Sony RDR-HXD995 250GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder
See it at Amazon.co.uk for £199.99Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(3 out of 5)Dissapointing
This is truly a great DVD recorder (the best). The problem I have is that I have cable.If you have cable or sky, you watch it all the time. This is not suitable if you have cable or sky. If you want to record from your virgin(ntl) box you have to watch that channel! Worst than that, if records all the things you do, like turn up the volume will show up on screen when you play back. I have had this for ages and all i use it for is to watch DVDs. This is great if you you just watch freeview, and even then you have to make sure your TV has freeview so you can record one channel while watching the other (otherwise you need a set top box!). This should have two freeview tuners to make things easier. The manual is not helpful during setting up. This could truly be great if it worked better with cable and sky. I'm in the process of selling mine. I hope someone will have better use out of it than me. And before any one says, " why don't you get the V+ box, or sky+ box? Yes these do exactly all the things I wanted this to do. The only problem is, if you cancel your subscription, you lose all your data! Also I was hoping for a one box solution that would store all my music (great feature by the way) and films as well as being a great DVD player. Very disappointing. This doesn't fit into modern TV. Sky+ and The V+ box are the way forward. Come on Sony catch up!
(5 out of 5)pleased with this
not long had this quite pleased with this not noisy plays back divx/xvids ok certain dvdr discs it dont seem to like setting up is a breeze epg can be a bit slow playback of dvds is excellent but i really would recomend this because the ease of setting it up to record to hdd and editing/timeslip features
(5 out of 5)If you've got Freeview this is the recorder for you
I've had the 250GB version of this hard disc recorder for about a month now and I'm completely happy with it. I understand if you've got Sky or Cable it's a bit tricky to setup, but if you're planning on using it for just Freeview it's perfect. Some reviews have mentioned that the unit is loud, but I think they must just have faulty versions as mine is quiet as a mouse.
Setup is a doddle... simply put your ariel lead into the back of the Sony, a scart lead between the Sony and your TV, plug it in and you're away. Once the clock is setup and it's downloaded the programme guide (all done via a simple menu) you can begin watching, recording, playing.
Quick extra tip: If you put an ariel lead between your Sony and TV (in addition to the Scart) you can watch normal terrestial without turning on the Sony... or watch one programme whilst it is recording another for you.
If you have American DVDs, I don't think this is multi-region as standard, however I bought my box from one of the sellers advertising on the Amazon marketplace (rather than Amazon direct) because they are selling a multi-region version.
In summary: if you're trying to work out to get this or a Philips, choose this.
(5 out of 5)Worth Every Penny
This is the first review I have ever submitted but I feel this products definitely warrants it. Having had my previous Sony DVD recorder for about 3 years I decided to take the plunge and get a hard disk version. This unit is a dream. Easy to set up and the Freeview reception and picture are immaculate. But the best thing about this item for me is how easy it is to set up programs/series to record. Just select from the guide and press OK. Whereas with my old recorder I would have to think twice about going through the laborious setup routine for each programme, now it takes seconds. I have also been using it to transfer treasured VHS recordings onto the hard drive and then 'dubbing' them back onto DVD. Again, this is so easy to do and I can edit the recordings before transferring them. The dubbing process is really quick. This was my first major electrical item purchased from Amazon and it arrived within a few days. I am so pleased with this product and do not have a bad word to say about it!(And rest assured, I do not work for Sony or Amazon!)
(5 out of 5)Sony HXD 995 DVD
I don't usually bother to write reviews, but in this case I thought it was warranted.
This is a FANTASTIC bit of kit, and wish that I had bought one earlier!
I had a little bit of trouble setting it up (for some reason it didn't initially want to be recongnised on my TV), but eventually it was ok.
The Freeview tuner offers superb signal quality compared to the Freeview box I used in the past.
Recording programmes is a breeze. When I compare it to how difficult my Sony video recorder was to record from this is simply amazing! I used to go out of my way not to record things before because it was so much hassle. I have recorded more in a week of using this product then I did in the previous five years...
The quality of recording to the HDD even on SP mode is excellent. Infact it's so good for your normal viewing, I haven't even bothered to record in HQ mode. This also means that you can record & store a lot more programmes.
Amazons customer service was excellent. I received an email within 1 minute of ordering, and the tracking system makes life very easy. Although I opted for standard delivery, I still received the product within a week. Well done Amazon!