You will be amazed how much you will do once it is easy and convenient. I was. The problem is not just recording two things at once that you'll be missing, but what about overlaps? Trust me, you will want to pad at least a minute to start and end, as there is no PDC equivalent for Freeview. So if you want to record one thing from 8:00-9:00 and another from 9:00-10:00 you won't be able to pad the end of the first or the beginning of the second.

Have been lurking on this thread for some while now - having bought the Sony RDR-HX900 a year ago. (160 GB HDD/DVD+-R, analog tuner). It was a cool machine though the inability to "split" a HD recording onto multiple hi-quality DVDs was a major frustration, as was the non-Freeview tuner.

However - reason for posting: it's broken down twice and now Sony tell me they can't repair it and they'll have to exchange it for a new one. Except that that this model was discontinued not long after it was introduced

Maybe Sony have actually experienced widespread problems with their first generation HDD/DVDR hybrids - and that's reason for the constant delays in upgrading the second generation to digital and getting them to market?

A supplementary point - is it correct that the UK is far ahead of all other territories in the deployment of Digital Terrestrial TV ? if so, maybe the reason major manufacturers are dragging their feet with Freeview - adding it to sets and recorders pushes the price up, without adding anything to their saleability anywhere else on the global mass-market?

Nope, most major European countries (with the notable exception of Ireland) have an active DVB-T system but the way they tend to differ is in the provision of the interactive services. Most other countries use a system called MHP while the UK uses MHEG so that may be what puts manufacturers off targetting the UK market - it's a bit like having to make right-hand drive cars for the UK while the rest of Europe want left-hand drive!

Though it's true that most CE companies don't implement their own MHP/MHEG but just buy a library from someone like S&T - http://www.s-and-t.com/mheg/ - who are able to supply both MHP and MHEG solutions but the inventory is still different between UK and Europe.

Quite an interesting BBC document on the subject: http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/brochur...d-mheg-mhp.pdf

Cliff

Should be 16th September

I phoned Sony Centre today, who made some calls for me and came back with this release date. They say should only be a couple of days to get it to me, so I will hopefully have mine on 19 or 20 Sept

Give me a few days to get used to it and I'll post a quick review here. Also keep you updated if the date changes.

Looking forward to your report!

Cheers

Me too!

I ask for advance my main question : when recording DVB-T, is there a special mode which record directly the MPEG2 flow ?

Normally, such a mode should use 1.8 Go per hour with 0% quality loss.

The Panasonic DMREH60D does not seem to have such a mode. Some poster say that it is because the MPEG2 is not the same for DVB-T and DVD, and then the recorder needs to decode and recode.

I would like to know what the Sony RDR HXD 710 does, to confirm (or not) this opinion.

Thanks for advance.

Fred.

You can compare the tech specs of the analogue 710 and 910 on the Sony Aussie web site:

http://www.sony.com.au/homecinema/ca...egoryId=22814#

Is there an answer for this question available anywhere ?

If so, are both recordings to the Hard Disc or does it have to be split between the DVD recorder and the Hard Disc?

Does anyone know the tech spec or whats special about Sony’s RDR-HXD1010 ?

November 2005 issue of "What Video & Widescreen TV" (on newstands now) carries a fairly detailed "Best Buy" review of the Sony HXD910, quoting a price of £700. What's good: multi-format DVD recording including DVD+R Double Layer; excellent picture; Freeview with EPG; HDMI out; DV in. What's bad: restricted widescreen recording on DVD+R/RW; no DVD-R Dual Layer support; no MPEG4 playback; no DVD-RAM compatibility.

Picture: 5/5
Sound: 4/5
Features: 5/5
Ease Of Use: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Overall verdict: Fixing almost all that was lacking in previous Sony digitl recorders and enhancing what the company does best, this is an outstanding combi for the Freeview age.

It doesn't specifically say that you can "split" HDD recordings to archive onto separate DVDs in this review, but the Australian specs of the analog version version linked to above by Planetnokia say that you can...

I wonder what they mean by restricted widescreen recording on DVD+R/RW, - no widescreen recording on DVD+R/RW?

Although they give picture: 5/5 is that for all three formats, i.e Freeview live, Hard Disc replay and recorded DVD replay?

There is a review in Home Cinema Choice this month too...

But still nothing on the official UK SOny website - no press release, nothing ?If so, how odd.

re the review "restricted widescreen recording on DVD+R/RW" its something like anamorphic (?) widescreen burned straight to DVD is formatted as letterbox or something... will dig out the review again and post it for you if you're worried, but my impression on reading it was was it was only a very minor niggle regarding certain specific format combinations... could be wrong tho.

what does HCC have to say about the machine ? And does this mean we actually get the 910 before the 710 contrary to what we've all been led to believe ? It's all still a bit odd and frustrating, isn't it...

I'm taking my time gliding gently into the 21st century (still on VHS recording until my 710 arrives next week!) so I'm afraid I don't understand any of what that means!! (Perhaps I've wandered into the wrong forum?)

I suppose if I don't understand it I won't miss it. (beginning to sound like my dad) As I'm upgrading from VHS the 710 will be loads better. Quality, ease of use and no more cluncky tapes is why I'm changing. However, I'm the sort of person who likes finding out about stuff like that, so I'll do my homework on it. Maybe buying the quoted mag would be a good start.

All that said, take my review with a pinch of salt as I have nothing meaninful to compare it to.

Sony website isn't the best. Almost every bit of Sony kit I've wanted to look at (including the telly I just bought) is NOT featured on there. Quick look at the Ozzie Sony website and it looks better (something they can be proud of?)

Don't think 910 is out until next month... all info (including that from Sony and Sony Centre) points this way.

It's probably similar to the RDR HX900 hwere you can't record in widescreen at all on +R/+RW and SP or better on-R/-RW unless it's -RW VR mode which isn't compatible with most DVD players. ie only 2hrs/-R DVD mode disc in WS.

Here's exactly what it says in the What Video And Widescreen TV review:

"DVD-RW in VR mode is fine throughout, as is DVD-RW in the more playable Video mode. But not if your recording contains a mix of 16:9 widescreen and 4:3 images - another reason to cut (out) ads. The 'plus' formats, including double-layered DVD+R. apparently dub in sluggish real time only. Furthermore, and as with the HX510, any anamorphic 16:9 recording on DVD+RW or DVD+R is downgraded to letterboxed 4:3, which looks awful on widescreen TVs. Despite the generally impressive technology on show, it's baffling why Sony has hobbled its recorders in this way."

Can someone remind me why we're still sat here waiting for the Sony RDR-HX910 and RDR-HX710 models to come out, when the Panasonic DMREH60D (complete with 200GB HD and Freeview) is already available for £464 ?

The Sony would appear only to record Widescreen to DVD-R & -RW but the the Panasonic only records Widescreen to DVD-RAM.

Jeez, that really is pants

So here we are again. just as the hardware manufacturers seem to be delivering a decent spec., they deliberately build in a problem so that the public either goes without or (as no doubt the manufacturers want) buys a faulted model and then upgrades by buying another.
It is beyond belief that the very companies who have been selling us widescreen TVs for all these years should now try and sell us DVD recorders advertised as multi-format but unable to record Widescreen!
It will be really interesting to see what their excuse is this time!
Personally I had moved the Panasonic up to my first choice, but as it now has reverted to effectively being incompatible with the majority of other DVD players (those using DVD-R coupled to Widescreen Tvs), I am once again back to waiting for the Sony.

Let me understand. By Widescreen recording, you mean recording of a TV broadcast which is truly 16:9* ?

* What we still don't have in France : we only have 4:3 with black strips at the top and down of the image, so that when zooming, it looks like 16:9.

Thanks for advance.

Fred.

Am not certain myself, Fred. It says in the review that the problem lies with "any anamorphic 16:9 recording" - but I have no idea what an "anamorphic" 16:9 recording might be, so we'll have to hope someone else on this forum can tell us.

Yes, we do have TV programmes broadcast in true 16:9 here. The question is: does an "anamorphic" 16:9 recording mean any ordinary widescreen broadcast such as we might record off the telly here in the UK? Or does it refer to some special and particular form of widescreen recording that not everyone will need to use ?

sorry - just did some research, and I *think* anamorphic refers only to commercial DVDs that have been produced in a particular way to improve resolution when viewed on 16:9 TV screens. So (I think) this may mean that imported 16:9 home movies and regular TV broadcasts will not be subject to this particular shortcoming on the Sony machines - only material that originates from a commercial DVD.

Or am I totally losing the plot here ?

Currently on UK TV, all analogue programmes are broadcast in 4:3. The mainstream progs use a slight letterboxing of the 16:9 original content to give an effective 14:9 display. The digital (Freeview etc) versions of these progs broadcast true or squashed mode (anamorphic) signals that need a widescreen display for viewing a full undistorted image. Most digital tuners, PVRs etc will include an aspect ratio converter for giving an alternate letterboxed signal for viewing on a 4:3 display.

Electrically there is no difference between a normal and anamorphic signal. The manufacturer may choose to limit recording functions dependent on the presence of a widescreen flag. There is clearly a strong lobby from publishing circles to limit ANY direct digital recording of broadcast programmes. It seems that recording is being interpreted as a removable and portable version of the programme - i.e. DVD disks - and that hard disk PVRs are being considered as a temporary (time delay) function. There is no technical reason why the stored MPEG2 transport stream used for a PVR cannot be used (correctly re-formatted) without need for any transcoding and thus loss of quality. The publishers do NOT want this function to be easily available.

There is clearly a very large conflict of interest battle waging behind the scenes and it will be very interesting to see how the market develops!

I simply want a PVR with a DVD archive capacity, but I am not holding my breath! I can achieve this function by buying a Topfield PVR and transferring the stored data to my computer, but this is too much hassle.

I imagine you are referring to Analogue Broadcasts when you say you don't have 16:9 in France. Surely the Digital Terrestial Broadcasts (started in March) are in 16:9?
Also aren't some satellite transmissions (Canal Satellite, TPS, AB1)?

So from what we seem to think now, it looks like recordings on Hard Disc will be OK but when a widescreen recording is transferred from Hard Disc onto removable disc it will still be in widescreen but the quality will be deliberately reduced to prevent the making of a decent archive copy?
In addition the Panny can't record widescreen at all onto DVD-R and the Sony can't record widescreen onto DVD+R?
If I've got that right (over to you) then it seems that reviewers should be making it clear which they certainly aren't at the moment!