Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony RDR-HXD890 Freeview+ 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder - Black

I bought this DVD recorder to replace a shoddy Philips one which bust after a week. The SOny was such a vast improvement I couldn't quite believe they were in the same price-bracket.
When hooked up to a decent HDTV (I have a Panasonic 37" THPX70 - not high end, but decent) the picture on this thing makes standard DVDs comparable to blu-rays. When I got my PS3 and watched a blu-ray, I was disappointed that the picture quality wasn't as big a leap as I expected, only because I'd been spoiled by the Sony DVD player! It truly brings old DVDs to life.
5/5
The recorder is responsive and simple to use, and it hasn't yet cut off the beginning or end of a programme its recorded. Its so versatile with its connections that I even managed to hook my laptop up to it and recorded a radio show off the internet directly on to the recorder itself (with a blank screen). The recordings are crisp and clear on the standard settings, and look no different to the original broadcast.
5/5
The hard-drive and DVD menus are simple to navigate, though I haven't yet recorded fromt he HDD to DVD or vice versa, so i can't comment on the editing tools. I;ve heard they are very good though.
4/5
The only areas where I might criticise are: 1) The remote. Its very large, yet horribly light meaning it feels a little fragile and cheap. The buttons are a bit too small and not that logically laid out, meaning if you like watching movies in the dark you will have to turn the light on to find the pause button!
2) The updates, which are very frequent (usually more than once a day) are quite loud and can be a distraction. But this is a small price to pay to have the firmware fully up to date.
3.5/5
In all, this is a brilliant machine with a huge storage capacity, awesome picture and sound (I run it via co-axial digital to a 5.1 Cambridge AV receiver - sounds great) and brilliant usability. Get it!

Sony RDR-HXD890 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder with freeview - BlackI read the previous review about machine being "TOO NOISY" so when mine was delivered and set up i pressed the power button for the first time and waited for the machine to start which it did with just the slightest noise( I had to put my ear to the casing to make sure it was working).In the short time i have had the machine i have found it very easy to program and use if any problems crop up i will be sure to let you know.

Sony RDR-HXD890 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder with freeview - BlackThis is a very professional product. The packaging is excellent with a simple diagram on how to repack it if the recorder has to be sent back. Reassuring. Very easy to "hook up" to existing equipment as the instructions give you a diagram with alternative pathways. Just follow the letters.We then tuned it into our Sony Bravia television. There are numerous ways of using the recorder. We wrote out cards, each with a series of simple commmands summarised from the instruction book.We gave each sequence a heading depending on what you wanted to do. As less sophisticated users, our instruction cards are not as detailed as the Sony manual. So far so good, even for the grey haired ones.

The recorder is first rate. The noisy one must be faulty and should be returned. Mine is super quiet. Does all sorts of things - will copy DVDs (without protection). You can meke DVDs from VHS tapes etc.(Hook up your VHS recorder) etc.

Excellent!

It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.

My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).

Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?