Dr Gadget - Gadget Shop - Sony RDR-HXD870 - DVD Recorder With 160GB Hard Drive - With Freeview - Black

	List Price: Our Price: £193.95 Your Save: £ ( % ) Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: Sony
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Binding: Electronics Brand: Sony EAN: 4905524419504 Feature: Recordable formats: DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-RAM and HDD. Multiformat playback. Label: Sony Legal Disclaimer: Layer One UK does not offer any warranty other than the one imposed by the manufacturer. Consequently, the warranty conditions proposed by Layer One UK will be an exact copy of the manufacturers. Manufacturer: Sony Model: RDRHXD870B.CEK Publisher: Sony Release Date: 2007-03-10 Studio: Sony
Features Recordable formats: DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-RAM and HDD. Multiformat playback. DivX, MP3 and JPEG playback. 160GB Hard Disc Drive capacity. Up to 272 hours maximum recording time on HDD. Int
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Sony RDR-HXD870 = Very capable machine Comment: Hard disk recorder with upscaling DVD recorder at a reasonable price. Best features for me are series record and 1080p HDMI output (DVDs look great even with a cheap HDMI cable). Most of the complaints I've read on Amazon seem to fit into 4 main categories:- 1. An expectation that it is a PVR. It does not claim to have twin digital tuners. Most modern TVs usually have an internal Freeview receiver, which is fine if simultaneous recording isn't required. 2. Trouble reading the manual. It's true the manual tends to go into unnecessary detail about advanced settings and modes. I rarely have any need for the manual because I find the recorder and the remote control intuitive. I recommend just playing around with it for 20 mins. It's easy enough to setup (suggest using a SCART cable initially and then migrating to HDMI), it scans all the digital channels automatically. The only option I had to set was the choice of EPG. 3. Weak reception. I don't have any specific problem so cannot comment. It performs just like any other Freeview receiver I've had. 4. Missed timer recordings. I recommend checking the firmware is at least version v1.65. Easy to do - full details are on Sony's website. My only gripes are minor:- I'd love to move HDD recordings into folders and the EPG just looks a bit dated compared with the one on my Sony TV. An undocumented feature is that it is also capable of reading DVD-RAM disks, so I was able to dub recordings made on my old Panasonic machine with no trouble. Customer Rating: Summary: top notch Comment: Read reviews and came to conclusion had to either get the Panasonic or the Sony product. There are a lot of reviews which list technical design ideosyncracies of the Panasonic recorder so opted for the Sony. This machine seems to do everything that anyone would want from it plus answers all those niggles from the Panasonic users. I found it incredibly easy to set up. Just plugged it in and it did the rest for me. Pausing live broadcasts is brilliant. one button push and it's done. Viewing what you've recorded is easy peasy it gives you a little thumbnail of what each programme is. Don't understand the gripes about the manual - I've had more complicated manuals for watches. You can read the whole thing through in half an hour. Customer Rating: Summary: Pity About The Lousy User Manual! Comment: Once you've cracked the instructions, you'll love it, but until Sony can write a decent manual, what is a potentially 5-star product can only justify 4 stars at best (what's the use of a fantastic product that people have difficulty understanding?). After all, it's only a gadget to get more out of watching the telly! This machine is almost bloated with features, to the point that virtually no one will benefit from everything it offers on day-1, and for many users some features may remain unused forever (rather like some of those obscure programs on our washing machine!). For the person who is used to the latest digital TV functions, getting used to this unit will be easier, but someone making a leap from analogue to digital and replacing a VCR with a hard drive machine, initially it may seem a leap too far! Something I really like is that by entering a code, the unit's remote control now operates (basic functions only) my Toshiba TV as well. To get the most out of this machine, you need a good user manual, and I have to agree with other reviewers that the manual is probably the worst I have ever come across. It may all be in there somewhere, but finding it is another matter. For example, something as simple as setting the TV's aspect ratio is hidden away in a small table on page 144, with no reference to it in either the Table of Contents or the Index. Also, much of what is written is poorly explained. Terms are used that are not made clear, so you just hope you've got it right! Some reviewers say that you can't record one programme and watch another. This is wrong, but tends to confirm that the user manual could be better. The machine itself has 2 tuners - 1 digital and 1 analogue. The analogue is presumably mainly for those who still live in an area where they can't get a decent digital signal. But it also serves another function, which is to provide the signal to the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), GUIDE Plus+, which is only updated by an analogue channel. If you don't connect your aerial via the unit's analogue tuner, then the EPG will always be blank, unless, during setup, you change the EPG option to digital. I experimented by disconnecting the unit's analogue tuner and opting for the digital version of the EPG. However, this is much less sophisticated than the analogue GUIDE Plus+, so I returned to using GUIDE Plus+. None of this is properly explained in the user manual. My unit also has a minor fault with the manual setting of the recorder timer, but at the moment there isn't a firmware update available from Sony to fix it (I've discussed this with Sony technical staff). Maybe now you can see why some users get confused! Our TV is an old analogue one, so you can record one digital channel while watching one of the 5 terrestrial channels. What you can't do is record a Freeview channel (using the unit's digital tuner) and watch another digital channel at the same time. To do this you have to have a digital TV, or another digital set-top box. As people replace their old analogue TVs with new digital ones, this limitation will disappear, but again, it's not made clear in the user manual. However, you can start recording a programme, then watch it from the start a bit later, while it's still recording the rest of the programme. You can also watch a previously recorded programme, while it records another, plus all the other good things that a hard drive recorder offers. Then you can dump old programmes you want to keep from the hard drive onto DVD, to free-up space on the hard drive. I believe this machine offers just about everything that most people could ask for, but don't bother trying to get everything out of it on day-1. Start by using the basic functions and learn what else it offers as you go along. Also, visit the Sony web site for more information - it seems that they realise that most people are thoroughly confused, so have published some additional info. While you're there, you can download firmware updates for the unit and also use their feedback page to complain about the dreadful user manual and tell them to provide a decent one, which can be downloaded. Customer Rating: Summary: EXCELLENT,AMAZING MACHINE Comment: I really dont know why some people are having a moan about this machine,it's really nice and the picture quality is amazing both on playback and recordings. Although it has a seperate analogue and digital tuner,you can only record one program at a time,but I dont have a problem with that. The unit is extremely well made and also looks good too. It has a built in fan at the rear of the machine,which is quiet enough,and this helps to keep the unit cool when it's running,and only comes on when the unit is being used.(Standby it turns off) I agree that the instructions could have been written a bit better,but with a bit of patience it's perfectly understandable and getting the most out of your machine will soon be easy enough. There are no problems with the software,and mine from Amazon came with the latest 1.65 firmware,and even if yours dont have this firmware,it can be downloaded from the sony website,and put on a disk to update it. This is truly one amazing machine,and I highly recommend it............. So go on,get yourself one of these and be a part of the digital age. Customer Rating: Summary: Total disappointment - you can't watch one channel and record another! Comment: I am very disappointed with this machine and dearly wish that I'd paid more attention to other Amazon user reviews before I bought it. The set-up was really tricky - it took me about 2 hours over 3 days (and I'm not a technophobe). That's despite the fact that I have a nearly new Sony telly so they should be very compatible. The instruction book is truly dreadful. AND only then did I realise that it will not record one programme whilst you are watching another, nor can you record two programmes simultaneously (both you could do easily on my old hard disk freeview box which cost me about £60 - though granted it did pack up after 18 months). So if you want to see two programmes which clash you are stuffed. Why oh why didn't I go for something simpler and cheaper? More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: The RDR-HXD870 player/recorder can record hours of high-definition video in resolutions of up to 1080p! With Sony's technologies such as Bravia Theatre and Theatre Sync, this player/recorder lets you discover the new face of digital videos, as it incorporates a Freeview tuner that allows you to tune in and record free digital television channels. It can also record high-quality images onto DVD-R and DVD-RW discs or CDs, and is compatible with Pictbridge and other multimedia applications, thanks to its USB port. You can store your JPEG images and MP3 files on its hard drive and make DVD backups of your home videos. You can even increase the quality of your creations by connecting your camcorder to its i.Link input. Also equipped with an HDMI output, the RDR-HXD870 will set off your audio/video system a treat!