Although the DVD is still the format that is widely used today, Blu-ray has finally gained an acceptance after winning the format war against the HD-DVD, but, there are still numerous households today that have VHS cassette tape collections and many of these collectors are finding it very hard to dispose of them. And another thing, recording videos have also come a long way and DVD recording may still be a viable option, VHS recording not so much, but more homes have found that having a large memory capacity HDD or Hard Disk Drive is far better. But why choose when you can have all these choices in just a single unit?

The Toshiba RDXV59DT is a player and recorder that supports both VHS and DVD formats that also has a built in 250 GB HDD. Measuring 435 mm in width, 380 mm in depth, and 99.5 mm in height, and weighing 5.8 kilograms, the Toshiba is considerably bulky and heavy. But, considering that it houses a variety of hardware for a unique versatility, this is pretty much a space saver as you won’t need separate units of VCR, DVD player, and a personal video recorder.

For starters, the Toshiba RDXV59DT is very easy to set up. Just plug the Toshiba to a wall socket, connect it to your LCD TV using the HDMI port for better picture performance and you can now access the very user friendly on screen main menu. The RDXV59DT also automatically scans for channels and with the built in Freeview, you will also gain access to a great number of digital channels. You will also be asked to type in your location, time, and date. You only have to do this once and when it’s done, you’re good to go.

For the design of the Toshiba RDXV59DT, you will see that the encasement has a black finish. A silver strip of lining cuts across the median of the unit. At the top half, you will find the openings for the DVD and the VHS. At the lower half are some of the basic controls for the Toshiba. You will also find there an LCD screen which displays the information regarding the current operation of the unit. You will also find an AV and DV input at the front. The back panel of the recorder is where many of its connectivity are found including Analogue 2 channel audio, co-axial audio, component video output, composite video and 2 x scart (RGB). As mentioned earlier, the Toshiba RDXV59DT has comparably larger dimensions than most DVD and HDD recorders, but its bulk is what gives its feel for a solid and sturdy build.

Overall, if you don’t mind that the Toshiba RDXV59DT is not bequeathed with a slim design and consider the fact that this can never be because of the multifunction it provides, then you will see how versatile and feature packed this combi player and recorder is. It definitely packs in not only features, but value and performance as well.