Sony RDR-GX350 DVD Recorder

[Cee2024]

Hi,

If any one has one of these old players and still uses it I was wondering how you record off live tv with it. I had one of these with my old Sony Bravia TV and rarely used it. I recently searched online and found that I can still use it with my new smart tv with an av to hdmi converter but I'm not sure what to purchase to record live tv with it. As this used an analogue signal it's not that simple as everything is digital now. I did try to sell it but didn't realise it wasn't digital. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[royabrown2 · Accepted solution]

@Cee2024 

You can’t record from a digital TV because such TVs don’t output their video.

But you can record TV signals from a terrestrial TV aerial, and you can output from the recorder via its HDMI Out into an HDMI In on a modern digital TV.

Here’s your manual:-

https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/3113/31137591M.pdf

Look at pages 12 and onwards to see how to connect things up.

Page 77 talks about tuning TV channels. This seems to be a 2007 device, so it should get digital SD channels, but HD didn’t arrive until 2010, so you won’t get those. Not that you could record in anything like that resolution anyway.

Scheduling recordings seems to be via VideoPlus. That’s probably long gone, but maybe you can do it the old channel/start time/(duration or stop time) way. Poke about in the manual if you want this.

[Cee2024 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Thank you for your response, I will look into it and check out the manual. Many thanks 😊. 

[Cee2024]

P.S

The main reason I asked is because I actually sold it on ebay, but the buyer requested a refund as he said it wasn't a digital item and worked with an analogue signal. I didn't even think of that as I only used it lightly for watching dvd. Theirs so many for sale on ebay but noones mentioned that the dvdr isn't digital. I'm not a serious tech person but I know how to connect the dvdr to my smart tv via a av to hdmi converter to play dvd but not record from a smart tv. I still want to sell it but I've now  listed it as non digital. I'm just doing some research to update myself. 😊

[royabrown2 · Accepted solution]

@Cee2024 

On checking further, I found you can set timer recordings manually. It’s called ‘Standard’ in that manual.

Ant further questions, please just ask.

[Cee2024 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

You've been brilliant, many thanks. Just out of interest can this model still be used with my old 2011 Sony Bravia TV to record live tv with a digital ariel?. Cheers 😊

[royabrown2 · Accepted solution]

@Cee2024 

No alas, this box can only record analogue TV, and that’s all gone.
Although digital TV was just coming in in 2007, the design of this box predates it.

But past that point, the box is all digital inside, and it has digital (HDMI) and analogue (all other) outputs.

So it would need a digibox that could accept digital TV and output analogue over SCART to record any TV on it these days. And digiboxes don't have timers so you can schedule programmes - why would they?

So the uses of this box today are pretty niche 😢 Maybe somebody has a broken one, and needs to replace it, maybe somebody just wants to copy (non-copy protected) DVDs and videotapes; it will still do those things.

And somebody with a DTR-T2xxx YouView box might want to protect their recordings, as a dead YouView box means all your saved recordings die with it, so the owner of such a box might want to play any treasured recordings out of the SCART on the box, and commit them to recordable DVD as a backup.

Even DTR-T4000 or Pro box owners could do this, with the addition of an HDMI to SCART converter.

If you put it back on eBay, though, be sure to mention that it cannot record digital TV.

If, when you sold it before, you didn’t actually claim it could record digital TV, or that it was ‘all digital’ or similar, then you could have refused the return, as rhe spec of the box clearly states it does not handle digital TV:-

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/home-video-dvd-players-recorders/rdr-gx350/specifications

• Tuner

  • • ANALOGUE TERRESTRIAL TUNER

      PAL-B/G,D/K,I,SECAM-L,D/K

    • DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL TUNER

      NO

    • and the buyer should have done due diligence,

[Cee2024 · Accepted solution]

Hi Royal,

Thank you so much for clarifying all my concerns regarding the technology used for this product. You've been very helpful and super knowledgeable. As for the ebay sale yeah the guy clearly pulled a fast one and due to ebay's 30 day buyer protection I had to except the return even though I never stated it was digital or smart compatible. I have relisted it and clearly stated it isn't digital or smart but its ashame most old dvdr are pretty much useless now especially in great condition.Best wishes and we the Sony Community thank u. 😊 

[royabrown2 · Accepted solution]

@Cee2024 

One last thought:-

Why would you play the RDR-GX350 via an AV to HDMI converter, (575i at best) when you can just play it out digitally direct from the HDMI connection on the back of the RDR-GX350 (1080p upscaled?)

😎😛

[Cee2024]

Hi Royal,

I get that know but before coming here I watched a YouTube video and he seemed to suggest this for his old dvd player with his smart tv with no scart. I will definitely use the hdmi if I need to use it. Cheers 😊