***General Spec***
Format DVD-VR, DVD-Video
Hard Drive 160GB
Features Time Slip, Digital Tuner
This is recordable DVD player complete with hard drive that gives you the option of taping onto the units in built hard drive or directly onto a DVD. In some ways it is closer to a basic ... Read review
Advantages: Hard disc, Didital TV, Transfer to various media Disadvantages: Can only watch analogue TV when recording
***General Spec***
Format DVD-VR, DVD-Video
Hard Drive 160GB
Features Time Slip, Digital Tuner
This is recordable DVD player complete with hard drive that gives you the option of taping onto the units in built hard drive or directly onto a DVD. In some ways it is closer to a basic compute than your standard DVD recorder, hinting at how, in the future, our entertainment media will become more integrated. ... ...my personal set-up; utilising a SCART cable, using DVD-RW discs and using a rather basic television.
***Background to Purchase***
Three months ago our old video finally gave up the ghosts. Up till now I has used a Xbox to play DVDs, but now felt it was time to move on. I knew I wanted a recordable DVD player, but my dilemmas were two fold; did I want the chicken's option of having DVD with combined video playback function ... more
***General Spec***
Format DVD-VR, DVD-Video Hard Drive 160GB Features Time Slip, Digital Tuner
This is recordable DVD player complete with hard drive that gives you the option of taping onto the units in built hard drive or directly onto a DVD. In some ways it is closer to a basic compute than your standard DVD recorder, hinting at how, in the future, our entertainment media will become more integrated.
This review is based upon my personal set-up; utilising a SCART cable, using DVD-RW discs and using a rather basic television.
***Background to Purchase***
Three months ago our old video finally gave up the ghosts. Up till now I has used a Xbox to play DVDs, but now felt it was time to move on. I knew I wanted a recordable DVD player, but my dilemmas were two fold; did I want the chicken's option of having DVD with combined video playback function and, if not, was it worth the extra dough for a hard disc?
A couple of friends who have got Sky Digital and subsequently has ditched their videos convinced me that I could live without a video player. And as for the hard drive, well, it sounded cool!
As I did not have digital TV up to this point, this was and added bonus.
I purchased it for £260 from Dixons online (some stores has it at £400 in store at this junction, although I'm sure it'll be a lot cheaper now.
***Performance***
The machine has been reliable, easy to use and generally I am happy with it.
The time slip function is very useful for letting you pause live TV and fast forward through ad breaks. Having your programs stored on the hard drive makes life easy, particularly if you are an anal organiser like me (ask yourself, do you use an immaculate filing system for your PC's "My Documents". It is also fairly fast and does not crash (my worry when it was compared to a computer…)
On the down side, the major item is that when you are taping something, you cannot view digital TV (although analogue works fine, till it gets nixed). There is also a bit of a learning curve when taping items on disc for others to view; you need to tape it in a certain format and, depending upon the sophistication of the other person's DVD player, you may be only able to use short play recording, limiting you to just two hours on a disc.
I've taped one of my old videos to DVD using the machine, which is a nice to have, but I seem to have got over my old videos and have not been in a hurry to tape them all. Probably partly due to the fact that, with my broken video, I need to borrow a mate's old machine.
***Recommendation***
Cannot complain with my purchase. If you are in the market for a DVD recorder, have some cash to spend and want to try and future proof your machine for a wee bit, this seems a good option. I suspect the major manufacturer's machines will all be similar, but watch out you don't go for a slightly cheaper option with less hard drive space; you will miss it, believe me.
However, if you have Sky Digital, you will already enjoy time slip and recording to hard drive, albeit with lesser storage space and no DVD option. So I think you guys could probably spend your money better elsewhere.
Advantages: Freeview,160GB HDD,appearance,Cost,Ease of Use Disadvantages: Not Multi Region,Only DVD-R(W) , remote on big side
...hours of television with the Toshiba RD85DT DVD recorder. This comprehensive machine features a huge 160GB capacity hard drive as well as an integrated digital tuner. Planning your viewing and recording is easy thanks to the live electronic programme guide - simply select what you want to record at the touch of a button. You can store your recordings on the hard drive and then transfer them to a DVD to keep. The RD85DT is compatible with a number ... ...Digital Brand Toshiba Dimensions H6 x W43 x D34cm Hard drive 160GB Model name / number RD85DT Plays formats DVD, DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW Records formats DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW Timeslip function Yes MY OPINION
I was one of the 1st people to have Sky digital but seeing the subscriptions go from £10 upto £42 When I finally cancelled my contract, I thought I could no longer justify the price any longer.
I thought I would miss Sky but surprisingly ...
Jolley72 12.03.2007 (13.03.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Toshiba RD-85 DT
Advantages: Easy to use, not to big Disadvantages: Whirring noise, slow start up
We bought this Dvd recorder to replace the vcr, dvd player and freeview box we previously had in our front room. Although the remote control takes a little while to master, it is easy to use and nagivigate, for example to record a programme its a case of pressing just 3 buttons, also programmes you have recorded are easy to store and to find. The sound and picture quality are really good and the product is a nice size and also attractive looking. ... ...long time to start up, no good if yu in a rush, also you can only watch the channel you are recording whilst recording unless you watch just the normal tv in which case you are limited to channels 1 - 5! Also the fan inside the box makes a rather loud whirring noise constantly while the dvd recorder is turned on, which can be rather annoying. ...
AshR3006 23.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Toshiba RD-85 DT
Advantages: Slim compact box that does the job of three devices, great remote control. Disadvantages: Slow to start up, too much fan noise and a few operational quirks.
I bought this to replace a separate DVD player, Freeview box and VCR and the idea of reducing my plug count from three to one really appeals. It manages to do all things pretty well in fact although sometimes I do feel like I am an early adopter. It takes an absolute age to turn on, probably because it's actually booting up like a PC. So if you just want to turn it on to eject a DVD, then it'll take a good 90 seconds to do it, which is bad when Blockbuster ... ...to set timer recordings more than a few days in advance. It's possible that this is due to a weak digital TV signal in my area however. Finally, it's also a bit noisy because like a lot of consumer electronics it's fitted with a cheap fan. Otherwise a good solid device. Recommended. ...
cherry_chariot 12.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Toshiba RD-85 DT
