Sony RDRGX315 DVD Recorder

I am something of a connoisseur of DVD recorders. I own four Sonys and four Panasonics. I was interested in the GX315 primarily because of the small size and multiple recording speeds.

It did not disappoint: recordings are flawless, as are all the Sony machines I own. The design is sleek and elegant and, as it stands only about 2 1/2 inches high, it has a streamlined look and feel.

But the 315 does have several negatives. It takes a lot of time to do anything: format the disc, write a title to the disc, and finalize. Much longer than any other Sony machine I own. The remote does not have a Record Pause button, as do the others, which mean it is difficult to get into the beginning of a film cleanly. On all the other machines, pressing Rec/Pause puts the machine into standby, and then goes immediately into recording when pressed again, making timing easy. There is very little room on the title list for titles. Not more than two or three words. The other machines have a full line. There are thumbnails, but are chosen by the machine and can't be changed.

But I like the machine very much anyway. It handles all recording formats, and up to 16X discs, which is a good reason to buy. It is becoming increasingly difficult to buy DVDs less than 16X.

This DVR was OK for what we used it for, but now (for the last year almost) it only intermittently records DVDs. it seems to be a heat related problem, and I've done the best I can to separate it from other equipment. It often works in the AM on one or two programs and then quits. This is the second SONY DVR i've had that is heat sensitive to recording and the 3rd overall that just seems to quit after a year or so of service. It's out of warranty and I'm not sure what to buy anymore.

I have had nothing but trouble with this unit and I just bought it last year. We purchased a sony b/c it was compatible with our sony camcorder and now we cannot even burn our information on to a CD.

I will preset the recorder for programs and it will not even record at all. It will only record when you press the record button for immediate recording. Even then it will sometimes only record a portion of the program. I guess it has something to do with the copyright protection I keep reading about.

I have a Samsung recorder and it hasn't given me any trouble. I will not buy this Sony product again.

I have many Sony Products -- a television, a minidisc player, an AV receiver, a VCR, etc., and I have to say given my past experience that I still it find it hard to believe that this piece of junk says Sony on it. This recorder is very good at making coasters. Of course, you may not even get to make a coaster because there are times when I have difficulty getting the tray to even come out. I've been in the demeaning position of sitting there and hitting the eject button 10-15 times before getting a response. The motor is working but the door is stuck or unresponsive from day one. The DVDs it does make "successfully" can't be played on any other piece of equipement under any circumstances and the thing sometimes won't even play the DVDs it burns itself. While it used to finalize DVDs in the past, the DVD recorder has essentially decided it no longer wishes to perform that work. The Remote Control is the most awful and ill conceived remote I have ever had the misfortunate to hold in my hand. Key functions are essentially hidden away in a strange compartment. I made the huge mistake of buying the recorder without doing any research only because I have purchased so many Sony products over the years. In any event, this DVD recorder is good if you are looking to burn $200 for no reason and I am utterly over my brand loyalty to Sony and will look to another manufacturer when I finally do replace this garbage. Run fast and far away from this one.

I am so happy with the Sony DVD Recorder RDRGX315. Originally I had purchased the Sony RDRGX330 and was not satisfied because I could not edit out the commercials.
After I purchased the RDRGX315 recorder and started using it I was in heaven. Sony needs to bring back the RDRGX315 because it is better than the other one.