Sony RDRHX715 DVD Recorder
Sony RDR-HX715 HDD/DVD Recorder
When \\"DVR\\" is mentioned, most people think of TiVo, ReplayTV or perhaps some rental from their cable company.  The reason I never used a DVR to date is because of the monthly service fees.  Finally this is a good quality hard disc based recorder which is not required to \\"report to its master\\" each night nor is the user required to pay a monthly fee.  The unit uses data which is sent by brodcasters for FREE to drive TV GUIDE.  It does take at least 24 hours of idle time after being installed before the guide collects data; but big deal. <br /> <br />One feature that is really hidden in this unit, whether recording to HDD or DVD, is called \\"auto chaptering\\".  When recording from broadcast television the user will find that the chapters are placed before and after commercial groups.  The unit does tend to also place chapter marks during program segments and long commercial groups, but again no big deal.  When playing back a recording simply press next chapter and you'll never have to suffer through commercials nor guess to their length.  But for those non believers there is also a 30 second skip (which can be pressed for multiples of 30 seconds). <br /> <br />Another interesting feature is 1.5x playback with sound.  This means you could record a 1 hour show, play back the 40 minutes without commercials, or play it back in 30 minutes using the 1.5x option. <br /> <br />Other reviews here have pointed out some negatives; they are more limited to the technology (DVD authoring) than they are this model.  It is a bit pricey, but the fact it also records in 16:9 (as well as 4:3) makes it a little more future proof.