Sony RDRGX3

[Dean]

I am thinking of getting a DVD recorder and have seen this for £350 - is this a good price? The deck certainly looks well specified and what I'm looking for, I am not to interested in time-shift recording - just high quality recording on DVD-R and playback is important. I noticed that it has a 12bit/108MHz DAC, so will the playback also rival those of dedicated DVD players at £350?

 

[bobbypunk]

it won't rival £350 players but will be better than it's peers. The Pioneer DVR3100 would be the best for you IMHO, but if you have the component card for the plasma then use Toshiba DR1 as it has progressive scan!

 

[Dean]

The Pioneer doesn't seem to have RGB recording so is out - I also think the 12bit/108 MHz DAC puts the Sony as slightly better specified though I haven't had a chance to compare them yet. Also plasma is fitted with a scart terminal board together with a quintro switching box, so RGB scart connection is vital. Component board is too costly for what it's worth as I think RGB connection will be good enough for the plasma.

 

[Rasczak]

For playback quality of DVDs the Sony is considerably better than the competition - only the Toshiba models come reasonably close from what I've seen.

 

[SILVERBACK]

i cant believe none of the other players have RGB in who bloody well decided that looks like sony is the only option then.

 

[Rasczak]

Sony, Panasonic, LG and Philips all have RGB input. The machines of the first three will all transfer an external source to DVD-R (although only limited info is available on LG's DVD-RW model at the moment). A Panasonic model is ideal for transfering stuff to DVD-R as it has Flexible Record - an option whereby you set the length of the recording down to the precise minute which enables the very best recording quality.

 

[SILVERBACK]

but surely it will turn rgb into svideo/composite ??? every website i have been to has said the players are not rgb??? unlike the sony which has 2x rgb 1 output 1 input.

 

[Rasczak]

but surely the it will turn rgb into svideo/composite ???

No! The Panasonic, Sony and Philips models all have dedicated RGB input and RGB output (no one knows about LG yet). And comparing a recorded S-Video and recorded RGB source from each machine clearly shows the RGB source is superior everytime. The machines from these companies are all optimised to take a RGB input.

 

[SILVERBACK]

that is the mirror opposite to what i have read,could you get me a link or something to this info please ???

pio 3100 Output Terminals (Gold Plated):

Digital Optical Output x1;
Audio Output/Input x2; UHF/VHF In/Out

DV In/Out

Scart x2 (RGB out)/(SVideo/Composite in)

S-Video Output/Input x2; Composite Video Output/Input


tosh dr1 Output Terminals: (gold plated)

1x DV Input

1x Optical Digital Output, 1x Coaxial Digital Output

1x Analogue Pair Audio Output/Input

1x Component Video Output (Progressive/Interlace)

2x SCART Output (1x RGB), 1x S-Video Input/1x Output

1x Composite Video Input/ 1x Output

1x RF In/1x Output


and the same for the pana e50


or is that info wrong or am i readin it wrong ??? lol

 

[Rasczak]

The information you printed in your message is correct as the Pioneer 3100 and Toshiba DR1 do not have an RGB input. The E50 (and the E60, E100, HS2) has two Scart sockets, one offering an RGB input and one offering an RGB Output so any site that printed the same information as for the DR1 is incorrect. Do you really think Panasonic models would be so popular on the forum if they didn't have RGB input!?!

You can see the specs for the new E55 here - they are the same as the E50 expect that the E50 doesn't have Component outputs:
http://www.avland.co.uk/panasonic/dmre55/dmr-e55.htm

The RGB input is also listed on the specs for the E50 on the Panasonic site:
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/dvd-recorder/dmre50ebs/index.htm

The only Panasonic DVD recorder not to have RGB input was the Panasonic E20 - a 2001/2 DVD recorder!

The reason you may have seen reference to the Sony as the only one with RGB input might have been because it was the only DVD-RW recorder with such an input prior to LG coming on the scene.

 

[SILVERBACK]

good stuff cheers for the links mate,so its a dogfight between the e50/e55 and the sony now,only thing that puts me off abot the pana is the dvd ram and no dvd/rw.do you own a e50???

 

[Rasczak]

do you own a e50???

Yes I own a Panasonic HS2, Panasonic E50 and a Philips DVDR1000. The HS2 is my main Sky+ recorder at home, the E50 is my Freeview timeshifter in my London apartment and the Philips DVDR is my kitchen clock/DVD player.

only thing that puts me off abot the pana is the dvd ram and no dvd/rw

That's understandable. If you want to share recordings on re-writeable media then DVD-RAM is a disadvantage as it will not play on most DVD players. But effectively before recording on either the Sony OR the Panasonic models you have to make a decision: do you want to edit/use other non-linear features or do you want to make a compatible recording?

The reason for this is because you only benefit from features such as editting on the Sony unit if you record onto DVD-RW in VR Mode. This, like DVD-RAM, is also incompatible with most DVD players (although as it conforms to the DVD-ROM structure it is slightly more compatible than RAM).

Of course with the Sony unit you can record to DVD-RW in video mode (or onto DVD-R) which is largely compatible. On DVD-RAM models you can also record onto DVD-R which is largely compatible.

I would suggest if you want to lend lots of recordings then the Sony is the best choice. If your not too bothered about sharing then many of the features found on the Panasonic machines DVD-RAM make it an excellent choice for day in day out use.

 

[Dean]

Cool - thanks for the replies to the thread - I've decided the Sony is the one I'm going for, as well as being the best looking and specified DVD recorder IMO. The superior DAC is also a factor. Empire direct seem to be doing the best price so far at around £350.

 

[SILVERBACK]

ok Rasczak in your opinion what is best would you say for me,i have just got sky+ and i want to archive what i really want from sky+ to dvd nothing more lol.

 

[Rasczak]

ok Rasczak in your opinion what is best would you say for me,i have just got sky+ and i want to archive what i really want from sky+ to dvd nothing more

It depends. If you record things from Sky+ and edit out the advert breaks then you want neither - you need a HDD/DVDR combo.

If you solely want to copy whole, unaltered programmes to DVD then either the Sony or the Panasonic will do. In such a situation I would probably favour the Sony as it records to DVD-RW which would mean you could watch recordings 'upstairs' (etc) and you don't need the live pause etc features of RAM as you have Sky+. However if you foresee yourself deciding to use your DVD recorder in conjunction with a PC DVD burner to make editted recordings then I would favour the Panasonic due to it's better application of the editting features.

Also the Panasonic is cheaper. The E50 (and it's replacement E55) is, if you shop around, approximately £70 cheaper than the Sony. So ask yourself if DVD-RW compatibility is worth £70 and you have answered your own question.

 

[SILVERBACK]

you had any probs with media on the pana??? i use datawrite red classic and ritek go 4`s for my pc burner and never had a coaster yet but i understand standalones are a bit more picky.

 

[Rasczak]

Personally I always use branded media these days: Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, JVC, TDK and Maxell is about all I use. I have a 100% success rate on all this media both upon burning and long term archiving (from both PC, laptop and DVD recorders). The difference in cost is fairly minimal IMHO but the benefits seem significant.