Sony RDR-HXD995 review

As shoddy as it can be sometimes, there is a vast amount of worthwhile TV on Freeview. If we could just get rid of channels trying to sell you lumps of fake diamond glued on to cheap metal and ladders to clean the cockles off the bottom of a boat it would be even better.

There's still a wealth of movies, drama, comedy and documentaries to record though, and if you need flexibility, you'll want to grab a DVD recorder and PVR with plenty of storage space, and can record cable or satellite from a number of inputs -- especially important if you don't yet have Sky+ or a similar service. The Sony RDR-HXD995 fits the bill with 1080p upscaling and a 250GB hard drive, and it'll set you back around £260 online.

Design
The 995 is fairly attractive, although it does have a slightly strange lip on the front panel, on which some buttons rest. It's not the sort of thing we're used to seeing, but it's not especially hideous.

On the front you'll find some simple playback controls, a display that tells you what the PVR is up to at any given time, and what channel you're tuned to. This display is easy to read when you're close, but it becomes more of a challenge when you're a few metres away.

There's also a flap that conceals some more controls and inputs. It's here you'll find the DV input and PictBridge connector alongside composite and S-Video inputs -- all designed mainly for camcorder enthusiasts.

At the back of the unit there are two sets of aerial inputs. One takes care of digital signals, and the other is in charge of analogue. We can't help but think this is a pretty clunky way of going about things, and it's not something we're used to seeing. Still, if you live in an area with a decent digital signal, you're more than likely going to avoid analogue altogether.

You also get HDMI and component out, and a pair of multi-function Scart sockets -- you can record from them, as well as play via them. There's even a coaxial digital audio output, for hooking up an AV receiver -- handy if you're not planning on using the HDMI, or don't have an HDMI-capable surround-sound system.

Features
The Sony doesn't miss a trick when it comes to features. Alongside the single Freeview tuner is an additional analogue receiver, which will be of use if you live outside the Freeview broadcast areas. The HXD995 can also record from a Scart input and from DV camcorders using a dedicated DV port on the front of the machine.

DVD playback is fully featured too, offering DivX support, which we've come to expect now, even though it must upset the bods over at Sony Pictures. You also get MP3 and JPEG playback and you can even hook up a PictBridge printer, if the desire so took you.

You also get comprehensive playback from a variety of blank disc formats. Even DVD RAM is supported, although the 995 can't record to this type of media.

In terms of supported disc types for recording, you can put both DVD+R and DVD-R in the Sony -- including dual-layer discs. It will also write to the rewritable variants of both + and - discs.

As much as we love that Sony has crammed in a bunch of cool features, we really wish it provided a dual digital tuner. It can make such a difference, especially if you don't have another digital tuner or a TV with built-in Freeview.

Sony doesn't include an HDMI cable in the pack either, which we think is really cheap of it. Seriously, if you're spending over £250 on something, it really would be polite to help you connect it to your TV with the best possible quality.