Manage updates with the Download AppSony RDR-VX515
Manufacturer: Sony Part number: RDR-VX515
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Sony's RDR-VX515 VHS-DVD recorder combo scores big with its support for double-layer DVD+R discs but drops the ball with its so-so VHS-to-DVD dubbing quality.
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CNET editors' review
Sony RDR-VX515 price range: $999.99
- Reviewed by: Ben Patterson
- Edited by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 10/21/2005
- Released on: 08/01/2005
The good: Supports all four DVD formats plus double-layer DVD+R discs; easy-to-use menus; decent editing options; outputs VHS via component-video; FireWire input.
The bad: No S-Video input in back; so-so recording quality for VHS-to-DVD dubs; poorly designed remote; no IR blaster or VCR Plus functionality.
The bottom line: Sony's RDR-VX515 VHS-DVD recorder combo scores big with its support for double-layer DVD+R discs but drops the ball with its so-so VHS-to-DVD dubbing quality.
User reviews
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Good Choice - Lots of Features
by MikeRadio on August 22, 2005
Pros: ONLY Tabletop Unit that supports DVD+R DL at this time
Cons: Can not copy movies from your own Tivo- Not enough Input Choices
Summary: I upgraded from a Phillips DVDR77 to this unit the other day. While this unit has some great features, the cons are very annoying.
First, it is obvious that Sony ...Summary: I upgraded from a Phillips DVDR77 to this unit the other day. While this unit has some great features, the cons are very annoying.
First, it is obvious that Sony is high on controlling "GREAT" digital copies of anything, Therefore, this unit lacks both a Component Video Input AND an S-Video Input (On the rear panel.. there is one ont he front which is for a cam actually and is akward).
Also, it will NOT ALLOW me to dub movies from MY TIVO to the unit. it says they are copyrighted. Phillips unit does NOT do this. I am paying a LOT for Cable... a LOT for Tivo... A LOT for this Unit, and BLANK DVDs. So I would feel that dumping from Tivo to a DVD shouldn't be some taboo item. I am not looking to copy DVD discs illegally, but cmon... this is just making room on my Tivo for more shows.
Luckily this can be overcome by spending a hundred dollars on a video box at Best Buy. But still... Not happy about this.
The unit has some great features, but some missing. The menu looks good and organized, however you can NOT set the thumbnail that appears like you can on the Phillips (for DVD+RW, which is what I use mostly).
It also takes a LONG time for a DVD to load. I read that on the 500 reviews, and it is still the same here. However, I can wait a few seconds when it comes to that.
The picture looks pretty good, and this is the ONLY UNIT on the market right now (besides its sister unit the 315) which supports DVD+R Dual Layer discs. Which means you can store 4 movies of good quality on one disc. Also, at the worst quality setting, you can get 14 hours of video on there!
Overall, I DO LIKE the unit. Some peopel say the manual is hard to use, however, when you have tha tmany features, it is tough to make it EASY. That is why there is an index and a pdf you can search! The manual shows the basics then goes into more depth, like most.
This plays all sorts of media.. DVD+R, +RW, -R, -RW +R DL etc. it has powerful editing in the DVD-VR mode. The dubbing is good, and I was ablwe to get rid of my old analog VCR.. I hate analog things blech!
When you record a show off cable, it actually puts the show name in the title list which is convenient. Unfortunately, that does not happen if you use the video enhancer, which seems to stripthat info off as well as the "copyright" code.
I Do reccomend this unit, however, do note the cons I have wrote.
Mike16 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not nearly as good as advertised
by rae1973 on November 30, 2005
Pros: Easy dubbing from VHS to DVD
Cons: Complicated manual, long DVD loading time, Can't record to DVD from TIVO
Summary: The main reason for getting this unit was to record from VHS to DVD and to DVD from a TIVO unit. It will not record from the TIVO unit, the ...
Summary: The main reason for getting this unit was to record from VHS to DVD and to DVD from a TIVO unit. It will not record from the TIVO unit, the most I was able to accomplish was the audi portion of saved programs. The quality of recordings from VHS to DVD is only fair at best. I just bought this unit and plan to return it as soon as I can research a unity that does both.
The manual is complicated, no doubt because of all the features. (Most of which I will never use)
It did perform nicely when recording from TV
to DVD. Quality seemed better than average.Updated
After fumbling around through the manual and not finding the solution to record from a Tivo unity to DVD, I discovered that the satellite HD-DVR was set at 720P. The sony can not record HD, (neither can any other dvd recorder at the moment). After setting the satellite unti to 480i, it recorded the saved programs from Tivo.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Kool, but...
by Standard on October 25, 2005
Pros: One touch reording
Cons: Ate my disk!!!
Summary: This brand spanking new unit ate my disk (MEMOREX dvd+RW) after I recorded a 2 hr tape...the manual says it auto finalizes a +RW
disk, but it never ...Summary: This brand spanking new unit ate my disk (MEMOREX dvd+RW) after I recorded a 2 hr tape...the manual says it auto finalizes a +RW
disk, but it never came out.
After replugging it, it then said Child Lock, then continued to load my disk (I stopped it aft 10min).Updated
Ok, I swapped it for another and it seems to work...apparently the finalizing process takes longer than 10 minutes (does the manual say that??? Noooo!!!!)
Knowing this, I'd revise my rating to neutral as I havent done any good quality transfers yet.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Its a workhorse. So far ,, so good.
by lainnepa on January 29, 2006
Pros: Dubbing dvd > vhs > dvd is easy. I just got it two days ago. I always liked sonys operators manuals.. It helps in the learning curve.
Cons: I didnt come across any cons.
Summary: I would buy it again... I did some research before I purchased. I use dvd+rw dvds and it works. I learned you need to finalize the dvd before it ...
Summary: I would buy it again... I did some research before I purchased. I use dvd+rw dvds and it works. I learned you need to finalize the dvd before it can play in the pc. The video i work with is from covert law enforcement camera systems which is a challenge because of low light etc.
The different types of DVD disks confuse me.
Again,,, the learning curve is helped by the reading the manual and practicing.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Disappointing
by Jim in Maryland on January 7, 2006
Pros: Easy copying videotapes to DVDs
Cons: Can't play the DVDs anywhere else or copy them
Summary: My wife and I bought the Sony RDR VX515 with the idea of copying our 20+ year collection of videotapes to DVDs and sharing favorites with family and friends. The ...
Summary: My wife and I bought the Sony RDR VX515 with the idea of copying our 20+ year collection of videotapes to DVDs and sharing favorites with family and friends. The copying was easy, we played them back and enjoyed them. Then came the disappointments. I tried to copy them on our PC's DVD writer and it couldn't even read any of them. Neither could the MAC's. Neither could the Audiovox DVD player. Nothing else but the Sony recorder will play them. We can not share them with family (which they may be thankful for, but that's beside the point) and that was the major reason for the purchase. If nothing else can read them, in the future without the original recorder the CDs will be worthless since I won't even be able to migrate the information. We're taking the recorder back to Best Buy.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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RDR-VX511 very error prone
by Gus on October 5, 2005
Pros: Worked for 2 weeks.
Cons: No override to remove blank DVD.
Summary: Worked for 2 weeks. Software issue makes unit think that a blank DVD isn't blank and the load cycle never ends. Cannot remove DVD. Sony will not ship new ...
Summary: Worked for 2 weeks. Software issue makes unit think that a blank DVD isn't blank and the load cycle never ends. Cannot remove DVD. Sony will not ship new unit and requires user to pack and ship to Laredo, TX. Terrible design does not include manual eject. The LAST Sony product I'll ever buy.
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Dubbing quality is not that bad. - Unit is not as bad as some of the more negative reviews
by ubalis on February 12, 2006
Pros: +R DL support and chapter title features; built-in undocumented switch (via menus) to permanently filter out VHS and DVD Macrovision suring dubbing
Cons: No S-VHS input on rear
Summary: The particularly negative reviews previouly logged on this model with C|NET are really quite unfair. Unless you have particlarly degraded VHS tapes, the dubbing quality is quite acceptable. As ...
Summary: The particularly negative reviews previouly logged on this model with C|NET are really quite unfair. Unless you have particlarly degraded VHS tapes, the dubbing quality is quite acceptable. As for compatibility with other bands of drives and PC's, fear not, there is no autoboot zerosector "root-kit" on this DVD recorder as one note implies. I suspect the reason that this individual was unable to externally read DVD's made with this recorder was that he/she forgot to finalize them (a required additional step) after completing one or more writing sessions. If you don't finalize the disc, then only this unit will be able to read the intermediate disc format. After finalizing, I found that 9 of nine separate devices (PC's and other brands of DVD players) had no problem reading the discs recorded with this unit. The chapter title and elegant title chapter selection screens (auto-inserted by the finalization process) are particularly elegant.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Get ready for some serious venting! Harrumph! I was hoodwinked by the Sony name brand!
by frankofthenorth on February 2, 2006
Pros: Instant transfer button, multi-disc, IEEE 1394 port
Cons: Price, "4-head Hi-Fi stereo VHS" doesn't act Hi-Fi, no on-screen "complete" report, no auto finalize
Summary: I have had a Toshiba standalone DVD-R recorder, and figured a Sony would be just that much better. Boy was I surprised and disappointed. I used the Toshiba at my ...
Summary: I have had a Toshiba standalone DVD-R recorder, and figured a Sony would be just that much better. Boy was I surprised and disappointed. I used the Toshiba at my last job, and found it to be as good or sometimes better than creating a DVD in the computer. So now that I am at a new job, I want to impress my superiors. So far, the Sony RDR-VX511 has made me look bad. If only this unit had a feature where an on-screen report was able to display when the finalize cycle was complete. If you don't wait for this Sony to stop making noise, I think it interrupts the finalization process. I used both memorex DVD-R 16X discs and Verbatim White Inkjet Printable DVD-R 16x discs. Both discs had a hard time playing in a Dell running Win XP - SP2, Cyberlink PowerDVD DX 5.5.1423. All that would come up was the menu, and the choices proved non-clickable. I also noticed that discs would display as "SONATA_VOLUME" rather than the name I painstakingly inputted using the Sony's remote. There are also blank menu spots, making the disc look stupid and unprofessional.
I also played a disc made from VHS-DVD on a PowerBook G4 laptop, 17" model- I was able to play it beyond the menu, but was horrified at the color replication - solid colors flicker, as though its a low light recording. The image is fuzzy. Also, I can't find a mode where you skip the menu and just have a straight run DVD either - which would be preferable to a non-functional menu. All in all this unit is thouroughly unsatisfying. My advice? Get a standalone DVD-R burner and a separate VCR. I'd say a Toshiba, since I'd used one before, but I can't recall the model number. It was also cheesy, but I was able to make a disc with no menu, upping the class factor. The Sony RDR-VX511 does make a <swell> DVD player, but so does a $40 Acer.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Dissapointed with JPEG viewing
by Roger Deal on January 10, 2006
Pros: It is not as tall as the Panasonic
Cons: Poor JPEG picture quality
Summary: I bought the RDR-VX515 today to view JPEG pictures off CDs in my living room to show family and friends. I am very dissapointed in the blocky low resolution images (...
Summary: I bought the RDR-VX515 today to view JPEG pictures off CDs in my living room to show family and friends. I am very dissapointed in the blocky low resolution images (most are about 2/3'rd megabyte). Images are much better from the camera or recorded on the hard disk of our Replay (TiVo equivalent) when viewed on the HDTV, so it can display them, but this unit does a poor job. It is not satisfactory for this purpose so I am taking it back tomorrow.
It will magnify images, but it cuts off our heads when it does, and does not have the ability to scroll up, but I think the image quality was better. I will have to stick with viewing them on the Computer Monitor where the same images are sharp and detailed, but not as convienent, or printing them.
The Remote had a poor projection angle width; if tipped up a little it did not work, I had to point it down right at the unit or the floor, which is not intuitive.
Roger Deal, Clovis CA3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Crippled by DRM
by irateemperor on December 16, 2005
Pros: Mostly does what you want if you don't want to use it on computer
Cons: Can't burn or import dvds on your computer
Summary: Sony is obsessed with DRM (digital rights/restrictions management). When you burn a dvd with this thing, it hides the folders so that you can't see it on your ...
Summary: Sony is obsessed with DRM (digital rights/restrictions management). When you burn a dvd with this thing, it hides the folders so that you can't see it on your computer. Even when you're doing your own home videos, good luck trying to make more copies on your computer.
It does most of the stuff you want it to, but I had to return mine since I need to be able to back up disks on my computer.4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Sony
- Part number: RDR-VX515
- Description: Sleek and compact, the RDR-VX515 is the perfect accompaniment to your home theater. This DVD/VCR player has DVD+RW/+R, DVD-RW/-R recording compatibility, enabling you to store footage on multiple formats. Also featuring one touch dubbing, which makes it easy to archive old home VHS tape footage to new DVDs, the unit also offers an i.LINK digital interface and Digital8 input, for simplified digital recording of home movie footage from a camcorder to a DVD. Also includes a new slim-line chassis and compatibility with +R double-layer DVD discs for longer recording time. Next time your friends and family stop by for a movie, pre-recorded game, or to listen to music, impress them with the RDR-VX515 DVD Recorder & VHS Combo Player from Sony. The hits keep coming with the RDR-VX515 recorder from Sony.
General
- Dimensions (WxDxH) 16.9 in x 13.1 in x 3.3 in
- Color Silver
TV Tuner
- TV tuner qty 1
- Stereo reception system MTS
- Secondary audio program (SAP) Yes
Component features
- DVD Additional Features JPEG photo playback,
Block noise reduction,
Progressive scanning - Media load type Tray
- Media type DVD+R,
CD-R,
DVD,
CD,
Video CD,
DVD+RW,
DVD-R,
SVCD,
CD-RW,
DVD-RW - Parental Control Type Password
- Parental lock Yes
Connectors
- Optical Digital Output Yes
- Coaxial Digital Output Yes
Audio System
- Output Mode Stereo
- Digital Audio Format Dolby Digital output,
DTS digital output - Surround Sound Effects TV Virtual Surround
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Device Type None
- Digital Storage Media None
Recording Features
- Synchro Start Yes
Video Features
- S-VHS Playback Capable Yes
- Electronic Program Guide VCR Plus+
- Program Guide Features Timer Programming
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear,
1 x S-Video output ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear,
1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear,
1 x Composite video/audio output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear,
1 x RF input ( F connector ) - Rear,
1 x RF output ( F connector ) - Rear,
1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear,
1 x SPDIF output - Rear,
1 x SPDIF output ( RCA phono ) - Rear,
1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Front,
1 x Composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Front,
1 x - Front Remote Control
- Type Universal remote control
- Technology Infrared
- Features Multi-brand compatibility
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included Video / audio cable,
Antenna cable Clock & Alarm
- Clock Yes
- Timer Record
Power
- Type Internal
- Power Consumption Operational 40 Watt
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Sony products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Sony
- Address:
16765 W. Bernardo Dr., San Diego, CA 92127 - Phone: 1-877-865-SONY
- Email: contact@sel.sony.com
- Fax: 941-768-7790
