What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
19 JUL 2007
Samsung DVD-HR753
Straight from the box, this unit from Samsung achieves an admirable accomplishment: it appears to be good value. Despite its £200 price-tag – very reasonable for a 160GB hard disk, multi-format disc recorder with 1080i upscaling – the DVD-HR753 is a classy-looking and well-constructed product with excellent casework, a clear display and a neat array of controls.
We were disappointed to find the ’753 comes without a Freeview tuner. It does, however, boast an otherwise commendable specification, with an impressive array of sockets including HDMI and component video outputs, multi-format disc recording on DVD-R/-RW and DVD-RAM. It’ll play, but not record, DVD+R/+RW – and, of course, there’s that 160GB hard disk.
The Samsung’s menus and controls are neat and intuitive, though not quite as impressive and easy to use as the £375 Sony RDR-HXD970, and it boasts a flexible and formidable array of features with time-slip functionality, auto chaptering, ‘EZ’ record mode and simple access to your home movies, courtesy of a DV input handily placed on the front of the machine.
Decent broadcast images
With all that hard-disk space waiting to be filled, the main challenge is how well the unit’s analogue tuner can render broadcast images on screen. That, in turn, affects its ability to commit them to drive or DVD for all time – or at least as long as it takes you to catch up on those missed episodes of EastEnders. And, for the most part, the tuner is impressive, with a stable and fluid image, rich in detail.
Compared to the best recorders out there, the Samsung isn’t quite as noise-free and meticulous in terms of clarity and depth, nor is it the playback machine with the most precise line definition and lustrous colours. But it does offer a genuinely enjoyable performance, all the more so when you remember that it costs only £200.
Impressive, but no class-leader
And that’s the Samsung’s story. The interface is slick and intuitive, while the performance is also reasonably impressive, but with enough flaws to deprive it of that oh-so-coveted fifth star. If you don’t mind the absence of a Freeview tuner and you don’t want to spend more than £200, consider checking the Samsung out. But even so, it’s no class-leader.