Sony RDRHX715 DVD Recorder
Inadequate DVD recorder, average HDD recorder
Unfortunately the latest DVD Recorder from Sony, the HX715, still doesn't do DVD recording essentials. If you don't need component video in at 480i, won't be writing many DVDs and will just use to to record programs for later viewing, it's fine. If you have a DVD cam, VHS tapes to transfer or intend on writing video to DVDs with some editing and chapter marking, don't bother. Pioneer, Toshiba and Panasonic models cost half as much and do everything better. However, I'm still changing my review to a two and a half star, now that I know what else is out there and how they compare.    Let's start on the bright side, it does feature component input (limited as above), does do +/- media and +DL (dual layer -- twice as much space on a DVD) which is also good. HDMI out is a limited benefit as for many you only have one HDMI input and you'll use that for your direct digital cable connection -- everything out from the HX715 is analog or a DVD which is at lower resolution. Additionally, many would rather get a dedicated DVD player so you don't ruin the laser in the recorder. (Most dedicated players at much less have much better picture than recorders.) The display is pretty... the unit is relatively sharp looking and built cleanly. Recording quality over component is excellent as is 16:9 (widescreen) recording which you CAN set flags for so your DVDs will also be ensured to burn correctly. I also like that many of the controls of the remote are also contained beneath the flip cover on the front panel. Sony is also the only DVR on the market with 12 bit DAC video converters and the picture out is very nice.    The OK: This is perhaps the \\"easiest\\" recorder on the market to use. I was exasperated by it because the options to choose from are limited. On the bright side, choosing recording modes couldn't be easier, HQ, SP, LP, etc. Not too many. On the dark side, you'll run into situations where you really wish there were more. Chapter and scene editing couldn't be easier and removing portions of video is fantastically simple. Unfortunately those chapter marks and edits won't be retained when you burn to DVD. Same thing goes for VHS connections and inputs -- you can change the brightness, contrast and more so the input picture will be optimized but again, burning to DVD will look good but without chapters, thumbnails, etc. This is supposed to be the \\"easy man's\\" DVD Recorder and for that purpose it \\"works.\\" Just realize that unlike a VCR, there will be few people who find any of these devices \\"simple.\\"      The Not So Good: Don't get too excited. Trying to accomplish even the most basic of tasks is a real challenge. Recording/archiving DV/VHS video or chapter marking is completely inadequate.    (1) Component Input explained: It's not unusual but beware that you cannot simply connect the component out of your cable box to the HX715 UNLESS the picture is set to 480i. If you are using EDTV or HDTV (higher resolutions) and have a high definition cable box, you will need to set the cable box to standard/low resolution 480i each time you want to record. Not so bad but note that the HX715 will not pass through any other signal such as HDTV 1080i or 720 and you'll have a blank screen. This means that if you want to watch HDTV you will need either (1) your cable box and TV both have HDMI/DVI connectors or (2) a component splitter (not so good), you will need to pull out the cables out of your cable box and swap them each time.    (2) There is no \\"burn and finalize\\" option like every DVR and software package: Almost all of the time you'll choose your titles to burn to DVD at once. \\"Finalizing\\" means you can't add any more video to the DVD and makes it playable in other DVD players. In most DVD recorders you'll be presented with a \\"record and finalize\\" option when you're burning and you're done. The process in the HX715 is create the play/title list and burn the DVD, then after waiting what can be minutes or hours, you must remember to make 8 more keypresses to another set of menus to finalize, wait until it finalizes and you're done. How many times will you forget to finalize after the DVD finishes burning? There is no warning, reminder, or quick way to finalize.    (3) No Chapters on DVDs: On all DVDs you have \\"chapters\\" or quick index points to go to the beginning of the next scene. It's indispensible and all DVRs have such a feature. Incredible as it may seem, on page 76 of the HX715 manual it states \\"Note: When dubbing, any chapter marks you enter will be erased.\\" This means that all the chapter mark editing you do on your VHS or DV transfers, TV programs, will NOT be transferred to playable DVDs. Now Sony does advertise a neat feature that when recording to HDD the HX715 can automatically create chapter marks at scene changes or commercials (works only sometimes). Sounds great! Unfortunately it all stays on the hard disk. The ONLY option to have chapters burned on a standard DVD is to have the HX715 insert 6 minute chapters automatically. The only way to save all your chapter mark work is to transfer to a DVD-RW in unplayable \\"video mode\\" and use another DVD recorder to write those chapters to a DVDR. Even \\"one touch dubbing\\" is misleading since putting in your DV tapes the recorder will find the chapters and write them to the hard disk but NOT transfer them to the DVD you write! What is the point in having these features? This is a huge embarassment at any price and makes the HX715 completely inadequate for archiving anything to DVD.    (4) Other standard features are missing. You can search through your recordings to find thumbnails for each of your titles in your list, e.g. \\"1. Jamaica Vacation\\" shows a thumbnail of the beach next to it, etc. The HX715 will NOT transfer those thumbnails to your DVD. You get a text only list that looks like a DVD made years ago.    (5) You can now \\"divide\\" titles you have recorded, e.g. if you have one recording that has a trip to the zoo and a family picnic outside, you can divide the titles. Weirdly Sony didn't give you the ability to combine titles though and workarounds are only partially successful.    (6) Poor editing features: There is no simple way to view your video seeing the timeline and the chapters/chapter marks and inserting and removing them easily. Instead, Sony gives you some editing features jumbled in a \\"tools\\" menu along with other unrelated features. But who cares -- none of the chapters you create will make it to your DVDRs on the HX715 anyways!    (7) If you haven't noticed, every DVR at half the price has \\"flexible recording\\" which means that it will take advantage of almost every bit of space you have on a DVD to make the best quality recording. On most others you get over 30 settings! Sony gives you only 8 (9 but it can't be recorded to DVD.) This means that if you have a recording that lasts 1 hour and 2 minutes you have to use a setting that lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes and you waste 28 minutes on the disc or almost 1/3 of the DVD. Sony wasted 2 of the few recording modes on 6 and 8 hour modes which are worse than average VHS -- this way the claim of 260 hours recording is technically true.    (8) The remote is cheap and not well laid out. Rewind and fast forward, skip back and skip forward are not next to each other. All recording buttons are under a plastic lid that makes my old Trinitron remote from 10 years ago look regal.    (9) TVGOS is a nightmare and this is Gemstar's fault. But it's also Sony's and every other manufacturer's for making you unable to simply turn it off. it will search for the TVGOS information incessantly. Documentation is indadequate. For most uses you will need for the HX715 control your cable box since not doing so will not allow you to record using the quality line inputs like component, s-video or composite as opossed to the crappy RF input. This means that you must turn your DVR on and off along with your TV. In order to receive the TV guide information the HX715 must be off but, when it is, you will not be able to watch TV. Thus when you first buy it be prepared to have it take 2-3 days to download the date OR you must not use your cable box for at least 24-36 hours. Navigating and setting up channels is a task that can take numerous hours since turning channels on and off and reordering them requires numerous keypresses -- it will take hours. There is no way to store your settings in the event the unit may lose the TVGOS data, which is not unheard of. This is not the TV Guide you see on cable. Whether any of this is able to be updated over air is unknown and unlikely.    These days Sony means overpaying for old technology. The HX715 is internally virtually the same as the old 2004 models and the minimal \\"enhancements\\" were done by someone who has obviously never used a DVD or video recorder. Good luck.