Quality DVD recorder that plays CDs well too - w/o breaking the bank?

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Can you recommend an decent DVD recorder that upscales and plays CDs well withotu breaking the bank? - together with the system to compliment them?
 

Clare Newsome

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Hi there,

In the current (August) issue, we've tested the Sony RDR-HXD1065 recorder (list price £500, but available for @£350 if you shop around) - it 'only' upscales to 1080i, but impresses as a DVD player, recorder and even with CDs.

We paired it with the Sony STR-DA5200ES receiver - which offers video upscaling to 1080p. List price of that is £800, but again there are deals to be had, and if you're happier with less features/power, then its Award-winning sibling - the
STR-DA1200ES (list price £400) is a great music and movie all-rounders for the money.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Clare,

Do you rate the sony over the panasonic equivalent? Would there be a loss of quality in any event if the pana was paired with the Sony Amp?
 

Clare Newsome

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Do you mean the Panasonic DMR-EX77? Great recorder, but not sonically in the same league as the Sony - and I wouldn't expect it to be, as it's a cheaper machine (list price £350, available for £250).

Sorry, but DVD players start with a major disadvantage when it comes to playing music, and adding recording functionality doesn't help matters, so you need to invest in higher-end kit to get any hope of a decent stereo sound.

FYI, we're Group-Testing a whole host of DVD Recorders - including a brand-new Sony, plus models from LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Toshiba - in our next issue, out 26 July (with subscribers the preceding weekend).
 
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Anonymous

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Forgive my impatience (I will buy the next issue but have some dosh burnign a hole and a party coming up) - but is the sony to be tested the direct next gen of the RDR-HXD1065? If not, what you recommend as the 'best compromise' to cater for both CD and DVD?
 

Clare Newsome

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We're still conducting that test, but I can confirm the model -it's the Sony RDR-HXD970, which is the direct replacement for the '1065 in terms of spec - Freeview tuner, 250GB hard drive etc. Except this one has upscaling to 1080p, too.
I've already seen it on sale for under £350.

But sorry, genuinely still haven't put it through its paces yet. Why not see if you can get a demo of it somewhere (take some CDs you know and love)?
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Clare,

Do you know, is possible to back-up the contents of the 250GB hard drive?

Because, if not, and the hard drive crashes, one would lose an awful lot of data!

Les.
 

Clare Newsome

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Hi Les,

The simplest way is to archive it to DVD on the very same machine - an incredibly easy process, with the choice of either write-once or re-writable discs.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Clare,

I notice that the Sony RDRHXD1070 has a USB out socket (PictBridge compatible) for connecting an external printer. Could one connect an external hard drive to this socket for archiving the contents of the 500GB internal hard drive?

Les.
 

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