It looks compact but has a heavy body. A rigid feeling that makes you think it's a lump of iron
I immediately unpacked the product that had arrived from the editorial department. Although it looks compact, it is heavy. Because of its weight, use both hands to carefully remove it from the box and place it firmly on the rack.
Even so, it's a heavy and hard body. Weight is 7.7kg. Even if you hold it with both hands and apply force, it doesn't feel like it's distorted, it's like a lump of iron. In particular, the bottom is covered with a flat and thick steel plate without uneven rib reinforcement. It's unusual to have this kind of construction, but this kind of rigid body design and weight has a great effect on sound quality, so I'm looking forward to it.
The front of DMR-BZT9300. The aluminum panel on the top continues to the top, so the impression is slightly different, but the basic design is the same as the lower model. The panel is the front panel with the front half-mirror processed. Back with USB terminal, SD card slot, B-CAS card slot. The only balanced audio output terminal on a BD recorder is powerful. There are two HDMI terminals, and the USB terminal has both 2.0 and 3.0 terminals. The power supply adopts a 3-pole terminal. By the way, the side of DMR-BZT9300 where you can check the thickness of the side plate and top plate here. In addition to the hairline finish, the flat bottom has a good appearance, such as 3 lines. Even if I hit it lightly with my fist, it's hard. It's a really sturdy chassis. The insulator is made of ceramic, and the included power cable is a 3-pole type extra-thick cable. It's well made and I like the fact that it's stored without being folded.
As usual, I didn't watch it on the first day as it was also a warm-up, and I checked all the functions as a BD recorder, such as recording TV broadcasts. For long-time recording of up to 15 times, there are 3 built-in encoders, so even if you record 3 programs at the same time, the remaining one will not be waiting for conversion. And the number of streams for DLNA distribution will be two, and programs can be distributed to two clients at the same time. Furthermore, DLNA distribution is possible even during conversion dubbing and BD playback (excluding theater mode), which was not possible in the past. Similarly, BD playback is possible even during linked recording with SKY PerfecTV! HD. This greatly increases usability.
In addition, since the addition of an external HDD is compatible with USB 3.0, it is possible to record 3 programs simultaneously and for a long time with just a USB HDD, realizing almost the same usability as the built-in HDD. The ability as a recorder has increased considerably. It is comfortable to use the high-speed display of the program guide and the crisp response. However, these are compatible with models equipped with the "New Unifie", and are not exclusive to this unit.
The attached remote control has improved the cross key part. The touchpad part has become a little smaller, but slide operations can be performed as beforeAnother point is the improvement of the remote control. In addition to this unit, the wireless type remote control attached to the DMR-BZT830 has an independent touch pad and cross key from this time, greatly improving operability. The previous remote control had cross keys on the top, bottom, left, and right of the touchpad, and there was a decision key in the center, so it was difficult to use, such as the top of the cross key reacting when you press the decision, but these operation errors are eliminated. and is very easy to use.
One more thing I would like to add is the lottery function that is attracting attention on Sony machines this fall. It is a function that displays the detailed contents of recorded programs in a list and allows you to move to the scene you want to see. Panasonic already has a similar feature. This program viewing service "Mimora" is a paid service of 315 yen per month. Because it is a paid service, it may not attract much attention, but in fact, you can use it for free until you see the contents of the program. If you want to move programs, you need to register for a paid service. It's free and easy to use.
Select a program from the recording list and press the pause button to display the "scene list". This display can be performed free of charge without registration. If you move by relying on the time display here, it's easy to find the scene you want to see.When you try to move the program, a screen prompting you to register for Mimora appears. Just by watching the broadcast, you can clearly understand its power. In terms of practicality, the lower models such as the DMR-BZT830 also have sufficiently excellent capabilities in terms of image quality and sound quality, but the difference is exceptional, and it is as good as the model number.Probably due to the thoroughness of noise reduction, the noise in the video is extremely low, which is a major factor in the difference. MPEG noise originating from broadcasting is well suppressed, and the lack of random noise in dark areas gives the image a clean feeling. The image quality is just like peeling off a veil.
In terms of sound quality, you can feel the bass extension and sharpness, and you can hear a sound with a rich amount of information that you wouldn't expect from AAC audio. Here too, detailed information that was buried due to the improvement of S/N is likely to come out well.