Rating: 
Summary: Does what its supposed to...
Review: This DVD recorder works fine. It does what it advertises...it records DVD-Rs just fine and plays DVDs just fine. Never had a problem with it once for any playback or recording. It is reasonably user friendly and easy to use. You can hook your VCR to it and record VHS tapes on to DVD. You can hook your camcorder to it and record those to DVD. Using SP recording format you get 2 hours of each DVD-R to record and the quality is good, even in LP 4 hour mode, the DVDs look good. It's a Panasonic so you know the quality of the machine itself is solid. I did not utilize the DVD-RAM feature, for right now there's no real need or market for this (YET). So why only 4 stars and not 5? Why did I end up returning it? The inability to rewrite and edit the DVDs. DVD-Rs can't, and although DVD-RAMs can, as stated above, this format/feature/technology right now is not there. There is minimal to no compatablity on DVD-RAMs and there expensive "discs" compared to other rewritable fomats such as DVD-RW and DVD+RW. So because of this non-feature, I gave 4 stars and went and bought instead a DVD+RW featured recorder. One day when DVD-RAM becomes "IT" which I believe it will, I'll come back and buy one of these DVD recorders.
Rating: 
Summary: Burn That Disc...
Review: With the price of DVD recorders dropping almost as fast as CPUs, nearly every house will have their own. This is the next wave of home video recording. The only thing impairing its advance is the relatively high price of the recording medium. Panasonic has managed to lower its prices while raising the playing field. Their E30S has a slimmer, sexier profile when compared to its predecessor. With a polished silver appearance, the E30S will be a welcome sight to any home video complex. The only size drawback is the fan assembly protruding from the back causing a problem for our shallow entertainment center ( the E30S measures 12 inches deep). The E30S has all the mandatory function buttons and connections (menu control, A/V and S-Video). The analog inputs include the same RF cable connections found on a VCR, two sets each of rear A/V and S-Video inputs and outputs, a digital optical output, and a component-video output. The limitation posed by the E30S is that there are no coaxial or FireWire port for digitally connecting a digital video camcorder or a computer. The supplied remote control is bland at best. With an appropriate arrangement of keys, don't try to use them in the dark. Unlike many remotes, the E30S has no backlit or glow in the dark keys. The functions are pretty straightforward and will cause little confusion after the initial reading of the manual. The aggravating slide door hiding the Open/Close and Input Select buttons is in a poor position. Many of the second generation DVD recorders never offered progressive scan output. Panasonic has overcome this limitation in the DMR-E30S. Additionally, Panasonic added other improvements while still dropping the price by... With the progressive scan feature, the E30S can be used for HDTVs. It performed so well at the store that I almost convinced the wife to buy a HDTV to go with it. The E30S reproduced DVDs with minimal movement artifacts, sharp detail, and fewer dancing pixels, thanks to a newly incorporated noise reduction circuit. As a result, the E30S has a video recording quality is much better than that of S-VHS or VHS. There is less noise and absolutely no jitter. And the color is fantastic, much more accurate color in every recording mode. In XP (one hour per disc) and SP (two hours) modes, this DVR measured the maximum 480 lines of resolution; in LP (four hours) and EP (six hours) modes, resolution fell by half, resulting in a much softer picture. Since we are using this recorder for movies and TV only, we have not reviewed the MP3 recording capabilities of this machine. With Flexible Recording one can efficiently utilize any DVD medium for recording. The older models would require a movie slightly longer than two hours to be recorded in a four hour mode. This greatly reduces the quality of the recording. The E30S Flexible Recoding feature only requires that you enter the time and the disc will be utilized for the best possible recording quality. I believe Panasonic designed the E30S to pinch out the VCR industry. Very much in the way that the Sony Beta Max got squashed. The E30S has VCR Plus for easy timer recording, clock, and most of the same features you would expect in upper model VCRs. The only thing missing is tuner except for cable/satellite tuner control. While not having an actual tuner, you can watch one program while recording a different program on DVD-RAM. I would have liked more editing capabilities. But that is why I have a fully decked out computer. The E30S offers some limited features in the form of play list based editing. But it can not record sound and video tracks separately. Additionally, the menu editing does not allow thumbnail or any other feature for your homemade DVDs. Might as well be reading a pizza menu. You can use DVD-RAMs and DVD-Rs in the E30S. DVD-RAMs (about $10 for 4.7GB) can be recorded and erased over and over. Additionally, the E30S play list editing and time shifting features work well with the DVD-RAMs. Using DVD-Rs will cost less money (...each in bulk) but functionality is more limited. The saving grace for the DVD-Rs is that they can be set up to play in any standard DVD players (DVD-RAMs can be played only in drives that support DVD-RAM). The E30S is one of the least expensive DVD recorders on the market. And with prices continuing to drop, the upper models will soon be within reach. I intend this unit to be set aside for the kids room while Mom and I await the newer models.
Rating:
Summary: It Doesn't Get Much Better Than THIS!
Review: You name it, this recorder most likely has it! I bought this recently and have been EXTREMELY pleased in the ease of use, and quality of the pictures and recordings. Recording to DVD-RAM & DVD-R Discs: The DMR-E30K/DMR-E30K can record to both high-capacity DVD-RAM discs and DVD-R discs, allowing you to view your recordings on most conventional DVD players. (DVD-R discs may not be able to play on some DVD players, depending on the player, disc and the condition of the recording.) Simultaneous Recording and Playback: Record a program onto a disc, while simultaneously watching any other program that's previously been recorded on the same disc. Time Slip Playback: Now you no longer have to wait for an entire program to be recorded before watching it from beginning to end. With the time slip playback feature, you can skip back to watch a program currently being recorded from any point that's already been recorded - while continuing to record the live program in progress. Direct Navigator: Makes it easy to find a previously recorded program on a disc. A list of recording dates, times, channels and (user-entered) titles are shown on screen. When you move the cursor to any particular recording, the segment is played in the background, so playback can begin immediately upon selection. Program deletion, protection, and title input are also easy to perform. This feature can handle up to 99 titles at once. .Playlist Playback: Perform simple non-linear video editing - such as rearranging the order of scenes, skipping over unwanted scenes, or copying selections - to create custom playlists of favorite scenes on a disc. .Rapid Random Access: Jump directly to any spot on a disc and begin playback or recording right away. Even if there is no sequential area of empty space available, our DVD recorders can record data on available space throughout the rest of the disc. You will also avoid searching for a blank spot to start recording, or accidentally recording over desired material. .Incredible Storage Capacity: Record up to 12 hours of video on our 2-sided, 9.4GB DVD-RAM discs. These discs can be played back on a DVD-RAM-compatible DVD player-such as Panasonic's DVD-CP72K / DVD-CP72S, DVD-LA95, DVD-RP82, DVD-RP91K / DVD-RP91N, and DVD-XP50. .Convenient Storage Options: The ideal medium for long-term storage of your valuable video images, a DVD-RAM disc preserves quality over time, permits overwriting as desired, and takes up only about a third of the space of a VHS cassette. .Easy Video Editing: Random access makes it easy to perform non-linear editing using just a single DVD Video Recorder, with no need for additional editing equipment. .DVD-RAM Compatibility: The DVD-RAM disc format is supported by major hardware and media manufacturers and functions as the "bridge format" for compatibility with audio/video and personal computing applications. Any DVD-RAM discs you already have that are formatted for PC or other media use can be reformatted for use with a DVD recorder. .Selectable Recording Modes: You can set your recorder to one of five different recording speeds, each varying in recording quality and length. EP mode yields the most recording time, LP & SP modes provide less recording time with higher quality recording, and XP mode gives you the highest quality recording. There's also the FR (Flexible Recording) mode that lets you record with the best picture quality possible for the recording time and remaining space on the disc. .Advanced MPEG2 Encoding Using Hybrid VBR Technology: We combined two encoding technologies, Real time VBR (Variable Bit Rate) and Visibility Modulation Technology, to provide MPEG2 recording with superb picture quality. Here's how it works: Real Time VBR adjusts the bit rate according to video signal complexity, in order to optimize the compression ratio. At the same time, Visibility Modulation Technology reduces compression for the most noticeable parts of each signal while it filters out unimportant data to raise compression in other areas. This combination helps assure incredible picture quality for your preferred DVD-RAM recording mode.
.Improved Video Quality in Analog-to-Digital Transfer: Input TBC, 3D Y/C separation circuitry, and 3D digital noise reduction are particularly effective when recording from analog video sources such as conventional VHS or S-VHS VCRs. Input TBC is a built-in time base corrector that delivers highly stable, natural images. The 3D Y/C Separation Circuitry minimizes the dot crawl and color smearing caused by interference between the video signal's Y and C color subcomponents. And, 3D Digital Noise Reduction effectively removes noise components from the signal during playback. If you are looking for a DVD Recorder, you must go with this one. It doesn't get much better than this, especially for the price.
Rating:
Summary: It Doesn't Get Much Better Than THIS!
Review: You name it, this recorder most likely has it! I bought this recently and have been EXTREMELY pleased in the ease of use, and quality of the pictures and recordings. Recording to DVD-RAM & DVD-R Discs: The DMR-E30K/DMR-E30K can record to both high-capacity DVD-RAM discs and DVD-R discs, allowing you to view your recordings on most conventional DVD players. (DVD-R discs may not be able to play on some DVD players, depending on the player, disc and the condition of the recording.) Simultaneous Recording and Playback: Record a program onto a disc, while simultaneously watching any other program that's previously been recorded on the same disc. Time Slip Playback: Now you no longer have to wait for an entire program to be recorded before watching it from beginning to end. With the time slip playback feature, you can skip back to watch a program currently being recorded from any point that's already been recorded - while continuing to record the live program in progress. Direct Navigator: Makes it easy to find a previously recorded program on a disc. A list of recording dates, times, channels and (user-entered) titles are shown on screen. When you move the cursor to any particular recording, the segment is played in the background, so playback can begin immediately upon selection. Program deletion, protection, and title input are also easy to perform. This feature can handle up to 99 titles at once. .Playlist Playback: Perform simple non-linear video editing - such as rearranging the order of scenes, skipping over unwanted scenes, or copying selections - to create custom playlists of favorite scenes on a disc. .Rapid Random Access: Jump directly to any spot on a disc and begin playback or recording right away. Even if there is no sequential area of empty space available, our DVD recorders can record data on available space throughout the rest of the disc. You will also avoid searching for a blank spot to start recording, or accidentally recording over desired material. .Incredible Storage Capacity: Record up to 12 hours of video on our 2-sided, 9.4GB DVD-RAM discs. These discs can be played back on a DVD-RAM-compatible DVD player-such as Panasonic's DVD-CP72K / DVD-CP72S, DVD-LA95, DVD-RP82, DVD-RP91K / DVD-RP91N, and DVD-XP50. .Convenient Storage Options: The ideal medium for long-term storage of your valuable video images, a DVD-RAM disc preserves quality over time, permits overwriting as desired, and takes up only about a third of the space of a VHS cassette. .Easy Video Editing: Random access makes it easy to perform non-linear editing using just a single DVD Video Recorder, with no need for additional editing equipment. .DVD-RAM Compatibility: The DVD-RAM disc format is supported by major hardware and media manufacturers and functions as the "bridge format" for compatibility with audio/video and personal computing applications. Any DVD-RAM discs you already have that are formatted for PC or other media use can be reformatted for use with a DVD recorder. .Selectable Recording Modes: You can set your recorder to one of five different recording speeds, each varying in recording quality and length. EP mode yields the most recording time, LP & SP modes provide less recording time with higher quality recording, and XP mode gives you the highest quality recording. There's also the FR (Flexible Recording) mode that lets you record with the best picture quality possible for the recording time and remaining space on the disc. .Advanced MPEG2 Encoding Using Hybrid VBR Technology: We combined two encoding technologies, Real time VBR (Variable Bit Rate) and Visibility Modulation Technology, to provide MPEG2 recording with superb picture quality. Here's how it works: Real Time VBR adjusts the bit rate according to video signal complexity, in order to optimize the compression ratio. At the same time, Visibility Modulation Technology reduces compression for the most noticeable parts of each signal while it filters out unimportant data to raise compression in other areas. This combination helps assure incredible picture quality for your preferred DVD-RAM recording mode.
.Improved Video Quality in Analog-to-Digital Transfer: Input TBC, 3D Y/C separation circuitry, and 3D digital noise reduction are particularly effective when recording from analog video sources such as conventional VHS or S-VHS VCRs. Input TBC is a built-in time base corrector that delivers highly stable, natural images. The 3D Y/C Separation Circuitry minimizes the dot crawl and color smearing caused by interference between the video signal's Y and C color subcomponents. And, 3D Digital Noise Reduction effectively removes noise components from the signal during playback. If you are looking for a DVD Recorder, you must go with this one. It doesn't get much better than this, especially for the price.
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