Panasonic DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW/RAM Recorder/VCR Combo

Panasonic - DMR-EA38VK

4.0 stars from 1 review(s)

$209.95 - $257.55 from 14 sellers Price RSS

Tags: 1080p black dvd hdmi mp3 usb (combined)

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Nice unit, but not much improved over older model

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Panasonic DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW/RAM Recorder/VCR Combo

I purchased this product because my older model Panasonic just bit the dust. I was reluctant to purchase another Panasonic because the other model lasted just over a year. But Consumer Reports rated some other Panasonic models very highly so I thought maybe it was just a fluke that my older model died so soon.
Aother reason that I bought another Panasonic was because I didn't want to have to learn an entire new system for recording. I record a LOT of movies on DVD so I wanted to replace my broken model post haste.
That being said, I have a few comments about the "new and improved" model.
My older model Panasonic was the DMR-ES45V, this new model is almost identical with the exception of the HDMI interface. Here are some functions the older model had, that was NOT carried over to the new model:
Title Name Save - On the older model you could enter a title name and save it to memory on the unit. This feature was very handy if you burned several episodes of a program of the same name OR

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if you wanted the title name and the DVD name to be the same. It saved having to re-type the same title over again.
Title Name PReview - You used to be able to preview the title name as you typed so you could see how it would look in the title window on the finalized disc. This was a cool feature because if you just type the title in, it can (and usually does) cut words off half way through and continue on the next line. Not having this feature makes the title harder to read, and it looks cheesy.
Some new features include:
Cable box control - This feature will allow the DVD/VHS recorder to control the cable box by changing it to the appropriate channel for a scheduled recording.
Chapter preview - On the older model the chapters were not organized until AFTER the disc was recorded and finalized. Now you can preview the chapters beforehand.
Quick start - This feature allows you the option of turning the unit on faster by remaining in kind of a "stand by" mode, OR saving power with slower start up
Faster disc finalization.
No need to pre-format a disc before recording.
I know there are some other new features, but I have not had a chance to explore all of them.

FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS: Overall this unit is not very difficult to use. I know I was recording soon after scanning the instructions, and learned the advanced features after using the unit for a few days. It is VERY easy to use for straight forward recording to DVD from VHS, Camcorder, cable box, etc. Setup is VERY easy.
The remote is supposed to control your TV and cable box, but this is a worthless feature. To controll the TV you have to press the RETURN key while holding down the TV Power key. To switch to the controlling the cable box you need to press the RETURN key while holding down the channel UP key. Sounds simple, but switching between the two either turns the TV/cable box on/off or changes the the channel on the TV/cable box unexpectedly. And after all this the only TV/cable box functions offered on the remote are channel change and volume control! So plan on using seperate remotes.
Other than that I like the unit, just hope that this one last longer than the last one did!
Ken

1 review(s) | 0 comment(s) |

14 price(s) | 198 days ago at

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Panasonic DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW/RAM Recorder/VCR Combo

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