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Strengths: - TV Guide On-Screen
- "Time Slip"(Pause Live TV) feature nice and easy
- "User Modes" to set your own record quality
- Mini-DV Camcorder(Canon ZR700) worked great with the front Firewire port
Weaknesses: - TV Guide On-Screen is sometimes slow to respond
- Some functions on the remote can be diffictult to find and use
- Fan constantly on
- Warranty is 1 year parts and only 90 days labor
Summary: THE GOOD:
This is a good unit overall and I have really enjoyed using it. The TV Guide On-Screen feature is nice. You can scroll through all the listings(8 days worth) to see what is on or coming on, but I mostly use the "search" function. The search function allows you to search for instances of the show I want to record and then schedule it from there.
Compared to some other DVD Recorders I've used, I found the "time slip" feature easier to use(it has a direct button on the remote for it, where others I've used require more steps).
The built-in hard drive makes this unit exponentially better than any DVD recorder when recording TV(or anything for that matter). You can record to the hard drive, edit it, create menus, etc., then burn your final version to DVD-R(DVD-RW and DVD-RAM are also options).
Another cool feature is "relay recording." When turned on, if you are recording the game(for example) directly to DVD, and it runs out of space during recording, the unit will automatically start recording to the hard drive.
I found the DVD menu options to be more customizable compared to other DVD recorders. There are 3 available inputs(more than most) for connecting VCRs, DVD Players, etc.
THE BAD:
When trying to use this unit with my Time Warner Digital Cable box, I had several problems. While the TV Guide feature works great with regular(analog cable), with Digital Cable, it never finish programming. It would continually loop through the channels. When using the G-Link unit(this is a small 1"x1" box that you connect to the back of the XS35 then place within IR range of your cable box - it allows the XS35 to change the channels on the cable box), the Input Select(lets you change the XS35's input from Input 1, 2, or 3) on the remote would no longer work, it would change the channel on the cable box to "000". After talking to support about these issues, they said they have had problems with my brand of cable box(ScientificAtlanta) and that I would need call my cable company to get a different model. I had already planned on canceling Digital Cable and going back to analog, so I did not pursue this suggested solution.
The remote would be another shortcoming of the XS35. Some important features that you need to use regularly are located under flap/panel/door on the remote.
OTHER COMMENTS:
I have read others complain about the fan being always on. Altough it was always on, I DID NOT find it particularly bothersome.
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