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

I had couple of gift certificates so I bought this as a second one for use with an analog TV in a spare room. Like the first it's as good as it could be - clever searchable TV guide - can't use HDMI but SCART capable. However, the quality of text of any kind (menus, subtitles, news ticker ..) is very poor. I suspect that its an inherent problem in digital to analog conversion since an older Panasonic unit wasn't great either - but, then again, the TV is old and may have peripheral de-focussing. This problem doesn't exist with recorder #1 feeding an lcd tv.

Fine and easy to use when you've found what bits of the over-weighty programme you need. Mostly accurate start and finish, but has completely missed a couple of BBC 1 programmes so far.

I was so unable to decipher the instructions that I had to pay Sony £59 to install the dvd recorder.I can usually manage by myself. It works very well, etc but I think it is ridiculous that the instructions are so bad. Apparently, you need a roof aerial to get Freeview. How was I meant to know that? I don't want Freeview as I have cable but I think full info should be given. My tv is old and I have lost the remote. This presented a problem for the installation but the lovely Sony guy managed. So, if your tv is old, be warned.

I researched the machine well before I bought it and it serves its purpose well. My previous machine - also a Sony but a previous model - became unreliable, needing to be rebooted frequently. For this model,
Positives
- similar remote and functions to the previous model
- a brighter display
- a faster start time
- the EPG link and series recording are easier to use
Negatives
- irritatingly, you cannot go straight from the TV Guide to the Title list, having to exit first
- the useability of the previous software was better
- you lose TV sound when using the guide
Overall, I guess it is a better machine, but I wish they had kept the style of the old software.

I've been thinking about getting this DVD Recorder for a while now but I have a few questions:

1) Would I be able to record one channel and watch another (My hdtv has freeview built in if this helps)?

2) Would I be able to rewind Live TV (i've seen some that start recording when you switch to a new channel thus allowing you to rewind)?

3) I have a Samsung VCR, would i be able to connect it to this DVD Recorder and transfer home videos from the VCR to the HDD?

4) I have a satellite (Hotbird) connected to my TV, would I be able to record from it?

5) I also have a Sony HDR-HC5E HDV Camcorder, would I be able to connect it to the DVD Recorder and transfer the Mini DV tapes to the HDD (using HDMI or other to keep the best quality)?

6) And finally (for now) would I be able to transfer whats on the HDD to an external hard drive via USB??


Thanks a lot in advance