Entered CNET Catalog: 05/03/2006
SKU: 037988253777
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Manufacturer description
With a single cable, HDMI enables transmission of not only A/V signals but also control signals. All you have to do to enjoy a new level of operation convenience is hook up to a VIErA or home theater system with HDAVI Control compatibility. When you want home theater entertainment, for example, just press a button on the remote. Power to all the components switches on, TV input and other settings are automatically adjusted, and the shows ready to begin. It's that easy. One-touch 6-way Copying on the DMR-EH75V lets you copy between the hard disk drive and a DVD disc, a VHS tape and the hard disk drive, and a VHS tape and a DVD disc, by pressing a single button. For example, you can store several VHS tapes on the hard disk without all the trouble of cables and settings required to connect a separate VCR, and then easily edit the stored data and save the result onto a DVD disc. In addition, the SD card slot of this handy 4-in-1 model lets you view images taken with a digital still camera, and save them onto the hard disk drive or a DVD disc.Product summary
The good: Records video to DVD, VHS, or 80GB hard drive; outstanding recording quality, especially in LP mode; 80GB hard drive; HDMI output; high-speed hard drive-to-DVD dubbing; free TV Guide electronic programming guide worked in our tests; slot for Secure Digital media cards; flexible custom recording speed; FireWire input.
The bad: TV Guide EPG isn't as slick as TiVo; subpar HDMI upscaling video quality; some disc compatibility issues.
The bottom line: Panasonic's DMR-EH75V DVD/VHS/hard drive recorder is a solid choice for hobbyists who want top-notch recording quality and a subscription-free DVR solution.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/03/2006
The Panasonic DMR-EH75V's design is pretty basic, but we prefer it to the more cluttered exterior we've seen on similar units. You'll notice that it's little larger than the usual component, measuring 16.94 by 13.88 by 3.33 inches. Underneath the DVD and VHS decks is a large LED display, and to the far right is a convenient set of controls for one-touch recording between the VCR, the DVD recorder, and the hard drive. If you flip down the front panel, you'll notice additional controls, as well as an A/V input with S-Video, a FireWire input for DV camcorders, and an SD media-card slot.
The onscreen graphical user interface can be a bit confusing at first, but you should get the hang of it after a while. To access the recorded material, you press the Direct Navigator button, which brings up selectable thumbnails of your recorded programs. When you want to transfer a program from one format to another (such as hard disk to DVD, for example), you'll hit the Function button, where you can navigate to the Copy menu or the slightly more detailed Advanced Copy option. The process is not as straightforward as it should be; we felt there should be a simple Copy button on the remote, for example. After fumbling for a while, we figured out its logic and were able to do what we needed to do relatively quickly.
Panasonic's remote is easy enough to use, considering that it needs to control at least three devices. Most of the navigation is done using the directional pad, and plenty of other functions merit their own dedicated buttons. Unfortunately, the one-touch recording keys on the front panel are not duplicated on the remote. The remote can also control most brands of TVs.
We were also able to successfully load the TV Guide EPG, and while Panasonic didn't design the guide, we have some comments on its ease of use. Overall, its design definitely feels more cluttered and less intuitive than TiVo's. For example, to access the search function, you first hit the Schedule button to move to the top menus. Also, the TVG equivalent of TiVo's killer Season Pass feature isn't as good, with only the option to record weekly or regularly instead of being able to skip repeats. However, TVG is free, so if TiVo's ease of use isn't worth $13 a month to you, TV Guide may be a good compromise.
The Panasonic DMR-EH75V allows you to record to the 80GB hard drive, numerous types of recordable DVDs (including DVD-RAM), and VHS. Usually, you'll record to the hard drive, then archive anything you want on DVD. As with many DVD recorders, recording to the hard disk or DVD-RAM allows you to chase playback, which means you can watch programs from the beginning while in the process of recording. You can also record one program while playing back another on the hard drive or DVD-RAM discs (except during high-speed dubbing). Unlike TiVo, it doesn't constantly record live TV, so you cannot pause or rewind live TV unless you tell it to record.
The unit offers four recording modes that all have trade-offs in recording quality vs. capacity. Only 1 hour of highest-quality XP mode video fits onto one single-layer DVD; SP is 2 hours, LP 4; and EP either 6 or 8 (the 6-hour mode gives better audio quality). The hard drive can store 17 hours of XP-quality video or up to 142 hours of 8-hour EP quality, while dual-layer discs can hold up to 1.75 hours of XP video or 14.3 hours of 8-hour EP video. Although Panasonic claims compatibility with blank DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, and the dual-layer versions of -R and +R discs, +R media failed in our experience (see Performance). The unit is also Divx-certified, so it can play back Divx video files stored on DVD-R and CD, and it can also play back MP3 audio and JPEG still picture files stored on CD.
As we mentioned, the DMR-EH75V uses the free TV Guide EPG to schedule recordings and retrieve program info. TVG depends on program information delivered over your cable or DirecTV or DISH Network (satellite support is new for this year, only available in the U.S., and only DirecTV provides full functionality) TV connection. For that reason, it may not work with all digital cable systems, and although we've had problems in the past getting it to function with our local Time Warner Cable digital service, it worked as advertised this time. The system uses an IR blaster to control a digital cable box, or you can connect an analog cable line directly to the deck.
The Panasonic DMR-EH75V also has one of our favorite features: flexible recording length. Selecting this option allows you to completely fill a DVD with your program, maximizing the video quality. We also love the ability to edit video on the hard drive and DVD-RAM discs, although the method for doing so may not be immediately intuitive. For example, the easiest way to edit out ads is to set chapters (using the handy Chapter button) before and after commercials, then delete chapters using the Submenu button on Disc Navigator. It sounds harder than it is, but it's pretty easy to get the hang of, even if it gets tedious.
We appreciated the high-speed dubbing from the hard drive to DVD; in our testing, it allowed us to burn a 30-minute program in 10 minutes from start to the finalization of the disc. Unfortunately, like all VHS/DVD recorders so far, the deck can't record from VHS tapes in high speed. We also were pleased to see that the DMR-EH75V automatically added chapter stops every five minutes to our DVDs, whether dubbing from the hard drive or straight from VHS.
Connectivity on the DMR-EH75V is highlighted by its HDMI output, its component-video output, its optical digital jack (no coaxial), and its FireWire input. There are also three A/V inputs (one in front and two around back) offering a choice of composite or S-Video. We would've liked to see a component-video input, as on most Philips recorders, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Finally, if you flip down the front panel, you'll notice an SD memory-card slot for digital photos.
Recording quality on the Panasonic DMR-EH75V was excellent overall, highlighted by an impressive LP mode. Whereas most recorders we've tested suffer a large drop in resolution when switching from 2-hour SP to 4-hour LP mode (usually from about 450 to 250 lines of resolution), LP mode on the DMR-EH75V maintained almost exactly the same resolution as SP mode. This is a big deal, as you can double the amount of content you can fit on a DVD with essentially no loss in video quality.
When we compared footage from Everybody Hates Chris, for example, the difference between SP and LP modes was negligible--only hard-core enthusiasts will be able to spot it. As usual, longer-play EP mode was almost unwatchable, with a huge loss in resolution and tons of video artifacts, especially in scenes with a lot of motion. We recommend using EP mode only for shows with simple animation, such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The loss in resolution is noticeable, but the resulting video is still watchable. Additionally, the DMR-EH75V had no problem recording wide-screen content from our Time Warner HD box, maintaining the correct aspect ratio and filling our wide-screen TV completely.
Since the DMR-EH75V can upconvert via its HDMI output, we ran it through our video-quality test but came away somewhat disappointed. It passed the resolution test from Silicon Optix's HQV test suite in 1080i mode but failed in 720p and 480p mode, exhibiting significant flicker. It also failed relatively easy tests, such as scrolling titles (in every resolution mode), introducing obvious combing on the text crawl. Overall, we can't recommend it as a great choice for videophiles as their main home-theater DVD deck, but most viewers probably won't notice the flaws.
Disc compatibility overall was spotty and represents the DMR-EH75V's greatest weakness. When we ran our test suite of discs, the unit often displayed a message indicating the disc would need to be formatted before it could play. If we declined the formatting option, it refused to play the disc. Considering other players handled these discs without a problem, we'd exercise caution if you plan on using the Panasonic to play older recorded DVDs. Additionally, we ran into snags with blank DVD+R and DVD+R dual-layer (DL) media; the DMR-EH75V was unable to record on the discs we tried, including Staples and Verbatim discs. This lack of compatibility isn't a big deal in our book; you can always buy the -R/RW and -R DL media instead. The Panasonic handled -R dual-layer discs well, although it can record from only the hard drive to dual-layer media, not directly from a live video stream.
After numerous failures with other decks, our tests of the DMR-EH75V's TV Guide EPG were successful on Time Warner NYC's digital cable hookup. As instructed, we connected it to our cable box, ran through a quick setup, then turned the unit off for 24 hours so that it could collect program data. Afterward, we were able to select programs to record via the graphical user interface, with about seven days' worth of programming information. Initially, it was missing info for several channels, but after a day or so, the information filtered through as well. Unlike with previous incarnations of TVG, the channels on the DMR-EH75V appeared in the correct order, exactly as we're used to from Time Warner NYC. As with all TVG versions, we can't guarantee that it'll work properly in your area.
During SD slot testing, we were able to load a card full of JPEGs and watch them directly or even transfer them to the hard drive for easy accessible slide shows. We didn't have much luck with other file formats on the SD card; it failed to recognize both AVI and DivX video files, although the Panasonic DMR-EH75V doesn't claim to support those formats.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53out of 53 user reviews
A difficult machine to work with
Pros: Has alot of bells & whistles.
Cons: Lengthy manual that is of little help. It erases video as you try to work through things.
out of 53 user reviews
Outstanding DVD recorder with 80 gb harddrive
Pros: 80 gb harddrive. Copy, burn and convert all types of mediums; DVD, VHS, SD, TV. Record modes XP,SP,LP,EP,&FR. Up to 6 hrs of video can be burned to disc. Create playlists, switch around bookmarks, 9 colors choices of menu options.
Cons: Remote control does not have a "close DVD tray" button. You have to manually close the tray. Instuction manual not user friendly. Cannot make backup copies of copyright dvd's. Clock loses a minute every 2 months.
out of 53 user reviews
Still great after 4 yrs, use daily & recd 100s of dvd's
Pros: The hard drive is amazing, I record tons from tv, camcorder, pictures from sd cards, I edit out commercials and bad parts from video, pick what I want to put on dvd, create chapters and use divide title to split recordings up and make custom
Cons: There's always things you would like to have had added, but as far as something it has that doesn't work, I haven't found anything like that, I've enjoyed it and haven't had a need to change.
I can use the sd card from the camera to download pictures to the hd or dvd without having to use the computer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I like using it to record my grandaughters favorite educational shows from on-demand cable and put them on a dvd, I record the on-demand movies from cable onto the hard drive so that they can be watched anytime and I can put them on dvd so that if I have to be in the hospital I can thabe my laptop with me and wath them anytime.===----------------------------------------------------------- I always record usually in the lp mode if recording tv shows and it still looks great, I record my granddaughters shows in ep and can get dozens on one dvd. It has an xp mode that takes up lots of space and that I can't tell looks any difference than the sp mode, which I use for home videos, I record my movies in lp. You get so much more on one dvd and using flexible recording can usually get three movies on one dvd. Using the high speed mode, I can make a dvd with a dozen 30 minute shows for less than 10 minutes.
I think it is a great machine and wouldn't know what I would do or will do if it ever quits working, as I can't find one like it with the vcr on it, but I've put our home movies from the 80's and 90's on dvd but still like to put things from hd onto vhs sometimes because it's inexpensive and can be used in my daughters room for her to watch movies I've recorded, so I'd miss having that option.
For now, I'm grateful to have it and hope it lasts a long time more,
out of 53 user reviews
HI COST HI MAINTENANCE NO CUST SERVICE FROM PANASONIC
Pros: FEATURES WORKED GOOD WHILE THEY WORKED.
Cons: A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS OF USE THE DVD WENT BAD AND TRIED TO GET PANASONIC TO WORK WITH ME TO GET UNIT FIXED. AFTER 5 MONTHS OF PHONE CALLS AND NO RESPONSE FROM SERVICE OR MANAGEMENT I GAVE UP.
out of 53 user reviews
Initally worked great. Some features quit after a while
Pros: Initially was easy to schedule recordings. Easy to play DVDs and recordings on DVR.
Cons: Scheduling recordings became much more cumbersum when it stopped getting TV guide data off cable and the clock doesn't keep the correct time. Also the HDMI output stopped working.
out of 53 user reviews
Love it! Read the whole manual carefully!
Pros: Great quality.
Versatile.
Nice looking.
Transferring my whole VHS collection to DVD (with a macrovision adaptor).
Cons: If you don't read the manual, you will have a hard time. Still trying to connect it to my Tivo.
out of 53 user reviews
PANASONIC DVD'S Last Only Few Months
Pros: Tuner; Remote Control;
Cons: Flawed design; Software and firmware not thouroghly tested; DVR breaks down within few months of usage; Bad Customer Service
out of 53 user reviews
Junk - Panasonoc erased from my vocabulary
Pros: Nice shiney case!
Cons: Unit extremely difficult to program and graphics poor.
out of 53 user reviews
DMR-EH75V Deficiencies
Pros: Great all-around DVR
Cons: User Manual, TV-Guide, DVD Copy, Closed-Captions
TVGuide difficult to setup with DirectTV. Need external Antenna feed for local TVGuide source since DirectTV appears to strip-off TVGuide info.
Finalized DVDs cannot be copied to hard drive to reproduce onto another DVD.
Progressive scan disables closed captioning (good feature - buried in user manual)!
Wildtoad
out of 53 user reviews
The worst piece of electronic equipment I've ever purchased.
Pros: The unit was easy to use. Recording VHS tapes to DVD and vice versa was simple and easy. Unfortunately, the unit only worked for three months.
Cons: The unit only worked for three months, and we have experienced the worst customer service from Panasonic and its repair center.
out of 53 user reviews
Don't waste your money!!!
Pros: Does an excellent job
Cons: Will suddenly fail with expensive repair bill
I have heard of other Panasonics that failed within the warranty period (12 months is far too short) and have been replaced. Go with Sony or Pioneer if you want a reliable, long lasting product. Panasonic, shame on you.
out of 53 user reviews
Great, but...
Pros: ease of media data transfer
Cons: no digital tuner, complex & often ambiguous owners manual
Biggest difficulty is trying to play home DVDs - it can be finicky about whether they were recorded in VR or Video format, and digital photos don't display their titles like a computer does - a disappointment.
The biggest letdown of all was to find out such a recently designed and contemporary unit only had a NSTC tuner (analog). Without an ASTC (digital) tuner, I will have to buy a converter box for the 2009 change to digital broadcast, for off-air reception on my 10 year old 36" Sony TV. I thought sure my new Panasonic was up-to-date enough to use in place of "the box". That was a real engineering goof for Panasonic.
out of 53 user reviews
Excellent Device A+++++
Pros: Hard Drive rocks/Editing capabilities are Fantastic
Cons: Makes weak Coffee lol
out of 53 user reviews
Best all-in-one value with DVR, VHS, DVD rec and SD
Pros: Easy to use DVR and VHS to DVD copy. No subscription or monthy fees!
Cons: One tuner, only record one program at a time. SD limited to photos, not video read or copy.
out of 53 user reviews
Could be better for the money
Pros: excellent DVR when working
Cons: Doesn't always record
out of 53 user reviews
This is a great combination device!
Pros: Easy set-up, TV Guide function, Easy to burn DVD's
Cons: Could be a bit more straightforward to use
out of 53 user reviews
Good, but not perfect
Pros: Edit functions and HDD capacity
Cons: Only records one show per time slot & weak TV Guide
My main complaints are that it only records one show per time slot, the TV Guide doesn't update itself or make it easy to do manually when a network changes its schedule, you can only adjust start and stop times a maximum of 2 hours (not helpful if you want to record the last hour of a 4 hour news show), and about 5% of the time the unit either stops recording during a show or splits the recording into two segements. The recording history simply says "Recording stopped due to
error."
I would recommend this unit for its editing capability, but suggest having a second DVR for more reliable recording and recording overlapping programs.
out of 53 user reviews
Buyer beware. Not designed to last.
Pros: Nice features when it works
Cons: Software not fault tolerant. Not designed to last.
This is an extremely poorly designed machine that will not stand up to daily usage. If you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket and you only need a few months of use then this is the machine for you.
This would be a great machine if it could have a useful life. I am extremely disappointed in Panasonic.
out of 53 user reviews
The manual is not for beginers.
Pros: Very good picture quality.
Cons: Had to send it back for repair with less than 100 hrs use.
out of 53 user reviews
No longer on the market
Pros: Hard drive and EPG
Cons: EPG can be janky. No longer on the market
out of 53 user reviews
Easy-to-use, works great!
Pros: Logical menus, easy-to-use remote, lots of storage, trouble-free
Cons: No ethernet connection, Listing navigation forward in time is tedious
I especially like being able to save key words for searching and the ability to record a program any time it comes on. However, I do wish it could be set to only record new episodes of a show.
After hooking up our old VCR as an input, I have been especially pleased at how easy it is to copy our old home movies to HDD, create a 'Play List' of the scenes, then copy them to a DVD. This process is far, far easier (and much faster) then the method I used before of copying them into my computer. Plus, I had trouble copying poor quality video into the computer with the Pinnacle hardware that I had previously used. This is no longer a problem.
out of 53 user reviews
One of Panasonic's Worst Products Ever
Pros: Great Promises (but they don't hold up)
Cons: Unit Freezes Up it is a very Unstable Product
For reference, I am not new to home electronics. I have set up and used many home audio systems and even built a home theater in my basement. Every component that I have works great except for this one, which is the worst piece of equipment I have run across in years.
When I first purchased it I was thrilled with the potential it had. But right away (after about 5 hours of trying) I discovrerd that it is NOT compatible with my Time Warner Digital Cable Service. So I thought, well OK its still a nice unit. But then I noticed that many of the images were darkered by this unit, so that night scenes were hard to see. But I thought, OK I'll live with that too. But when the unit started freezing up over and over and over, and I had to return it. Then, as noted above, I had the same problem with two consecutive replacement units. In case you are concerned, the freeze ups initially occurred when I would switch from one mode to another. But one of the units would even freeze up when I attemped to eject a DVD. Even a $50 Apex has less QC problems than this Panasonic model.
My advice, DON'T EVEN CONSIDER PURCHASING THIS UNIT. The "professional" reviewers may have rated this unit highly, but they didn't take it home and use it for months on end. If they did, I think their reviews would be much lower. If I had initially rated this product (when I bought it) I would have given it a 7. But now I would give it a 1 only because I cannot go any lower.
out of 53 user reviews
Maybe it's me but . . .
Pros: VHS to hard drive to DVD and back
Cons: otherworldly random channel switching
1. On or off, the machine causes random channel changing while the television is on. Annoying is an understatement. Especially when you doze off for a second and suddenly you realize you are watching tv guide channel. There must be a way to fix this but no one at Panasonic has been able to come up with it. The TV guide is awful, and this may be connected to that awfulness. It took about five days to catch up with the March 11 Daylight Savings time change, which meant essentially no timed recordings for all that time. The machine will set, it will record and will label your recording as if it recorded the correct thing, but your content is some other channel.
2. Copying from Hard drive to DVD-R, (and I think same with DVD+R) the disc AUTOFINALIZES. This means that even if you have not used up the full disc capacity, you cannot add anything. Also cannot chapter. Basically you are forced to do all editing at the hard drive level, or record to the more costly DVD RAM discs.
out of 53 user reviews
Does it overheat ?
Pros: Love the idea for the moment
Cons: Possible overheating problem
But a TV repairman came to work on our TV, took one look at the machine, and said, oh that's the one that overheats all the time.
Since I haven't spent much time on it, I certainly haven't had that problem, yet, but was wondering if other people, those who have used it a lot, have had an overheating problem.
Thanks.
out of 53 user reviews
Love it!!!
Pros: All the features!
Cons: The Manual!!!
out of 53 user reviews
Convenient 3-in-1 recorder
Pros: VCR/DVD/HDD all-in-one makes it very easy to transfer from one medium to another. Basic editing is excellent. Very easy to edit out commercials, divide clips, and insert chapters.
Cons: Cannot watch a different channel while a show is being recorded. TV Guide listing guide is missing a few channels and sometimes show listings are incorrect.
The high speed transfer capability from the HDD to a DVD is great!! It generally takes less than 20 min. to burn a 2 hour DVD!!! I'm not sure what C-Net is talking about with DVD +R compatability problems. The only discs I've used so far are DVD +R/+RW without any problems burning.
The manual does take some "getting used to" It is definitely information overload when you first read it. I found pushing all the buttons first myself and then using the manual for reference worked pretty well.
My biggest complaint is not being able to watch a different channel from the one that is being recorded. C'mon guys, this is a $500 box!!!! The unit has a built in TV tuner. Why can't I use the tuner to watch a channel while the unit is recording a show coming from my cable box via video input??? VCR's have a "TV/Video" button which allows this!!! Seems like a pretty basic feature. I even called the tech support line to ask about this feature. He said the only way to watch a different program is to split the cable feed and have one go to the TV directly and use the TV tuner while the DVD is recording. BTW, I'm quite happy with the tech support line. The phone number is right on the front of the instruction manual. I could actually talk to a human being who isn't just reading a copy of the instruction manual!!
I'm also slightly dissapointed with the TV Guide program guide. Not all of my local channels are listed and a few stations have the wrong programs listed! For the most part though it is pretty nice to use. The search feature is pretty convenient.
All in all I'm very happy with it and am having lots of fun with it!!
out of 53 user reviews
Great unit for VHS to DVD transfer and DVR
Pros: Excellent quality and features in all modes.
Cons: Requires a considerable hands on learning curve to take advantage of this unit is capable.
out of 53 user reviews
Good idea, one killer flaw (for me)
Pros: Good combination of features (drives)
Cons: VHS over HDMI stops during HD recording!, Menus
Menus were a bit difficult to get used to, but I was getting the hang of it.
Then, I found out the hard way that while the unit will play VHS over HDMI, when a scheduled recording to the hard disk started, the VHS HDMI output stopped, with a message that I had to use some other output (like composite). This does NOT happen when playing a DVD though. So my dream of just having one (HDMI) connection to my TV went bye-bye. And I said bye-bye to this unit, returned under the retailer's "customer satisfaction guarantee" period, full refund.
Panasonic phone tech support was clueless, no help.
I can only speculate that some pointy-headed bean counting product manager limited the device to only one analog-digital conversion at a time (one circuit instead of two, or a not-powerful enough processor), so when the record-to-disk kicked in (analog cable to digital video on disk), the VHS analog to digital HDMI signal had to stop. What a stupid limitation to put in such an advanced product! I couldn't stand it
out of 53 user reviews
Not Compatible with Time Warner Cable
Pros: DVD and VHS works good.
Cons: Huge complicated manual, doesn't seem compatible with Time Warner Cable, Terrible and rude tech support with long wait time.
out of 53 user reviews
JUNK! And I'll tell you why...save your money
Pros: 3 in 1 - Big HDD - Name Brand
Cons: Expensive, No support from Panasonic, Firmware problems.
This unit seemed to be the one. However, here is what I found after putting down over 450 bucks at the local Circuit City.
1) Remote is useless. We have the unit in a very nice Media Center from Ethan Alan. Glass doors and all. Guess what. Remote doesn't work through glass doors. ARE YOU KIDDING. I can control cable box from 40 feet away with door closed. This thing...I have to open door and be within 10 feet. NICE. Also, the remote is confusing and doesn't present obvious choices for each type of unit. IE: Sub menu seems to be default for everything. "Navigate" gets you too...HDD recorded shows. WHAT? For this price, they should have made this remote A) larger and more comprehensive with perhaps an lcd screen for each function based on a unit that is 3:1. b) more powerful and working at distance. c) more substantial. This thing feels like if I lost it in the couch it would dissapear in the cushions.
2) Firmware causes machine to just...well, turn off during TV. We are watching TV, and you have to have the machine on to watch TV because of listings, and the way it sits in front of cable. Well, during survivor, my wife's favorite show, the damn thing just says "HDD shutting down. Goodbye." ***. Why does it have to turn off the picture to shutdown HD. Why does it have to shut down anything??? I have contacted panasonic on this many times, and they have not responded with anything other than "call and talk to our reps with pre-written scripts and go nuts waiting on hold for 2 hrs." How can a call center in India fix a firmware problem???
3) Hmmmm, well, you would think that a multi-media, multi-use device that plays DIVX material would let you access the SD Flash reader to play divx material. NOPE. photos only, thanks. I have to waste a cd and burn divx material to a cd to play it. Wha?? In this day of 2GB flas cards, give me a break! No fix on this for firmware either??
4) Functions to copy info from one format to another. Nope. can't copy VHS to DVD directly. you have to eat up HDD space.
5) Conspicuous absense of ethernet connection when DIVX place is present. Why not just make this thing show up on the network as a NAS device? I know, stretching for extra functionality, but hey, I'm just a consumer.
All in all, I think this device is not ready for prime time and needs to be re-thought. My only problem is, I wasted 450 bucks on it and won't get the sanity back or my wife's confidence in buying tech hardware.
out of 53 user reviews
GREAT..but manual hard to understand
Pros: Quality of picture and ease of TV guide to record
Cons: Can't include antenna and Dishnet Manual is very confusing
Because Dishnet cut off my network programming I have to use antenna hookup. Can't use the Dishnet in order to get NBC CBS ABC FOX etc.
I recorded a movie on the dishnet DVR. Then I recorded it to a VCR in order to get it to the Pansonic DMR hard drive, which I did. How do I edit the hard drive copy before I put this on a DVD? It is new to me and the manual appears to send me from one page to another and another....
Thanks for any help you can give me. I truly believe the DMR will do all that I want it to, but I just have to figure it out.
out of 53 user reviews
Worth every single dime!
Pros: Does it all
Cons: None! so far
Step 1---- I set it up the way the quick guide showed it, waited about 12 hours check to see if the TV Guide download is done,(you know a little bit impatient) I had (2) two check mark, I need 4 check mark to complete the process, which requires that you wait minimum 24 hours.
So I waited another 12 hours and it was done, i had all my channel listing. by the way I'm using Time warner Cable, digital subscription with ShowTime, Cinemax, Starz.
Step 2--- I'm checking everything to make sure everythings is going smooth. Oops! now my On Demand doesn't work, (Need not worry my friend) Being a Techie for so long I knew exactly why it was not working, so I went ahead and took care of that.
Step 3---Now that my On Demand is up and running, I popped in a DVD-R CD, switch to show time on demand, select one of my favorite show. switch to lp mode and press record. (Voila) the recording came out so sweet I almost cried!. I also did some recording on the hard drive and it worked perfectly, no editing yet!
Step--4 I go straight for the sub menu and chose the option Edit title! done that, and then I realised that I can fit 4 episode on one DVD-R CD, I jumped on it and record 4 more.
Step--5 I took the DVD-R CD out of the tray and pop it in my laptop. Oops! nothing.
Guess what! I forgot about finalizing the DVD-R CD, so I put it back in the Panasonic DVR, and now I have to find out where the finalize option is. can't find it and I don't want to open the manual.
Step--6 I know it can only be in two places either the (Direct Navigation)button or the (Function) button. and Voila! right inside the Function option! so I go and finalize this baby!
I'll update any further development. I'm still getting to know this Beautiful machine.
and I will not open the manual, I threw it in the Trash bin already!.
out of 53 user reviews
Sounds Like Chirping Crickets???
Pros: Hard Drive
Cons: Noise/Sounds
out of 53 user reviews
Theoretically great, but incredibly slow and glitchy
Pros: All in one,, good recording quality
Cons: VERY slow while editing, glitchy, freezes
When I first set the unit up, I was pretty excited. I had S-video and audio inputs in from my Time Warner DVR/cable box, and then regular unscrambled cable into the RF in. Both input pictures were great. But as I recorded a first program from my other DVR and then took out the commercials with the EH75's edit functions, the unit froze once and I had to turn it off. And it was all an exasperating down hill from there.
When I attempted to edit a second program I'd recorded onto the unit, it got very, very slow, and continually froze when I attempted to put in chapters and switch back and forth to the disc navigator. I had to constantly turn the unit off and on, after which it lost the last chapter I put in.
So I took it back, and crossing my fingers-- because I really wanted this model--I exchanged the first one for a second. I brought it home, and... the EXACT SAME THING. It continually freezes while trying to use chapters and disc navigator, and it is SO slow. I literally have sat here nodding off as I am waiting for it to respond to commands to go to disc navigator or change drives (Changing drives, seemingly a very basic function, takes FOREVER.)
With this second unit, I went online and downloaded a firmware upgrade from panasonic.com, which was supposed to fix a problem with an unresponsive remote. The firmware loaded succesfully, but it did not fix the problem.
It seems unlikely that I had such bad luck that I got two freak machines with the same problem. I don't know if they came from a "bad batch" or what -- it seems hard to believe that as a whole this model could be so terrible.
out of 53 user reviews
Excellent recorder & player
Pros: Great playback picture & easy recording
Cons: none so far
out of 53 user reviews
great video, beware of blackouts!
Pros: great picture quality, terrific to be free of tapes and dvd's
Cons: a pain to program beyond the current day, blackouts can fry the hard drive
out of 53 user reviews
Very Disappointed
Pros: Nice layout and design
Cons: Will not download the TV Guide Data
out of 53 user reviews
Confusing.
Pros: None. None. (Sorry; ten-character minimum)
Cons: Can not seem to hook this thing up to my HD cable box.
The Motorola cable box has one RCA-style audio output. This comes from the composite set of jacks that output to the HD part of my HD TV. So I have five jacks in a row on the cable box and TV: red, white, and green, blue & red. The cable box also has 1 audio input pair of red & white jacks, along with 3 other jacks on the same row: orange and two yellow (video in and out; what the orange is I couldn't say).
My TV has two sets of HD input jacks. It also has some standard RCA inputs and some cable "antenna" inputs. It also has a DVI input and an RCA output.
Okay. I am officially confused. To get sound out of the cable box, I need to use the single audio-out it provides. But this can either go to my DMR's audio-in jacks, or the HD TV's composite set. Thus, I can get HD audio *OR* SD audio. But not both. The problem? When my TV's in SD mode, it displays VHS cassette playback. In HD mode, it does not.
Soooo.... the only way I can get the DMR to play everything is to go in the back of the TV and move cables around each time I change a source. Folks, that's ridiculous.
Also, I need to be able to download TV Guide information. The Panasonic EH75V needs to "talk" to the cable box to gather from it TV scheduling info for its schedule thingie. But for some reason it's not doing that. It was, but not anymore. I.e., there was a time when I'd see the stations change on my cable box by themselves when the DMR was off (which is what it's supposed to do). But now, after talking with Panasonic tech support and hooking this thing up by her directives, it no longer does that.
Can ANYBODY out there help me and save me a $100 or so in the process?!?
out of 53 user reviews
Outstanding workhorse for recording and editing
Pros: Editing ease of use, Video-active icons, LP-mode quality, VHS-quality, drive capacity, Free TV-Guide
Cons: no "previous channel" button on remote, cannot edit while recording
1) Editing is a breeze....press the button on the remote to create "chapter" seperations (for example, at the beginning and end of commercials), then enter another menu to delete the chapters you don't want. I can edit out all of the commercials on a 2 hour movie in less than 5 minutes.
2) Copying VHS tapes to DVD was as easy it gets. The VHS tape player is very high quality. I was concerned that some of my VHS tapes had degenerated, but copies of a 25-year-old home-movie tape were crystal clear...much better quality than I expected....now that the tapes are transferred to a DVD, I'm hoping they will be good for at least nother 25 years.
3) The quality of LP-mode was outstanding, with practically no degradation in picture-quality compared to SP-mode. (Only noticeable in side-by-side comparisons of the same source material) The lower-quality modes gave noticeable degradation in picture-quality, but they were still watchable.
4) The TV-Guide feature worked like a charm from the get-go....on Cablevision.
5) My channel-surfing is crimped by having no "back" button on the remote to go back to the previous channel that I was tuned to....a minor annoyance for me. Also, I would like to be able to edit programs while other programs are being recorded....you can watch other recordings while recording, and even add chapter seperations, but you cannot do other editing functions. These negatives are both fairly minor, compared to the outstanding performance I've gotten from this box.
6) I've also used the DV input to transfer tapes from my camcorder directly to this DVR. Another minor annoyance that I can't seem to find a workaround for is that my tapes recorded in widescreen format on my Canon ZR400 are not transferred to the DVR in widescreen format.
7) You can select from a dozen or so menu styles for the DVD's you create, and have the DVD-menu's created automatically....this is nicely implemented.
8) I haven't used the SD feature (plan to soon), nor have I exercised the HDMI interface.
out of 53 user reviews
Great idea, so-so execution
Pros: Love the editing capabilities; convenience of all-in-one unit
Cons: Didn't work well with my current set up
I got mine on Tax Free Day a couple of weeks ago. The nice folks at Circuit City even gave me the internet special sale price, saving me $70, in addition to tax.
Set up was my indication that it might not be the unit for me. The instructions were for a hook up completely contrary to my cable hook up and I knew that at best I'd just be left without On Demand, at worst I'd have a jumpy picture (this unit requires the cable to go through it first, then the cable box; my cable company set up is the reverse).
Fortunately, the picture was ok, with some minor (though increasingly distracting) loss of video clarity and yes, On Demand was gone (not a big loss, but still). I'd also lost the inability to utilize my tv's PIP function.
I found the IR blaster was a bit hit or miss at times changing the channel. In the three weeks that I had the unit, it missed the channel probably a half dozen times, although at least not while it was recording. That could, of course, just be random incompatability with my cable box. My one concern was having to leave the box on all the time and how a power loss would effect anything to be recorded. With my current vcr, at least if the power goes out and comes back on, it'll still tape...
One other function that didn't work was the ability to tape something and watch something else. The instructions insisted this was possible, but any attempt to change the channel on the tv resulted in taping that instead.
I found the instruction manual as confusing as everybody says, but just took the advice to skim through it once and then use it more thoroughly as needs warranted and that worked ok.
Really liked the editing features, although the few finished discs aren't as smooth a transition from scene to scene as I expected (I'm new to all this, so I'm not sure if my expectations were realistic) and the dvds don't play on both my dvd players.
The remote was ok. I found myself frequently hitting the wrong buttons (there are a *lot* of buttons), but it could have just been something I'd have figured out better in time.
In the end, although I liked the convenience of having an all in one unit and really liked the editing features, the combination of loss of video quality on my tv and the other features lost due to set up had me returning it.
out of 53 user reviews
Excellent unit with minor flaws.
Pros: HDD allows excellent editing, Excellent conversion from VHS to HDD to DVD, Reliable TV Program Guide and Excellent picture quality.
Cons: Time-consuming editing, poor remote and poor manual and disapointed that it doesn't automatically create thumbnail chapters as other units do.
My reason for buying a DVD recorder was to convert VHS and Mini DV home movies. This unit does this well with a little extra work.
The Good- I am very happy with this unit. It does everything it says it will do. Some people have had problems with disk compatability, TV Program Guide, Finalizing, however I have not had one problem with this unit!! It works and it works great. I would like to mention that I bought it right when it came out since April.
All formats work great, but the key to this unit is the hard drive. Once you record to HDD you can do so much. Even though I am happy with my results I will mention here that the editing is very time-consuming. A lot of it is trial and error as the manual is complicated. But with persistance and time you can pick up how to do a lot. For example, I converted a sports tape recorded from TV from VHS to HDD. I know I had to record it in SP for the quality and time factor. I then create chapters to delete commercials and also divide titles when there is a transition. I can then choose my thumbnail if I don't like the one given and I name the thumbnails for all titles. Once I have all the titles named all I have to do is tell the unit to "Advance Copy", select from HDD to DVD, and NOT finalize it. Once the high speed copying is done I switch drives to DVD (with a blank DVD in the drive) and I name the DVD, choose the color and type of menu, then I finalize it. It's easy, but again very time-consuming.
I don't find the function display or menus hard to navigate at all, it takes a little practice, though.
Reording from the DV input is a little tricky. If there is a break on your tape the unit will stop recording. I was very frustrated by this until I realized I can continue from that spot and it creates another title. You can't just walk away after you press record. Because of it stopping frequently (depending on your DV tape)you have to keep recording from each stopped part.
The Bad- Time-consuming editing as stated above. The remote could be more functional as in opening and closing the DVD tray, ejecting the VHS tape etc....Poor location of the remote sensor, too. The manual is pretty bad, but playing around with the remote and menus as well as reading the manual eventually gets the job done. I will say I did make a few coasters while I learned. Last but not least...a lot of units automatically create chpters with thumbnails at certain intervals. Not this unit. The only thing it does is create marks every 5 mins for manuevering around the DVD and only after it is finalized. No thumbnails, just moving the scene along 5 mins at a time.*** I will note that HDD and DVD-Ram you can create chapters with thumbnails only as you watch it.
I would give it a 10, except for the little annoyances, which are big for me. I hope this has been helpful before you purchase.
out of 53 user reviews
extremely disappointing
Pros: lots of features
Cons: inability to fully use features or use them simultaneously
that also means that to avoid getting ugly thumbnails i have to split up xp chapters longer than an hour onto 2 DVDs. i had to produce more than 20 DVDs which i threw away to find out that this unit has almost no way of doing a job right.
i would have liked to use this unit to produce precise DVDs for my clients, but i can't even do that because it takes these matters into its own hands. now i'll have to go to a video software professional to finish the job. i hate this unit so much that it hurts to give it a 4.
out of 53 user reviews
A good unit, difficult to use
Pros: great to have it all in one unit: VHS, DVD, HD. Nice for converting VHS to DVD.
Cons: Poor user interface design, and a user manual that is IMPOSSIBLY difficult.
out of 53 user reviews
Excellent despite quirky interface
Pros: Versatility and video quality
Cons: Quirky user interface and missing functionality
Overall, I've been VERY happy with the device. I got it primarily to transfer VHS tapes to DVD and it's going to be VERY good for that. I also am impressed by the LP quality - 4 hours on a single layer DVD and VERY watchable. I haven't yet experienced any of the DVD compatibility issues others have reported and have used DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RAM (comes with one disc), and DVD+RW with good results in all cases so far.
The TV Guide took a little effort to get setup and working properly, but works well. I agree that it's not nearly as good as the Tivo guide, but it works. One amazing omission to me is that you can't list all the upcoming shows on a specific channel vertically and have to scroll to the right MANY keystokes to go very far into the future. You can get around this to some extent using the keyword search functionality.
I've captured from VHS and from my DV camcorder and it did just fine there. DVD authoring and title editing is very basic in functionality and I don't think it's very intuitive, but produces reasonably good results once you figure it out.
I can copy 4 hours of LP video to a DVD in about 25 minutes. One hour of highest quality "XP" video in about 15 minutes (when high-speed recording is turned on).
Keeping in mind that I LIKE this device and I do recommend it, here are a few things I find "quirky" or missing. (Some of these could be that I just haven't figured them out yet.)
1. I can't get it to copy an mpeg2 file from the SD card as advertised. I created the mpeg2 file on the computer and copied it to the SD card. I think it's looking for a specific Panasonic-only directory structure and/or file extension. Panasonic tech support has been zero help up to now - several days after asking for help with this (on-line). Also, you can't copy a video title from the HDD to the SD card as an mpeg2 file.
2. You can't make multiple identical copies without re-entering things like disc names and re-selecting all the titles for the disc again. There are "playlists", but they just group all titles into a single title. You can save "phrases" in the title editor and that helps, but even though it lets you enter a long phrase, it cuts it off at a set number of characters. Also, when the titles you enter appear on the DVD menu, there is no word-wrap, so it cuts a word at the end of the first line in the middle of the word and puts the rest at the beginning of the second line.
3. As far as I can see, you can't just use the VCR like a normal VCR where you program a show to record on a certain channel to record at a certain time. You HAVE to record to the hard drive first, then copy that to the tape. (One thing BETTER than the version of Tivo I have, is that you can at least select all the shows to put on tape at once, versus one at a time on my Tivo.)
4. The device has to be "off" to get updates from the TV Guide channel. It will still record scheduled shows while "off", but you have to remember to turn it off when you're not using it for the updates to occur.
5. I haven't found a way to arrange the titles on a DVD being recorded in the order I want. You can sort the list you are choosing them from in several ways (date, etc.), but you can't move them around on the menu to the order you might prefer. You don't actually SEE then menu until the disc is finalized, and it just builds the menu in the order in which the titles were listed on the source list (all titles).
6. While you can copy still photos from one type of media to another, as far as I can tell, you can't actually record something like a "slideshow" (with x number of seconds per slide and transitions, etc.) of photos from, say, the hard drive to the DVD or VHS. Still photos on a CD-R or CD-RW can't be copied to the hard drive. It seems to me that the practical benefit of the whole still photo functionality here is basically being able to view still photos.
7. You have to remember to create "top level menus" for DVD+RW discs before ejecting them. (They are automatically created during finalization for write-once media). Once created, you can't view the actual menu for a DVD+RW disc on this device (although you can see and select the titles via the "Navigator" screen).
8. You toggle thru the 4 "modes" (HDD, DVD, SD, and VHS) in the same order every time you need to change and there is a slight delay every time you stop at SD (even if you don't have an SD card in the slot). Mode switch seems a little faster with the switch on the unit itself than with the remote.
9. While the unit has VCR+, that functionality doesn't appear to be available if you are using the TV Guide functionality.
10. The volume (audio) seems very low on programs from TV (cable) compared to titles captured from VHS or DV input, so I find I have to raise and lower the volume on the TV frequently to maintain a "normal" listening level.
Regarding my items 3 and 5 previously listed, another user pointed out that if you use the "Advanced Copy" funtion, you can indeed select titles in the order in which you want them to appear on the menu. Also, this list is remembered in case you want to make more than one copy. On the word-wrap issue, I've learned that when building the title, the "preview" box does accurately reflect what appears on the menu, so I can add spaces between words to control where the line breaks occur.
out of 53 user reviews
Basic DVR functions ok; took many frustrating days to find on-screen guide would not work
Pros: easy 1-click copy and high speed HDD to dvd copy
Cons: Not at all Tivo like in most cases
out of 53 user reviews
Great Multi-Function Video Recorder
Pros: LP mode image quality, No monthly fee, Number of features, Ease of use once interface is figured out
Cons: Cannot archive most commercial VHS tapes, Commercial skip function, Learning curve on interface
DVD - I would disagree with the CNet review with regard to the unit's performance on DVD upconverting. You can definitely notice the difference between the output of this unit and the non-upconverting DVD player I previously had on my Sony 34XBR970 HD TV. This is a great DVD recorder, especially taking into account the number of different types of recording media that can be used, the fast copy and flexible recording modes, and the choice of recording quality/time - especially the LP mode, which is barely distinguishable from the SP mode for most content. I have also used DVDs created using this unit on other DVD players without a problem, including a midrange Sony DVD player and a budget Apex unit.
DVR - The DVR feature is easy to use and allows you to watch one title stored on your hard drive while recording another. It does not really have a "pause live TV" function like Tivo (because the hard drive is not always active), but you can approximate this functionality by watching a title at the same time you are recording it. Basic editing functions are a breeze once you get used to the interface, but for serious editing you will want to copy the file to DVD and move it to your PC. My only real complaints about the DVR are that the interface can get quite busy if you record a lot of titles, and that during playback, the commercial skip function always overshoots the end of the block of commercials, often by as much as 20 seconds, requiring you to skip back in the program. A better way to organize recorded titles should be a priority for Panasonic when coming up with the next model.
SD DRIVE - If you use a digital camera with an SD card, the unit is great for displaying pictures from the card. My only complaint is that you can only use the slideshow feature from the top menu. The unit also allows you to copy the pictures to other drives.
VCR - Part of my reason for getting this unit was to archive my collection of VHS movies on DVD. On the plus side, the movies I have been able to copy from VHS to DVD came out great. Unfortunately, the unit will not copy most commercially produced DVDs due to protection issues. While this is not totally Panasonic's fault, it was disappointing. While I have not tried it yet, I am hoping that I will be able to back up my VHS cassettes by hooking my standalone VCR up to the unit. The picture quality of commercial VHS cassettes on this unit is as good as I have seen from a VCR.
TVGUIDE INTERFACE - Although it took a few days after setting the unit up to retrieve a full week's worth of listings, the TVGuide worked great for me for scheduling recordings. The interface takes some getting used to, but with a bit of familiarity it is easy to navigate. I think it may be harder if you have been used to the Tivo interface in the past than if this is your first DVR. Yes, the Tivo guide is more prettier, cleaner and more modern looking, but there is not enough increase in functionality over the TV Guide interface to justify the monthly fee for Tivo.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL - The instruction manual can be a little overwhelming, particularly for people that are not tech oriented. While the manual could be better organized, part of the reason it is so overwhelming is the breadth of features of the unit and the detailed level of information contained within. My suggestion for people that are confused by the manual is not to try to read it cover to cover. Use the table of contents to find the section covering what you want to do and go directly to that section. Once you get comfortable with the basic features, go back to the manual and skim through it - it will be much easier to understand once you know the basic operation of the unit. And play around with the menus - record a program to the HDD that you really don't care about and use it to try the different functions of the unit.
out of 53 user reviews
Flexible recorder with non-intuitive interface
Pros: Great for recording TV programs to HDD, trimming out the stuff you don't want, then burning to DVD
Cons: Quirky user interface takes some getting used to
The unit is also great for transferring VHS to DVD. Again, if you transfer the material to HDD first, manipulating it to get rid of the stuff you don't want is a snap.
This is the only DVD recorder I have used, so I don't have a basis for comparing recording quality. Personally, I found the video quality of material recorded with SP mode to be noticeably better than LP mode if played back on a large screen. I ended up using SP mode (or even XP) for things I really want to keep. Blank DVDs are less than $.40 each in bulk, so the improvement in video quality seems worth it to me.
Based on my experiences, if you have a variety of players you want to use with the recordings made on this unit, I recommend recording to +R DVDs, particulary if you have some older players. I have had no problems recording to +R DVDs, and have found the resulting finalized discs will play on anything I have (which is not true of -R DVDs). DVD-RAMs are neat, but I only have one other player (another Panasonic) that can read them.
I guess if you are on a budget, you can use this unit as a substitute for Tivo. I have DirecTV with an integrated DVR, and personally I find the guide on the Panasonic to be quite inferior. It's harder to navigate, it has fewer days of future schedule information, and you can't pause live TV unless you are recording it. Plus, it just looks dated. On DirecTV, the receiver must be tuned to the TV Guide channel while the Panasonic is turned off for listings to be loaded into the Panasonic. This isn't really explained clearly in the manual, and it took me a while to figure out initially why the listings didn't appear.
I highly recommend reading through the manual. It's not the easiest read, but if you don't do this you will likely find yourself bewildered. It takes some patience and some experimentation before you figure out how to take advantage of the flexbility this unit offers. If the principal users of the unit are easily frustrated by devices with any complexity, I would not recommend you buy this.
Even after some familiarity, the user interface can be exasperating at times. For example, the guide button is right above the up arrow, and it is very easy to accidentally press the guide button when you navigating a menu or entering a title. This aborts what you are currently doing and jumps immediately to the listings, which is very annoying. However, other useful buttons (like the Functions button) often don't work unless you back out completely from the current activity.
Even though I don't really see this unit as an acceptable substitute for an integrated DVR, I still recommend it. As compared to a DVD recorder without an HDD, the editing capabilities make the extra cost of the unit worth it to me.
out of 53 user reviews
TV Guide Programming Does Not Function
Pros: Good other than for the TV Guide Programming feature
Cons: TV Guide ON Screen Does Not Funtion
Our first two of these units would not download and display the TV Guide programming feature. We returned them both. The third unit works fine...including the TV Guide feature. Panasonic told me that the TV Guide feature works on some of the units and not on others and on those it works on, it may work forever or it might fail after a few weeks. It has been working on #3 now for five weeks. Irrespective of the TV Guide feature, the unit is good. The manual, however, is the most poorly written, and most difficult to use and understand manual, I have ever seen.
out of 53 user reviews
Perfect for Directv!
Pros: Works with Directv, Records about 80 hours in LP mode, Edit out commercials, TV Guide is free!
Cons: Nothing! ...yet.
out of 53 user reviews
Disappointed Again
Pros: High quality picture
Cons: Quick copy glitch, Editing non-tv, manual
--------
1st: The manual is still way over most people's heads. I wanted this for my Dad but there is no way he could follow the manual. How about some easy tutorials for the main functions?
--------
2nd: This machine is geared for television, not video editing.
--------
3rd: The same glitch! For Panasonic's sake I'll say it this way: THE SAME GLITCH !!! I put in a VHS tape. I push the copy VHS to DVD button for 3 seconds. The machine starts. 2 hours later I stop it. I search awhile and finally find the Finalize command (no help from the manual). All done. I take the DVD to my laptop computer ready for a nice time.
--------
THE GLITCH: between each automatic 2 minute clip it REPEATS part of the PREVIOUS CLIP.
--------
For instance clip one would say "ABCDEFG", the machine pauses, back tracks and begins recording again "HIJKLMNOP". When you go back to watch it, it goes "ABCDEFG-FGHIJKLPNOP-OPQRS...."
--------
So, I try the one touch record from VHS to the Harddrive. I figure I can then edit the harddrive copy into pieces and then burn to DVD. WHAT! It automatically does the 2 minute cuts to the Harddrive. SAME GLITCH! repeat repeat repeat.
--------
4th: OK, so I put the VHS in play and manually put the Harddrive into record. What do I get, static. I scan the manual but finally exhaust from it, not being able to find how to do a simple recording.
--------
5th: I did not try to record TV shows because I do not have cable or watch television anymore. It may work fine, HOWEVER, BE WARNED, the RF connecter will not work on a regular television. The manual says that the sound and picture of this machine does not go through the RF OUT. ????????! page 16. dmreh75v.
--------
Note: The RF is normal on the model 35 and 45.
--------
6th: The manual, and its lack of clear easy no brain tutorials.
--------
I had a previous model 4 months ago that had the same repeat GLITCH. Panasonic admitted the flaw and said they were fixing it in the new machines.
--------
I cannot understand. Panasonic has the market by the leash if they just would do it.
--------
Suggestion: VHS, DVD, Harddrive machine with a normal RF out. Also able to record straight without scenes being forced. The ability to easily edit the clip on the harddrive into parts and lengths desired. Burn DVD. Also the ability to choose the length of the automatic clips. NO REPEATING GLITCH.
--------
OK, frustrations aside, what is good. Excellent remote. Nice looking machine. Excellent array of inputs and outputs. The SD card slot might be useful. The layout of the controls is very good. The VHS rewind is great. The picture quality excellent.
--------
My DVD had a few wiggle lines at the bottom of the screen. Might be the laptop since I did not try it in any other machine.
--------
So overall if you want a big television recorder, it might work. I cannot recommend the machine unfortunately. I really wanted to.
--------
Maybe I'll give the model 35 a try just in case. The 45 adds the SD card slot and the HDMI interface.
--------
When I was in grade school they gave us chocolate pudding. When you put your spoon in, the bottom was concave from the bottom up. What a disappointment when there was visually a great treat ahead, but in reality, not much pudding.
out of 53 user reviews
Excellant Product
Pros: Great All Around Device, DVD, DVR, VHS, Great TV Guide Listing and Functionality
Cons: Does not acept a memory stick(ONLY SD Card),No Mute on Remote, Remote Sensor in Bad Location, User manual and device features are hard to understand.
out of 53 user reviews
Almost Perfect
Pros: Picture quality and ease of use
Cons: VCR is a little noisy when loading a tape
It is easy to use and edit with also.
I had NO trouble with the TV guide, it loaded right up on Comcast cable. There os no fan noise. It is a very quiet unit except when loading a VHS tape I hear a little clunking sound. I assume it is from the way the tape is loaded so when you are in fast forward or rewind the thing can do a whole tape in about 90 seconds. Very fast.
I really enjoy using this machine and can't think of any changes I would make.
One thing I forgot to mention is that I have tried 3 different brands of DVD discs and had no trouble with any of them. All recorded perfectly at high speed.
The VCR section actualy makes my old tapes look better when recorded to disc than the original???
I dont know how they do it but there must be some internal signal boosting and noise reduction going on. I love it!
A great product at a very nice price point.
out of 53 user reviews
Finally, a do it all player that really does it all
Pros: LP recording is astounding, Sound Quality is well above average, ease of use, upscales better than expected
Cons: Remote doesn't have eject button, sometimes hard to tell if you've switched modes correctly
I disagree with the CNet review regarding the upscaling of this unit - perhaps it is because my HP MD6580 displays everything well, but I actually sold my Oppo DVD player after viewing the picture on this at 1080i. I was very hard pressed to tell the difference, and the sound on this was far superior than from the Oppo. I was really surprised, since most technogeeks love the Oppo (as most would characterize me), but especially with DTS output it wasn't even close. Even my wife could tell, and she is NOT someone who notices anything to do with my theater setup. The only really issue is with the "handshake" between the player and the TV using the HDMI. It works, but when I first set it up it was a little quirky and wouldn't recognize the signal. I had to turn the TV on first, THEN the player. The TV couldn't be already on, and the player couldn't either. But once that was done, it worked fine.
I have Tivo through Directv, and have owned a regular Tivo DVD recorder, and this really does a pretty nice job of replacing the features on it without giving up TOO much. Granted, it is not as easy, but thanks to Tivo's new pricing structure, I would take this over a standalone Tivo, especially since at LP you can record over 70 hours on the hard drive, and LP on the new Tivo's is TERRIBLE if you have it hooked into an HD set. LP is really that good on here, and you can fit 4 hours of a show like "24" on a DVD and not give up picture quality - a BIG plus. Also, transferring tapes to DVD's is a snap. I have been moving home movies onto the hard drive and DVD's directly and boy is it a breeze. Again, the manual is a tough read, but worth the trouble as it does cover every question you probably have.
While a little pricey, it really does replace a lot of components on your audio rack, especially with HD DVD and Blu-Ray (PS3) right around the corner, this will still keep a prominent place on my shelf. By doing everything so well in one unit, Panasonic has set the bar VERY high for their players, and consider me a big fan. Highly recommended.
