Sony RDR-VX555 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

i purchased one on ebay knowing it came without the remote - what i didnt know until i got it,was that without the remote, most functions that I wanted were useless-although the system worked great, i couldn t change anything without that REMOTE ! so i got back on ebay and searched and searched for the correct remote {after trying EIGHT universal remotes,including a very EXPENSIVE sony universal-none would program to all functions !} I ended up bidding on another unit JUST to get the remote !even buying the correct NEW remote seperate was 50.00 plus shipping! my second auction won was the exact model WITH the remote ! so i now have two of these and ONE remote ,which amazingly, the second unit was bought AS_IS for the remote- and i was able to repair it in about twenty minutes - - all in all a very time consuming project that looking back, had i known, i would have passed on the one MINUS the remote !so if you are bidding on one without a remote ! - be prepared to use play,record, stop, pause and just about NOTHING else it was designed for ! you can buy the genuine remote from SONY for less than other on-line suppliers {RMT-D240A }at about 50.00 plus shipping- so bid accordingly,plan on buying the remote !! or dont waste your money on something you cant enjoy ! ALSO !!!!!--- if you are planning on picking up a signal from your cable or satellite receiver- DONT BUY ONE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE TRANSMITTER !!! there is NO internal tv tuner and without the transmitter you can not record from TV !
as an owner of TWENTY_FIVE plus dvd players and recorders of various designs and capabilities - I NOW - have the complete package , but as you can see, it took a lot of research and determination, to not give up and throw it back on ebay and let someone else deal with the LEARNING i had to go through !
i am very satisfied with the END result - after two months of research and various auction watching and bidding, but are you ready for all of that ?
SO !!! - get the unit, get the remote, get the transmitter together , or know where you can - and you will have an awesome unit - BUT do NOT buy one without these and think you have a great DEAL - just be prepared to add the price of these into your bidding - or dont waste your money
IF- you are looking at a NEW unit- youre ready to go ! and you will LOVE it !
ANOTHER item for those of you that have DVI-D monitors-that you want to connect this, or any other DVI-D system to - be prepared to buy an adapter cable to connect to the monitor- most monitors are DVI-D,DVI-I,and this SONY like most other brand of DVDs, TVs,STEREOS,lately are NOW using - HDMI !!!!
WOW ! I learned a lot with this experience - even that when i purchased the cable to connect this unit , i never realized how many DIFFERENT types of cables there are ! I actually ended up with FOUR different cable adapters- before i got the CORRECT one to match both ends !
i hope this helps anyone looking at these units,i have had fun , and been frustrated, and learned a lot - so GOOD LUCK !!!!!!!!!!!!

I needed a DVD recorder to transfer all my old VHS tapes to DVD. This is the perfect device for the job. It,s simple to operate and produces perfect DVD,s every time so far.

Great product! Sony quality has always been a favorite of mine! The seller had a great deal on one of these, so I decided to get one! You can program record on this model, on either the VCR or the DVD. Also, you can record from tape to disc, or vice versa. Suits my needs. You only have one unit this way, not seperate components.
eBay made it possible for me!

Bought 3 weeks ago. Does lots of things and instruction book could have more details for first time users. This unit is same as Sony RDR-VX525 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo except 525 unit comes with HDMI cable. I also have the Sony RDR-VX525 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo and the instruction books are almost exactly the same . . the remotes are. I think I am going to like when I learn how to use all the timing features. How to use the Lists and titles are just not clear to me in the instruction book. I did call Sony help line and they helped me . . little hard to understand the tech but we got through it.
DVD-R disc seem to work better. Also the Sony RDR-VX525 DVD Player / VCR Combo can usually be purchased cheaper on Ebay

I wanted a quality product that I could use to burn DVD's from the VHS tapes of "the kids" that were approaching 20 years old. It was simple to use (once I read the instruction book) and of course works fine for playing both movies and music (CD's). It does everything that I wanted it to.

I was looking for a method to transfer old VHS tapes and other formats to CD or DVD in a stand alone system.
The Sony RDR-VX555 exceeded my expectations both in capabilities and ease of use. The item worked so well I recommend it to my friends.

Best addition to my system since upgrading to satellite HD. Easy to operate, easy to install. Quality is great. Copied DVD to VHS for a family member and it was better than her store-bought VHS, Only problem is when operating in HD, no one makes a cable that will connect the HD from the satellite box AND the DVD/VHS player to the TV. The HDMI output is located on both machines, but there is only one input on my 57" Hitachi HDTV unit. So, in order to watch a HD DVD, I have to swap the cable from the satellite box to the DVD. This is not the fault of the combo player at all, but of the designers of the HD systems.

I bought this DVD/VCR combo with the intent to copy over my VCR-Tape-versions of Movies onto DVDs. However, after I received the player, it became evident that the Movies are protected, and therefore can not be copied. So this purchase was a mistake. We are using the device as a DVD & VCR Player, but the Recording aspect (what I bought the device for) is not possible. The Purchase was fine. It arrived on time and well packaged. Also the price was cheaper than the store bought version.

All my VHSs in the closet are now in CD format and can save for much longer and more convienient to store, a great purchase for me!

I bought this item for use while exercising and to play my training DVD's while working on my jewelry making. This Sony has a sharp picture decent sound and is just the right size for my uses. I tend to buy Sony products as I find them to be well designed and reliable.

I copied my entire VHS collection of both home movies onto DVD using this outstanding product from SONY(as usual a quality product). One of the VHS copies I made was of my childhood from 1944 up until 1964 made with 8mm camera film and transferred by my mom to the VHS tape....it looks great on DVD now, and I made several copies for posterity. The machine can do tons of stuff, but the transfer from VHS to DVD is my main reason for its use, and it now serves as a DVD player....the best one in the house I might add. The price is wonderful at just over 100 bucks average, and if you have a lot of VHS tapes, grab this item and you won't regret it....It requires 1 touch to record from VHS to DVD after setup, which is also a snap. If you get one without a user manual, you can get one online and download it from the net. What a bargain.

Easy to use makes great copys and you can record direct from your camcorder. Just one cable and one button, your done.

The best price for this unit anywhere on the web! The vendor was friendly and responded quickly with tracking information. The unit was shipped quickly and I received it two days after making the purchase. It functioned perfectly; almost better than expected.

I feel this Sony model is better than other brands due to the quality of design. However, it would have been a plus to include an NTSC and/or high definition tuner in the unit to be able to record broadcasts without an external tuner connected. Additionally, an additional set of audio/video inputs on the rear of the unit would be a plus even if these inputs run parallel to the fron inputs.

i check this dvd/vcr at the stors and i find that on eby stors very cheeper than the store and moor choice to find.

I loved the delivery service on my RDR-VX555. It was delievered 3 days earlier than expected. The product was packed correctly and the whole transaction went smoothly. I bought the product to transfer my vhs to dvd and was pleased to see how easy it was.

Easy to use.
However, there is no button on the unit to finalize the disc. You need the Sony RMT-D240A remote to finalize the disc so it can be played with computer or other units.

Ok, I have a Sony Bravia LCD TV, and a old 480 dpi DVD player, I did not like how my DVD looked so I got this combo.

The combo is a great piece of machine, it does boost up the resolution to 1080, the DVD DOES look better, but not substantially.

But just remember this won't work magic, old VCR still look old, I try to watch X (story of Malcolm X by Spike Lee) on VHS and it looks low res, just like on old CRT TV.

I think this product is great. It is so simple to use. I don't know how many vhs 2 dvd conversions and I've completed, and I have so many other fuctions that I can use to convert films. I suggest it to anyone!!

Sony once again has outdone themselves, this unit is versatile and affordable. The remote control is well designed and it is comfortable and easy to use. The design of the unit itself is low profile so it can easily fit under most plasma and LCD TV's.

I bought this machine to replace my DVD player and my VCR. Both of those functions are covered admirably by this machine. In addition, this machine is able to record onto a DVD all my VHS tapes. If I only had time!! This machine is also supposed to have the capability of recording television programs through the cable/satellite box and to be able to control the box. I have figured out how to route my HD tuner through the machine, but not how to control the tuner with the machine. The machine does not have a built in tuner' I guess I should actually take the time to read the manual. Altogether this machine is doing what I bought it for in an excellent manner.

Great picture, confusing remote, takes forever for the drawer to open when you press eject. Some reliability issues. Needs a degree in engineering to understand everything it does.

I had a need to transfer some VCR tapes to DVD disks. I looked in magazines and retail stores then Ebay where I found the machine I wanted at the price that was reasonable.

This new toy as I call it does all the recording and burning to DVDs of all my old
movies and VHS tapes so I can show them to my grandkids. All in one unit and its a great brand.