I'm No Techie

I was a little leary before I purchased because another review described recording as difficult, but it had the best reviews in the price range so I purchased anyway. The connection was really easy but I had to read the manual to be able to operate the player. One quick review though and I started converting my home videos to DVD. I rate it 4 stars for 2 reasons - the player is really loud and because it takes awhile to warm up. The manual does provide instructions for the latter but then the player requires extra power even when turned off. I still recommend for the price.

Panasonic DMR-EZ37VS DVD Recorder/VHS

I recently purchased this product from Amazon.com and received it promptly via their free shipping option. It was very easy to set up and after spending about 1 hour reading the instructions, I was ready to try recording with it.

I instered a blank DVD + RW, and was prompted to format the disk which only took about 3 minutes. I then set several programs from my cable network to record. Upon returning home, I checked and all programs were recorded and when played back, were of very good quality. I used the 6 hour EP mode, as the directions indicated that using the 8 hour EP mode may result in poor sound quality.

The recordings were erased after viewing and new programming was set to record. It did just what it was programmed for, and these recordings were also very good.

I have tried the VCR recording mode also and have been quite happy with those recordings also.

Since I am not hooked for digital cable or over the air programming, I have only used the analog tuner for recording.  more

Best I ever had.

I decided to purchase this item because of the reviews it received. I have not been disappointed. I have been working my way through all the functions that pertain to what I wanted it for. I was tired of the cheaper ones I have been using the last seven or eight years that have to be replaced just after the warranty expires. This model does everything that it's suppost too. The manuel is large and easy to read. I am not a electronic whiz but by following the instructions letter for letter, I was able to do taping,(VHS) DVD and the tranfer both directions with no trouble. Some of the other stuff it can do is not my bag so can't comment on those. I will say that I don't think I could have made a better choice for my purpose at any price and it's very well made and looks great.With the VHS & DVD in the same unit, I can save my DVD recorder,or record at the same time.

Best I ever had.

I decided to purchase this item because of the reviews it received. I have not been disappointed. I have been working my way through all the functions that pertain to what I wanted it for. I was tired of the cheaper ones I have been using the last seven or eight years that have to be replaced just after the warranty expires. This model does everything that it's suppost too. The manuel is large and easy to read. I am not a electronic whiz but by following the instructions letter for letter, I was able to do taping,(VHS) DVD and the tranfer both directions with no trouble. Some of the other stuff it can do is not my bag so can't comment on those. I will say that I don't think I could have made a better choice for my purpose at any price and it's very well made and looks great.With the VHS & DVD in the same unit, I can save my DVD recorder,or record at the same time.

does the job beautifully

This machine is designed to do exactly what I needed it to do - transfer my collection of VHS tapes to DVD. I have one of their prior models, from about four years ago, which is also terrific. They've made alot of improvements to this new model. For one thing, you can search at 200X speed, as opposed to the old 100X. And all the commands are very sensible and intuitive.

There are only two things that prevent me from giving it the full five stars: one is, it's fairly noisy. And the other is (and this may sound silly), on the old machine, the Power button was on top and the Eject button was below it - they've reversed them on this new model. So, sheer force of habit, I keep turning the machine off when I simply want to eject a tape. Of course, if you're not used to another version, it shouldn't make any difference to you.

All in all, a very well designed and executed product. If you need to transfer tapes to DVD, this is the one for you.

does the job beautifully

This machine is designed to do exactly what I needed it to do - transfer my collection of VHS tapes to DVD. I have one of their prior models, from about four years ago, which is also terrific. They've made alot of improvements to this new model. For one thing, you can search at 200X speed, as opposed to the old 100X. And all the commands are very sensible and intuitive.

There are only two things that prevent me from giving it the full five stars: one is, it's fairly noisy. And the other is (and this may sound silly), on the old machine, the Power button was on top and the Eject button was below it - they've reversed them on this new model. So, sheer force of habit, I keep turning the machine off when I simply want to eject a tape. Of course, if you're not used to another version, it shouldn't make any difference to you.

All in all, a very well designed and executed product. If you need to transfer tapes to DVD, this is the one for you.

The best of Three

This is my third DVD recorder, but my first Panasonic brand. As of this review the Panasonic performance far exceeds the previous two brands I owned. The momenclature is quite different from the previous two brands, which will prompt calls to Panasonic Tech Services for help. The manual requires alot of study, but the results are well worth the effort. The manuals page, and font size are larger than most manuals which is greatly appreciated
when you get over 80. The tech writers should have taken more time with the progression of the product features, example: the remote control which to me is as important as the recorder itself is shown on page 60 of a 86 page manual. I copied the page and rubber cemented to the inside cover of the manual. Panasonics parts, and labor is 1 year most manufactures labor is only 90 days. So far I'm very pleased with the EZ37V
RFS in Tucson

The best of Three

This is my third DVD recorder, but my first Panasonic brand. As of this review the Panasonic performance far exceeds the previous two brands I owned. The momenclature is quite different from the previous two brands, which will prompt calls to Panasonic Tech Services for help. The manual requires alot of study, but the results are well worth the effort. The manuals page, and font size are larger than most manuals which is greatly appreciated
when you get over 80. The tech writers should have taken more time with the progression of the product features, example: the remote control which to me is as important as the recorder itself is shown on page 60 of a 86 page manual. I copied the page and rubber cemented to the inside cover of the manual. Panasonics parts, and labor is 1 year most manufactures labor is only 90 days. So far I'm very pleased with the EZ37V
RFS in Tucson

don't buy it, broke after 6 weeks, 2 months to repair.

Worked great while it worked, some really great features. But I have only had it about 6 weeks and stopped working gives error code U61 and shuts off. Just took it to a repair shop under warranty needs a new DVD assembly and the part is not avialable, has to be back ordered. Will take 2 mos to repair. Panasonic will not give me a new unit in exchange. Very disappointed in Panasonic, horrible customer service.

Works great for me....

After having this item for several weeks now I decided to write a review and share what I felt...

This product does exactly what it was made to do... HDMI, HDMI...Of course there is no HDMI it does NOT have it. First rule of online buying...DO NOT TRUST SELLERS SPEC'S. I always go the manufacturer and check the specs to verify that the item does what is advertised. In this case there is NO HDMI. I knew that going in so it wasn't a factor of this review.

The unit works great. The fit and finish was perfect. The unit is complex and the manual is written for someone who has a total understanding of how DVD's are produced and used. So if you understand that then the manual is not a problem.

The only reason I gave 4 stars is a feature (to some) called "divide". When making a "copy" of a home movie from VHS to DVD every so often it makes a "divide" based on a signal on the VHS tape. I understand it is trying to make logical chapter breaks, but I wish it was an option that I could  more