Sony VRDMC3 DVDirect DVD Recorder
This is a perfect machine to copy video tape to DVD and also for making a DVD slide show of still photos.
I am extremely happy with this product. I bought it to transfer tapes from a Sony Hi8, Sony DV and VHS. In the past I had transfered the Hi8 and DV tapes via my computer. The problem was that this took time (to do properly) and tied up my computer. Not being particularly interested in doing video editing, I really found the transfer process boring. In the end I just gave up. I bought the burner due to its simple interface. With the VRDMC3 you just connect the device of your choice, press a couple of buttons and you have a DVD. I have copied hours of tapes, and had no coasters so far; using both single and dual layer DVDs. I have not connected this to my computer, so I can't comment on its use as an extra computer DVD drive (but I expect it would work well). The drawbacks of the unit are that you cannot hear sound while you are copying and you cannot make titles etc (but that would defeat the simplicity of the device). If you want to make DVDs with full menues etc, this is not for you. If you want a simple, high quality DVD burner that will enable you to finally get around to copying all your tapes to DVD, I recommend this burner.
bought the product to transfer VHS cassettes unto DVD. Comes without cable to do so. Thank goodness the second salesman I talked to figured out what cable I needed. Then the thing didn't work. Called technical support who told me that I needed to order special dvds to fit. I did that, and the recorder still didn't work. Turns out it was faulty and exchanged it. The second item worked. The picture that shows the recording is very small, no sound, doesn't indicate when DVD is full. The item does what it says it will, but there must be a better way.
I bought this recorder to use in conjunction with the Canon HV20 High Def camcorder I had on pre-release order. When I received the Canon HV20 a couple of weeks ago, I was excited about the possibility of transferring high definition shots from the Canon to DVD via the Sony VRDMC3. I realized from the Sony advertisements that the transfer to DVD would not be in high def, and I understood that fact. After many frustrating hours, I can state with authority that there is no possible way to transfer high definition footage from the Canon HV20 to the Sony VRDMC3. Before purchasing these 2 items, I read all the available reviews, and even in hindsight, I think the Sony write-ups are misleading--although I notice in some of their recent posts that they mention using the VRDMC3 WITH a variety of Sony camcorders. I tried the VRDMC3 with my Sony VX1000 (low def, but 3 CCD camcorder). The VRDMC3 made the transfer but not easily. My advice is that if you wish to transfer high def material to DVD (in low def) using the VRDMC3, buy one of the recommended Sony camcorders. The Sony VRDMC3 only receives high def through its USB port, but the Canon HV20 transmits high def through a firewire port. I wrote to Canon tech support, describing my inability to have the 2 machines work together. Canon tech support wrote me a long, specific email, basically saying that there was "no way" because of the difference described above. At the same time (3 days ago), I wrote Sony tech support asking them for assistance and have received no answer whatever. I am an avid Sony user with 3 Sony vidcams, a Sony digital camera, a Sony Q Reader, a subscriber to Sony Connect, holder of a Sony credit card. And, Sony doesn't have the courtesy to even answer me and tell me about the incompatibility problem. I also burned a slide show using the VRDMC3 with very high quality images shot in JPEG/Large/Fine quality with a Nikon D200 camera. The quality the VRDMC3 produces is so terrible that I wouldn't let any of my friends see the slide show. Am I disappointed? You bet!
If you have boxes of video8, Hi8 and/or DV tapes that span the years, this is a great way to back them up to a easy DVD format without spending hours at the computer. Sure, the menus are generic, but you can set it all up quickly, push the buttons and walk away while it does its magic. Great for making DVDs of kids and grandkids to distribute to relatives. Excellent way to archive memories of 10-20 years ago without the worry of connecting an old camcorder to your new HDTV.
Simple to use; blank DVDs are cheap. No need to connect to a computer or monitor. It's all here in one box.
After reading the instructions carefully just once I was able to go through the simple steps without hesitation and had a perfect copy. Previously I had never had reason to go beyond copying to VHS casette. My cam corder is a number of years old. Sans S video cable the copied colors were perceived as being of better quality than those of the tapes. The resultant DVDs make the VRDMC3 the sole DVD Recorder for my purposes and am in the process of transitioning to DVD 118 original camera tapes. Best investment in electronics I have ever made. This is a 100% Sony household. I have no hesittion in recommending this recorder
I've had good results with this unit. I've used it for the last few weeks, and haven't yet produced a dreaded "coaster" (non-working DVD). The DVD's I've created look razor sharp (I'm using it mainly to transfer material from old 8mm analog video cassettes), I appreciate the multiple inputs, including memory cards, which I've used to archive photos from my digital camera, and I especially appreciate this unit's ease-of-use. Good job, Sony!
I have been putting off the project of converting all of my old VHSC and DV tapes of my children growing up, into DVD's. I read that the tapes only last for around 15 years or so and I don't use a VCR anymore, so I needed to make the change.
It seemed too complicated to somehow hook my VCR, or camera up to my computer and then load up my hard drive with the movies, so I bought this product. It is very easy to use, just plug in your VCR, or Camcorder and let it run. The recorder conveniently puts in 5 minute "chapter" references to make moving through the disc more simple. The picture quality is as good as the source. I'm very pleased.
just hook up the camcorder hit play on the camcorder and record on the sony. it will then record for one hour in the highest quality setting per dvd. no problems to date--simple to use. a great way to preserve old tapes before they fall apart. sony makes the process simple....
I purchased this dvd recorder to go with the sony hdd camcorder. They should have been perfectly compatible, but mine has been nothing but trouble. The first time I used it, it simply froze at 99% complete and I had to shut it down and start over after waiting 3 hours for it to finish. After that, it recorded from the camera, but seemingly randomly, not in the order I videotaped on the camera, and incompletely burned video segments from the camera as well. Plus, there is no editing capability whatsoever with this device. I use very high quality Taiyo Yuden dvd's in it, so I know it is not the discs.
4 years ago I purchased a digital video cam. Problem, not knowing how to make DVDs or to show on TV. Solution then, just put up cam. Solution now the Sony DVD connect. Made great DVD first time, every time. The only problem it does not come with a DV cable for people with JVC like me. Now the only problem is finding some of the tapes I packed away when I moved three years ago.
After having a second unit shipped to me by Amazon, I had to ship this unit to Sony Tech Repair to have the software updated so it will operate correctly with my Sony DCR-PC100 camcorder without the MC3 'losing signal' partway through a DVD transfer recording from my camera when using the DV (Firewire) cable, as did the first unit which I sent back to Amazon.
It is only through the DV interface that the MC3 can recognize that my camera recording is in wide screen mode (16x9) and give me a wide screen DVD recording, which is why I purchased the MC3 in the first place.
I am still awaiting the MC3 to be sent back to me from Sony after reprogramming it for my camera, and I hope it works this time. If the MC3 allows me to copy from the miniDV tape in the camera to a DVD in widescreen mode, as it is recorded on the camera tape, then I would rate this unit much higher- say a 5.
If you want to use this to record video from pretty much any source, then it seems to be a good product. However if you want to use this product to save your photos to DVD, then I suggest you look elsewhere, because:
1. It only copies picture files in the "Photos to DVD" choice. If your camera also creates videos on its removable media they will not be copied. (It may only copy JPEGs files too -- I didn't test this.)
2. It *renames* the picture files on disc! If you want to burn, say, files DSCN300.jpg through DSCN400.jpg, they will show up on the disc as DSCN001.jpg through DSCN100.jpg in a new folder. It may even do this for each disc -- I didn't test that. For pity's sake: WHY DO THIS? How do you keep track of all your photos if they get renamed (perhaps on each disc)?
3. It only burns DVD discs (in stand-alone mode). This is a minor quibble, but if I have a 512MB SD chip and want to burn it to a CD-R disc (or if I ran out of DVD discs) then I should be able to do so. (It works fine with CD-R media when used as an external drive though.)
4. It doesn't indicate any progress or have a "I'm reading/writing to the disc" LED. With a lovely video screen on top a simple disc activity message would be nice. This would have been helpful the few times it stopped burning something for various reasons, or (especially) when you are burning something to it as an attached drive. You have to depend on your monitor screen to tell you the drive is in use.
5. It prefers to work with discs created only by itself, so discs created otherwise (Nero, commercial(?), etc.) don't work in stand-alone, which is also annoying. (Wouldn't it be nice to pop in *any* disc -- even if only to confirm what's on it? Oh: The MC3 didn't create this so I can't read it. Huh?)
6. It has no sound-out capability! Your video may look great, and you won't know the sound is horrible until you put the newly-burned disc into a DVD player. Monitoring the sound via speaker (or better: headphone jack) seems a pretty needful thing when burning video.
7. (Quibble) The slideshow option isn't bad -- it even adds some background music -- but the pictures are of course shown as-is, so you get the good with the bad, and any that are sideways stay that way. A simple rotation option for the pictures would've been a *real* bonus. Nothing fancy: just a "rotate this picture L/R before burning it" choice. Some cameras do it -- why not this? (I can delete the bad pics beforehand.)
I had hoped to use it on vacation, coming back to the hotel room each night (it's a bit too posh and bulky to use in the field) to save off photos I had taken that day to a more-durable media, but it won't do this as needed. If Sony had included a simple "burn everything AS-IS from the inserted chip to the disc" feature then I would likely have not returned it, even with my other issues.
So in summary, it works fine for unedited video and photos if you want to create a playable DVD from them. If you want to save all the file types your camera produces to optical disc for later editing though, then this probably isn't the device for you.
It worked right from the get go as far as recording my VHS tape, very easy to figure out. And I had no problems with formatting my DVD (I used Windata DVD-R) or recording. What I DID have a problem with is that the final result drops frames, resulting in a jerky stop-motion look. Also, there is no way to tell how much time you have left to record until it just suddenly stops recording. Seems to me a DVD should hold at least two hours, but it only held about an hour and a half. I was really excited at first when it seemed like it would work perfectly, and then so disappointed with the poor results and the inadequate information needed for stress-free recording.
I have been looking for a fast way to backup my PAL mini DV tapes to DVD. Several hardware and software options were tried in the past months. Finding a DVD recorder that supported PAL was very difficult here in the U.S. Some of the software solutions worked, but for good image quality they would keep my PC busy for 8 to 10 hours per tape.
The VRD-MC3 does exactly what I want, it provides a direct, easy and fast way to transfer my mini DV tapes to DVD in realtime without blocking my PC. My technophobe wife has even been using it. The recorder does not do much more than the backup, editing functions are limited, it does not have a sound output or a way to replay video on a TV, but all I need is in the unit.
The device burns a coaster every once in a while, but it normally hapens within the first minute and the rate is less than 10%. I have tried various DVD makes - the cheap Sony D1 16x DVDs have worked well, so did Memorex 8x. Some of the others did not burn ok, even though they were on the recommended media list.
If you are looking for an easy to use backup tool for your mini DV tapes, the Sony VRD-MC3 is the ultimate solution for now.
I received the Sony VC30 model for Christmas, and enchanged it for the MC3 to get the color screen (and glad I did). I was a bit leary after reading the reviews here, but I've just finished converting our entire collection of home movies from VHS, 8mm, hi8 and miniDV tapes to DVD.
I've used only Sony brand, single-layer blanks (both +R and -R, but +R seems to yield better playback) and have had no problems. I've made close to 200 DVDs with only two "coasters" that would not finalize after recording. I've done most of my recording on the SP mode, putting two hours on a DVD. After testing different settings, I couldn't tell any difference (viewed on 55" and 32" TVs) between the HQ and SP settings for my older videos (some 25 years old), but could definitely tell on the newer recordings, especially those with a lot of motion (such as water skiing and other sports). So for those, I chose only the HQ setting.
All recording is done in real time, and there have been weekend days when the thing has been going all day and evening. I've connected it to a VCR, and 8mm and miniDV camcorders. When using the VCR, the color screen on the MC3 is very handy. Using an S-cable yields slightly better picture than standard video cables. For the miniDV camcorder, I use firewire and this has an added benefit of recording only the recorded video on the camcorder, shutting off when the recorded video ends. (When using a VCR or older camcorder, you have to watch for it to end and manually turn off the burn.)
The menus the MC3 creates are fine for my purposes. It will create a new "title," which shows up as a separate "window" on the start-up menu, every time the MC3 is stopped (if you just pause it, it won't create a new title). I set the MC3 to create chapter stops every five minutes, which is handy when skipping through video on playback. If I'm burning a DVD of, say, my daughter's birthdays, I'll create a new "title" for every birthday. On playback, each "title" shows up separately on the start-up menu, but the entire contents of the DVD will playback at once, with a new "title" starting when another ends. For misc. tapes that have a variety of short segments, I've found it easier to record it all to a DVD, then view it and note the times of the various segments. Then I re-record it to DVD, creating separate "titles" by stopping the MC3 when a segment ends. (I'm keeping the first copies as backups.) I haven't found a way to create a chapter stop manually; there are some instances where this would be handy.
Overall, the MC3 has been fantastic. I've been putting off this project for years, not wanting to have to do it via computer, and now I have it all on DVD, at reasonable cost.
I bought this item at Costco since I wanted to transfer my old 8mm Video camcorder tapes into a digital format using DVD. I didn't want to load any new software on my PC and was intrigued by the ability of this device to be used without a PC.
The best feature on this device is that it's easy to use. I had no problem formatting and recording to my 4.6gig R+ DVD's. I also
liked the fact that it can record from many different devices (memory sticks, Hard disk drive Camcorders, etc...)
I found the recording time to be slow-- taking 1 hour to record an entire 4.6gig DVD. But I believe this is a function of my 8mm Video camcorder and not the VRDMC3 recorder (I can't figure out how any marketing person can name a device "VRDMC3 DVDirect DVD Recorder")
I found the viewing screen on the VRDMC3 to be small. I would prefer to see a larger image. The devices touts that you can create could "Titles" and "Chapters" on your DVDs. Titles and Chapters allow you to skip to these regions on the DVD after recording-- much like the "Add-ons" and "Extras" you see with rented movie DVDs. I could not get this feature to work without stopping the VRDMC3 in mid-recording mode and re-starting.
I didn't like the fact that the counter on the VRDMC3 records how much time elapsed-- versus how much time is left to record on the DVD. If you stop the VRDMC3 in mid-play, the counter resets, so you never know exactly how much time is left until the DVD is full.
If you want a simple, easy to use way to make copies of your older format 8mm video tapes, this device works. It can also be used as a DVD recorder on your PC. There aren't many bells and whistles, but it works fine and gets the job done.
I received my Sony VRD-MC3 unit this afternoon. I immediately hooked it up to my Sony DV Camera (Model DCR-TRV900), using a Sony i.LINK cable (#VMC-IL4415/IL4435/2DV/4DViLINK).
Once connected, all I had to do was push one button to copy DV tapes onto DVDs. I copied three 60-minute DV tapes onto Sony 1x-16x DVD-R blanks (#10DMR47l4) and experienced no problems whatsoever. I tried the DVD copies on three different DVD players and they worked perfectly.
Image quality was every bit as good as the original tapes and looked really sharp on our Panasonic 50" plasma TV. One of the DV tapes was of my granddaughter's recent school band concert and the sound quality of the DVD copies was excellent.
I can't imagine how this type of transfer could get any easier!
I bought this right after Christmas. Went through several brands (Sony, TDS, Philips, Fuji,etc..) of disks. Had about 10-12 coasters. Either received "Failed to format." or "Failed to finalize." I grew so frustrated that I wanted to throw it away.
Well, I returned it and got another one. Nothing but bliss. Everything I taped has worked. Would give 5 stars, but I had to take the first one back.
I was excited to get the Sony VRD-MC3 for Christmas. That excitement is completely gone as I have spent countless hours of my Christmas vacation just trying to get it to do one very simple thing -- transfer camcorder videos to DVD.
I have a Sony Digital 8 camcorder and 35 tapes created on that camcorder over the past five years.
In 8 attempts to create DVDs I have succeeded 1 time.
The first problem is DVD disc formatting. The VRD-MC3 displays "Failed to format. Remove the disc" on about 3 of every 4 tries. I have tried 3 different DVD+R disc brands (including Sony) and there is no difference in the success rate.
I have had the same disc fail to format 2 or 3 times and then format correctly on the next try. (These discs are all straight out of the packaging and there are no smudges or incorrect disc handling going on).
Once the VRD-MC3 correctly formats a disc, the next problem arises anywhere from 20-45 minutes into the actual camcorder-to-DVD transfer -- "Failed to record. Remove the disc." I've received this message on 7 out of 8 attempts. Note, I have tried using 4 different camcorder tapes just to make sure it isn't the source tapes causing the issue.
For a device that is supposed to work so easily this is going back to Santa's workshop for a refund.
Oh, my mistake, I just looked at the gift tag and it is from Satan not Santa. That explains it.
First let me say, this would have been a five star product if it was small enough to take on vacations. The unit is on the bigger side, similar to a thick laptop, and it can not run off of batteries. Too bad, this would have made a great way to save your memories if ever on an extended vacation or if your hard drive gets full.
I bought this model to go along with my Sony DCR-SR100 hard drive camcorder. I chose this model over the VRD-MC1 because this model supports wide screen and 5.1 dolby digital sound. This model also has a USB connection and the MC1 does not. Since Sony is not including firewire ports on their HDD Camcorders, the MC3 is my only real option besides downloading and using a computer.
I connected my camcorder, via the USB2 wire/port (my camcorder and the MC3 recognized each other immediately) and simply dropped in a DVD, selected if I wanted to record my camcorder's entire hard drive or parts that have not yet been recorded (Sony calls it the incremental recording feature), and then pushed the record button. After that, the screen tells you how many DVD's it will take to record the video and gives you a constant percentage throughout its progress.
I played the DVD's using my Samsung, Toshiba, and Panasonic DVD Players, no issues with compatibility. The picture and sound turned out great...much better than what I was hoping for. I was considering if HD camcorder/ burner was necessary for my 62" DLP screen, but the picture and sound turned out to be very respectable, especially for home movies.
I am very happy with this product and have used numerous kinds of DVD's to test it out. I have tried the TDK, Sony, Verbatim, and even Office Depot DVD's all without a problem.
This selection makes burning DVD's as easy as I could have asked for, I'm not very computer savvy and don't have a fancy computer with hundreds of gb space. Even if I did, all I want are my home movies on a disc for easy watching, not really into editing and turning home movies into movie productions. In the stand alone version, there is no way to edit the footage, but for me that's perfect. For those interested in editing, this can still be connected to the computer and used as a burner.
Also forgot to mention that there are various other input selections that allow you to burn DVD from other sources i.e. RCA, S-video, DV-IN. I will probably start to burn shows that I repeatedly watch off TIVO and onto a DVD.
Hope this helps
I have an HDR-HC3 camcorder. One of the few this unit (VRD_MC3) is supposed to work with. I would have to say it works flawlesly 20% of the time. Otherwise its crap. Most of my dvds get a write failed. Its not the DVD's fault. Ive tried over 4 brands, including Sony's DVDs. Ive went through two of these units and its the same problem on both. I even switched camcorders and cables. Something is wrong with the internal design. I tried the RCA inputs and I get the same "write failed" message some of the time.
I've been using the VRD-MC3 to copy home movies from a Sony digital 8 camcorder via firewire. So far I've transferred 14 2-hour Hi-8 tapes (using two discs each tape) and 13 1-hour digital-8 tapes. I've made about 6 coasters so far. Some were due to freezes of the machine, one was due to the machine stopping 40 minutes into a recording although the tape continued, and I even got a blue screen of death once.
There is also a delay of about three seconds before it starts recording if you use the record button to begin playback of the camcorder, causing you to miss the very beginning of your tape.
When I was copying the Hi-8 tapes, I would start the tape, then immediately pause it. The MC3 would not detect the signal until I cycled through all of its other inputs and back to the digital input. Then it would "see" the camcorder signal fine and I could unpause the camcorder and hit record simultaneously.
It has, however, been getting me through my many hours of tapes. I haven't tried to copy a recording from my cablebox using the "copy to VCR" function yet, but I assume it will work the same. Being able to bring it into the family room to the box makes it convenient.
Sony, this machine could really use a firmware update.
3 failures out of 6 so far when burning directly from a Sony DV camcorder. Using with Verbatim DVD+Rs, which is not officially "certified" for operation with the VRD-MC3, so perhaps that is the problem. The first 3 worked no problem though.
This is really a nice multi-function unit. Very versatile.
- Standalone backup of your memory cards.
- DVD reader/ writer for your computer.
- DVD recorder from TV/DVD's/VCR tapes/Camcorders.
Nero 'essentials' DVD editing software is cumbersome to use and lacking many functions compared to the full version of Nero. Need to invest in the full suite of editing software. I picked up the first unit i could find. Seems to be a little glitchy (random freezing) when copying from camcorders using i.link. Preview screen is decent although audio and video outputs for playback and recording monitoring would have been a great feature. More choices for DVD menus would also be nice.
I bought this unit instead of a seperate DVD burner for my computer and a DVD recorder for my home AV system. The bonus is the stand-alone copying of memory cards. I recommend it but it could be better.
This is a perfect machine to copy video tape to DVD and also for making a DVD slide show of still photos.
I am extremely happy with this product. I bought it to transfer tapes from a Sony Hi8, Sony DV and VHS. In the past I had transfered the Hi8 and DV tapes via my computer. The problem was that this took time (to do properly) and tied up my computer. Not being particularly interested in doing video editing, I really found the transfer process boring. In the end I just gave up. I bought the burner due to its simple interface. With the VRDMC3 you just connect the device of your choice, press a couple of buttons and you have a DVD. I have copied hours of tapes, and had no coasters so far; using both single and dual layer DVDs. I have not connected this to my computer, so I can't comment on its use as an extra computer DVD drive (but I expect it would work well). The drawbacks of the unit are that you cannot hear sound while you are copying and you cannot make titles etc (but that would defeat the simplicity of the device). If you want to make DVDs with full menues etc, this is not for you. If you want a simple, high quality DVD burner that will enable you to finally get around to copying all your tapes to DVD, I recommend this burner.
bought the product to transfer VHS cassettes unto DVD. Comes without cable to do so. Thank goodness the second salesman I talked to figured out what cable I needed. Then the thing didn't work. Called technical support who told me that I needed to order special dvds to fit. I did that, and the recorder still didn't work. Turns out it was faulty and exchanged it. The second item worked. The picture that shows the recording is very small, no sound, doesn't indicate when DVD is full. The item does what it says it will, but there must be a better way.
I bought this recorder to use in conjunction with the Canon HV20 High Def camcorder I had on pre-release order. When I received the Canon HV20 a couple of weeks ago, I was excited about the possibility of transferring high definition shots from the Canon to DVD via the Sony VRDMC3. I realized from the Sony advertisements that the transfer to DVD would not be in high def, and I understood that fact. After many frustrating hours, I can state with authority that there is no possible way to transfer high definition footage from the Canon HV20 to the Sony VRDMC3. Before purchasing these 2 items, I read all the available reviews, and even in hindsight, I think the Sony write-ups are misleading--although I notice in some of their recent posts that they mention using the VRDMC3 WITH a variety of Sony camcorders. I tried the VRDMC3 with my Sony VX1000 (low def, but 3 CCD camcorder). The VRDMC3 made the transfer but not easily. My advice is that if you wish to transfer high def material to DVD (in low def) using the VRDMC3, buy one of the recommended Sony camcorders. The Sony VRDMC3 only receives high def through its USB port, but the Canon HV20 transmits high def through a firewire port. I wrote to Canon tech support, describing my inability to have the 2 machines work together. Canon tech support wrote me a long, specific email, basically saying that there was "no way" because of the difference described above. At the same time (3 days ago), I wrote Sony tech support asking them for assistance and have received no answer whatever. I am an avid Sony user with 3 Sony vidcams, a Sony digital camera, a Sony Q Reader, a subscriber to Sony Connect, holder of a Sony credit card. And, Sony doesn't have the courtesy to even answer me and tell me about the incompatibility problem. I also burned a slide show using the VRDMC3 with very high quality images shot in JPEG/Large/Fine quality with a Nikon D200 camera. The quality the VRDMC3 produces is so terrible that I wouldn't let any of my friends see the slide show. Am I disappointed? You bet!
If you have boxes of video8, Hi8 and/or DV tapes that span the years, this is a great way to back them up to a easy DVD format without spending hours at the computer. Sure, the menus are generic, but you can set it all up quickly, push the buttons and walk away while it does its magic. Great for making DVDs of kids and grandkids to distribute to relatives. Excellent way to archive memories of 10-20 years ago without the worry of connecting an old camcorder to your new HDTV.
Simple to use; blank DVDs are cheap. No need to connect to a computer or monitor. It's all here in one box.
After reading the instructions carefully just once I was able to go through the simple steps without hesitation and had a perfect copy. Previously I had never had reason to go beyond copying to VHS casette. My cam corder is a number of years old. Sans S video cable the copied colors were perceived as being of better quality than those of the tapes. The resultant DVDs make the VRDMC3 the sole DVD Recorder for my purposes and am in the process of transitioning to DVD 118 original camera tapes. Best investment in electronics I have ever made. This is a 100% Sony household. I have no hesittion in recommending this recorder
I've had good results with this unit. I've used it for the last few weeks, and haven't yet produced a dreaded "coaster" (non-working DVD). The DVD's I've created look razor sharp (I'm using it mainly to transfer material from old 8mm analog video cassettes), I appreciate the multiple inputs, including memory cards, which I've used to archive photos from my digital camera, and I especially appreciate this unit's ease-of-use. Good job, Sony!
I have been putting off the project of converting all of my old VHSC and DV tapes of my children growing up, into DVD's. I read that the tapes only last for around 15 years or so and I don't use a VCR anymore, so I needed to make the change.
It seemed too complicated to somehow hook my VCR, or camera up to my computer and then load up my hard drive with the movies, so I bought this product. It is very easy to use, just plug in your VCR, or Camcorder and let it run. The recorder conveniently puts in 5 minute "chapter" references to make moving through the disc more simple. The picture quality is as good as the source. I'm very pleased.
just hook up the camcorder hit play on the camcorder and record on the sony. it will then record for one hour in the highest quality setting per dvd. no problems to date--simple to use. a great way to preserve old tapes before they fall apart. sony makes the process simple....
I purchased this dvd recorder to go with the sony hdd camcorder. They should have been perfectly compatible, but mine has been nothing but trouble. The first time I used it, it simply froze at 99% complete and I had to shut it down and start over after waiting 3 hours for it to finish. After that, it recorded from the camera, but seemingly randomly, not in the order I videotaped on the camera, and incompletely burned video segments from the camera as well. Plus, there is no editing capability whatsoever with this device. I use very high quality Taiyo Yuden dvd's in it, so I know it is not the discs.
4 years ago I purchased a digital video cam. Problem, not knowing how to make DVDs or to show on TV. Solution then, just put up cam. Solution now the Sony DVD connect. Made great DVD first time, every time. The only problem it does not come with a DV cable for people with JVC like me. Now the only problem is finding some of the tapes I packed away when I moved three years ago.
After having a second unit shipped to me by Amazon, I had to ship this unit to Sony Tech Repair to have the software updated so it will operate correctly with my Sony DCR-PC100 camcorder without the MC3 'losing signal' partway through a DVD transfer recording from my camera when using the DV (Firewire) cable, as did the first unit which I sent back to Amazon.
It is only through the DV interface that the MC3 can recognize that my camera recording is in wide screen mode (16x9) and give me a wide screen DVD recording, which is why I purchased the MC3 in the first place.
I am still awaiting the MC3 to be sent back to me from Sony after reprogramming it for my camera, and I hope it works this time. If the MC3 allows me to copy from the miniDV tape in the camera to a DVD in widescreen mode, as it is recorded on the camera tape, then I would rate this unit much higher- say a 5.
If you want to use this to record video from pretty much any source, then it seems to be a good product. However if you want to use this product to save your photos to DVD, then I suggest you look elsewhere, because:
1. It only copies picture files in the "Photos to DVD" choice. If your camera also creates videos on its removable media they will not be copied. (It may only copy JPEGs files too -- I didn't test this.)
2. It *renames* the picture files on disc! If you want to burn, say, files DSCN300.jpg through DSCN400.jpg, they will show up on the disc as DSCN001.jpg through DSCN100.jpg in a new folder. It may even do this for each disc -- I didn't test that. For pity's sake: WHY DO THIS? How do you keep track of all your photos if they get renamed (perhaps on each disc)?
3. It only burns DVD discs (in stand-alone mode). This is a minor quibble, but if I have a 512MB SD chip and want to burn it to a CD-R disc (or if I ran out of DVD discs) then I should be able to do so. (It works fine with CD-R media when used as an external drive though.)
4. It doesn't indicate any progress or have a "I'm reading/writing to the disc" LED. With a lovely video screen on top a simple disc activity message would be nice. This would have been helpful the few times it stopped burning something for various reasons, or (especially) when you are burning something to it as an attached drive. You have to depend on your monitor screen to tell you the drive is in use.
5. It prefers to work with discs created only by itself, so discs created otherwise (Nero, commercial(?), etc.) don't work in stand-alone, which is also annoying. (Wouldn't it be nice to pop in *any* disc -- even if only to confirm what's on it? Oh: The MC3 didn't create this so I can't read it. Huh?)
6. It has no sound-out capability! Your video may look great, and you won't know the sound is horrible until you put the newly-burned disc into a DVD player. Monitoring the sound via speaker (or better: headphone jack) seems a pretty needful thing when burning video.
7. (Quibble) The slideshow option isn't bad -- it even adds some background music -- but the pictures are of course shown as-is, so you get the good with the bad, and any that are sideways stay that way. A simple rotation option for the pictures would've been a *real* bonus. Nothing fancy: just a "rotate this picture L/R before burning it" choice. Some cameras do it -- why not this? (I can delete the bad pics beforehand.)
I had hoped to use it on vacation, coming back to the hotel room each night (it's a bit too posh and bulky to use in the field) to save off photos I had taken that day to a more-durable media, but it won't do this as needed. If Sony had included a simple "burn everything AS-IS from the inserted chip to the disc" feature then I would likely have not returned it, even with my other issues.
So in summary, it works fine for unedited video and photos if you want to create a playable DVD from them. If you want to save all the file types your camera produces to optical disc for later editing though, then this probably isn't the device for you.
It worked right from the get go as far as recording my VHS tape, very easy to figure out. And I had no problems with formatting my DVD (I used Windata DVD-R) or recording. What I DID have a problem with is that the final result drops frames, resulting in a jerky stop-motion look. Also, there is no way to tell how much time you have left to record until it just suddenly stops recording. Seems to me a DVD should hold at least two hours, but it only held about an hour and a half. I was really excited at first when it seemed like it would work perfectly, and then so disappointed with the poor results and the inadequate information needed for stress-free recording.
I have been looking for a fast way to backup my PAL mini DV tapes to DVD. Several hardware and software options were tried in the past months. Finding a DVD recorder that supported PAL was very difficult here in the U.S. Some of the software solutions worked, but for good image quality they would keep my PC busy for 8 to 10 hours per tape.
The VRD-MC3 does exactly what I want, it provides a direct, easy and fast way to transfer my mini DV tapes to DVD in realtime without blocking my PC. My technophobe wife has even been using it. The recorder does not do much more than the backup, editing functions are limited, it does not have a sound output or a way to replay video on a TV, but all I need is in the unit.
The device burns a coaster every once in a while, but it normally hapens within the first minute and the rate is less than 10%. I have tried various DVD makes - the cheap Sony D1 16x DVDs have worked well, so did Memorex 8x. Some of the others did not burn ok, even though they were on the recommended media list.
If you are looking for an easy to use backup tool for your mini DV tapes, the Sony VRD-MC3 is the ultimate solution for now.
I received the Sony VC30 model for Christmas, and enchanged it for the MC3 to get the color screen (and glad I did). I was a bit leary after reading the reviews here, but I've just finished converting our entire collection of home movies from VHS, 8mm, hi8 and miniDV tapes to DVD.
I've used only Sony brand, single-layer blanks (both +R and -R, but +R seems to yield better playback) and have had no problems. I've made close to 200 DVDs with only two "coasters" that would not finalize after recording. I've done most of my recording on the SP mode, putting two hours on a DVD. After testing different settings, I couldn't tell any difference (viewed on 55" and 32" TVs) between the HQ and SP settings for my older videos (some 25 years old), but could definitely tell on the newer recordings, especially those with a lot of motion (such as water skiing and other sports). So for those, I chose only the HQ setting.
All recording is done in real time, and there have been weekend days when the thing has been going all day and evening. I've connected it to a VCR, and 8mm and miniDV camcorders. When using the VCR, the color screen on the MC3 is very handy. Using an S-cable yields slightly better picture than standard video cables. For the miniDV camcorder, I use firewire and this has an added benefit of recording only the recorded video on the camcorder, shutting off when the recorded video ends. (When using a VCR or older camcorder, you have to watch for it to end and manually turn off the burn.)
The menus the MC3 creates are fine for my purposes. It will create a new "title," which shows up as a separate "window" on the start-up menu, every time the MC3 is stopped (if you just pause it, it won't create a new title). I set the MC3 to create chapter stops every five minutes, which is handy when skipping through video on playback. If I'm burning a DVD of, say, my daughter's birthdays, I'll create a new "title" for every birthday. On playback, each "title" shows up separately on the start-up menu, but the entire contents of the DVD will playback at once, with a new "title" starting when another ends. For misc. tapes that have a variety of short segments, I've found it easier to record it all to a DVD, then view it and note the times of the various segments. Then I re-record it to DVD, creating separate "titles" by stopping the MC3 when a segment ends. (I'm keeping the first copies as backups.) I haven't found a way to create a chapter stop manually; there are some instances where this would be handy.
Overall, the MC3 has been fantastic. I've been putting off this project for years, not wanting to have to do it via computer, and now I have it all on DVD, at reasonable cost.
I bought this item at Costco since I wanted to transfer my old 8mm Video camcorder tapes into a digital format using DVD. I didn't want to load any new software on my PC and was intrigued by the ability of this device to be used without a PC.
The best feature on this device is that it's easy to use. I had no problem formatting and recording to my 4.6gig R+ DVD's. I also
liked the fact that it can record from many different devices (memory sticks, Hard disk drive Camcorders, etc...)
I found the recording time to be slow-- taking 1 hour to record an entire 4.6gig DVD. But I believe this is a function of my 8mm Video camcorder and not the VRDMC3 recorder (I can't figure out how any marketing person can name a device "VRDMC3 DVDirect DVD Recorder")
I found the viewing screen on the VRDMC3 to be small. I would prefer to see a larger image. The devices touts that you can create could "Titles" and "Chapters" on your DVDs. Titles and Chapters allow you to skip to these regions on the DVD after recording-- much like the "Add-ons" and "Extras" you see with rented movie DVDs. I could not get this feature to work without stopping the VRDMC3 in mid-recording mode and re-starting.
I didn't like the fact that the counter on the VRDMC3 records how much time elapsed-- versus how much time is left to record on the DVD. If you stop the VRDMC3 in mid-play, the counter resets, so you never know exactly how much time is left until the DVD is full.
If you want a simple, easy to use way to make copies of your older format 8mm video tapes, this device works. It can also be used as a DVD recorder on your PC. There aren't many bells and whistles, but it works fine and gets the job done.
I received my Sony VRD-MC3 unit this afternoon. I immediately hooked it up to my Sony DV Camera (Model DCR-TRV900), using a Sony i.LINK cable (#VMC-IL4415/IL4435/2DV/4DViLINK).
Once connected, all I had to do was push one button to copy DV tapes onto DVDs. I copied three 60-minute DV tapes onto Sony 1x-16x DVD-R blanks (#10DMR47l4) and experienced no problems whatsoever. I tried the DVD copies on three different DVD players and they worked perfectly.
Image quality was every bit as good as the original tapes and looked really sharp on our Panasonic 50" plasma TV. One of the DV tapes was of my granddaughter's recent school band concert and the sound quality of the DVD copies was excellent.
I can't imagine how this type of transfer could get any easier!
I bought this right after Christmas. Went through several brands (Sony, TDS, Philips, Fuji,etc..) of disks. Had about 10-12 coasters. Either received "Failed to format." or "Failed to finalize." I grew so frustrated that I wanted to throw it away.
Well, I returned it and got another one. Nothing but bliss. Everything I taped has worked. Would give 5 stars, but I had to take the first one back.
I was excited to get the Sony VRD-MC3 for Christmas. That excitement is completely gone as I have spent countless hours of my Christmas vacation just trying to get it to do one very simple thing -- transfer camcorder videos to DVD.
I have a Sony Digital 8 camcorder and 35 tapes created on that camcorder over the past five years.
In 8 attempts to create DVDs I have succeeded 1 time.
The first problem is DVD disc formatting. The VRD-MC3 displays "Failed to format. Remove the disc" on about 3 of every 4 tries. I have tried 3 different DVD+R disc brands (including Sony) and there is no difference in the success rate.
I have had the same disc fail to format 2 or 3 times and then format correctly on the next try. (These discs are all straight out of the packaging and there are no smudges or incorrect disc handling going on).
Once the VRD-MC3 correctly formats a disc, the next problem arises anywhere from 20-45 minutes into the actual camcorder-to-DVD transfer -- "Failed to record. Remove the disc." I've received this message on 7 out of 8 attempts. Note, I have tried using 4 different camcorder tapes just to make sure it isn't the source tapes causing the issue.
For a device that is supposed to work so easily this is going back to Santa's workshop for a refund.
Oh, my mistake, I just looked at the gift tag and it is from Satan not Santa. That explains it.
First let me say, this would have been a five star product if it was small enough to take on vacations. The unit is on the bigger side, similar to a thick laptop, and it can not run off of batteries. Too bad, this would have made a great way to save your memories if ever on an extended vacation or if your hard drive gets full.
I bought this model to go along with my Sony DCR-SR100 hard drive camcorder. I chose this model over the VRD-MC1 because this model supports wide screen and 5.1 dolby digital sound. This model also has a USB connection and the MC1 does not. Since Sony is not including firewire ports on their HDD Camcorders, the MC3 is my only real option besides downloading and using a computer.
I connected my camcorder, via the USB2 wire/port (my camcorder and the MC3 recognized each other immediately) and simply dropped in a DVD, selected if I wanted to record my camcorder's entire hard drive or parts that have not yet been recorded (Sony calls it the incremental recording feature), and then pushed the record button. After that, the screen tells you how many DVD's it will take to record the video and gives you a constant percentage throughout its progress.
I played the DVD's using my Samsung, Toshiba, and Panasonic DVD Players, no issues with compatibility. The picture and sound turned out great...much better than what I was hoping for. I was considering if HD camcorder/ burner was necessary for my 62" DLP screen, but the picture and sound turned out to be very respectable, especially for home movies.
I am very happy with this product and have used numerous kinds of DVD's to test it out. I have tried the TDK, Sony, Verbatim, and even Office Depot DVD's all without a problem.
This selection makes burning DVD's as easy as I could have asked for, I'm not very computer savvy and don't have a fancy computer with hundreds of gb space. Even if I did, all I want are my home movies on a disc for easy watching, not really into editing and turning home movies into movie productions. In the stand alone version, there is no way to edit the footage, but for me that's perfect. For those interested in editing, this can still be connected to the computer and used as a burner.
Also forgot to mention that there are various other input selections that allow you to burn DVD from other sources i.e. RCA, S-video, DV-IN. I will probably start to burn shows that I repeatedly watch off TIVO and onto a DVD.
Hope this helps
I have an HDR-HC3 camcorder. One of the few this unit (VRD_MC3) is supposed to work with. I would have to say it works flawlesly 20% of the time. Otherwise its crap. Most of my dvds get a write failed. Its not the DVD's fault. Ive tried over 4 brands, including Sony's DVDs. Ive went through two of these units and its the same problem on both. I even switched camcorders and cables. Something is wrong with the internal design. I tried the RCA inputs and I get the same "write failed" message some of the time.
I've been using the VRD-MC3 to copy home movies from a Sony digital 8 camcorder via firewire. So far I've transferred 14 2-hour Hi-8 tapes (using two discs each tape) and 13 1-hour digital-8 tapes. I've made about 6 coasters so far. Some were due to freezes of the machine, one was due to the machine stopping 40 minutes into a recording although the tape continued, and I even got a blue screen of death once.
There is also a delay of about three seconds before it starts recording if you use the record button to begin playback of the camcorder, causing you to miss the very beginning of your tape.
When I was copying the Hi-8 tapes, I would start the tape, then immediately pause it. The MC3 would not detect the signal until I cycled through all of its other inputs and back to the digital input. Then it would "see" the camcorder signal fine and I could unpause the camcorder and hit record simultaneously.
It has, however, been getting me through my many hours of tapes. I haven't tried to copy a recording from my cablebox using the "copy to VCR" function yet, but I assume it will work the same. Being able to bring it into the family room to the box makes it convenient.
Sony, this machine could really use a firmware update.
3 failures out of 6 so far when burning directly from a Sony DV camcorder. Using with Verbatim DVD+Rs, which is not officially "certified" for operation with the VRD-MC3, so perhaps that is the problem. The first 3 worked no problem though.
This is really a nice multi-function unit. Very versatile.
- Standalone backup of your memory cards.
- DVD reader/ writer for your computer.
- DVD recorder from TV/DVD's/VCR tapes/Camcorders.
Nero 'essentials' DVD editing software is cumbersome to use and lacking many functions compared to the full version of Nero. Need to invest in the full suite of editing software. I picked up the first unit i could find. Seems to be a little glitchy (random freezing) when copying from camcorders using i.link. Preview screen is decent although audio and video outputs for playback and recording monitoring would have been a great feature. More choices for DVD menus would also be nice.
I bought this unit instead of a seperate DVD burner for my computer and a DVD recorder for my home AV system. The bonus is the stand-alone copying of memory cards. I recommend it but it could be better.