Product Review: Sony RDR-VX530 DVD/VCR Combo Recorder

The RDR-VX530 Sony DVD/VCR combo player is the next model up from the Sony RDR-VX515. While the two players look almost identical, there are some big differences between them. For simplification purposes, I'll only use the latter portion of the model number when referring to the different models.

Sony didn't change much when they made the VX530, but they did work out many of the bugs that the VX515 had. The VX515 would often freeze up when it was finalizing a disc. This means that the disc had to be thrown away. It would also take a lot longer to finalize a disc, which made me worry that the disc might have errors. And the light blue menu screen on the discs created by the VX515 just isn't as pretty as the darker blue menu created by the newer VX530. This may sound superficial, but it's also a matter of the screen being easier to read.

Another improvement of the VX530 is that is can burn dual layer discs. This is an excellent feature now that the prices are coming down for the dual layer discs. A dual layer disc can hold more than the standard discs, which means you can burn something to the disc in a higher speed and still only use one disc.

Similar to the VX515, the VX530 will record to both dvd+r and dvd-r. But the VX515 uses only 8X discs, which may soon have to be special ordered as stores aren't stocking them. However, the VX530 can use 16X discs. This is great considering some companies only make 16X discs now. In addition to playing both dvd+r and dvd-r, the VX530 can also play vcds.

Both models have audio and video jacks on the back and front of the unit. The ones on the front are behind a little door that flips down (please see the second photograph for a picture of this). These extra jacks are very convenient if you have to hook up a second dvd player or VCR, in addition to a game console that also uses those cables such as the Playstation 2.