It's unlikely I'll be able to find any of the well-regarded DVD recorders mentioned on
this web page, so I'll go for something that I should be able to locate and purchase: a Sony RDR-HXD990. I've got some questions about that device, but, as usual, a story first.
November 2023
Now here's the thing – at the same time as I picked up all the Hans Vonk VCRs, my partner said that Bill, her brother-in-law, had two home videos she'd like to watch on her computer: her parent's 50th wedding anniversary, and her mother's 80th birthday party, snippets of which will become part of an AV to be shown in 2025. So I got hold of Bill and ripped the DVD he made. He used a VCR to DVD recorder. I watched the video, and dismissively assumed that I could do better – if I learnt how to capture VCR. So I started my first thread on this forum.
Here's another thing. Bill worked for the ABC as a newsreader, and being surrounded by quality equipment in the studio, always had good-quality video equipment at home. He would have bought his VCR-Recorder 20 years ago, right at the high point of the quality curve, according to that web page previously mentioned. But I didn't realise the significance of the date of purchase, until I went through that web page yesterday. So I looked at the video again – a rock solid 25fps; no if or buts, and no jitters or other irregularities; running MPEG-2 at 9.67 Mbps, near the maximum allowed for a DVD. I see nothing wrong with that video, looking at it now through the eyes of a VCR lens. But last November, I was looking at it through a Blu-ray lens, all I've ever worked with in the digital video field.
Back where I started
I coming to the belief I may have spent an inordinate amount of time researching and purchasing capture equipment, only to be back where I started – use a DVD recorder, for God's sake, and forget all the capture hassles. DVD recorders were designed to work with TVs; VCRs were designed to work with TVs; why did I think an interloper called "capture" could do a better job?
That's the background to this post. Onwards to the questions, specifically directed at the Sony HXD990, but in general for other recorders as well.
Ques 1
Does the Sony work with NTSC and PAL input signals? The manual mentions both, but not in a clear way.
Ques 2
The Sony can record to HDD as well as DVD. Can I extract the files on the HDD as video files, or are they in a special format? No mention of this in the manual.
Ques 3
The Sony can output HDMI, and I can intercept that signal with my Hauppauge unit (I knew it would come in useful). Of the many Blu-ray formats, two are of interest here:
- 720 × 480i at 29.97
- 720 × 576i at 25
Does the Sony use those formats, or does it upscale to 1080P?
Ques 4
This respondent says:
I like the one I have – a Sony rdr hxd990. Amongst other things it can record on HDD in 15000 Mbps; line TBC works; supports NTSC PAL SECAM; HDMI and Component out. Great features in other words. Did I mention the proc amp options (tint, details, sat, b/w levels etc.)
Sounds too good to be true. Is it?
The mention of the bit rate is interesting. I assume he means 15Mbps. No mention of bit rate in the manual. Is that a correct figure?
Ques 5
Can the HDD be removed and replaced?
Ques 6
Assuming input is via S-video to DVD disk, is there likely to be any difference in recording quality between this Sony and a Panasonic DMR-ES15?