Official Toshiba RS-TX Owners Club

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Nope. Only Dolby Pro Logic (II? Perhaps not) encoded Stereo.

TiVoToGo-ing it to my PC (via another TiVo) led to initial issues - until I downloaded the right codecs to handle Dolby Pro encoded audio streams.

<edit>
Ooohh - good catch there, windracer

 

I just bought an RS-TX20 that had no remote. I purchased a One-for-All URC-6131 remote, and have programmed everything, easlily, EXCEPT the RS-TX20. Anyone out there have a code that will work? I've tried the search function & nothing happens. Emailed OFA, & they're out until Tuesday, of course. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Thanks to everyone who gave advice to me on my set-up. Apology accepted, Ashu. Thanks for sticking up for me, Tpfer. Thanks for the good advice, ZeoTivo. OK, well, I'm almost there. After reading the manual at least 10 times and following ZeoTivo's tips, I have the RS-TX20 and my Directivo hooked up to the set, and they both seem to be working. I am having a tremendous amount of difficulty, however, in getting the IR blaster to work consistently. Also, I've been going a little crazy because the RS-TX20 and the Hughes Directivo unit operate on the same remote frequency, and since the machines are so close together when a command is sent to one machine, the other machine picks up a command as well. Although only one video is displayed on the screen at one time, at times the channel bars from the two machines display at the same time, causing all sorts of confusion. Other times, the channel will appear to change, but the station remains the same. I have tried setting up the IR blaster using all sorts of configurations, and it has worked, but there are times when it does not work. I tried buliding a tent, and haven't had much luck. Either the signal penetrates the cloth or the IR blaster won't work. I'm real close, as I have been able to record programs from the satellite box onto the Toshiba unit, but until I can fix these problems with the remote and IR blaster, I'm going to be going crazy. I don't have the option to move the machines farther apart, so I'm hoping someone has some suggestions on how I can create an effective tent and how to improve the performance of the IR blaster. One last question: can the IR blaster be used to power a satellite/cable box on, or can it just change channels? Thanks again for any information.

 

You can change the remote code that the two units respond to. Out of the box, they are both set to code 0, which allows them to respond to all remote codes. You need to change both boxes to a different remote code. Change one to respond to code 1 and the other to respond to code 2. To do this, cover up the front of one unit. Use the remote for the the other to go into the system info screen and page down to the remote code. You will see it shows 0 or not set. Cover the front of the remote and hold down the Tivo button and the pause button. When the light on the remote stays on, press the 1 button (or what ever number you want to set it to, 1-9). Then aim the remote at the tivo and press the 1 button again. (you can actually press any button). It will then change the code on the screen to the code you set. Do the same for the other unit. If it is a DirecTivo, you have to press the Directv button since there is no Tivo button on the remote.

 

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Be careful changing the Remote Code on the DTiVo - the IR blasters (from the RS-TX20) may no longer send the same code-based signals out any more! You can reset the code - the manual mentions how (code 0, after TiVo-Pause, perhaps?)

I imagine changing the code for (only) the Toshiba and its remote *should* take care of things.

 

ashu is right for once .

I had changed the code on the Toshiba and that helps, but it is not the real solution. The IR blaster converts some of the codes sent to the Toshiba and changes Directivo channels.(Tivo button, Record button,...)

I have not had a chance to mess with it too much and I have removed the Toshiba from the Directv box. It will work best with a regular satellite box. There is really no point in using the Toshiba, if you have enough Dirtectivos to record everyting you want. The Toshiba recording quality is not as good as the DTiVo recording quality.

 

Well, I spent a whole bunch of time trying to get things to work. I changed the remote codes, to no avail. When the codes are set to different numbers, the IR blaster doesn't work. I threw in the towel and I pulled out a 5 year old RCA DirecTV receiver (the one I got when I originally got DirecTV) and hooked it up to the Toshiba. It's working better. Maybe one day when I'm feeling adventurous I'll try again, but after struggling with this for 10 days I'm tired. Two last quick questions: Is there any way to prevent the Toshiba from recording the displays of the DirecTV receiver (channel info, etc. )? And since I'm assuming the IR blaster can't be used to power on the DirecTV unit, does the DirecTV unit have to stay on at all times when recording programs from the satellite? Again, thanks to all for the help and information.

 

My tip (endorsed by Tpfer - yay!) alluded to the problem you faced.

The TiVo can't be told not to record banners from the source cable/satellite box. It merely records whatever is sent to it along the input (SVideo ro Composite plus Audio). You can minimize it by changing settings on the box itself - shorter duration/greater transparency? The new software onA delphia's boxes allows for a 1-second banner, I love that! Matches my own shortened TiVo display banner.

And yes- you leave the cable/satellite box ON perennially. At 20-sih Watts on average, not a biggie. (IMnshO - especially compared to TiVo-less mindless channel surfing with all your AV equipment powered on - looking for something to watch!)

 

Hi! Newbie to Tivo (the device and the forum)!

Have hooked up my satellite box, an OTA DTV STB, and camcorder thru S-Video -- not at the same time.

Video quality is acceptable, although I find the Hauppauge card installed on my PC to be a tad bit better.

There is this weird thing going on when watching video thru S-video on the RS-TX20. When going from extremely dark scenes to bright scenes, from that point on, the video often whitens or is bleached momentarily at any time... it's somewhat like macrovision or a flash from a camera, but I know it's not macrovision.

I haven't hooked up the devices long enough thru the composite video to know if the glitch is present on that connection. The only remedy I have found is to watch thru composite, but I would rather watch thru the S-video connection -- there is a HUGE difference in image quality when using S-Video vs. composite on this Tivo. I don't usually notice this big of a difference between these two connections on other devices.

So, is there anyway I can resolve this S-video glitch? Does anyone else have this problem?

 

Hey all, new TX20 owner, and new to TiVo/TC.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the unit -- right now, I'm still using the Basic service, being fed with analog cable and connected thru S-video to my TV. It's getting updates thru a wireless connection to my network.

However, my experience has not been trouble-free.

The first unit I bought had a bad DVD drive -- it wouldn't open, and the system thought it was stuck in "Loading" mode. The drive didn't even register in the System Information screen. The TiVo portion worked fine.

So I exchanged it for another new unit, but this one has had glitches of its own.

I find that at certain times, when I change channels, the banner on the new channel disappears after an instant, instead of lingering a few seconds like it should (and is set) to.

More troublesome was when I returned home yesterday, I found the unit locked up with a grey screen, the clock display off, and the HD/DVD lights illuminated. It wouldn't respond to any of the buttons on the front panel or remote.

I pulled the plug and rebooted it, and it seems to be working fine again.

These are probably software related, and I realize that all software has bugs. The first problem is really minor, but I hoping the second was an anomaly and rebooting doesn't become a periodic requirement.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but my experience has me questioning my faith in Toshiba & TiVo QC/QA.

Anybody else?

 

Hey Bimwad...

Now that I've got my avatar squared-away to keep the avatar police at-bay, I'll risk posting again!

Your symptoms sound suspiciously similar to the initial ones I had on my FIRST TX-20. Yes, I'm on my second now. Turned out that my poor "best friend" got messed-up by what appears to have been a power surge / spike. Basically, the problems got progressively worse. I started getting pauses for no apparent reason -- both on playback of recordings, and even live TV. The unit would completely freeze-up, and also would generate the dreaded "green screen of death" with the error "a serious error has occurred".

Once that had been going on for a while, I figured it was probably toast, so contacted TiVo and then Toshiba for support. They agreed that the hard drive was toast & issued me an RMA. As instructed, I shipped them just the unit itself, with none of the books / cables / remote / etc. What I got back was a BRAND NEW (not reconditioned) TX-20 -- complete with all books, a new remote, and all the cables!

Worked out well for me -- just had to do without it for about 3-4 weeks. Gotta love that warranty!

Anyway, I have a feeling you're in roughly the same boat -- with a hard drive that has started going south. Once it starts that backwards slide, your chances of eventual recovery are slim in my experience. I purchased an APC branded UPS to take better care of my friend and defend him from the onslaught of the dreaded Florida summer thunderstorms...

Hope this helps...

 

I received an RS-TX20 as a Christmas gift. Seven months later and I'm on my fourth unit, which appears to have died tonight, less than a week after I hooked it up.

I'm by no means a novice when it comes to hooking up electronics, although I'm certainly not an expert, and have NEVER had any problems with any of my equipment in the past. I even bought a $100 Monster surge protector -- complete with cable and telephone connections -- to make sure my newest TiVo was completely isolated from any possible electrical surge.

Despite all my attempts at protecting the RS-TX60, it began to pixelate a recorded program, followed by longer and longer pauses. The unit reset itself, followed by more and more pauses. You could hear the hard drive grinding; then live TV wqas afflicted with the same pauses, rendering it unwatchable.

The unit then reset itself again and seems hung up on the "welcome" screen, with both lights permanently on.

As I said, this is the fourth unit that's died on me in seven months. The first one, the RS-TX20, went out after my wife shocked it while hitting the power button. The next RS-TX20 had a DVD stuck in it. The third unit, which Toshiba upgraded to the RS-TX60, lasted nearly a month before it began freezing during live tv and recorded playback.

Now this unit is suffering from the same sort of problem.

Toshiba doesn't seem to be of much help. Whoever it is I get on the phone each time I call, swears they aren't having any problems with the unit and tells me Toshiba will provide me with a replacement unit since I'm under warranty. With the last return, they offered a full refund, which is awkward since this was a gift.

I would prefer to have a replacement RS-TX60 and have it work. But, for the life of me, I have NO idea what I'm doing wrong.

I have a coaxial RF cable going from the wall into the surge protector and then into TX60. I have another coaxial RF cable going out from the TX60 in to my TV so that I can watch another program while recording something else. There's also an S-video connection from the TX60 to the TV and a digital audio cable to my receiver.

It could be repeated user error, but I've hooked up a friend's basic TiVo unit and they've had no problems. I've also never had problems with any of my equipment before: audio-video or computer.

When we watch TV while recording something else, I simply switch the video source on my TV, without putting TiVo into standby mode, and use the TV remote to switch channels. Could that be the culprit?

Sorry to cut in on someone else's thread, but I couldn't find a place to post a new thread. (It's late and my eyes are tired.) Any suggestions would be welcomed and much appreciated. I came across this forum in a last-ditch effort to troubleshoot the problem on Google. I sincerely hope someone can help.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for the reply.

My second unit was 3 days old when it froze up, and is less than a week old overall. The power company here is actually pretty good, so I don't believe it was any sort of power surge that caused the problem. I've had other a/v equipment running off the same power lines and cable for years with nary a problem, even during the infrequent thunderstorms we get. Aside from the one blank screen lockup, the Toshiba has functioned without any glaring problems or picture freezes.

The only difference between my first and second units that might even remotely cause any hickups is that the power connector on the second unit required much more force to insert the power cord and have it remain in place. When I initially plugged it in, I thought it was DOA because it didn't power up! But again, the unit sits stationary in a cabinet, so I don't think intermittent power loss due to a poor connection is at fault.

I'll keep my eye on it for the time being, and hope I don't have to test Toshiba's warranty service as you, or vegasguy have, as good as it sounds

 

Well, good luck with your TiVo, Bimwad...

I did NOT enjoy being without my TiVo for the 2-3 weeks it took to get it replaced by Toshiba. Wouldn't wish that on anyone... You may be looking at a possible short in the power cable as another possibility. That should be relatively inexpensive to replace, though.

However it goes, good luck!

Thanks...

 

these units are fairly reliable and having four go bad cant just be coincidence as you imply in your post. Could it possibly be something going on with the Coax cable and the surge protector you have it plugged into ?

It seems to be the only thing "different" from your other AV equipment that is not having problems. maybe google aroind on ways to check the sheilding of the coax for the cable run or see if there are surges in it etc...


Everything you post would be the correct way to use this unit though you do not mention if you have it hooked up to a network or let it dial in by phone, which of course is another connection power troubles could get in on.

 

I can't seem to find a button on the remote to jump between 2 channels!

Is there a way to do this? Even the cheapest TVs have a Previous Channel button. Please tell me that there's a way!!!

 

You mean you can watch live TV on these things? Wow.





Nope, no previous button on the remote that I am aware of. In few hours that I have watched live TV in the years since getting a TiVo, I never noticed.

 

There are times when two shows are on at once, and with satellite you can't record a different show while watching one. So that "Previous" button has gotten quite a workout over the years. This is a very bad unexpected side effect.

 

Never mind I got it!

The "Enter" button does the trick!

 

On standard Peanut remotes (for 240 and 540 TiVos), the Enter button is labelled Enter/Last
Toshiba - in their infinite wisdom - left it out of even their Penut remote (of course, their heiny-ugly SD-H400 remote also lacks it)

Good find!