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Rick Rizner
The Toshiba RD-XS54 is the most expensive of the DVD and hard- drive video recorders in our January 2006 roundup, and not surprisingly it's also the most feature-packed: Among its features are a roomy 250GB hard drive, an HDMI output, and in-unit up- conversion from standard-definition analog video to high-definition resolutions. If you connect the unit to your network, you can even program recordings over the Internet.
The RD-XS54 is the sole hard-drive-equipped DVD recorder we looked at that can handle HDMI output. The inclusion of HDMI and in- unit up-conversion for standard-definition content should delight HDTV owners: The RD-XS54 can convert analog video into either 720p or 1080i resolution (the most common HD formats)--a big plus if you own an HD set and are trying to get the best-quality video from an analog source.
We were also impressed with the image quality of the RD-XS54's test recordings. We saw sharp video with plenty of depth and good...