The RDRGX7 DVD recorder gives you the benefits of DVD+RW/-RW/-R DVD format recording compatibility, Precision Cinema Progressive 480P (recording and playback), one touch dubbing for DV/D8 via i.LINK, and user-friendly graphic user interface.
Sony RDR-GX7 component DVD recorder is the world's first standalone, dual-RW (DVD-R/-RW and DVD+R/+RW) home DVD player/recorder. Its format versatility gives you nearly complete recording and viewing freedom--the flexibility to create or view optical media for or from most computer DVD recorders. Further, the machine can accommodate the recordable optical formats required by any of your friends and family, regardless of their DVD players (though some older players do not play recordable media).
The RDR-GX7's sophisticated camcorder control capabilities lets you manage a range of dubbing and editing functions when you connect a Digital Handycam or Digital8 camcorder through the i.LINK (IEEE 1394) interface. One-touch dubbing fosters easy tape-to-disc conversion, and you can delete unwanted scenes or make a compilation of your favorite scenes with flexible editing functions such as program edit and advanced program edit.
Several picture-enhancing technologies are aimed at creating high-quality recordings, especially when transferring images from video sources such as VHS or 8 mm camcorders. The unit can play back DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs--offering a wealth of musical enjoyment alongside its extensive video capabilities.
The playback capability of the DVD recorder is said to be comparable to the high-end DVD players in Sony's acclaimed ES line. The player/recorder delivers stunning home-theater effects through a variety of high-performance features that optimize picture quality and effectively remove noise, such as a 12-bit, 108 MHz video digital-to-analog converter with Noise Shaped Video technology, motion-adaptive field noise reduction, pre-frame noise reduction, and pre-video equalizer technologies. Variable bit-rate MPEG encoding ensures maximum efficiency and recording time (60 to 360 minutes) for all applicable DVD media.
Whether your living room is currently home to an HDTV or you're merely thinking of "someday," the RDR-GX7 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts. Using Sony's Precision Cinema Progressive technology, the recorder also encodes your DV (digital video) input sources in pristine 480p formatting.
During playback, the RDR-GX7 also performs 3:2 pulldown. DVD mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24-frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture. Top-of-the-line component-video outputs help minimize digital and line-scan artifacts on compatible advanced televisions, while composite- and S-video outputs bring compatibility with nearly any television.
Two sets of left/right analog-audio inputs and one set of outputs channel audio to Dolby Pro Logic receivers and stereo televisions. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (one each of RCA coaxial and Toslink optical) for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver.
Despite its advanced functionality, the RDR-GX7's intelligent onscreen graphical user interface (GUI) is entirely user-friendly, helping you create personal DVD titles with thumbnail pictures and operate the recorder through the sophisticated Remote Commander remote control. There's no need to cue or rewind tape here, so accessing precise points in your programming is nearly effortless.
What's in the Box
DVD player/recorder, user's manual, audio/video cord, 75-ohm coaxial video cable, Remote Commander remote control, and two AA batteries.
1 temper to a machine
Let's face it. Major name brands compete at close quarters and come up with lookalike quality recorders packed with easy features and detailed manuals, aka OEM. Shopping in your country is technically foolproof, so why this Sony, not a Toshiba or Philips? I'd go for it 'cos I know Sony subscribes to esthetics (and runs business) of CBS/Columbia. That means special imaging and sound "coloration". Being mad about Johnny Cash and Chicago LPs does a lot for picking a Sony video when need be. Another market contender'd be a PC-built-in "DVD writer" (which is cheaper!) or an HDD-equipped "new generation" recorder. Till date I never liked the flat nature of an HDD film copies though. I suspect such copying'd call for picture temperature correction and that's wrong, artificial. Last not least, I'll consider the Sony engineering accuracy, sturdy construction, lasting mechanics, error-protection, fast operation and noise free picture in whatever mode. OEM designs are not as equal as they seem.
2 Let go of the 80s! Burn TV on DVD!
END OF SNOW! No, not Christmas! Snow on the screen! It is all over baby! Now is the time to end your VHS era. A SONY GX is a good deal. For SONY equipment I believe this is cheap. Any working Sony RDR-GX series has been a good buy for me. The RDR-GX is the answer to finally packing away that VHS and the VCR into the family time capsule. Using the port inputs I copied over the collection in a month and a bit at my leisure. Now my shelf has 10 times as much space for more DVDs. DVD recorders are bulky. Don't expect to find anything as small as a VCR or a brand new DVD player on the cheap; however there are relatively cheap RDR-GX recorders still in the shops. Go now. Getting anything, especially above the GX3 model or better, is going to last you a long time because the format is here to stay. The RDR-GX is uncomplicated to operate and set-up out of the box. It is simply - television aerial to aerial in, to SCART out, check the `tech specs' to make sure it has the INS and OUTS you want to use, or else you will have to adapt your system to meet the specs. The test of a recorder is in how it handles formatting, recording and more importantly, finalizing DVDs so that they will work on other DVD players, including PCs. The SONY GX can in theory burn a DVD for almost any type of player. If you do not burn your DVDs for all players then what is point if the recorder breaks or a new model comes out that is not backward compatible for some reason? Problem is that none of these manufacturers want you to find a way to get out of their brand (what you learn next here is not in the manual). The truth is that you got to start learning the recording formatting methods from the word go. When a blank DVD media is inserted into the drive it asks you to choose a format sometimes. Don't worry about big print on the screen during formatting, just switch over to your normal channel and not the one the DVD Recorder uses. VR or Video will appear. If you choose Video the recording is locked into the DVD and can not be moved around, like editing. In VR the video is not locked into the DVD and can be edited in the DVD. Problem is that DVD-VR has trouble playing back on some other drives. Using Video format is much more compatible, however you must `finalize' your DVDs. This is done by using in-recorder software tools that finish the DVD so that it can play on other DVD players. Although not all DVDs need to be finalized to do this, you should be able to burn a format that works on a number of other DVD players. The way to do this is with DVD+RW media. If it does not work then switch media brand a few times before resigning to DVD-RW. +RW may not ask you for a formatting mode (VR or Video), in which case the disk just needs to be finalized and it will work on your other players. Another tip is to complete burn DVD media in this system. That means, do not press STOP and let the system stop when the whole DVD is packed. This helps add integrity to the DVD format and information. Stopping a recording can sometimes corrupt a DVD. If you do stop you can sometimes record another piece, and so on, like chapters. However this can cause some DVD media to fail in other systems. There are several recording modes from high definition 60 minute modes to 3 hour extra long playback modes. Test your media compatibility first before you start collecting anything. Get it right from the start. DVD media is prone to failing. Don't sweat. Just test and test and find the solution. It is usually a four step - brand, type, formatting, finalizing. A good brand DVD+RW should help solve most problems. Test your media on your PC every so often to make sure it is good. This is the key to creating very flexible DVD recordings - Global DVDs.
The RDR-GX series can render some PC analogue capture cards useless. This will do all analogue tapes through S-Video or Composite to DVD. Again check specs and you might not have to get a capture board for the PC. As for just sticking with the SONY RDR-GX, well this is why 5 stars. The RDR-GX recorders are rock solid. The media has to be very faulty for this drive to fail. It will burn to almost any DVD media and read from almost any DVD media that it burns. It is 100% reliable as a burner or else it is the media. You can jump in a disc and format it very quickly for a recording you want to make that is a few minutes away from airing knowing safely that you can view that DVD again when it has completely burned to the end (do not trust STOPS). Obviously these DVDs should be backward compatible always with future DVD RW technology recorders, but do the above to be global with your recordings. In that respect this is SONY quality burning on anything and that is very cool. The only reason not to get a RDR-GX is if you want a Hard Drive in the system that can store your video. I have never needed one to be honest. I don't burn DVDs fast enough to need a hard drive. RDR-GX defines faultless DVD technology although takes a bit of working to make it "Faultless Global DVD Technology".
3 More than satisfied!!
I bought this dvd player/recorder because of the price the store was selling it for plus the fact that is sony's top of the line DVD recorder/player. I had no idea what it could do until i had acually bought the machine . The first thing i did before i used the recorder was, i read the manual and at the same time went through the option menus on the dvd player(that inculdes the menus for the dvd recording and editing). I would strongly recommend doing so as it makes it alot easier to use from that point on.
The DVD Player itself is a very good player, not as good as Sony's ES line dvd players(more than 1000 dollars/single purposed), but it nevertheless has a very crisp and clean picture; better than most. The video editing is very easy, straight forward and simple. The projects that i have completed have always turned out exsactly the way i wanted them too, which is not always the case with editing videos from my own experience. I would strongly recommend buying this player if you want to buy a product that is useful and will save u money at blockbuster.:)
I realize that there is a new dvd recorder with 120 gig hard drive if i am not mistaken. That hard drive would come in very handy when editing numerous tv programs. Go out and buy one of these(don't hesitate) and let the good times roll, you will be more than satisfied.
4 I LUV THIS THING!!!
BUT; U KANT TAKE THE DVDs U'VE RECORDED ON THE SONY RDR-GX7 AND EDIT THEM IN YOUR PC. I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE I'M USING THE WRONG SOFTWARE. MAYBE I'LL TRY ADOBE LIVE MOTION INSTEAD OF SONIC'S MyDVD SOFTWARE THAT CAME WITH MY SONY DRU-500A RW DRIVE IN MY PC. BUT EVEN WITH THIS LITTLE DRAWBACK, I JUST LUV THIS THING. I RECORD THREE SHOWS OFF OF TVLAND EVERYDAY WHICH IN TOTAL IS THREE HOURS LONG. I RECORD THEM EACH IN LP MODE AND MY PICTURE QUALITY STILL SEEMS HARDLY SACRAFICED. I BOUGHT IT IN MAY-2004 FOR $498. IT SURE BEAT THE $799 PRICE TAG SONY HAD ON IT AT THEIR OWN WEBSITE. I WOULDN'T TRADE THIS THING FA NUTTN!!!
5 Excellent DVD recorder with THE BEST user interface!
Sony gets high marks for the best remote and gorgeous on-screen interface. Its smooth anti-aliased text looks fantastic when creating titles for your recorded shows and movies. And for once, Sony has made a remote that worth using (although Sony always goes crazy with lots of little tiny buttons).
The DV/Firewire/iLink/whatever-you-want-to-call-it port works great. You get super clean transfers from your camcorder. The One-Touch feature will automatically rewind your camcorder and automatically insert chapter marks at each new scene. However, this feature seems to work only with Sony camcorders (I can't get the feature to work with my Panasonic GS400).
I also like the flexibility of using DVD-R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RW discs (curiously it does *not* record to the Sony-invented DVD+R format!). For the most flexibility, use DVD-RW discs (in VR mode) as they give you the option to create custom thumbnails and advanced editing features.
Image quality is quite good as with any single layer DVD recorder, but a 4.7GB DVD can only hold so much data. This model offers several recording times per disc: 1 hr, 1 1/2 hr, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hour.
The recorder's best HQ setting is gorgeous. It records 60 minutes per disc at a whopping 9.7Mbit/sec (The maximum for any DVD is 10Mbit/sec). At SP/2-hours, the bitrate is around 5Mbit/sec and MPEG-2 artifacts start to become apparent. The EP/4-hour setting provides a good balance between longer record times and tolerable quality. It's on par to a VCR's SLP image quality -- just okay for daily recording. At 6 hours, the quality is similar to TiVo's "basic" setting -- which is pretty blocky for my eyes.
This is a terrific DVD recorder with lots of features and a gorgeous on-screen interface.
6 Great DVD Recorder
Has all the features I was looking for. Great price ($350) - but I think this model is no longer being made (still available at many places though). Records all DVD formats and has an i-Link input for my camcorder. Not too difficult to set up and to perform all recording functions. Now I'll be busy archiving all my old video tapes.
7 THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I 'VE MADE!!
DO NOT BUY THIS CRAPPY PIECE OF JUNK!!
I purchased this unit with faith in SONY. Well forget it!! after 4 months the unit failed and began reading "disc dirty" half way through each recording. I sent the unit back for repair. They claimed to have "fixed it" but when I received it back it STILL failed on each disc (note that these failures RUIN the disc!). They sent me a brand new unit. GUESS WHAT..?! It failed after 3 months with the SAME PROBLEM!! I sent it back for repairs. AGAIN they claimed to have "fixed it". Well, it malfunctioned IMMEDIATELY!! I sent it back AGAIN!! This time they gave me a refurbished unit. I know you wont believe this...but the unit is WORSE than the other two!! They are currently sending me ANOTHER new unit. But I have no doubt this one will STILL be a piece of crap. They simply don't have this technology down. SONY should NEVER have put this junk on the market. BEWARE!!
- UPDATE -
They sent they new unit. Guess what? PIECE OF JUNK. Fails on discs writing and when reading written discs. After trying FOUR of these units I can assure you this is a LEMON. Please note these positive reviews are from buyer who had their units for two weeks or similar time periods. I have had four different units for ONE YEAR and can tell you THIS IS JUNK! Selling this crap on ebay and buying a REAL unit. NOT SONY!!
8 Works Great for S-VHS to DVD Copies
I've had very good luck using a Sony GX7 DVD Recorder. I suggest using Philips DVD-R blanks - which have worked flawlessly so far (x20). I used only one no-name off-brand DVD-R and it would record 99% but 'freeze' for a second or two 4x and hour then continue, so I've stayed away from the junky disks and used the flawless Philips -R disks. A friend swears by the TDK -R DVD's for his Sony GX7. I've used only the 1 hour and 2 hours speeds on the Sony DVD-R which provide precise duplicates of live broadcasts or SVHS video. I have made copies of edited S-VHS video on DVD, and with the built-in Sony noise reduction, it is possible to make it look even better than the original (or worse if you over do it). You can also add titles, even to DVD-R's before you finalize them, but I could not read these titles back on a machine other than a Sony, athough all of the track and chapters sequenced properly and had no problems playing them. I've recorded TV shows - but don't forget, after you've set the timer you LEAVE the DVD Recorder Power ON! - different from a VCR in that respect. Fairly easy to setup using their menu - you just need to tell it if you want to use the composite video or S-Video input jack on the multiple inputs available. It's neat that there's two sets of inputs and two sets of output jacks, in addition to a single digital coax and optical digital SPDIF jack on the back of the unit; plus another set on the front of composite/SVideo and a Digital port. I have not used the front digital port yet, so I can't comment on it. It seems as well constructed as one of their $500 1990 editing VCR's which lasted me 10 years, so maybe this will last 5? Only one month of use thus far, and aside of waiting 20 seconds to read a disk after you turn it on, I have no complaints yet.
9 High quality, no reliability problems so far
I bought this model (which I think has now been discontinued, so good prices should abound) last winter. I have used it to copy several hundred hours' worth of home videos onto DVD-Rs and I'm extremely pleased with the results. Most of these videos were in PAL format from another country, so I had to hook it up to a Sharp and a decoder unit. I've also used the DVD-RW formats, and have recorded directly from my NTSC TV and videos, and had similar positive experiences.
In reading the latest 15-20 reviews it appears to me that they are largely consistent with my experience:
a) The quality of picture is superb, and it does clean up old VCRs slightly, but obviously can't correct garbage. I have had only a couple of "dirty disk" messages, and disks were flawed, so if you have this unit and it's giving you a lot of them despite your knowing your disks aren't dirty, you have a defective recorder unit, and should get the retailer to replace it.
b) I don't use the editing functions. It appears to me that those who were disappointed with this unit are primarily sophisticated editors. So if what you want is outstanding picture quality (and the sound is just fine, for me anyway) and aren't going to do a lot of editing, this should be good for you. But if you need a lot of the features others have described, you should look for other models.
c) I am not a technophobe or a technophile, but I grow impatient if things are hard to set up and use. The Sony is easy enough. Sometimes I had trouble finding the relevant instructions in the manual, but I was always able eventually to find them or figure it out.
Unfortunately, I am unable to use this to record PAL DVDs for my friends in other countries; I had thought I could, but the GX7 DVD sold in the US can't do this--you have to get a UK version, and I'm not sure how it would work here.
10 Editing features leave a lot to be desired
I had a Phillips for 3 years and was very happy with it. Newer version had issues with extended recording so I returned it. Circuit City wasn't carrying Phillips DVD recorder anymore so I was left with Sony. DVD + and - is a great feature, but the editing on +RW and -RW is WAY too limited. Cannot create 2 titles from 1 unless in -RV mode, which won't play on any other DVD player. So that's pretty useless. So now if I want to edit any of the DVD's I make, I'll still have to buy another Phillips model.
The picture is great on record/playback, and it plays the previous Phillips DVD's with no problem. It won't read the menu created by Phillips- with tag pictures.
All in all, the DVD recorder works, but it could use a LOT of improvements. For the cost, I expected at least something that could compete with Phillips.
11 It's the same price as my first BETAmax 20 years ago!
We bought this after reading up on all of the available similar products, and we've had it about 3 weeks now. Setup was just slightly complicated because I had to hook it up to my AV receiver, but Sony tech help was great and I had it up and running about an hour after I brought it home. Recording is fairly straightforward. I still haven't figured out all of the features (haven't had time) but I've been able to transfer several of our 10 to 16- year old home movies (VHS) and one from our old 8mm recorder as well. We don't have any digital camcorders (having not really made any home movies lately) so we haven't tried the iLink feature at all. Recording shows off of the TV is easy and quick. I read complaints about the time it takes to load the DVD each time...well, it takes a while to rewind a tape, too! Why the impatience? It takes less than 30 seconds to load a DVD...just turn on the unit, and go start the dishwasher or something! We've recorded several TV shows, and some football games since we bought the unit, and all the speeds have superior picture to the VHS VCR we had (also a Sony unit, btw). I don't recommend using the SLP speeed unless you have to (it was a good thing we did for one game; there was a 90 minute weather delay and we would have missed the end of the game had we not set it for 5 hours. The SLP speed's picture is about like a VHS, and not a good quality one. However, the other speeds (there are six altogether) are all superior to our VHS. So far, we're loving this! Now that it's so affordable (We paid the same price--$429.95 for our Sony BetaMax 22 years ago...how funny is that?? ). Who knew all the advances they'd make in 20 years.
Just wanted to add that I've now had the unit for 5 months and still works great :)
12 the superior audio/picture is no longer good enough
I keep buying Sony products because I have convinced myself that audio quality and perhaps picture quality is the best on the market. So I keep telling myself to put up with all of the flaws and limitations and there are many! First flaw - SUSCEPTIBILTY TO BREAKDOWN. (And, no, I handle everything with care!) All Sony products I have owned - VCRS, tvs, discmen, walkmen, stereos, headphones - break down more easily than others - average lifespan about 6 months to 1 year before the first breakdown. Other products last several years before needing repair if any - I've had a Kenwood stereo that has lasted me dince 1987 and is still going strong; I had a GE TV that lasted 11 years before I replaced it with a Sony flatscreen in 2002. My Pioneer laserdisc player has lasted since 1996. I have a Panasonic dvd player that has done fine for 5 years. After Hitachis plummeted bigtime I started buying Sony vcrs in the mid-nineties and put up with the frequent trips to Circuit City repair because they played my older tapes better than any other. But I have very little reason to buy Sony products from now on. First, the newer SLV-N500 VCRs are flimsy and the picture is worse. And finally I'll get to the dvd players because that is what we're dealing with here. I bought a Sony multi-disc DVP-NC600 in 2002 and have already made three trips to repair it. Now we come to the second flaw in Sony products - SENSITIVITY. When I first bought the NC600 I immediately had trouble with it playing dvds that my Panasonic had no problem playing whatsoever. Almost every other dvd - even the new ones, the unblemished ones, ones with the faintest of marks - would be declared dirty, unplayable, would freeze, would skip back. I handled them on their edges, I kept them in their cases, I babied them. I stuck with the Sony dvd player because I could immediately tell that through my Sony headphones the audio for, say, Moulin Rouge, was better than in my Panasonic. Unfortunately, I got tired of wiping M. Rouge off with a tissue every ten minutes and putting it back in the Sony whereas it plays perfectly in the Panasonic. Ditto with many other dvds. When it finally came time to get a dvd recorder, I considered the RDR-GX7 but knowing it would give me a headache with skipping and freezing I went with the Panasonic DMR-E80H with the 80GB hard drive. Everything was perfect until it kept giving me power troubles. Finally, in just a matter of 3 weeks, the E80H blew up on me. Rather than consider the possibility of having a bad egg and swapping for another Panasonic I went with the Sony. My #1 priority, after all, was converting old videotapes to dvd-r and I read and felt from experience that the picture/sound quality was sure to be better. I could always play the dvds I made with the Sony on other dvd players. And the picture/sound quality is superb, I admit. Quite frankly, there is not so much skipping/freezing going on so far in the eight months I have had it. But there is some, too many skips for a unit that is overpriced....OK, next flaw - COPYGUARDS. The RDR-GX7 is slave to both the Macrovision and CGMS/A. I don't care what the MPAA shoves down the consumers' throats - this organization which years ago wanted to ban the VCR and made ridiculous rhetorical comparisons likening the VCR to the Boston Strangler and threatens private collectors who just want to trade material like old tv shows, failed pilots, footage interviews, etc THAT IS NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE!!!!!! - is run by a bunch of BULLIES. A person has every right to make a back-up copy of a store-bought dvd he or she OWNS - these Sonys are scratching up dvds left and right. A person has every right to make compilations for one's own PRIVATE USE - some of us were film students and needed to make compilations for projects or some of us as a hobby do like to make compilations of actors' scenes or music scenes or whatever one pleases. One also ought to be allowed to make dvd-r copies of old commercial tapes that ARE NOT AVAILABLE on dvd! THERE IS NOTHING MORALLY WRONG WITH THIS!!! It's all about the MPAA members being kept from buying a few extra yachts. Off my soapbox I go. Next flaw - this may seem like nitpicking but anybody who uses these things a lot is probably getting aggravated by this, too. THE RDR-GX7 IS SLOW - LOADING DISC DATA, WRITING DISC DATA, OPENING/CLOSING - it takes forever. Whenever I record off of live tv I am always making a backup VHS recording because I know I can't trust this dvd recorder. I've only used the timer a couple of times and everything looked set and ready to go, and a brand new formatted disc was in the drive, and both times I woke up the next morning and got an "unplayable disc error." So I haven't used the timer since. But when I am there monitoring the recording I still make the backup because many times it will be recording and suddenly stop and declare a brand new clean disc dirty or unplayable, and then a big white square pops up on the screen "Writing Disc Data" and you have to sit there and wait several seconds and by then you've lost a chunk of the program. "WDD" message pops up on the screen everytime you stop the recording to, say, change modes or accidentally hit the stop or whatever - it's unnecessary. The player also automatically loads if you have a disc in there - not a big inconvenience but still I'm noting it here as another flaw because it is "loading disc data" for several seconds and you can't get those seconds of your life back. And I'll nitpick further - get rid of the big white boxes containing error messages or finalizing messages or whatever that hog the middle of the screen - some of us are trying to watch tv! I keep my cable running through my Sony VCR underneath the dvd recorder because - as I said - I only feel safe simulataneously making VHS and DVD copies because the RDR-GX7 cannot be trusted as I explained above. I've about had it with Sony..
13 Superior
The main purpose of my review is to provide the reader with information that will save him/her the trouble of enduring the ridiculous ordeal I have been through trying to find a good DVD recorder. Even if only one person is spared, it will have been worth it.
The formerly reputable European company 'Philips' has produced several DVD recorders which, as far as brand names go, are competitively priced. The first DVD recorder I bought was the Philips DVDR985. It died after 30 days of fairly heavy use and I had to return it. Amazon very promptly sent me a new one. It died after 2 weeks of moderate use and I returned it. I then purchased the Apex DVD recorder. Apex is a reasonably reliable low-end brand and they were selling the only other DVD+R recorder available at the time. (I had 150 unused DVD+R discs and needed a compatible recorder.) Its design flaws are too numerous to mention and I returned it the next day. At this point, I was forced to go back to Philips and buy the next generation model, the DVDR75. While an improvement over the DVDR985, it was still horrendous compared to the kind of products that brand name companies are usually committed to producing. It stopped recording +Rs after a couple of months, and I was forced to use the more expensive +RWs. I used it for about 8 months, got fed up and sold it. Never again will I consider buying any Philips product under any circumstances. I was now ready to shell out the money and switch to the Sony DVD-R format. The Sony has performed flawlessly under heavy use for several months. FLAWLESSLY! It is the simplest, most user-friendly DVD recorder I have ever used. Although there is nothing wrong with the DVD+R format, no one is offering a usable DVD+R recorder. If you are trying to decide what kind of DVD recordable format to purchase, forget about DVD+R. Stick with DVD-R.
I cannot emphasize enough that if you are serious about finding an acceptably reliable DVD recorder, this is your only choice at this point! Do not make the same mistakes I did! Now that the price has dropped to $499 on Amazon, there is absolutely no reason to purchase any other brand. A few months ago, I reluctantly paid $799 for it, and I would gladly do so again.
14 Excellent but some limitations
I have owned this machine for only two weeks, and consumer DVD recorders have a distressing tendency to fall apart after a month or so, so what I say must be taken with a grain of salt. So far, so good. This machine offers excellent image quality and is notably more tolerant of different brands of discs than some other recorders I've owned. Far fewer "disc error" or "can't read disc" messages than my Philips or my Go-Video. Although this machine bridges the format gap by recording on DVD+RW (not +R) discs as well as DVD-R/RW discs, it does not afford the full functionality of a DVD+RW recorder. Most notably, one cannot do "thumbnail" picture icons for chapters, and I was also unable to add them using a +RW recorder to a disc first recorded on this machine (perhaps this could be done with a computer). Also, the editing capabilities of this machine, which are formidable, do not apply in +RW mode. So this is not truly a "dual" machine. Another minor note: the "one-touch" dubbing function, which operates via the firewire connection, does not work unless the tape being dubbed was digital to begin with. Thus it does not work if you're using a Digital 8 camcorder outputting a digitized signal from an older analog tape. But these images can be recorded in the "normal" way just fine. All in all, I'm very pleased, so far. Hint: check out the "used and new" merchants before you pay amazon's price.
15 Perfect
This DVD recorder is amazing! I've had it for about a month now, and have burned about 30 DVDs (both -r and -rw formats - haven't tried +rw yet). I've used three different brands of discs (Memorex, TDK, and Fuji), and not a SINGLE ONE has failed. I've burned things at SP, LP and EP speeds -- I get great quality even at the higher speeds. I do notice a bit of quality degradation when a disc is paused, but when it's running it seems just fine to me.
Altogether, an excellent product and well worth the price.
16 Great Product - A little pricey.
I highly recommend this DVD Recorder for people wanting to transfer their home movie tapes to DVD and to transfer television programs directly to DVD. Recording Quality is excellent from 8 mm VCR to DVD and from VHS to DVD. I gave it 4 stars because the price is high.
I would look to a DVD Recorder with a hard drive if you want to use the recorder for editing and/or recording Television Programs.
It is very easy to set up and very easy to use.
The on screen menu system is excellent.
I have worked in the electronics business for over 10 years and ease of use is important. This one has it.
It allows many editing features if you use DVD-RW in VR Mode. (Only basic with DVD+RW and DVD-R).
Finalizing Time isn't bad either. 5 minutes for a full 2 hour movie. It sure beats the hours upon hours of encoding time a Computer takes to make a movie DVD.
DVDs created on it in Video Mode play well in all the DVD players I tried. (One was a 3-4 year old very sensative basic player).
I don't usually review products but had to post because I'm very happy with this one.
17 Do not buy freezes!!!!!!!!
I bought this recorder because of the features and the ability to record in -RW VR mode, which means I do not have to finalize the disc and can play this recorded disk in any of my other DVD Players. Well only in the -RW VR mode whatever you have recorded, when you play it back it ALWAYS FREEZES on the very last frame of the playback and the only way to stop it is to manually push stop, the pause light comes on and it is stuck. I called Sony tech support 3 different times and got as high as a 4th level technician, and no one could explain it. I took the machine back to best buy and the new machine did the same thing, took it back and my 3rd machine did the same thing, took it back and best buy managers took their floor model and recorded 10 seconds in the -RW VR mode and sure enough it freezes too. I did not want this to happen because if you happen to fall asleep while watching something you have recorded (as sometimes I do) then it is frozen on your screen at the end which can fog the lens in the player and cause ghosting to your TV. I am still looking at other recorders now. Any suggestions????
18 iLink glitch
I bought the Sony RDR-GX7 just before XMAS 2003 as a present for my wife and I after having researched it to death and procrastinated over it endlessly. Ultimately, we felt it was the best buy out there. While I have been highly impressed with the many capabilities and picture quality of this DVD recorder, one of the major reasons that I paid the top price for it was its iLink capability using "One Touch Dubbing". Using this function one is supposed to be able to digitally record an entire DV tape and then later edit it with little loss of picture & sound quality. However, using the iLink has revealed either an Achille's heel of this DVD recorder or, hopefully, an isolated problem. It will not record - via the iLink port - a complete miniDV tape playing in a digital camcorder. I am using my less that two year old Canon ZR45 miniDV camcorder. After an unpredictable and variable amount time the RDR-GX7 just stops recording from the camcorder and starts to "Write Info" - meaning that as far as it is concerned all of the tape has been copied and it is saving other associated data to the DVD disc. When this happens, the camcorder, however, has not reached the end of the tape and still has large part of the tape still left to record to the DVD disc. I have tried to copy the miniDV tapes to all types of recordable DVDs from different manufacturers (TDK, Verbatim, Imation, Memorex) all to no avail. I thought that perhaps the problem lay with the firewire cable that I was using but, using a second new one, did not solve the problem either. It does not matter which recording quality setting one uses, the problem remains. So finally in frustration, I returned RDR-GX7 to Circuit City for repairs and was told that because the Sony 90 day Warranty had passed, and not withstanding having the Circuit City extended warranty, the machine would have to be sent out for repairs and, pending the outcome, then we would see what to do next. So I am waiting for it to return. I bought the extended waranty because of a previous bad experience with a Sony CD player which failed withing a week of the expiry of its warranty period - but that's another story. I have read of no comments on the the iLink function and how it works for people but anyone considering this recorder certainly needs to test this capability very quickly after purchasing it.
Update2/1/2005
OK. So this update is a little overdue:-) I still have the digital problems mentioned above. After I got the recorder back from Circuit City, who sent it to Sony for "repairs", it still would not carry out the "One Touch Dubbing" from my Canon Digital camcorder. I can only surmise that there is probably an incompatibility with the Canon and Sony digital recording formats. Having said this the formats that the two use are supposed to be the same - I checked both their DV recording format information in their manuals.
Apart from this, and after hundreds of hours of recording DVDs of all varieties and from all sources (TV & VHS tapes), I am still very happy with the recorder and would recommend it to anyone considering purchasing a DVD recorder. I see that the latest trend has gone toward offering DVD/VHS recorders - perhaps the best option for those wishing to copy their old VHS tapes. And Sony has a model in that category too!
19 Good DVD Recorder for Dubbing
I've had this recorder for a couple weeks now and I'm very satisfied with it. I bought it mainly for the capability of cleaning up the input signal. This generally works well except color modifications are slight. Despite the large instruction booklet I found it easy to use especially with the on-screen prompts. The joystick on the remote is a definite plus. The editing is limited to DVD-RW VR mode and there is no hard drive to edit on. To remove commercials, I have to record to this mode, remove the commercials with the A-B erase and record back to a S-VHS recorder, then record back to a DVD-R. The noise reduction keeps the loss of quality to a minimum and it's definitely superior to VHS to S-VHS recordings. It will not record tapes with copyguard and flashs an on-screen message to tell you so. It's looking for both macrovision and the old vertical-sync copyguard that the studios are apparently still using even with the macrovision. So macrovision killer won't be enough. One problem that I had with it is placement. It's considerably deeper than the average component. However, the all-metal enclosure allows for moderate stacking. While I generally record at 60 min, 90 min and 120 min, the 180 min is quite good.
20 DVD Recordingis Getting Better, but There are Still.....
some issues. I've had my Sony RDR-GX7 for several months now, and for the most part it is a good product, but it does have one issue that might make you want to look at a different DVD recorder (DVDR). This is noted on page 88 of the manual where it says in the footnotes, "Do not connect the output jack (s) of this recorder to another equipment's input jack with the other equipment's output jack connected the input jack of this recorder. Noise (feedback) may result." "MAY" is not the word I would have used. "WILL" is a better one. What does this mean? It means you cannot hook this DVD recorder up to a receiver/amp like you would a VCR. If you do, you cannot record without getting feedback on top of no picture. To prevent this, you have to have the picture source come directly to the DVDR, then output to the receiver/amp, instead of having your picture source come to your receiver/amp and you record using that picture source. However, you can use one of those 4-in, one/two-out junction boxes to solve this problem, but having had VCR's since 1977 and a different DVDR (Phillips) for two years, none of which had this problem, there should have been some way Sony could have prevented this problem.
Another reviewer pointed-out that if you use the SVHS video inputs, you need to use the instructions near the end of the instruction booklet. This is an important issue if you want to have a quality picture. These instructions are found on pages 88-89 of the manual.
Overall, both the Phillips and the Sony DVDR I have had give you a terrific picture. Both are easy to use. The Sony is a little more intuitive, and it is easier to enter the titles, but the titles don't show on the screen as they do on the Phillips. If I had to choose, I would chose the Sony, even with the above limitation. The Sony uses the DVD-R blank disc versus the DVD+R of the Phillips. I haven't had problems with either after finalizing them.
I hope this information helps those out there who are thinking of purchasing a DVDR.
21 good but no hard drive and no time slip
pretty good recorder... i think it would be more useful for transferring VHS or DV to DVD rather than as a DVR.
Reasons:
1) No hard disk. So if you want to record in SP mode and you want to record a 1 hour program and a 90 minute program, then you got to drive home to change the disc. It will only accept 2 hours of DVD quality video on one disc.
2) Let's say you record a movie from 8pm to 10pm. You arrive home at 8:30pm. Tough luck, you can't watch the movie like you can with the Tivo or the Panasonic DVR. You have to wait until 10pm to watch the movie... from 10pm to 12am... and maybe tell your boss the next day the reason you are late for work is due to your DVR.
3) let's say you watch a program and it looks interesting and you press the Record button to record it. Ok, then you found that the record mode is set to EP, which is not so good quality. So now you press STOP to stop the recording and change the recording mode to SP. It feels like you have to wait 45 seconds for it to "write info" before you are allowed to change recording mode and record again... [for DVD-R. if DVD-RW it is only a few seconds]. on the Panasonic DVR with the hard drive, it is close to instantaneous.
4. Even if you record to DVD+RW, you can't edit the recording, such as taking out the blank or commercial at the end. To do that, you need to use DVD-RW (minus R) and in VR mode. DVD-RW in Video mode won't let you do that either. It is too complicated. With a hard disk in the other DVR models, you don't worry about any of those... just record and edit to your perfection and then transfer it to the DVD-R like DVD studio would produce them.
But recording VHS to DVD is good... you have several modes: HQ, HSP, SP, LP, EP, SLP... which is 1hr, 1.5 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4hr, and 6hr. So you can choose whichever quality / length that you desire.
22 very good recorder
On my last review of the rdr-gx7 dvd recorder, i said i had it since 2/19/03----i should have said 1/19/04. i got my dates really mix up. just wanted to be honest and correct this.
23 john white
I have had this recorder since 1/19/04. so far i have transferred 20 vhs tapes to dvd-r, the picture is great. I bought sony for 2 reason: 1st--i don't think the dvd-ram will sell well for long--most dvd players want play them. 2nd: sony RDR-GX7 recorder records dvd-r, dvd+rw and dvd-rw. -r and +rw can be played back on most dvd players. i do not like sony vcr's, but their cd and dvd players have proven to be very reliable. i own the cdp-991 cd player which is about 8 years old and a dvd player [dvp-s360] which is about 3 years old. my point is this, i would think that the dvd player and the cd player would have some of the same parts as the dvd recorder making this recorder very reliable. Only time will tell for sure. This recoder does a good job of recording off of the tv, the picture is the same as the original. but in ths case i have to recommend TIVO for tv recording, it will do alot more for the money. hope my review was helpful
24 Great quality, but not from my Wedding video
Bought the Sony RDR-GX7 with high hopes of transferring all of my home videos to DVD. The quality was okay - not really any different from the original video. But I wanted something more for my wedding. I found it an anchordigital.com - their IWeD product came out much nicer than anything I could have done.
The Sony RDR-GX7 is a solid (if pricey) performer - and I'm happy leaving the wedding tape to the pros and making my own TV to DVD collection with it!
25 Don't use Amazon.com buy now for pickup option!!!!
I used the Amazon.com buy now for pickup feature for this item. I was directed to buy the recorder from a local Circuit City Store. I purchased it through Amazon.com and received email immediately from Amazon to wait at least an hour for Circuit City to respond. They did so in about 20 minutes. Here is the email that Circuit City sent to me:
City sent to me:
Dear xxxxx
Thank you for your order. We hope you will enjoy your product, as well as your shopping experience. Your Store Pickup item has been specifically reserved for you and is IMMEDIATELY available at your selected store. If you aren't planning on running to the store right now, that's okay. We will be happy to hold your order for the next 14 days, so you can pick it up when you are ready.
Note that your credit card has been processed and charged by Amazon.com Payments. You will see `AMAZON.COM * PAYMENTS' on your next statement, reflecting this purchase.
Your order information is: Authorized people to pick up order:
Order Number: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx
Order Date: 01/01/2004
Bill to: Pickup at Circuit City Store:
xxxxxxxxx Christiana #3157
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 700 CENTER BLVD
WILMINGTON, DE xxxxx NEWARK, DE 19702
302-xxxxxxxxx302
Payment Information:
Credit Card:
MasterCard **** **** **** Amount Charged: $629.87
Processed Order:
QTY PRODUCT TAX AMOUNT
1 SON RDRGX7 Sony Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder N $629.87
Subtotal $629.87 Shipping $0.00
Total Sales Tax $0.00
Total Current Purchase $629.87
I drove to the store, gave my ID and credit card to Service Desk. My card was charged and I was told the recorder would be available in just a few moments. I returned to the service desk in 10 minutes and was told the item was not in stock.
A complaint to the customer service manager went no where.
I had to drive the distance to this store and have my credit card charged before I was told the item was not in stock!!!!
I would certainly never shop circuit city again and would be very wary of Amazon.com offer to purchase an item to pick up.
26 Don't understand all the raves, this product is worthless !
Having read the glowing reviews on Amazon, I purchased this machine and am terribly disappointed at it's performance. My main reason for selecting this model was that it uses DVD-RW format, amongst others. On inserting a disc, it tries to format it and then rejects it - saying 'dirty disc' on the display. I have tried several brands and have had the same issue. I even took my discs to a local retail store and got the same error message on their machine. Yes, I could purchase DVD+RW's and try those, but I don't feel like investing anymore time or money on a machine that fails to live up to it's hype. Shame on you Sony !
27 Great Recordings; Setup Instructions Omitted Important Step
This is a GREAT dvd recorder. When I first started researching dvd recorders, I was leaning toward the Philips because they were the first on the market. But after reading so many negative reviews here, I decided to look at other brands. I chose the Sony because of its great rating with Amazon, and also because of the Sony reputation. Two of my other dvd players are Sonys, and they both work really well. I also chose it because having a firewire input was very important to me, since I have a minidv camcorder. That narrowed my choices, I think, to Philips, Sony, and a Panasonic that uses Dvd roms, which I didn't want.
My only hesitation in purchasing this Sony(actually it was a Christmas present from my husband, but I told him which unit I preferred) was that it didn't record on DVD+R discs, and a salesperson at an electronics store told me those were the most compatible with other players. But I have three dvd players, and a dvd drive on my computer, and the dvd-r discs play in all of them. And one of the dvd players is over three years old!
One thing I wanted to put out there, which might help you if you purchase this recorder, is that the setup instructions skip an important step. When you connect to the video inputs in the back, you need to go into the "setup" screen and specify whether you are using the video inputs(the yellow cable), or the "s" inputs. You also may need to tell it to turn off black screen or something like that (I'm going from memory here). When I first hooked this up, I couldn't figure out why I could get sound but no picture with the rear inputs, but with the front input, I could get a picture (from my Directv broadcast, I mean, not from a dvd). Nowhere in the setup instructions does it tell you to go to the setup screen and specify which input you are using. I actually exchanged my first unit for another one because I was convinced the video inputs were faulty. When the same thing happened with the 2nd unit, I decided to read the instruction book cover to cover to figure out the problem. Somewhere toward the back of the 100+ page instruction book, it told me what to do.
Once I got a video signal from all my inputs, I had absolutely no problems operating this machine, and the dvds came out beautifully. I dubbed an old sp speed vhs tape that was made from a cable broadcast with the 90 minute dvd speed. The dvd picture was better than the picture on the tape from which it was dubbed! Then I dubbed another old tape, this one ep speed, at the 120 minute speed. The picture might not have been better than the original tape, but it certainly wasn't any worse. Mostly, I have been transferring old 8mm camcorder movies to dvd, and they come out beautifully at the hq 1 hour speed. I tried doing this with the dvd burner on my computer months ago, and the quality was awful. The picture quality was poor, and the sound was out of sync. My computer burner did a great job with the newer digital minidv tapes, but the old analogs just didn't work well there. With the Sony recorder, the 8 mm dub is flawless; the dvd looks and sounds as good as the original tape.
Another plus with the Sony is that it uses 3 different dvd formats. I've tried them all, and I really have no preference, except that +rw is nice because it doesn't need to be finalized at the end, which saves about 5 minutes of your time. Though the rw discs are rerecordable, I don't need this feature because I have Tivo. My dvd recorder is strictly for archiving, not time shifting, so I won't be erasing. So I'll buy whichever disc format is on sale or cheapest. It's nice to have three formats to choose from when you're shopping!
In summary, this is a top notch dvd recorder that should meet all your recording needs.
28 Excellent!
I tried an RCA it was SH_T! But you cannot compare RCA to Sony!
But I was going to save money buying a cheaper brand. Don't! This Sony DVD recorder is easy to use and is solid and heavy...very well built. I love it! I spent a lot more than I wanted, but I feel I got my monies worth and that this product will last until the DVD's are replaced by the next technology. Hopefully that won't be for another 10 or 15 years.
29 Visionary and ingenious Sony
The Sony RDR-GX7 DVD Recorder is a high-tech marvel brought to us by the ever visionary and ingenious folks at Sony.
Although the RDR-GX7 is somewhat expensive, it is well worth the price. The recording clarity is top notch. And this machine is very user friendly. It automatically labels and dates your recorded programs. And it creates "chapters" in your recordings. You can instantly play back your entire recorded program (no re-winding necessary!). Or you can select to play a specific chapter only.
If you record using DVD + RW discs, you can easily and quickly erase an existing recording and replace it with a new recording. It would require several minutes to erase the contents on a full VHS tape. It takes about 1 second (no kidding!) to erase the contents on a full DVD + RW disc.
The RDR-GX7's advanced technology also prevents you from accidentally recording over a program that you intended to save. And the machine will automatically adjust the recording speed if you are running out of room on your disc.
There are a few disadvantages in using the RDR-GX7. My husband and I found it very complicated to set up this DVD recorder so that we could transfer existing programs from our VHS tapes onto DVD discs. We actually had to hire someone to do this. Also, the recorder sometimes takes a long time to eject a recorded disc because it slowly "info writes" the disc prior to ejecting it. (I think that "info writes" has to do with identifying and storing information on the disc.)
But these are minor complaints. Overall, the Sony RDR-GX7 is yet another miracle of technology which people will find hard to resist.
30 It Does What Sony's Says It Should Do
I have used this unit for about 30 days now and so far it does pretty much what the specifications or Sony say&
31 The New Cornerstone of My Home Theatre
I've had my Sony RDR-GX7 recorder for two weeks now, as of the date of this review. I decided to buy it in part because of the raves it got from consumers here on the amazon.com website. Let me tell you, they didn't steer me wrong! This recorder has already become an indispensible asset to my home theatre system.
As a devoted film fanatic, I've been wondering for years how I was ever going to replace some of the scarcer titles in my movie collection once my old hardware players die (I own movies in several now-defunct formats). It's no longer a worry - I'm transferring everything to DVD-R discs! And the new DVDs look incredible, even on my 57" widescreen TV ... the Sony DVD recorder is cleaning up some of the video "noise" on my old software, and the results are amazing. I also have an extensive library of home movies featuring loved ones who are no longer alive, and it's such a relief to be preserving my cherished - but fading - VHS tapes onto DVDs! I'm even doing some re-editing with my new Sony Recorder, and although I'm strictly an untalented amateur, I'm very happy with the results I've achieved so far.
The RDR-GX7 has some very cool special features that I wanted, but didn't think it had when I bought it. You can set up the recorder to automatically make Chapter Stops on your DVDs, at either 6 minute or 15 minute intervals, making the discs easy to search. You can record several programs onto one DVD, and then create a menu - including the names of each separate title - using a simple feature on the remote control. There are six recording modes, allowing you to control the quality and total recording time of each disc you make. If you make a mistake while starting to copy something onto a disc, it's no big deal! Just "erase" the bad footage using your remote control, and start over - your mistake will still be on the disc, but it will be permanently "hidden" and unplayable, so no one will ever guess you're not the perfect DVD-masterer. If you want to record raw footage and then edit it later, you can do so by using a DVD-RW disc and recording in a special editing mode.
The Sony RDR-GX7 is also very easy to set up ... I was afraid it might be a nightmare to integrate into my existing home theatre system, but the Quick Start Guide made it simple. I had never used a DVD-recorder before, but I had it hooked up to my DSS dish, AV receiver, TV, VCR, and LaserDisc player - and was creating my first disc - within an hour of unpacking the box!
I'm admittedly not familiar with all the other DVD-recorders on the market, so I really can't compare them all. However, I can tell you that I debated making this purchase for about four months while I debated formats and features and prices, and that I have aboslutely no regrets about choosing the Sony RDR-GX7. It's everything I hoped it would be ... and much, much more. Good luck making your product decision, and I hope that whatever your choice, you end up being as completely satisfied as I. Happy DVD recording!
32 Fantastic DVD Recorder
I purchased the Sony RDR-GX7 DVD recorder in June. Since June I have used the recorder daily, sometimes recording two or three shows a day. The more I use the RDR-GX7 the more I like it.
First, it is very convenient to use. Just pop a recordable DVD (+RW, -RW or -R) into the tray and set the timer. The timer is very easy to set (it even has the VCR+ feature.) The RW discs are used like VHS videotape because you just use them over and over again. Plus you never have to Fast Forward or Rewind the disc to find a place to record and you always know how much space is available with very nicely laid out on-screen displays.
Second, this unit has two noise reduction circuits. One for the incoming signal and one for the outgoing signal. This means that even if the TV signal coming into the tuner is not good, the recorded DVD is watchable. The recording is usually better than the incoming signal even when recorded in the SLP (6 hour) mode.
Third, the discs you record on this unit in the +RW mode are immediately watchable in another DVD player. I often watch one +RW disc I've recorded on my 'GX7 with my Sony DVP-NS700P player while my RDR-GX7 is recording something else. I've also used -RW discs formatted in VR mode to record on and that mode is great for editing the disc, but very few players will playback -RW VR mode. You can format the -RW discs in Video mode and they playback in other players. -R discs, once finalized, playback fine on most other players. Be aware that some older DVD players may not playback RW discs, regardless of format.
Fourth, recording from a camcorder or VCR is very easy and the final product is VERY good. I've already transferred several older family video tapes over to DVD and I'm very happy with the result. This unit is easier to use for dubbing VHS, Hi8, Mini DV, etc. to DVD than my computer. However, the computer does allow for fancier editing than is possible with the 'GX7.
Finally, this recorder is also a great player. It has progressive scan, Dolby Digital and DTS. It also plays back CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs. It has very flexible outputs so you should be able to hook it up to your system without difficulty. One note, however, there is no RF converter, so your TV must have video or component inputs or you will need to buy an RF converter. The RF input on the recorder is only used to receive the signal for the antenna feed and then pass the signal through to the TV and/or VCR. Also be aware that there is no hard disk drive in this unit but that it DOES have advanced editing features when used in conjunction with a miniDV camcorder. I'm very impressed with the flexibility and quality of this unit. Sure, you pay a little bit more for the Sony, but in this case it is worth it. I'm a long time Sony fan and customer and this unit continues to hold up their high standards of excellence. If you buy this unit, you should be very happy with it.
Happy DVD burning . . .
33 So Far, So Good!
I bought the Sony DVD Recorder a couple of weeks ago and have thoroughly enjoyed working with it. Before I purchased the Sony unit, I captured video and burned DVDs via my computer, which was fun, but somewhat of a hassle as I had to hook up my VCR, video card and PC while sitting at my computer desk. I now have a VCR hooked up to the DVD Recorder in my bedroom and I can just relax on my bed and record my VHS tapes to DVD. Plus I don't have to worry about software glitches which can disturb video capture and/or DVD burning.
The Sony accepts three of the five primary DVD media for recording (DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD+RW). It does not allow you to record on DVD+R and DVD-RAM discs, which almost caused me not to purchase this machine as I have quite a few DVD+R discs that I paid big money for my computer video editing needs. However, if you record a program on a DVD+RW disc, you can use your home computer (provided you have both a DVD-Rom drive and a DVD+RW drive) to copy the DVD+RW data to a DVD+R disc. That DVD+R disc is playable on the DVD Recorder. It's an additional step, but it is one I'll probably use until the DVD+R's are used up. You can then erase the DVD+RW disc for use in recording another program.
Video quality of the DVDs is quite good. So far, I have done all my recording at the 120 minute quality level as many people who have this machine state that this yields pretty good results. I have to agree that it does. You also have the ability to record in 60, 90, 180, 240 and 360 minute modes, so I assume that quality improves or diminishes with less or more time respectively.
For recording purposes, the DVD+RW disc provides only basic editing functions, primarily related to changing title names and deleting shows. If you overrecord something (say a commercial after the program), I don't think that you can edit the disc to remove the commercial. My understanding is that the DVD-RW discs provide more flexibility for editing than the DVD+RW, but I have not tried it yet.
Overall, this appears to be a great product in the Sony lineup. I suspect future generations will be even better and cheaper, but I'm happy with this purchase so far.
34 Great product. I am loving it so far...
After fruitlessly trying to set up a miniature movie and DVD burning studio on my computer, I broke down and bought this DVD Recorder. I absolutely love it so far, and I plan on eventually converting my massive sports event collection to DVD.
The product comes with a huge user manual, but I don't know why, because it is extremely easy to use. It is no more complicated than a new VCR. All of the menus and commands are intuitive. Most commands only require you to press three or four buttons to get to a command. To start using it, you just pop in a DVD, start recording, pause to edit out the commercials, and stop when you come to a natural break in the program. When you are done, you can name your chapters using the on-screen menus. I use DVD-R disks, and they are extremely cheap if you get them 25 or 50 at a time, which you will most definitely want to do.
This weekend I zapped a football game from my satellite to two DVDs using the HSP recording mode. I watched a few minutes of the DVD with a buddy of mine, and we both couldn't get over how wonderful it looked, and how crisp the recording was. I can get 90 minutes to a DVD on HSP mode, and it almost perfectly reproduces a satellite or digital cable picture (if you squint real hard, you can sometimes see rough edges around small objects on the screen when they are moving - that's about it.) You can get up to 3 hours on a DVD with the LP mode, but you can see the slight decrease in quality from a satellite picture.
Before you buy, MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE RECORDING MODES! The technology does not allow you to reproduce a 150-minute movie yet on one DVD (it requires two). That is, unless, you want to take a quality hit. If you can get over this, then this is a product that you will want to get.
35 Great recording quality
I have recorded on this Sony unit for several weeks now. Recording off a TV signal is as easy as a VCR. The SP record time is 3 hours with excellent quality. HQ speed is 1 hour with superior quality. I recorded home movies by hooking up my VCR to the convenient ports in the back of the unit, and they turned out perfect. I recorded old 8 mm tapes by hooking up the old camcorder to the jacks in the front of the unit. They recoreded perfectly with no problem. I will next record off my newer Sony camcorder using the fire wire jack. I can do a lot of editing off of the DV mini tapes. I have recorded DVD-R and DVD+RW and they play in 4 of 5 of our DVD players (all except the old Toshiba that we bought 5 years ago ofr $450!) This is an excellent, multi-compatible product that is very easy to use, especially with a Sony TV and camcorder. The only reason it did not get 5 stars was because it is a bit pricy compared to some other models with less features.
36 A Solid Performer
I decided to get a DVD recorder when my video deck died - and I'm glad I did!! Picture and sound quality are improved at least ten times, and DVD has too many cool convinience features to count compared with VHS. The Sony RDR-G7X is as easy to operate as your familiar video recorder; just select your channel and push the record button - that's it! Plus the unit gives you lots of versitility as it can handle DVD - R; - RW; and + RW. Basically, I use - R for programs I want to keep as you can't rewrite this format (and are the cheapest to buy). I use - RW Video Mode like I used to use VHS video tape as you can erase and rerecord on this disk. - RW VR mode will give you lots of editing features (and is also rewrittable), and is compatible with newer DVD players. Unfortunately, + RW has been stripped of it's editing features, and seems identical to - RW Video mode with this Sony unit. However, I'm still learning the ins-and-outs of this recorder, but so far have been very impressed by its quality, good looks, features, and performance. I shopped around a lot, did a ton of research, and concluded it to be the best consumer DVD recorder currently on the market.
37 super product
This is a super product. I liked it so much, I bought a second one for the master bedroom.
It is very easy to use and is compatible with many different dvd formats - much better than the competition.
I just dont have any complaints. Highly recommended.
38 Sony reduces DVD compatibility issues.
I havent used this product but have been doing plenty of reading about it. This recorder stands out from the others as it supports recording in 2 of the 3 major DVD recording formats. Much like the competition between betamax and vhs, there is competition between the (1)DVD-R/-RW, (2)DVD+R/+RW and (3)DVD-RAM recording formats. The RDR-GX7 records in DVD-R/RW and DVD+RW formats, thus helping to avoid potential compatibility issues in the future. Most DVD recorders record using a red laser (and pretty much all players use the red laser). However, there is now a blue laser format which is different again (of which there are 2 of these blue laser formats, 1 of which is supported by Sony and the other companies in the so called "DVD+RW Alliance") and which stores between 5 to 10 times more data than red laser recorders such as this one. The first blue laser dvd video recorder to be released comes from Sony, which will only play DVD-R/RW discs (and will record to seperate 'blue-ray' discs). So the reason i like this recorder (the rdr-gx7 red laser recorder above) is because it supports 2 different dvd recording formats. The benefit of this is therefore that you are less likely to be purchasing a recorder that will be obselete in the near future, as no one can be sure whether DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/+RW will be the winning format of the future, and i believe (though don't quote me on this) that DVD-RAM for dvd video recording will not be a winner for reasons i won't go into. And with this recorder, you can also record to DVD-R/-RW that will be compatible with the new blue laser recorder (however blue laser recorders from other companies may support DVD+R/RW and/or DVD-R/RW). So if you want to straddle the fence on this issue, and not buy a burner only supporting one of the recording formats, this appears to be the recorder to buy. I choose it due to the fact that i have not seen any indicators as to which format is 'winning' the dominance contest. Also, the fact that Sony is part of the DVD+RW Alliance, yet doesnt support DVD+RW in its blue laser recorder, is even more evidence that you should get a recorder supporting both formats. Not having used the product, i decided to give it a rating of 3, but my guess is i would rate it higher if i had one.
