Toshiba DR4 DVD Recorder

I originally purchased this dvd recorder sometime in 2005 to replace an aging Koss that had started to exhibit playback problems. I also wanted something that would record.

I've had this player now for three years or so and already it looks like repair is required, as it refuses to play nearly all of my discs, even older store-bought ones.

The manual is well laid out, as well as the remote. Setup is fairly simple; there are many different options.

Other than durability, and lack of any dvd-rw capability (I have not been able to try dvd-ram), it's been a good, versatile player. There are a number of nice features on the unit, such as an "Easy Nav" section as well as decent titling options -- you still have to navigate the keyboard through your remote control, but it's better than entering the characters like you'd do on a cell phone.

One of my issues with the unit relates to "chaptering" video when recording. This feature used to work just fine early on, but after a while it didn't work anymore; consequently, many of my recorded discs have to be watched in "VCR" mode - all the way through, no easy way to skip around, unless one uses time search. But that's a moot point now, as it won't even recognize a blank disc put into it, much less record on it.

I liked the "bookmark" feature, although it has a limit, as you can put in a previously watched DVD and it remembers where it left off.