The Sony RDR-HXD 790 is a finicky but effective piece of kit.

Advantages: Does exactly what it should. Quite smart-looking. Lots of different features.
Disadvantages: Finicky to begin with. Instruction manual not crystal clear.

...For a first time buyer of a DVD recorder, the RDR-HXD 790 is admittedly not the simplest machine to operate. To begin with is the initial connecting and setting up of the recorder. Although the instruction manual gives varying options of how to connect it to televisions, sound systems, cable receivers, etc, it was not terribly clear. I bought this DVD recorder to live in the same corner as a digital television, DVD player, and Sky + box, but the instructions seemed to imply that only an analogue signal could be received through the DVD recorder, which also has a digital input and hard drive recorder built in that allows you to pause live television. However, there is a way around it: For example, if you want to record two things on Sky +, record another on the DVD hard drive, and watch another through the television, you will need to...

tuckers87 22.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 790

Sony RDR-HXD710

Advantages: Easy to use, good picure and sound and not noisy
Disadvantages: Died too young!

...I have the same machine, which I bought in January 2006. It locks up too, but not often enough to upset me. It has been very easy to use, including recording. It gives a very clear and sharp picture and the sound is fine. The fun is very quiet too! Now the machine has gone dead on me. The only sign of life is a 20sec "Welcome" lit sign and nothing else. Then the "Welcome" goes away and nothing can wake it up. Not as dead as a dodo though, as I can hear sounds coming from inside the machine, suggesting that power is getting to it, but nothing else. I spoke to Sony. "they know nothing". They referred me to one of their recommended repairers, but before I take it to them, has anybody experienced something similar and managed to solve it? Rating: If it lasted a bit longer, I would have given a 4-5 star. But as it...

Amicha2000 27.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD710

Sony RDR-HXD870 - great picture performance

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...

SvenP 04.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 870

Sony RDR-HXD 870

Advantages: Built in HDD, Plays Alomost All media, Built in Freeview
Disadvantages: none that i can think of

......

pfishers 13.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 870

Sony RDR-HXD-890 Hard Drive & DVD Recorder

Advantages: Record to hard drive, DVD drive, watch and record at the same time.
Disadvantages: I needed to read the instruction manual!

...Last weekend our old video-recorder started chewing tapes, so it was about time that we upgraded. We already had a DVD recorder, but had been using it in tandem with our video recorder through an aerial booster that split the signal between the two machines without loss of quality. When it comes to such gadgets, being the sort of person that likes to see what I am buying, I went off to Comet's to see what was available. Being a Sony lover I was impressed by the RDR-HXD-890, one of the latest hard disk drive/DVD recorders from Sony's Range. It seems that black is back in vogue which I have always preferred; when I bought the last recorder, all I could get was silver, but there is a choice of black or silver with the RDR-HXD-890. When I got the machine home, I discovered that there were so many options on this machine that I had to...

derek-j-a 23.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDRHXD890B.CEK

User review of Sony RDR-HXD 710

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...

Jay-S 10.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD710

  'Sony' 172 Pages Of Instructions!

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...

BNibbles 09.12.2007 (11.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 870

Another winner from Sony.

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...

eddierog 29.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 870

sony

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...

Jemma_C 19.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD970

sony rdr-hxd 870

Advantages: twin tuners hdmi upscaling
Disadvantages: even bigger hard drive would be good

......

silverspooninmouth 20.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sony RDR-HXD 870