Sony RDR-VX500 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

I received the Sony RDR-VX500 Video Cassette Recorder/DVD Recorder as a Christmas gift in December 2004. When I was given the gift, I was very impressed with the Sony name and all of the features that came along with it. Little did I know that I would be in for a rough ride!

When most people hear the name Sony, words such as reliable, durable, and quality come to mind. Well, let me assure you that my experience with this machine left lots to be desired.


FEATURES
The Sony RDR-VX500 has lots to offer. These are the following recordable formats that it accepts (when it's working properly):
1. DVD+RW (4x speed or lower)
2. DVD-RW (2x speed or lower, Ver. 1.1)
3. DVD-RW (4x speed or lower, Ver. 1.2)
4. DVD+R (8x speed or lower)
5. DVD-R (8x speed or lower)
6. VHS

These are the discs that cannot be recorded on:
1. DVD-RW (Ver. 1.0)
2. DVD+RW that are not 2.4x speed compatible
3. Double layer discs
4. 8 cm discs

Here are some of the general specifications:

-DVD Recorder Section-
1. Dolby Digital audio recording
2. MPEG Video recording format

-VCR Section-
1. Four-head VCR
2. 1-minute Rewind time (T-120 tape)

You can record your favorite shows straight onto DVD or VHS, whether you record instantly or set the timer recording. At least this feature is available as long as the unit functions properly.

This unit does have dubbing capability--either from VHS to DVD or vice versa. I have found this to be the one feature that, so far, seems to always work. I have successfully transferred about 10 of my VHS tapes to DVDs. The picture and sound are clear on recorded DVDs, and if you record in the best speed, which is HQ, the picture and sound are sometimes even better than the original VHS tape! This unit allows you to record on DVDs in several different speeds. These are the speeds in order from best quality to lowest quality:
HQ- 60 minutes of recording time
HSP- 90 minutes
SP- 120 minutes
LP- 180 minutes
EP- 240 minutes
SLP- 360 minutes

I recommend avoiding the EP and SLP speeds if at all possible, as the picture becomes extremely grainy.

When dubbing, there are two one-touch buttons on the unit itself, one for dubbing a VHS to a DVD and one for a DVD to VHS. This makes dubbing fairly simple and straightforward. You can also hit the pause button on the remote during dubbing if there is a section of the DVD or VHS that you don't want dubbed.

Also, you can edit DVD recordings to a certain extent. My knowledge about this feature is very limited, as all I have to go by is what is written in the manual. I haven't had time to try it out, as I have spent all of my time and energy on trying to get the basic features to work properly.

DVD recordings can be given a title. You can title the disc itself, and you can add titles to the various recordings on the disc. Titling takes a few minutes, as you have to use the arrow keys on the remote to choose letters, numbers, and symbols that appear on a template on the screen.


SONY DVD/VCR RECORDER #1
The gift I got for Christmas came to be known as El Cheapo Numero Uno. I had this unit for about two weeks. The DVD side seemed to work fine, whether recording onto a DVD or watching a DVD. However, the VHS side gave me some trouble. Now, keep in mind that I did have this hooked up to a 9-year old RCA TV. When I would play a VHS tape--any tape--constant flashes would appear near the top of the screen. We tried hooking the unit up to another newer TV in the house, and it still flashed, but not nearly as often. So, I began to think I needed a new TV. Even despite the flashing effect, the picture of any VHS tape was very bad. Then I started to wonder why the one-year old Samsung DVD/VCR combo unit [http://www.epinions.com/content_140742463108] I had prior to the Sony did not have the same effect. When I watched tapes on that unit, the picture was much clearer, even on my old TV. I decided to take the Sony back to Sears, and swap it for another one, thinking this was just an isolated problem.


SONY DVD/VCR RECORDER #2
Sears graciously allowed me to swap my unit out for another one that was exactly the same. Despite the problems I had, I still thought Sony was the best one to get. Well, my second Sony came to be known as El Cheapo Numero Dos!

When I got home with Numero Dos, sure enough the curse of the flash returned! Well, at this point, I was still having some level of confidence in Sony products, and so I just knew I needed a new TV. So, I went out and bought a $350 Toshiba TV [http://www.epinions.com/content_170016804484], which I am only mildly satisfied with. By this time, you may be thinking I'm hard to please, but I really just think I've had an unusual run of bad luck with electronics lately.

Well, the picture during VHS playback improved with the Toshiba TV, but was still worse than a 10-year old RCA VCR that we have. By this time, I started to think that Sony had put so much emphasis on developing a good DVD recorder, that maybe they neglected the quality of the VCR portion of the unit. So, I decided that as long as nothing else went wrong, I would keep it. More on that in a minute...

One very annoying feature, was when you have the unit turned on and you are either watching a VHS tape or the TV through the unit, a black status bar constantly pops up at the top of the screen. At first I did not know why this was happening, but have since figured out that any gap in the stereo sound signal causes this bar to appear. You cannot make it disappear! It is most annoying, especially when the movie you are watching is only available on VHS, or when you are watching a local station that tends to have gaps in the stereo signal.

Now back to more problems with Numero Dos. As the days passed, I began to have more problems. The unit began to hesitate to record on DVD-RWs. I would put a brand new disc into the unit, and it would say that it was a protected disc and needed to be formatted. After it attempted to format it, a message appeared that said the disc was not playble nor recordable! I must have tried 5 different brand new discs! Same thing happened.

Then, the unit starting making periodic noises, even when it had been off for hours! The ticking noises sounded like they came from the DVD side. And as if that was not enough, one night I turned the unit on to record a TV program, and there was no audio. I checked all the connections, and they were in place. When I started to record the program, it recorded the first two seconds and then froze up (again on one of my DVD-RWs that had previously worked).


DVD RECORDING QUALITY
Recording on DVDs was mixed. Dubbing a VHS onto a DVD was successful and the image quality on better recording speeds was great. I used DVD-R format when dubbing a video that I want to permanently keep. There were no noticeable gaps in the recording.

When recording on DVD-RWs for shows that I would watch once and then want to erase was more difficult. For example, I set the unit to record a two-hour movie. It appeared to be recording, but later when I went to watch it, nothing but a black screen appeared. I then tested it again, and it worked. But then at times, it would record, but would skip portions of the program being recorded, so that during playback, it appeared that everything was moving in fast-forward. Timer recordings onto DVDs have been unreliable.

The DVDs that did record properly did play well on my computer and other DVD players.


VHS RECORDING QUALITY
I won't waste much space on this, as I have already alluded to this above. VHS recordings and playbacks were rather poor, but unlike recording onto DVDs, recording onto VHS tapes was always successful. In other words, if I set a program to record at a certain time, it always did, despite the lack of quality.


EASE OF USE
This section should probably be entitled "Difficulty of Use" instead, but I attribute the difficulty level to the fact that this is not only a combo unit, but a DVD recorder as well. There are simply more functions, buttons, and problems to keep track of than just a basic VCR, or even a VCR/DVD combo. So, I don't really fault Sony too much on this aspect, as I'm sure that many of these type units are more difficult to use. But, it is fair to say that I had to study the instruction manual (which does not explain everything you need to know about DVDs and DVD recording). I also had to think longer before taking actions on this unit than I have in the past on other, simpler units that do not have DVD recording capability.


FINAL WORD
Overall, I strongly discourage anyone from buying the Sony RDR-VX500. I have decided that not only did Sony create a product in which they didn't focus on making the VCR quality good, but the entire thing is just a piece of crap. Look for other good brands without paying extra for the Sony name. When you miss one of your favorite shows that you have tried to record onto DVD, it is quite frustrating. I almost get sick just looking at this piece of junk.


OTHER ELECTRONICS REVIEWS
1. Samsung DVD/VCR Combo: http://www.epinions.com/content_140742463108
2. Argus 2.1 MP Digital Camera: http://www.epinions.com/content_146577264260
3. Davis Weather Wizard III: http://www.epinions.com/content_164327624324
4. Toshiba 27AF44 Flat Screen TV: http://www.epinions.com/content_170016804484