Sony DVDirect VRD-VC10 review by PC Magazine

Sony DVDirect VRD-VC10 review by PC Magazine: "
Sony DVDirect VRD-VC10
REVIEW DATE: 01.11.05

By Don Labriola

Most video-capturing DVD rewriters are designed to act like a single integrated device, but the early-production version of Sony's DVDirect that we tested behaves more like two independent components in a single box. When attached to a PC's USB bus, the DVDirect becomes a ringer for Sony's popular DRU-710A 16X dual-layer DVD-rewriter—complete with an updated version of the 710A's unbeatable Nero 6.6 software bundle—but can't be used to capture video.

Like the DRU-710A, our DVDirect test unit recorded a full single-layer 16X DVD+R disc in about 6 minutes, a 2.4X double-layer disc in just under 43 minutes, and a 30-minute VideoCD in a mere 1:48. But it took about 8:10 to rip a 67-minute audio CD to MP3 files. The only significant performance difference between the two drives was their DVD-ripping speed. The DVDirect required a disappointing 10:32 to copy a 4.7GB DVD-Video disc to a hard-drive folder, but still outperformed the DRU-710 on this test by about two minutes.

When you unplug the DVDirect from your PC, its front control panel and small LCD display become active, allowing you to use the device as a standalone direct-to-disc video recorder. In this mode, it can capture analog video directly to DVD+R and DVD+RW media, but loses its ability to perform other types of DVD-recording and playback functions. Standalone mode also lacks a way to preview and cue incoming video streams, so if your VCR, camcorder, or other source device doesn't provide a second video output that can be plugged into a monitor, you'll have no way to know when to start and stop recording.

In most other ways, the DVDirect's elegantly designed standalone-mode interface makes it trivially easy to capture multiple video clips to disc. The DVDirect doesn't attempt to duplicate the full functionality of a $500 set-top DVD recorder, but aside from a slight loss of color intensity, we found its recorded video quality to be limited primarily by that of our VHS source material.

The DVDirect's inability to capture video while connected to a PC limits its appeal, but this is merely a growing pain that Sony expects to resolve soon. Once that upgrade is implemented, this unique new device could easily become a category leader.