Sony RDR-GX300 thoughts and comments

[tommyoz]

I tried a 4 hour mode recording of a DVD. All I had to test it with was my wife's Sex and the City DVD's. At first things did not look good. At every mode recording (EP and above) I was getting some distortion at certain quick scene changes. I thought maybe something with my DataVideo
TBC-1000. I then decided to try another DVD player and that one faired much better. I thought the 4 hour mode recordings looked pretty damn good. I saw some weakness at those scene changes in this mode but very little.

[oralloy]

I don't know what chipset this has (sorry i'm not going in right now) but the quality is really good. It claims to have TBC but from what I can gather it does not appear to have FR mode.

How does the quality compare to the JVC recorder?

I plan on buying something to record mostly 1-hour programs at highest quality off S-video, so the lack of IEEE-1394 input and FR are not big issues with me, but I'd prefer the best quality.

[tommyoz]

I only had the JVC for a short time and brought it back cause it was the DVD/VCR combo recorder. I think that the recordings I did make with the JVC were a little lighter then the Sony RDR-GX300. I like this Sony recorder and have decided to keep it past the 30 day return policy date which ends tomorrow. This is the only recorder that I have had that did not have any annoying issues. Everything works I have no reason to return it. As far as the quality I wish one of the experts would try this machine out and let us know what they think. As far as I'm concerned it looks great to me. I rarely do 4 hour mode recording which is the real test according to lordsmurf. The experts have also said that any recorder would be ok for 2 hour recording but I beg to differ because this Sony out performs many others (Philips, Cyberhome, Sansui) that I have tried, This of course is my opinion.

[zorankarapancev]

When I made the DVD recorder super test some time ago I was more then impressed with the recording quality of the Sony GX-7. There was no doubt in my mind that with the GX300 we will probably get a new DVD recorder champ.

[rixware]

I bought one of these and it's a nice machine. But I can't get it to create discs which start playing automatically when inserted. The discs always bring up a title menu, and you have to press ENTER or PLAY to get it to start.

With only one title on the disc, it would be great if it bypassed the menu and just started playing. Does anyone know if this is possible with this deck?

+

[tommyoz]

rixware, most of the DVD recorders that I have tried record the same way like you mentioned. This isn't an issue for me since most of my work goes to the PC for reauthoring. I've never had to investigate it. Again I could be wrong but i'm quite sure that most recorders record this way.

[tommyoz]

When I made the DVD recorder super test some time ago I was more then impressed with the recording quality of the Sony GX-7. There was no doubt in my mind that with the GX300 we will probably get a new DVD recorder champ.

zorankarapancev, I remember that test. In fact it was the reason I decided to get the GX-7. I agree with the quality of that machine but the units drive had some problems so I brought it back. When the RDR-GX300 came out, I knew the quality would be there. It appears that this drive has not given me any problems. It hasn't denied me a disc yet.

Would you happen to know what chipset Sony uses?

[rixware]

most of my work goes to the PC for reauthoring

Please say a little more about this. That sounds like a possible solution for me -- copy from VHS to DVD-RW on the Sony then reauthor the disc to take out the menu screen. What software do you use for this process?

Thanks!

+

[tommyoz]

I use Womble Mpeg Video Wizard to import the Vob files to my PC and edit if needed. I then export the Mpeg file from Womble and it's ready to use in any DVD authoring software.

I'm a menu type guy. I love creating menu's for my DVD's so I may not be much help to you. You can try to import your Vob's to the PC using Tmpgenc DVD author and create your DVD without menus. I think this program does that but I'm not sure.

[zorankarapancev]

Would you happen to know what chipset Sony uses?

No, I don't know and contrary to the opinions of some of the members of this forum, I am not convinced that the chipset (as important as it is) is the deciding factor in determening the quality of the DVD Recorder.

[rixware]

I noticed that the finalized discs (DVD-R and DVD+RW -- all I tested) do not contain an AUDIO_TS folder. Won't this wreak havoc on compatibility with older players?

Also, I tried reauthoring using DVD-lab, but it choked on the files. My process is all about compatability, so I'm afraid this deck is going back...

+

[tommyoz]

I noticed that the finalized discs (DVD-R and DVD+RW -- all I tested) do not contain an AUDIO_TS folder. Won't this wreak havoc on compatibility with older players?

That's debateable, anyway if you are going to reauthor you can add it if it bothers you.

I tried reauthoring using DVD-lab, but it choked on the files. My process is all about compatability, so I'm afraid this deck is going back...

For me DVDLab is a bit buggie. Ever notice everytime you turn around there is a new update for it? DVDlab can be a great program but it seams like it's always missing something. Try something else before you give up on the Sony.

[lingoguysw5]

With this Womble Mpege Wizard am I suppose to be able to author my DVD-RW files be able to read on DVD+RW? If so, how comes TMPgenc and DVDlab doesn't do this? Also are there any other tools which would allow me to get my - discs on to + ones? I did try Mpeg but it gave bad quality. Once I've copied the file onto disc is it necessary to re-encode or something. I am not familiar with VRO and VOB but I know they play a part in all this. Any ideas?

[tommyoz]

With this Womble Mpege Wizard am I suppose to be able to author my DVD-RW files be able to read on DVD+RW? If so, how comes TMPgenc and DVDlab doesn't do this? Also are there any other tools which would allow me to get my - discs on to + ones? I did try Mpeg but it gave bad quality. Once I've copied the file onto disc is it necessary to re-encode or something. I am not familiar with VRO and VOB but I know they play a part in all this. Any ideas?

Actually the easiest way would be to buy a recorder that can record to all formats or the one you want to record on. I can't understand why your getting bad quality from the JVC to begin with. What source are you recording from? VCR? TV? etc.... Are your cables connected properly?Could you possibly have a bad recorder?

Womble mpeg video wizard is an Mpeg editor. You import the Vob files that were created with the standalone and you can edit or just create a new Mpeg file that you can now import to your DVD authoring program.
Womble is not a DVD authoring program.

Tmpgenc DVDAuthorer and DVDlab are both authoring programs that will accept your Vob files and allow you to reauthor your new DVD. It will also accept an Mpeg file like the one you can create with Womble. You have to decide which one would be easier for you.

[tommyoz]

lingoguysw5, I forgot one thing. If you simply want to just take the same content you have from the DVD-RW to DVD+R/RW then you can use DVD Decrypter to rip and Imgtools with DVD Decrypter to burn. It would be an exact copy and you don't have to reauthor.

[lingoguysw5]

I don't think there are any dvd recorders that record all reformats you normally have to choose between dvd- or dvd+ I have a jvc dvd- with 160GB HD. The source I had copied in VIDEO MODE from my DVD Recorder's HD to a DVD-RW disc and then copied onto my pc was a home video, I then authored this using tmpgenc and burned it to a DVD+RW disc. Although it added, after about a minute the quality diminished resulting in a very shakey unviewable footage.
Unfortunately my combo drive is designed for DVD+ and will only read/copy DVD- Video Mode. Any solutions most welcome. Hopefully it is not just my media and instead it's an oversight on what I am supposed to do.

[tommyoz]

lingoguysw5, The DVD recorder that this thread is reffering to (Sony RDR-GX300) does record in all formats DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW. There is also a Liteon DVD recorder that records in all formats. There may be others as well.

How did you get the source (home video) to your DVD recorder's HD? Did you use Firewire or S-Video or composite? What recording mode did you use? Have you tried to record directly to your DVD-R/RW instead of your HD. At what step exactly do you start to lose quality?

[lingoguysw5]

I think it is a problem I have with my drive I spoke to dell and they told me to re-install everything. I have the home recording now on DVD but now I want to dvd decrypt it to make copies. I believe that's the way to go about it if you don't want the quality to fail like last time and then imgtools it onto a new disc. Well I hope this works. The dvd decrypt keeps on failing even if I try to add chapter by chapter, it must be my system. Thanks tommyoz for your help anyway

[lordsmurf]

This sounds like a cheap media problem moreso than anything else.

[jrlouie]

I like this machine so far. It hasn't given me any problems with media or transfering files to the PC. I'm going to be playing around with some of the video settings next. I think this one is right up there with JVC as far as quality is concerned. I'll leave that one up to the pros though.

I have a question regarding video capture from VHS tapes and comparing cards to a stand alone (Sony RDR-GX300) DVD recorder. After researching card capture, it seemed like the PC route frequently had problems with dropped frames and AV synchronization. I thought I could get around this with a high quality stand alone recorder. The Sony model has built in image enhancement and other features. Although the image quality is virtually the same, there are occasional hesitations in the video. This is true whether recorded in HQ or SP mode, but they don't occur in the same place. Since they don't occur in the same part of the tape, I don't think a bad spot in the tape is to blame. The VCR is also high quality, a JVC HR-S5912U. Is this occasional hesitation inevitable when digitizing VHS tapes? How does card capture compare to stand alone for this problem?

You said you have transferred files to your PC. Doesn't this require them to be ripped, or is there an easier way? (I'm just past the newbie stage, I hope.)

[lingoguysw5]

Lordsmirph the media has worked ok before I am unable to decrypt, to dvdshrink, they all pack up, dvdcrypter starts and then says retry. I have tried to view DVD Media which works fine on my dvdplayer but won't work with any software player on my PC. The message I get is Error 00002711 Unable to load file --IMP. I have now transferred everything before eventually reinstalling to my 120GB External HD just in case anything goes wrong. DVD decrypter defaults to my E drive each time I direct it to my C drive and my C still has a good 30GB left. What can be done to solve this. To a certain extent the Combo Drive works but not to is full capacity. Please help.

[tommyoz]

The Sony model has built in image enhancement and other features. Although the image quality is virtually the same, there are occasional hesitations in the video. Is this occasional hesitation inevitable when digitizing VHS tapes? How does card capture compare to stand alone for this problem?

jrlouie, I've been mainly recording from Satellite TV. I've only recorded from VCR about 5 times and about 3 of them were when I was doing some quality test. I did record 2 full movies from VCR. I will have to watch them and see if I notice anything. Off the top of my head all I can say is this,

Are your connections from the VCR to the recorder all ok?
Did you try recording into another input? try all 3 L1, L2 & L3.
Did you try another VCR?

You said you have transferred files to your PC. Doesn't this require them to be ripped, or is there an easier way? (I'm just past the newbie stage, I hope.)

You can rip them but you can also copy them from your PC DVD drive.
You can also simply just import the files directly from your DVD to your mpeg/vob editor and work from there.

[jrlouie]

Thanks for the comments.

I have watched the VCR output through the output of the DVD recorder, and it appears fine, but I will try it again to be sure. The output of this VCR is much superior to any of our others.

The units are connected with Monster Cable, which might be hype, but should not give a problem. The cable is acually a component video cable.

I will try one of the other inputs.

The box the unit came in was damaged, but the unit seemed to record with no problem. Could a shock have caused a problem, or would it just not record at all? Should I exchange the unit?

Is this momentary hesitation/pixelization symptomatic of a dropped frame? What is recorded is high quality, but the occasional momentary hesitations are very disappointing. I will contact Sony unless you have other suggestions.

[zorankarapancev]

What kind of the recordable DVD's do you use?

Do you have occasional momentary hesitations when you play recorded DVD's on the same Sony DVD recorder or on some other player?

[dcsoulchild]

Has anyone compared the Sony RDR-GX300 to the JVC??? I would love to know how both machines stack up in terms of quality. I always heard that Sony was the best, but expensive. Now alot of folks are praising the JVC. I like the JVC personally, but I never checked out the Sony. Anyone out there has done a comparision?

[jrlouie]

I am using Sony DVD-R disks.

I have gone through the DVD frame by frame where I see the hesitation, and it is due to 2 frames that are identical, not a dropped frame. Going through the tape frame by frame shows no problem. The double frames occur at different points in the tape in HQ and SP modes. Any idea why dublicate frames would occur?

I have explored the DVD's made by the GX300, but did not see how to copy the video to the PC as MPEG files. Can you tell me how to do this without a program to rip the DVD?

I have dubbed the tapes to DVD, but now I want to cut and paste events into separate MPEG files with chapter titles for each event and burn new DVD's without re-encoding. It looked like Womble MPEGVCR and TMPGEnc will do this. I don't need or want anything fancy. My main concern is maintaining quality.

[gshelley61]

I am using Sony DVD-R disks.

I have gone through the DVD frame by frame where I see the hesitation, and it is due to 2 frames that are identical, not a dropped frame. Going through the tape frame by frame shows no problem. The double frames occur at different points in the tape in HQ and SP modes. Any idea why dublicate frames would occur?

I have explored the DVD's made by the GX300, but did not see how to copy the video to the PC as MPEG files. Can you tell me how to do this without a program to rip the DVD?

I have dubbed the tapes to DVD, but now I want to cut and paste events into separate MPEG files with chapter titles for each event and burn new DVD's without re-encoding. It looked like Womble MPEGVCR and TMPGEnc will do this. I don't need or want anything fancy. My main concern is maintaining quality.

Are you using a full frame standalone TBC in between the VCR and the DVD recorder? That might clear up the problem.

You can just copy the VOB files from the recorded DVD to your hard drive like any other file. VOB's are DVD compliant MPEG2 files already... you can simply rename them with the .mpg extension after you save them to your computer's hard drive. If you want to convert the sequential VOB's/MPG's to a single large .mpg, you can use Simple File Joiner to do that. It's free:

http://www.peretek.com/sfj.php

[jrlouie]

After buying the JVC HRS5912U VCR and the RDRGX300, I hate to think about buying another piece of hardware. What is a TBC?

Is there a reason for getting duplicate frames? Is the recorder defective? Is the tape playing too slowly? I would think it would record frame by frame.

[jrlouie]

Okay, I have been reading other posts on TBC's, and it sounds like they are primarily for a problem with dropped frames. I have the opposite problem of a duplicate frame. The tape is not very old and has never been played before. Would a tbc help?

[lordsmurf]

Okay, I have been reading other posts on TBC's, and it sounds like they are primarily for a problem with dropped frames. I have the opposite problem of a duplicate frame. The tape is not very old and has never been played before. Would a tbc help?

Not really. The TBC has many, many uses.