Sony RDR-HX900 DVD Recorder with 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder

• Universal DVD-R/DVD-RW, DVD+R/+RW recorder and player with built-in 160 GB hard-disk drive
• Record up to 5 hours of audio/video content per single-sided 4.7 GB DVD; record and store up to 204 hours/8.5 days of AV content on the HDD
• High-speed dubbing from HDD to DVD (up to 24x)
• Front-panel i.Link digital interface (DV/D8) provides simple, high-quality connection to camcorders
• Timer recording with advanced electronic program guide

About a year and a half ago, I purchased Sony's first DVD recorder, the GX7. I have been very satisfied with it and it has let me burn about 200+ discs with almost no problems (see my review of the GX7). However, the GX7 does not have a hard drive and when I wanted to eliminate commercials from programs for archival purposes, I had to actually watch the program and hit the pause button at the breaks. I was hoping Sony would come out with a recorder with a hard drive which would allow me to edit out commercials without having to watch the entire program (this primarily relates to old sporting events and shows I have on VHS tapes). With its new HX900 model, I have gotten my wish.

The HX900 has a massive 160GB hard drive which will allow me to record a lot of programs. It also has six recording qualities (1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4 and 6 hour). I usually use the 1, 1.5 and 2 hour modes depending on the program I want to record, but I have actually used and been satisfied with the 3 hour mode as well (but not with the 4 hour mode, picture quality degrades significantly and I assume is even worse in 6 hour mode). For my VHS to DVD conversion, I'll pop in a tape in my VCR and set the HX900 timer to record for however long the program is on the VHS tape (with usually a little extra time). Then I'll step away from the machine and let the show record to the hard drive. Later, I'll use the editing function (the "A B Erase" function) to eliminate unwanted elements of the programs (i.e. commercials, halftime shows for football games). I'd say it takes about 10 minutes of editing for every hour of programming, which I hope to reduce with experience. After I'm done editing, I'll dub to DVD+R discs (the unit accepts DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW, as well) at the same quality as I recorded the program to the hard drive. This allows for a "Fast" dubbing where a 2 hour program can be burned to disk in about 10 minutes. If you try to mix recording qualities, it takes much longer to dub. I've already converted about 15 of my 175 tape VHS collection to DVD since I got the unit at Christmas and hope to be done converting all of them by the end of the year, something I wouldn't have been able to do with the GX7 (I wouldn't have the patience). The time saved justifies the premium price of the unit in my book.

I do have some gripes. Unless you use the "VR" recording mode, all edits must be made on the original program on the hard drive (in other words, you can't record a program on the hard drive and then make edits without affecting that program). So if you've been editing a program and then you make a mistake and accidentally edit something out you didn't want to, you are out of luck. You'll either have to rerecord the program to the hard drive (assuming the source was a VHS program or a Tivo program you had saved). But if it is recorded directly from cable to the hard disk and you make an error, sorry, you'll have to hope for the program to come on again. I have decided that if I have a program that I know I want to archive, I'll record it to the hard drive, but I'll also record it to my Tivo unit, so I have a backup just in case I screw up in editing the hard drive copy (the quality is better with a direct record to the hard drive than recording from Tivo, but at least I'll have something). "VR" mode allows you to keep the original program on disk and to make the edits on DVD, but discs burned this way cannot be played on other DVD players whereas disks I create my way can be played on other players after they are finalized. I think this makes VR mode implausible for archiving purposes (what if your HX900 breaks, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to play your discs again).

I also don't care for the TV Guide programming guide that is built into the program because the DVD recorder has to be shut off in order to download the guide (I route all my electronics through it to get to the TV, so turning it off makes it impractical (I just use Tivo as my guide and manually record to the DVD recorder). If you do get the guide downloaded, it only shows two half-hour blocks on the screen, plus only about ¼ of my cable channels, so there is lots of scrolling. Not a big selling point for me.

All-in-all, I'm happy with the HX900. Yeah, it would be great if it were $200 to $300 cheaper, but that's still some time away. I think the time I'll save in converting stuff to DVD will be great.

Buy Sony RDR-HX900 DVD Recorder with 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder Now

I've had my Sony RDR-HX900 for about two and a half months now.

This is the first DVR I've owned (previously only VCRs), and I was

primarily attracted to it for the ability to store a large number of

recordings. I'm the type of person who abhors "appointment TV" I

watch when I want to watch. I also like having the ability to pause

for any number of reasons, and come back later.

First, my overall opinion is that I definitely recommend this unit. It

is not, however, a perfect design. There are pros and cons that should

be weighed, and compared with whatever else competes on the market. Much

of the information below can be read in the manual, which you can

download in PDF format.

There are 7 quality settings available HQ+, HQ, HSP, SP, LP, EP,

and SLP. They are described in the manual by the approximate length of

video that one can store on a single DVD, and on the hard drive. Per

DVD, HQ allows 1 hour, HSP 1.5 hours, SP 2 hours, LP 3 hours, EP 4

hours, and SLP 6 hours. HQ+ is only available for hard drive

recording, and uses about 50% more space than HQ. It is a setup option

to use HQ+ instead of HQ, while other speeds are looped through in

succession with a button press.

The difference in quality between HQ and SLP is very obvious. The

difference between adjacent quality modes is difficult to detect. I

was able to see differences between HQ+, HQ, on down the line, but only

when trying to find them. I've come to settle into using whichever

recording mode will allow the program to fit on a DVD, in case I

decide to dub it later. For things which I've no intention of

dubbing (weekly recordings, for example), I use SP mode.

Dubbing allows copying between the hard drive and DVD. Normal DVD

Video titles cannot be dubbed onto the hard drive. As near as I can

tell, only titles created by this recorder (or perhaps other Sony DVD

recorders) can be dubbed from DVD to the hard drive.

There are two types of dubbing fast dubbing, and slow dubbing. Fast

dubbing is only available when copying the video data directly from

the hard drive to DVD, which means no quality conversions. That means

that only recordings which fit on a single DVD without being re-encoded

can be dubbed in fast mode (e.g. a 1-hour program recorded at HQ, a

2-hour program recorded at SP, etc.). When a conversion is required

(or chosen), the recorder re-encodes at real-time speed. For some unknown

reason, dubbing from DVD to the hard drive always takes place at real-time

speed. It would be simple to do a direct read at maximum speed from

the DVD, but this device insists on actually recording to the hard

drive instead of copying.

Because the encoder can only work at real-time speed, non-fast dubs are

pretty inconvenient, especially considering the fact that while

dubbing, you can do basically nothing with the recorder. You cannot

record to the hard drive or play existing recordings. Programmed

recordings will not start while dubbing. This is probably the most

irritating limitation of this unit.

Another dubbing-related limitation is that you can't split a single

hard drive title among several DVD's (in case you want to preserve a

quality level, say, or the recorded title is actually two programs that

you want on separate discs). I don't have a killer need for this

feature, but it's an obvious omission that may be important to someone.

In most other respects, however, it's an able multi-tasker. You can

watch titles previously recorded while recording on the hard drive, and

can even watch a title still being recorded (wait 15 minutes after that

network show starts, then begin watching and skip all commercials).

You can watch a DVD as well, of course, and supposedly can watch a

title on a DVD-RW while another title is being recorded (untested by

me). However, during a recording, the only editing function available

is changing a title name. You can't erase a title, so you had better

make sure there's enough space before the recording starts.

None of the recorder functions behave any differently when the unit is

turned off, except of course for playing.

Media support is another important feature in a DVD recorder. This

unit supports both the DVD Forum standard media (DVD-R/RW), and the

DVD+R/RW media from the DVD+RW Alliance (which was created because of

the exhorbitant licensing fees charged by the DVD Forum). I've

recorded on DVD-R, DVD+R, and DVD+RW media no DVD-RW media to test.

With -R/+R, the maximum write speed is 4x, and with +RW media, the

maximum write speed is 2.4x (which is 14 minutes and 24 minutes write

time for a full DVD, respectively). The maximum speed only applies when

fast dubbing.

One killer feature (for me) is the set top box controller, which is an

IR emitter that can change channels on a cable or satellite controller

box (but not turn the box on you must leave it on). For me, that

means I can program the recording of non-broadcast channels of my

digital cable service. However, it's an all-or-nothing thing. You

configure the unit to either use the box controller, or its internal

tuner. You cannot use both. It's a shame, too, because it'd be useful

to have the recorder use the built-in tuner whenever possible, so

casual TV watching isn't interrupted when doing a programmed recording.

The TV Guide system is supposed to download program listing information

while the recorder is turned off. There's no data in my area, and it

says in the manual that no digital system (satellite or digital cable)

supports TV Guide listing data. For those that have it, it looks to be

a fairly simple way to program recordings (select the show in the

listing grid).

I must (and prefer to use) manual timer recording, which is still done

through the TV Guide system screens. The timer entry screen is

functional enough, but not especially good compared to some of the VCR

timer screens I've used. The one good thing is that there's room for

30 timer recording entries more than other devices seem to have.

Beyond some playlist editing features that only work with DVD-RW media,

the three primary editing functions are changing the title name,

erasing the title completely, and erasing a section of the title (A-B

erase).

Title editing is done via a text-entry screen which is anything but

convenient to use, though it's not horrid once you get used to it. I

think making it look like a QWERTY keyboard would have been much more

efficient.

The A-B Erase function is very simple. All play controls are available

when selecting the start and end points. All erasing is confirmed, and

cannot be undone. I primarily get rid of junk at the beginning and end

of movies I record, which frees up some space until I watch them and

erase them completely. It can also be used to remove commercials from

a network program.

As a DVD player, this Sony is fairly modest in features. There are

three fast-forward/reverse speeds, FF1-FF3 (approximately 1.5x, 12x,

and 150x). There are two buttons called Instant Replay and Instant

Advance. The former skips back 10 seconds, with no display while it's

skipping. The latter fast-forwards at FF2 for 25 seconds. There's no

A-B repeat feature (if you want a scene to replay over and over), and

no zoom. You can toggle the angle and subtitles with a button press.

Despite its spartan playback options, it is very good at reading

damaged, defective, and marginal DVDs (something an old Sony DVD player

I have is horrible at). One defective DVD (since replaced) that

screeched to a halt on an old JVC player, and a newer Sony DVD/VCR

combo player, did nothing but imperceptibly skip with this unit (I only

know it skipped because the on screen play indicator flashed -

automatic status displays can be disabled, if such a thing would bother

you).

That concludes my review. It's a bit long, but I figure people might

appreciate some detailed information before plunking down $700 for a

piece of electronics.

Read Best Reviews of Sony RDR-HX900 DVD Recorder with 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder Here

I've been waiting for a standalone DVD-Recorder for a long while as I find converting my MiniDV Tapes to DVDs on PC is too tedious process.

I've tried some high-end Panasonic and Toshiba models which I think are very good too but lack style and video quality found in this Sony model. So, I wouldn't complain about the price of this model as if you shop around you can get it for less than $700.00.

Many might complain about lack of features like recording a long title into multiple DVDs. For me that was never a problem as I can have them as different titles so I can record each titles to seperate DVD. It basically has all the features we ever get to use.

It's still not the perfect DVD Recorder I dreamed to have as it's far from what we can do on a DVD Recorder using PC. But the bottomline is, the video and audio qaulity is the best I've seen from any high-end recorders from Panasonic or Toshiba and it has great style and finish. It might also easily end-up being your best DVD Player.

I've been using it almost on a regular basis now for over 2-months and I have to say, I kind of mastered enough not to find any issues. The user iterface is very sleek and simple to understand. Quality is almost as good as the source recorded.

Want Sony RDR-HX900 DVD Recorder with 160 GB Hard Disk Recorder Discount?

I bought my HX900 2 months ago and have about 25 fully edited 3hour(LP mode)DVDs of network TV under my belt so far. I've read all the reviews to date and would like to add some observations not yet mentioned. Even though I am generally very happy with the unit, I'm focusing on some of the subtler negatives that may influence some prospective buyers and avoid some gnashing-of-teeth after purchase.

Picture quality is excellent. Network TV recorded at LP quality is nearly indistinguishable from the broadcast (and I have a very good antenna). The unit seems to clean up snow and other glitches. Dubbing at the maximum 8x speed is to DVD-R's only and is quick (15 min for 3 hour DVD) and almost completely flawless. The only transfer error I've found occurs if you alter the title name or any menu information on the DVD-R before you finalize it; Then it won't run on a standard DVD player, and mine is a SONY DVD player, so I doubt it's a compatibility problem.

The editing is good, but not great. The concerns in other reviews are overblown about the permanence of the the A-B editing. The marking of points A and B are simple and intuitive and can be adjusted to a specific frame. I've done several hundred commercial deletions at this point and not a single unwanted deletion yet, and I am now hitting remote keys quite quickly. The A-B editing leaves a 'tail' starting about a quarter to a half second before the 'B' mark, making precise edits tricky. There is a processing time of 10-15 seconds for each A-B delete, so it still takes 8-12 minutes to edit a one-hour network program even when you get good at it. The next version of the firmware should include multiple edits. Also, you can't split a title into chapters. What I've done, is duplicate the whole title to a DVD+RW working disk, then copy back to the hard disk (which occurs at 1x speed only) then do A-B editing on the two copies separately to create chapters: quite time consuming.

Finally, managing all your titles on the hard disk is tedious. I have 120 titles at LP quality and still have 50 gigabytes of space left. There are no subdirectories for the titles so collecting all my "West Wing" titles for dubbing takes 2-3 minutes when in full-display mode. You can speed it up by displaying only the title names, but then it's hard to tell what show it is without the thumbnails. Then after dubbing, it doesn't remember which shows you dubbed, and you have to reselect through the exact same process to delete the titles. It should offer a "delete after dubbing" option or leave the shows selected. You can creatively use the title sorting by date or alphabetically to jump up or down the list more quickly.

The final archived DVD-Rs are wonderful, including a menu selection that works on any DVD player I've tried.

After weighing up the pro's and cons ...and PRICE!!,I am very tight fisted and very fussy!! I went for it. The guy at the Sony shop matched my best online price, so quite a saving from RRP.

The set up is a doddle,except if you live in the UK check that you have set country to ' I ' as this is correct for the UK.

Basic setting up is much like a VCR and playback and recording functions are very very straight forward. I was editing my Panasonic Digital Camcorder within 1/2 an hour of opening the box.

Recording onto hard disc from Video tape or even a recorded DVD ( from another system ) did not pose any problems at all and infact the end product from a Video tape was better than the original source.

Lableing the HDD ( hard drive ) again is a simple process, it walks you through it.

When using this item, you get the feeling that everything has been already thought of and you fell like a well cared for child!!

The picture quality through my SONY KV32FX68 is magnificent, I couldn't ask for more.

It gives you the facility to record something to the HDD, watch something else you have recorded to the HDD and then watch what you have already started recording from the beginning while it is still recording...Cool!!!!

The only drawback I have found so far ( and this is still early for me as I only got the unit yesterday )is connecting to an Amp/ Reciever. I have been using a SONY DVP725s connected through an STR DB930 amp/reciever. I got superb 5.1 digital and DTS ( where applicable ) On connecting the HX900, I used an optical cable into the back of the STR DB930. NO 5.1!!! and DTS on US dics ( coz I got it chipped )NO DTS on UK discs (again where aplicable ) I have emailed Sony Support and am waitig to hear, proberbly something I havent set yet.

Over all, all I can say is BUY ONE!!!! you wont regret it