Sony RDR-GX7 DVD Recorder

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. Amazon.com Product Description

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.

Product Description
records to DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW * plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, and DVD+R & DVD+RW * plays CD, and audio CD-R & CD-RW * 108MHz/12-bit video DAC * selectable interlaced/progressive-scan video (playback only) * Precision Cinema Progressive de-interlacer with 3-2 pulldown processing * Digital Video Enhancer * built-in 181-channel NTSC tuner * timer recording with VCR Plus+ * TV Virtual Surround for enhanced 2-speaker sound * optical and coaxial digital outputs for Dolby Digital/DTS®/PCM * 3 sets of A/V inputs (composite and S-video), including 1 front-panel input * i.LINK jack (for use with a digital camcorder) * 2 sets of A/V outputs (2 composite, 2 S-video, and 1 480i/480p component video) * RF input/output for antenna/cable signals * remote control (multibrand for TVs) * 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A converter * 16-15/16"W x 3-7/16"H x 15-15/16"D * warranty: 1 year parts & labor * designed for use with "Region 1" coded DVDs

Test report

temper to a machine, April 3, 2005 Reviewer: vladimir yelbaev (moscow, russia) - 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.

Let go of the 80s! Burn TV on DVD!, March 25, 2005 Reviewer: Growman (Greenland) - 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".

More than satisfied!!, January 20, 2005 Reviewer: John doe "Player1" (California) - See all my reviewsI 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.

So Far, So Good!, September 26, 2003
Reviewer:
K. Palmer "kevin63" (Illinois) -
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.

Good DVD Recorder for Dubbing, March 22, 2004 Reviewer: R. COULTER "rcoulter7" (New Orleans, LA USA) - 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.

The New Cornerstone of My Home Theatre, October 26, 2003 Reviewer: J. Michael Click (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - 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!

Excellent DVD recorder with THE BEST user interface!, December 2, 2004 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.

Great DVD Recorder, December 1, 2004 Reviewer: NCW-41 (Buffalo, NY) -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.

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I 'VE MADE!!, November 27, 2004 Reviewer: Mark Gittens (Pomona, New York USA) - 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 recieved it back it STILL fail on each disc (note that these failures RUIN the disc!). They sent me a brand new unit. GUESS WHAT..?! I fial after 3 month 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 NEVE have put this junk on the market. BEWARE!!

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Sony RDR-GX7 DVD Recorder