stars - Picture Quality. Excellent player and excellent recorder
4 Stars - Good functionality and features
4 Stars - Good connectivity, with loss of 1 star for lack of RGB input, but component video out an excellent addition
3 Stars - Ease of use. It’s got bags of features so it’s not childsplay
Overall ownership experience 4.5 Stars.
Now before you rush out and buy one think carefully about your reasons for buying and like any major purchase I strongly suggest that you test drive one in a store before committing yourself - I don’t think you’ll be disappointed but always best to see for yourself.
Hope you’ve found it useful. Thanks for reading and good luck with your DVD recorder purchase whatever make/model it may be - hope you get the best out of it!
by (21%):
by (73%):
by (6%):
This product has not yet been reviewed.
24.07.2004 12:04
By everything, he means everything!
27.04.2004 09:09
this is very very good! Great review!
10.04.2004 14:20
great op!