Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony RDR-VXD655 VHS DVD Recorder Combo with Built In HD Tuner

With the conversion from analog to digital TV signals to be completed by 2009, I wanted to extend the life of my 5-year old analog set. I had read that some of the newer digital recorders have tuners in them, enabling them to function as the converter box that will eventually be required when the signal switch is complete. Moreover, the recorder will still be useful when the analog TV is replaced with a HDTV. Since I did not have a digital recorder, that would be another benefit.

The VXD655 turned up during my search. Since my TV is a Sony, I thought it would be a good match. This DVD/VCR recorder combo also would enable me to get rid of my old tape player and save space.

The unit has exceeded my expectations. I had been receiving a very good quality picture with a modest roof-top antenna, but going digital really kicked the quality up a notch or two it terms of more accurate colors and picture sharpness. I am fortunate in that all of the local over-the-air signals come from the same direction, the transmission towers all being clustered on a high spot about 15 miles from my home. I do have an antenna rotator but do not have to touch it. I am receiving all the local stations with great quality plus some secondary channels the stations operate. With the resulting high quality of my TV picture, there is no reason to hurry into getting a high def.

DVD and VCR recording and playback are accomplished easily, and there are several recording quality or duration choices. The unit handles Rewrite DVDs and I am using them much as one would use a hard drive. The recorder also provides for easy dubbing back and forth between tapes and disks. Editing recorded media is a bit slow using the remote to select letters from an on screen keyboard. This is a function that can more easily be done on a computer.

Setup was painless. A quick start guide is included. I do recommend spending a few bucks extra for an s-video hookup cable if your TV provides an input socket. If there is a downside, it is the remote control. The buttons seem to require much more pressure to activate them than the two older Sony remotes that I have. Consequently, I find it frequently necessary to give the remote control a second squeeze.

In sum, the unit works great for my needs.

I researched DVD/VCR combos for weeks. My husband wanted a new DVD player for our new digital TV and I wanted something to record our TV shows that could be watched on our other TVs - hence, the VCR. The QAM/digital tuner is also important because we often record when watching another program. We first purchased a Magnavox but just watching a DVD was torture. This Sony was a great improvement in viewing but disappointing in one major aspect: the tuner preset. We have cable without a set top box of any kind so the hookup is simple. However, each time the lengthy auto preset was initiated, the Sony would only add about half of the digital channels available. You cannot manually add channels to the lineup, only delete. The auto preset takes at least 40 minutes for the digital channels (even though I only have 11 available) so it is pretty frustrating when you get a different batch of channels each time. Then, when I decided to record a digital channel (the only one that the unit consistently added during the setup), it only recorded in black and white, not color. It recorded analog channels fine. In addition, the unit did not like my DVD-RW discs, freezing the recorder each time so that I had to turn the unit off and then eject the disk. As far as DVD playback, it was beautiful and dubbing from our VHS tapes to DVD-R was simple to do and they look great. I was also able to record one program while watching another - a big concern. After finalizing the disks, they play on every DVD player we have. Finally, I bought a JVC combo for $150 less than the Sony. The JVC unit added every digital channel during the 10 minute auto setup and records digital and analog broadcasts flawlessly. I took the Sony back immediately. I don't know if my cable line is at fault or if it is a flaw in design but I would not buy this unit without a reasonable return policy. One last caveat: the Sony does not come with any cables other than an RF cable - if you wish to hook it up to your TV, you will need to have an HDMI, S-Video, or other audio/video cable. I give it 3 stars because of the dubbing and DVD playback but you'll be reorganizing your DVD collection while it looks for your channels.

I am completely delighted with the RDR-VXD655.
This is a complex piece of equipment, but the manual is very thorough and complete.
Attaching the recorder to my SONY Bravia HDTV was no problem. I was able to record and playback with both DVDs and tapes immediately.
It takes patience to learn the myriad of things this recorder can do.

NOTE: For some reason, the RDR-VXD655 is not yet generally available.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas. He is in the process of transferring all our tapes to dvd. He really likes it. We have vhs tapes of
the kids from 20 years ago and we want to save them and make copies of them.
You can also record from tv onto dvd and from my video camera which uses
hi-8 tapes. The kids want their old cartoon and movies tapes done now.

I bought this Sony mainly for dubbing VHS archival material onto bullet-proof DVD's. For the most part, I am pleased.

Hook-up and set-up are about as time-consuming as any other electronics toy, but it sure helps if you are reasonably familiar with back-side TV connections and cable paraphenalia. The sketches in the instruction manual did not match my unit. Channel-seeking was speedy and trouble-free, less than twenty seconds.

As for the main reason I got this unit: it helps to use SONY blank DVD's; generic blanks frequently hung the recorder. My computer had no problem with such generics; they recorded just fine.

I do have one complaint, due to my advancing age and declining visual acuity. The remote is silk-screened white on black, in very tiny letters. Getting familiar with control functions took a while. Back-lighting of strategically-placed button functions and better ergonomics would really help in getting fumble fingers properly oriented. To this day, I still pick up the remote upside-down, a real inconvenience.

There are limited special effects capabilities with this Sony, as it is primarily a basic recorder and playback unit. Fortunately, I use the burned DVD's in another dedicated playback-only unit with full special effects. Also, this playback unit is not all-region; the European standard PAL discs will not play on this Sony.

I am satisfied with this SONY. I am a bit concerned with SONY's manual; if you are a neophyte, an electronics klutz with no previous knowledge of toys, SONY's instructions will frustrate you.