Sony RDRHXD560S 80GB HDD DVD Recorder with Freeview
Sony RDRHXD560S 80GB HDD DVD Recorder with Freeview
80GB Hard Drive DVD Recorder model with Digital Tuner.
Customer Review: Super piece of kit but slow menu system.
Having previously owned the excellent non-freeview forerunner to this model I didn’t hesitiate in choosing this freeview model so as to cut down on the number of remotes confusing my wife! Absolutely no problems with setup. Made a positive choice for 80GB rather than 160GB - you’re not going to leave stuff you want to keep on the hard drive - you’ll want that on DVD so having more disk just delays that initial cleanup you have to do when the disk is full and you want to record something. 80GB gives plenty of HQ recording time IMO.
My only disappointment is with the speed of response when starting up and from the remote. When in standby, pressing any function will wake it but takes about 30 seconds. Operating the menu system is inexplicably slow when compared to the previous model - e.g. each down-scroll through the title list takes a second or two whereas the non-freeview version was pretty much instantaneous. This is true of any command issued from the remote so can become tedious.
Other than that it is an excellent machine:
- Superb EPG, weeks in advance.
- Series timer that works properly.
- Well designed menu system.
- High speed dubbing and automatic re-formatting if the source is too big for the DVD capacity (4.6GB = 1.5hrs in high quality).
- Low/no noise.
- Separate TV controls on remote.
- Even my wife can program it (no offence ladies) - just make sure you’re clear which device is the target i.e. hard drive or DVD!
Customer Review: Switches off every 5-10 minutes - stay away from this!
It is too late for me to return the product to Amazon, but I will see what I can do with the Sony customer services. I have used it for a month and, with a few minor problems, it has worked OK for 3 weeks. In the last week, however, it keeps switching off VERY frequently. It does so when I watch TV and also when I am watching TV. On the TV, it freezes for a few minutes, so you lose 5 minutes every time it switches off - frozen image, switch off, switch on again and bring it back to the right channel.
I am going back to my cheap freeview box + dvd player. If I cannot return the dvd recorder, I will only use it for the occasional recording, but then it is far too expensive for this!
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Alba RDVD1001XI DVD Recorder 
Amazon Price: ?86.95
Used Price: ?38.99
Customer Review: Good for the price
Bought this dvd recorder as its was a cheap product for me to get my programs off of my sky+ This allows me to plug it into a scart socket, hit record and away it goes. The one thing you need to remember is that it will only burn onto DVD+R and not DVD-R As its a cheap unit it does look a bit plasticy with a giant bit on the front which i can see scratching quickly. Apart from that, for the price you cant beat it and as something for backing up programs you can go wrong with it
Ronin Media Works, Dvd Player, DVD215F. 
Disc Compatibility: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, SVCD, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW File Compatibility: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP3, JPEG, Kodak Picture CD File Display: MP3 playback with on-screen display of directories and filenames JPEG playback with on-screen thumbnail display & slideshow with pan, rotate and zoom Audio Features: 2 channel stereo sound Dolby Digital and DTS SP-DIF digital output Dolby down-mix to stereo Seven preset EQ options Connectivity: SCART out - AV input Composite video output Coaxial digital output for external Dolby Digital and DTS decoders Video Features: 12-bit video decoding PAL/NTSC playback Selectable screen aspect ratio (4:3 & 16:9) Smart video (sharpness, contrast, brightness) Multi angled view Multi language OSD Multilingual dialogue & subtitles Multi speed FF/RW, slow motion Multi level zoom Parental control with password Others: Net dimensions: 300mm (W) x 65mm (H) x 280mm (D) Net weight: 3.2Kg Power supply: 100-240V AC/50-69Hz Power consumption: 25 watt Package contents: DVD player Luminous infra red remote control Power cable (attached) Composite cable Audio cable
Panasonic DIGA DMR-EX95VEG-S - DVD recorder / HDD recorder / DVB-T tuner / VCR / flash AV player 
Used Price: ?279.01
Panasonic DMR-EX75EB-S - DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disk - Freeview Tuner - and HDMI With 1080i Upscaling 
With the DMREX75 DVD player you can save up to 248 hours of TV or video programmes on its hard disk that has an internal capacity of 160 GB.The DMREX75 has a built-in digital tuner so that you can receive digital television programmes as well.If you wish to file on DVD support, the DMREX75 has a multistandard writer that accepts all writable standards.You could also view images from your digital camera as the DMREX75 has an SD memory card slot as well as a camcorder DV input.The DMREX75 has a TimeSlip function on hard disk and incorporates a progressive PAL mode for better picture quality.In order to give you exceptional picture quality, it has High Definition images thanks to the digital HDMI connection.The DMREX75 DVD writer player is your complete digital entertainment partner.
Used Price: ?195.00
Customer Review: Over-rated and very annoying to use
This is my 5th dvd player having previously used 2 Pioneer DVD-Rs, a Mitsubishi Black Diamond and a Chinese generic brand. All the ratings and mags rave about Panasonics, but this machine has been disappointing. I use this side-by-side with a Pioneer DVD-R and am consistently unimpressedd. The upscaled picture is not what I expected - I run DVDs through my old Pioneer using component cables and it is better than the Panasonic though the HDMI. The on-screen menus are horrible - very hard to follow and not intuitive at all. It takes forever to do anything like editing a recording, or trying to record from HDD to DVD. The Pioneer is much clearer and easier to use - a real delight of sensible design. The controller is also awful - very clunky and stiff. Buttons often do not respond until they have been depressed firmly for the 10th time. It takes ages to do anything using the controller as it is so poor. It is also very badly set out and requires constant reference to the guide book to know what to do. It is also unattractive to look at, though this is a minor point, but is consistent with the poor design throughout.
Customer Review: Remember playback
I love many features on this recorder the hard drive is brill, I have a few problems though but a no one has mentioned them so am not sure if it is just me not able to find them. This machine always starts a DVD from the beginning it does not remember where I was up to some machines remember the last 20 DVDs that were played so when you put them in it starts where you left off and gives you the option to go to the start if you wanted to. I can’t find how to turn on the VPS/PDC, I find the manual not very good not as good as the recorder.
