Advantages: Picture quality, series recording, connectivity, editing features
Disadvantages: Software issues, Freeview EPG takes time to populate

...Sony RDR-HXD870S We've used the Sony since summer '07 as our sole Freeview box and as a way of archiving TV series and films recorded via our Sky+ system. The only difference between the 870S and the 870B illustrated above is colour - the 870S is silver (to match the rest of our AV kit). I'll start with the bad points, of which the Sony has 2 major ones: 1. The Freeview Guide can take a very long time to populate. If you are used the the Sky guide, or other Freeview boxes for that matter, it can be a pain. Delays of over 2 minutes are not uncommon even when looking at the same day listings. We are running the 870 from a newly installed digital aerial, aligned and tested by a professional, and the 870 itself says the signal is perfect, so this is not the cause. 2. The originally supplied software that deals... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Multiple recording settings, record tv & watch DVD simultaneously
Disadvantages: when recording cannot switch channels

...I purchased one of these recorders from my local sony centre a few months ago and I have not been dissapointed, well not by much. The device is relatively simple to use in its basic functions, allthough I have yet to try the more compex features. Its 160GB capacity hard drive is ample for storage as there are various levels of recording compression you can use - I have several full length movies and multiple TV shows recorded at the standard setting and I'm only at around 30-40% capacity. The built in Free-view decoder eliminates the need for a separate box and multiple scart cables. The recorder supports several mainstream disc formats, although I have been unsuccesful in playing discs recorded on PC's - possibly due to file formats rather than disc types. All of the main surround sound types are supported such as Dolby Digital... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Goes way beyond just being a TV recorder
Disadvantages: You have to read through 172 pages to find out to what extent!

...Like it or not, Freeview TV is coming - that's the over-the-air digital TV that bit by bit will see off analogue TV, and in fact the process has started, with the whole country slated to be 'cut over' by 2012. Just being able to watch it, assuming you can (I'm conveniently forgetting any aerial upgrades that may be needed), merely requires either a set-top box or a TV with the digital tuner built in. Try recording it though and your options get slimmer. You can either buy a set-top box that also contains a hard disk drive and two tuners, (aka Personal Video Recorder or PVR), or buy a machine like the Sony RDR-HXD870 which can not only receive Freeview, but record to a hard drive, and thence to a built-in DVD recorder if the need to archive anything should crop up. This also means that it doubles as a DVD and CD player. So... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Large hard drive, music jukebox, price.
Disadvantages: Size of instruction manual.

...I recently upgraded my old Dvd recorder which had an 80 Gig hard drive to this Sony RDR-HXD870B with a 160 Gig drive. The fact that i paid nearly £150 more 3 years ago for my older 80 Gig recorder only goes to show how much prices have fallen and now is the best time to purchase these products. Pricing and warranties. I paid £220 from empire direct who also give you the option during purchase to upgrade to a 3 year warranty for an extra £20. You need to sign up to become an edxtra member at a cost of £20 for 1 years membership. You then get a free 3 year warranty on selected products over £200. There is no limit to how many items you can purchase within your 1 years membership. So I paid £240 for 3 years warranty, a bargain considering this model sells elsewhere for between £220 and £320 for a basic 1 year warranty. Audio... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: pretty much does everything it says on the tin plus a bit more.
Disadvantages: only downside is lack of dual digital tuners

.... Able to play DivX formats, the RDR-HXD970 can also use DVD-Rs and DVD-RWs for your recordings. its also got a digital tuner so you get all your freeview channels its very very sexy looking and has very good build quality, remote is much better than the previous version and with the addition of being able to read usb memory sticks and record directly from camcorder via firewire this is one of the best equipped sony pvrs to date FEATURES: Region - Zone 2 Standard - PAL, SECAM DivX/MPEG4 compatible Compatible Media - DVD play: video DVD, DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R CD play: CD (CD-R/RW) MP3 play: DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R, CD-R/RW JPEG play: DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R, CD-R/RW DivX play: DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R, CD-R/RW Removable recording supports - DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD+R / DVD+RW Internal 250BG hard drive Integrated Audio Decoder - Dolby Digital... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Does far more than you might expect
Disadvantages: No High Definition support

...Don't let the number confuse you, this is NOT an High Definition recorder (If I'm wrong, then tell me!) Sony use an alphanumeric convention with their products, RDR-HXD1065 indicates that this is a high-end digital DVD-Hard disk recorder - Having tried for nine months, I've not been able to play or record high definition content on this system. In spite of these drawbacks, I still find it an immensely useful piece of kit. The model has now been superseded, but there seems to be plenty of these available online, and at a substantial discount from the original £500 price tag. The RDR-HXD1065 blurs the distinction between where an 'ordinary' recorder finishes off, and a multimedia PC starts. It *looks* like a DVD player, and indeed all the control functions present every appearance of this. Buried deep inside is a massive... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: So many feature in one
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Hi everyone, How are you all?. I hope you all find my review enjoyable and helpful to read. Today I'm writing a review about this new fantastic piece of technology. Its the Sony RDR-HXD1065. I have one at home and i really love it. I know its quite pricey, but i was saving for a long time to buy one, and if you know me, you will know that I'm a telly addict. I'm out most of the time, and because of that, i miss my favorite programmes so i decided to get one. I purchased my one from the Sony Centre at £530.99. After doing a lot of shop hunting and researching i decided to get the Sony RDR-HXD1065. I just love it Firstly i would like to tell you the reasons why i love this product and why i highly recommend it. What is the Sony RDR-HXSony? Sony RDR-HXD1065 is a DVD recorder with 250GB hard disk drive for up to 387... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Very user-friendly
Disadvantages: Occasional lock-ups

...We bought our Sony RDR-HXD710 DVD recorder in August this year, just a few months ago. We'd been flirting with the idea of getting a DVD recorder for quite a while but we kept putting it off, mainly because they seemed so unreasonably expensive at the time. However, prices of DVD recorders have gone down significantly in the past year or so. These days you can get a good machine for about £300-£400 compared to £500-£600 a couple of years ago. The HXD710 cost us just under £400 from Amazon, including del