Sony RDR-GX7 DVD Recorder

The quality of the picture is excellent on both regular and recorded DVDs. Indeed, the recorded picture from analogue TV or VHS can often be better than the original source.

I’d read on some websites that transfer from original VHS tapes with Macrovision protection was not possible. I have found this not to be the case and have transferred my tapes with ease. Rightly, DVD copying from another DVD player is not possible though. I have found that the LP recording mode (3 hours per disc) betters the original tape but increasing the time per disc beyond this results in unacceptable quality.

I originally anticipated that I’d remove my DVD player from my setup and use the Sony for all playback and recording. I soon found that it is better to have a standalone DVD player also. The main reason is that when copying tapes or recording from TV it’s not possible to watch anything else and so a standalone player allows some viewing at least.

I have also found some restrictions with my setup. I have a (Yamaha) surround sound processor and wanted to set up the Sony recorder using the video recorder connections on the Yamaha. This would allow the Sony to record from any source connected to the Yamaha (e.g. satellite decoder, video camera, etc). Unfortunately my surround sound processor does not have a digital audio connection for the video recorder inputs and so surround sound would be lost in this set-up. This is not a major obstacle but most people with ‘average’ surround sound processors will find that they need to connect all of the inputs through the Sony recorder; the Sony has a wealth of inputs and so again, not a major problem.

In my opinion, all of the debate about various DVD recordable formats is a little over-played. Nowadays most players will accept all of the formats generated by this player (I’ve successfully played DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD-R from this machine in all five players in my home and the only player that will not accept the discs is an early release Playstation 2). On this machine though, each of the formats has different advantages and disadvantages. For example, DVD+RW can be taken from the machine and played in other players without ‘finalisation’ of the disc but it does not allow trimming or advanced editing of the recordings, DVD-RW allows advanced editing of the recordings but the disc must be finalised (it can be 'unfinalised' later but it takes time) before it can be played in most other players. Maybe these differences will be ironed-out in the next generation of machines but for me at least they do not represent a major obstacle; DVD+RW provides sufficient functionality for general taping from TV and DVD-RW for creating ‘slicker’ discs. DVD-R is cheap and the best option for transfer from VHS for archive; again though trimming is not possible and so it is necessary to be fairly accurate with the record and pause buttons. What is not always clear though is that it is possible to delete from DVD-R discs before finalisation of the disc and so you should not end-up with junk discs.

To conclude, I am really pleased with this recorder. It does ‘everything it says on the box’ and does so with Sony quality and style. We live in Papua New Guinea and receive a stream of UK TV on VHS tapes from my elderly mother-in-law in the UK. The machine is so simple to use that I have no hesitation in purchasing one for her and in 10 years time I’m sure it will have paid for itself in reduced postage costs!

DVD recorders will get cheaper and better and I am sure that hard-drive / DVD combo’s with timeslip recording will become the order of the day in the next few years. However, if you want something today that’s flexible in use, of good quality, and will ride-out any format ‘war’ then I cannot hesitate to recommend this machine. I believe that the price justifies what you get. If you want the quality and features but have some doubts then why not covert what your parent’s might have paid for a VHS recorder in the 80’s to today’s terms… It comes out at a lot more expensive than this machine!