Rating: 
Summary: Best product on the market for the money
Review: I've had this machine for only a few days now and it rocks. Set up was easy (it helped to be able to read the manual on line prior to receiving the unit)and I was recording within the first hour. No doubt the instructions are a bit complicated but if you know how to use a VCR and have just a bit of tech know-how, it's really a breeze.
The only drawback I can see is that you really can't use a DVD-RAM anywhere but in this machine. Plus the DVD-RAMs are expensive and you can't really share the recordings with friends. On the other hand, it's the DVD-RAM that opens up the possibility of watching the program you're currently recording, time-slip, and editing. It's perfect for recording (and then erasing) things you want to watch once or twice and then get rid of.
However, the DVD-R recording is just as easy (without the possibility of using the extended cool features like time-slip and chasing playback) and if you want you can easily do some further editing on your PC if you'd like. When using DVD-R, just be sure to "Finalize" the disc so it can be shared with other DVD players.
Another slight negative of the machine is that it won't playback DVD+Rs, so if you have those in your collection, you'll want to hook up antother DVD player to the system (which is very easy to do). I have my VCR and old DVD player hooked up through this unit and everything works flawlessly.
I've already and easily started copying some of my old videotapes to DVD-R. I haven't yet hooked my Hi-8 video camera but I'm sure it will be just as easy.
This machine, for the money, is the best on the market. It not only matched my expectations, it far exceeded them.
I love this thing!
Rating:
Summary: Looking to replace that old VCR
Review: If you are looking for a DVD Recorder to replace that old VCR and want up to 8 hours of continious recording time then this is the unit to get until Blue Lasers hit the market in a couple of years. With the 9.4 GHz RAM disks (rewriteable) you can record up to 16 hours (double sided) or 8 hours per side. Once I got past the AUTO SETUP problem I was able to set up the unit with very little trouble. After setting the basic setup functions (timer and channels) I was able to figure out the recording features within a couple of minutes. Once you view the recorded program you can erase it in a matter of seconds. The timer program featrure also allows you to program upto 16 programs, not like the usually 8 with a VCR. The only drawback to this unit and others on the market today is not being able to add more than one of these to my system and control multiple units with just one remote as I was able to do with three Sony VCRs.
Rating: 
Summary: Good inexpensive recorder with warts
Review: It's a nice little recorder, but: the disc menu it creates is broken - the background only goes a very little way down the screen, about halfway through the first row of menu items. The rest is black. At first, I thought it wasn't leaving enough room on a full disc, but I tried one only 3/4 full, and it did the same thing. The menus still work though, and most will only have one or two items on them. And as others have noted, the user interface needs a lot of work, though partly it's the interaction with the remote --- moving around the text entry menu, I have to push the remote buttons a couple of times often to get them to take. If it weren't for that, it wouldn't be so bad.
Rating: 
Summary: WHAT THE HELL?
Review: LEMON! MY FIRST NIGHT FIRST RECORDING AND SELF CHECK SHOWS UP AND WILL NOW COME OFF OF THE MACHINE! IT HAS BEEN LOCKED UP FOR 2 HOURS NOW . THE DVD IS STUCK IT WON'T OPEN! I TRUSTED THE REVIEWS AND AMAZON AND GOT THIS MESS! I CAN'T WAIT TO CALL IN THE MORNING! I GIVE IT NO STAR!
Rating:
Summary: got your attention
Review: Purchased thru Amazon a refurbished Panasonic recorder.Looked
like new with everything neetly packed. After studying the
manual carefully and hooking everything up according to manual,
turned it on and the most I could get out of the recorder is a
blinking timelight.The Company that sold the recorder has no phone# and no e-mail address. Only a note that states that return has a 15% restocking charge. Contacting Panasonic vith
name and number and their respond was: Tech- dept will ansver
your e-mail sometime. Dont buy from Amazons subdealer.
Rating:
Summary: stock up on 4x DVD-R discs while they are still around.
Review: There are many reasons why this machine is a good purchase. The price is good, Panasonic brand name reliability (and customer service) is not bad-definitely better than cheaper Chinese/Korean made machines with poorer service. The recording functions are simple. If you can program a VCR this would be no problem. The playback quality is solid (both video and audio). I had no problems with recording until I started using 8x DVD-R discs. THe manual notes that it can record using 1-4x DVD-R discs. I started with 4x discs. Everything worked fine. Now with the new dual layer and 16x dvd-recorders for the PC in the market, it is getting harder to find slower discs like 4x. First I thought why would the speed of the disc matter. To my surprise, they do (at least for this machine). It would stop recording in about a few seconds followed by "self-check". I've bought 3 brands of (fuji, maxell and verbatim) 8x discs. None worked. I went back to Maxell 4x discs and it works fine. I've seen this problem noted on some AV forums online. So I guess I gotta stock up on the 4x discs before they get discontinued. Too bad, this recorder (or at least the one I happened to have bought) does not seem like it'll last more than 2 years for me. Feel free to let me know if you had any luck recording on the 8x-16x.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Buy
Review: This was a very good thing to get. i just wish that there were 2 of me .it takes along time to get all of my old tapes on DVD. good price but the only thing is that it is too picky about what kinds of blank disc it will record to.you have to be carefull what kinds of blank disc to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Works great, and great price
Review: Unlike some lesser brandnames, this Panasonic DVD recorder actually works. I've heard that with some other brands, you can get failed burning sessions, which would waste your blank DVD media. Also, since this Panasonic uses the DVD-R ("dash" or "minus" format) instead of DVD+R ("plus" format), the discs you burn are compatible with *more* DVD players. For my money, I'd stick with DVD-R all the way. Also, be sure to get high-quality blank discs for better recording quality and longer shelf lives.(Ignore the DVD-RAM format. No DVD player I know of except some Panasonic models can read DVD-RAM.) I'm really happy with the great build quality and great price I got with this model. I didn't need one of those Panasonic models with a built-in hard drive, so I saved money. But if you want TiVo-like capabilities, check out those HD-equipped models. The best virtue of this Panasonic is it does a great job at what it's supposed to do. I'm sure better models are already in the channel, so I'd say if you can wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer. Otherwise, the Panasonic is your best bet for value, quality, and durability.
Rating:
Summary: Great basic machine!
Review: We already have the panasonic E80h w/hard drive.Love it so much we had to get a second recorder just to keep the peace!While I highly recomend getting a DVD recorder w/ hard drive,the E55K will do just fine as a secondary recorder.If you use DVD-RAM discs,it is possible to duplicate many of the same functions of a hard drive.The DVD-R discs are an economical alternative if write once will work for you.This recorder is also priced comparably with "no name" units!Can't go wrong here!
Rating:
Summary: The problem was mine, not the DVD
Review: We bought this unit in December 04 and found that the pictures were badly distorted and snowy in comparison with direct TV reception. We tried every available combination of cables from audio-video to S-video to component and could not improve the condition.
We assumed we had a defective tuner in the DVD. Sent it to the Panasonic shop and were told it was OK. Only then did we find that locating the DVD next to a VCR was the source of the problem.
After we separated them, this unit worked perfectly and does everything it claims to do. Thought our experience might help someone else.
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