Sony RDR-HXD890 Freeview+ 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder - Black - Electronics / Photography (Sony)

Record and watch all your favourite TV programmes with the Sony RDR-HXD890 DVD recorder/player. This device supports DivX files and features a hard drive with a 160GB capacity, so you can store hours of video. The RDR-HXD890 supports DVD-R/RW, DVD R/RW, and dual-layer DVD Rs in recording mode. Chasing Playback allows you to watch a DVD while simultaneously recording another programme.Other practical features of the RDR-HXD890 include a one-touch copy from the hard drive to a DVD, as well as a digital jukebox to store and listen to up to 999 songs.The RDR-HXD890 also includes one HDMI output and two USB ports - you can even hook up your camcorder to save all your memories to the hard drive! Make the RDR-HXD890 the next addition to your home cinema!

Customer Reviews of Sony RDR-HXD890 Freeview+ 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder - Black

CEO and drudge
Weymouth, UK
6th January 2009

Excellent except for manual
Really it is very hard to find fault with this product. As a minor niggle the EPG doesn't display channel number, but how trivial is that if it gives the full name? Given that it is a single tuner machine it will do all reasonable combinations of more than one thing at a time, e.g. record while playing back. One it won't do is dub from HDD to DVD while recording something else, but this is hardly a big issue. It has lots of options for recording and indeed for other operations too, but it is actually very simple to install and use if you are using it for digital reception only and with an HDMI TV, and the default option almost always works fine. The only good things about the manual are that at least it is an actual printed thing and not just on CD, and in English only. Otherwise the print quality is poor, the logical structure is poor, there are few useful hints, and the descriptions of the more complex operations are not easy to follow.

Gloria
Leicestershire UK
31st December 2008

VERY USEFUL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT
This Sony HDD/DVD Recorder With Freeview Replaced Our Toshiba HDD/DVD/VHS Recorder Which Unfortunately Malfunctioned After 11 Months. This Sony Is Attractive And Very Functional Although Not Initially As User Friendly As The Toshiba Was For Recording. You Soon However Adapt To A Different System. Not Difficult To Set Up But Make Sure You Have Good Scart Lead Connections.
Picture Is Excellent Even On Our Old TV.

J. Palmer
Surrey
31st December 2008

Excellent - but needs a bit of time to work out
Sony RDR-HXD890 Freeview+ 160GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder - Black
This is an excellent machine which once set up is actually very easy to use. Setting up is easy (some reviews have said how difficult this is)- you just follow the instructions relevant to how you want to set it up with regard to your existing equipment and whether you're in a Freeview area or not (most probably will be). The instruction book is not as bad as it first appears, as someone else has already said it would be very difficult to make the manual less detailed given the amount of possible functions on the machine. It is very much a question of learning how to do the bits you want and not be daunted by all the options available.
I did find it difficult to work out which EPG I should use (given that I could use both) but opted for the GuidePlus EPG which once downloaded is excellent. I would advise you to learn how to programme the timer manually (very easy) as the one button function is brilliant but since BBC1 was overrunning on Christmas Day by about 3 minutes I had a whole load of programmes recorded with their ends cut off (they actually continued into the next programme). This was very annoying as it would have been nice to have copied one or two programmes to DVD but since the ends of these programmes now merge onto the beginning of the next recording the easy DVD/HDD dubbing won't be much use here. Yes, there is PDC but unless I've missed something, I don't think that works on the one button record function. Picture quality is excellent both for DVD playback and HDD (only used HQ setting on the HDD at the moment - approx 35hours at this quality). Assume quality will get worse on lower quality settings but not tried. Remote is fairly logical but a few buttons are a bit randomly placed - just a question of getting used to it really.
A tip not clearly mentioned in the instructions but is probably there if you look hard enough - NEVER switch machine off at the wall or unplug the machine as it will loose the EPG information. It will then take another 24 hours to get it back. The unit is designed to stay on - so don't worry about it - anyway you'll notice that it updates the EPG twice a day and won't be able to do this if you like switching things off at the wall when you're not using them! There's probably more to say, but don't want to confuse you more - well recommended but do take the time to learn how to use it properly. Recording to HDD is a joy - so easy!

begone
London
26th December 2008

Fab
Absolute Magic - instruction manual not written well but a difficult thing to do with SO many functions on such a great machine. Manual has flaws but not the machine - if you are fairly technically minded you will work it out but manual is scarily un user friendly in places. But ... say goodbye to VHS tapes - miraculous machine !

The Paul

25th December 2008

No Dual-Tuner like Sky+ or Virgin's V+
This has great picture quality, but I was VERY dissapointed after buying this for my parents and discovering that you CAN NOT record one channel whilst watching another - something that I have grown accustomed to with Sky+.

There must be HDD Freeview recorderes out there with dual tuners, so Look for something else. Its a shame as the Sony is very good in every otehr area.