Toshiba D-RW2 DVD Player/Recorder

Let's face it: if we insist on using DVD recorders these days (late 2014), we don't have many choices. This unit records to dvd, and the finalized disc works on all my other dvd players.Setup is quite easy for anyone who has ever used a DVD recorder before, and should be obvious to anyone who is even marginally familiar with video recording devices. Picture and sound are every bit as good as my input sources. Great from my cable set top box using component video connectors, less great from the not-amplified coax cable input that bypasses the box. But again, that's the nature of cable service, not this unit.Remember that this will only record to DVD -RW (re-writable with erase or reformat) and DVD -R ==Single Layer== 1-2 and 2-4 speed discs. Make sure the seller includes the remote control, or that you can get one for it. That's a must for proper control of features.Just please don't pay the insane prices some marketplace sellers are charging. Amazon needs to stop being so lenient with some of these price gougers.This model should not cost a penny more that $175 - ever.

The quality is great at 1 or 2 hr mode however I find the quality unaceptable at 4hr or higher.If you use DVD-rw I have found the quality improves using verbatim 4x media as opposed to memorex 2x.The unit does get very hot during recording which is not a good sign of a long lasting machine. Also blank media life expectancy has been rated to be lower when discs are exposed to exessive heat.There is no 3hr mode or any in-between quality modes it's 1,2,4,6,8,10 - the 8 and 10 hr modes cannot be finalized to be fully DVD player compatible, however I would not condsider thoes modes anyway since 4hr mode looks rather bad. If you have a 2hr 30 min movie you will have to record using the 4hr mode. I find the unit great at recording 2hrs and under. The price for what you are getting is decent, although I have heard from another tekkie review site that this unit is not actually made by Toshiba?

I needed to replace an aging VHS, and was tired of crappy recordings. My TV is a Sony, with basic cable input [no cable box]. No HD. The Toshiba hooked up simply, the same as the VHS. The manual was complete, and understandable. Recording is simple, and works well...the 6 hour mode comes out just fine, as good as any VHS. I've recorded on DVD-R, and DVD-RW. No problems, save a cut off third show on a three show recording onto a DVD-R... I'm sure this can be overcome by switching to a 4 hour record mode. Said DVD-R was playable on my JVC DVD player. Note that a DVD is a different animal than a VHS...you cannot re-record over a track, instead you have to go in and delete it. Titles can be given to multiple recordings on the same disc. Closed captions may not record. This unit was described as "entry level". I sure wouldn't want one that was any more complicated...you can do many, many things with editing and recording...8 shows a month ahead of time. Those who were critical must have more complicated systems to satisfy, or need HD, or something. I couldn't be more satisfied, esp. for the money !

There was no remote control with the DVR. After a few looks on youtube, I got it to work with out remote. It works great.

NOTE: This recorder is great, if you have S-video or RCA jacks on your TV. If your TV only has an RF coaxial cable connection, you will need an RF modulator to watch anything...I missed this originally.If you are just looking to replace your VCR....this is the unit for you. I you have a 27 inch TV or smaller....perfect for you. If you want high quality video for a big screen....you need to find something else.Only two negatives. One, the menu it creates for a DVD could use a still from the video, but it does not...minor, but it is a nice feature most units come with... Two, record modes are 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr etc....no 3 hr option....this is disappointing.Good Product. Good Price. Just remember it is DVD-R and DVD-RW only. I purchased DVD+RW by mistake.

good seller. product was in good shape and works as i wanted. thanks

this is ideal for my needs. :) UPDATE: I push my apple tv hdmi to an hdmi -> component converter -> dvd recorder. It reduces quality a bit, but is quite watchable. as far as recordings go, they always end up 4:3, but i use myDVDEdit (Mac) to force 16:9 after making a dump of the dvd to disk, and then use DVDStyler to make my own menus :)

The date on the back of this machine told me that the machine had been built in 2006 which is probably why it didn't last but 3 months. I didn't know the machine was that old until I took it in to be repaired by my local electronic person and he showed me the date on the back. He recommended I buy the Toshiba DR430 which I did and it works great. My opinion is to purchase this model and skip this one.