Rating: 
Summary: Fading in and out with prerecorded media...
Review: I don't own a DVD recorder, but planning on buying one very soon.
One reason the picture fading might be happening -- Is your recorder hooked up through your VCR? This activates Macrovision copy protection that is built in on virtually all commercial DVDs to prevent illegal copying to VHS tape. You must ALWAYS hook up DVD players either directy to the TV, or through a switchbox or A/V reciever. Make sure you use S-video, or Component cables for best picture. I can't tell you how many times I see people using regular video cables to hook up their DVD players. They never have a clue how much better the other options look, nor do they often realize their TVs had those inputs all along.
Rating: 
Summary: A Superior Technology
Review: I had a cabinet full of videotapes. For a long time, I wanted to switch to DVD's. The DVD is more compact. The DVD has a level of random access. There is no rewind. But, the process of converting a tape to a DVD is very slow. I have put almost 300 hours on DVD, mostly at the 4 hour speed, and it is worth the effort.
The good news is that the technology seems to be very easy and reliable. I've gone through 80 DVD-R's, various brands, and not had a single problem. I can play the disks on my computers, but the 4 hour speed is not great in terms of quality on a computer. It's pretty good with a standard television, but only for slow moving action. Sports, like football, works best at 2X, or the 2 hour speed. I use the 4 hour with VHS tapes made at the LP, or 4 hour speed.
I've found it easy to put the DVD in my computer drive, a DVD burner, and access the files. I've also copied all the files from a DVD-R, made in the Panasonic, copied them to DVD+R, and played them on a Sony DVD player. So it is possible to get digital files with the Panasonic, for copies or whatever.
It's a nice technology and this machine has not proved a problem in any way. Obviously, with Dish and the VCR and the need to keep track of inputs and outputs, there is a bit of learning or experimentation to do. The Dish programs on the PVR I rent from dish works great when the recordings are sent to the DVD recorder.
Rating:
Summary: Idiot proof DVD
Review: I have a hard time with light switches; yet, I had no problem with this machine. The automatic set-up worked flawlessly, and the manual provided allowed me to quickly record my old VHRs onto DVD-R media. I record sports events on DVD-RAM which allows me to take advantage of all the features this modestly priced unit affords. If I can make this thing work, anyone can.
Rating: 
Summary: Watch out for this unit!
Review: I have had problems with this unit. I also wanted a way to backup some TIVO programs. I needed a solution that was simple for my wife to be able to use. I thought it was nice that it supported DVD-RAM media. I was mistaken. This unit works well for playback, although most additional features are a waste for my setup with DirectTV. As noted by someone else, the door mech. is slow and clunky, making me question whether it will fail soon (it has stuck once already). I purchased a pack (of 50 DVD-R, TDK, faster speed, etc.) and off I go to to record. The first DVD died during recording, so I tried another, then a third. All died within 40 seconds of pressing 'record'. The unit then starts to reboot and perform self-tests over and over going into "la-la" land. Before returning unit to store, decided to try a DVD-RAM from panasonic. No problems noted, but since DVD-RAM can't be read on typical DVD players I went back to the store and purchased a 10pk of panasonic DVD-Rs. Tested this last night. Recorded fine. Great, I thought. Now, here comes the best part. I took the finialized DVD-R and placed it in my newly purchased 27" Panasonic TV-VCR-DVD Combo located in another room. The message "Disk format not supported" is displayed. So, unless I have an identical unit in another room, I'm out of luck. Thanks panasonic, I WILL NEVER FALL FOR THIS AGAIN!
*** I wonder if I can return it without the box ***
Rating:
Summary: Best of the under $300.00 class
Review: I just ordered one of these last week to transfer/archive my ever growing pile of 8mm & Hi8 to DVD. The picture quality of the copies are great, even on 4hr mode. A couple of hints which the manual does not cover very well. When recording to DVD-R, which has few editing options compared to DVD-RAM, use "stop" to break the recording into separate "titles"- otherwise you will get one long title broken into 5 minute segments which don't appear on the title navigator (menu) as separate thumbnails. The other hint, especially on dubbing, is to make a (-R) copy first. After finalizing, use this as your master. Play it from another DVD player to your recorder and edit in real time by "pausing" out unneeded material or "stop" for title breaks. On (-RAM) just let it run and go back later to edit it. Use the edited (-RAM) as your archive, to view off the Panasonic machine, or run another (-R) copy for use on a standard player. If you are looking to make multiple copies, or do extensive editing of the master, you might want to spend the extra $300.00 for an internal hardrive machine. This unit will handle all your typical VCR needs and basic dubbing at a reasonable price.
Rating:
Summary: Good -bye VCR's !!!
Review: I received the Panasonic DMR-E-55 DVD-recorder for Chirstmas. What a great price for this machine!! I have been able to copy some VHS tapes but not others. You just have to try some out and see which ones are copy-protected. Alas, all DVD's that are copyable to VHS will be blocked by this machine. I have finalized 4 Fuji-DVD-R's with no problem at all. I have not used any dvd-ram discs as of yet. The lack of a firewire port on this DVD-recorder was not an issue with me, since a do not have a digital camcorder. It keeps the price down anyway. This machine makes a fine DVD-player as well. Someone had mentioned in previous review that fine lines will appear in dvd-v playback, just turn off the mpeg-dnr setting located in the video menu. The tv-picture recorded by the built in tv-tuner is impressive even at the 4-hour setting. This machine is only limited by the signal quality one receives by cable or other means. Get one of these beauties before they are all gone!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: So Far so good!
Review: I recently bought this recorder due to the favorable reviews on this site. I have been very happy so far. I have put all of my 8 mm tapes on DVD and am just starting to transfer my VHS home movies. I first bought TDK DVD-R disks. They did not work! I then bought Maxell DVD-R disks and I have had no problems since.
The only problems I see so far is that I'm losing sleep getting all of these DVDs made for myself and soon my relatives will be asking me to do theirs also. : )
I have not used my recorder for TV programs yet. I'm sure it will work OK but it is not nearly as user friendly as my TiVo. I guess I will just use it as a backup TV recorder in case my TiVo is already recording a program.
Rating:
Summary: Very reliable, easy to use, great image quality
Review: I was looking for a DVD recorder that wouldn't break the bank but that would perform reliably and be easy to use. I got what I wanted with this Panasonic. I've been using Fujifilm DVD-R discs, and I've burned about 30 of them in two weeks, and haven't had one go bad yet. It has one-touch recording, and it's responsive. It plays discs quickly, and recording 4 hours per disc results in very good quality. It can fit up to 8 hours on a standard DVD, which is two hours more than most recorders. The manual is a beast, with about 500 cross-references, but the recorder itself is well designed so if you take the time to read the manual, life is good. If you are not a manual-reader, then this isn't the DVD recorder for you. I would recommend this to anyone who was interested in a relatively inexpensive DVD recorder from a "name" manufacturer. Prior to purchasing this DVD recorder, I purchased a "Lite-On" DVD recorder, but it was dead on arrival. It may have been bad luck, but I wasn't willing to risk a second purchase of a no-name product. This DVD recorder has been great for recording shows from my TIVO box, and with its help I'm creating a great home library of all my favorite shows and movies.
Rating:
Summary: Most impressive
Review: I've always liked Panasonic gear, and this is no exception. Works just like my last VCR, also a Panasonic.
PROS: GREAT PRICE! Record from TV, camcorder, or other line-in source, such as a Tivo DVR. You can record up to 16 hrs. over and over again on one $17 DVD-RAM disk...writes up to 100,000 times. Also easy to record to $0.83 DVD-R media (one time only). Once "finalized," the DVD-R becomes a DVD-video disc like any you rent at the store, so it should play on other players with no problems. I just made a copy of a show saved on Tivo and it worked great.
Easy to setup. Good instructions. Plays 150-song MP3 disks with no problem...select song from list on TV screen. My next experiment: Will it read MP3's recorded to DVD-R on my PC? That would give like 700 songs on one disk. If not, can I burn my MP3's to DVD-audio?
Cons: Mechanism for opeing/closing disc drawer/door is clunky, slower than the Sony DVD player it replaced. Takes a lot of time to read the disc when you first put it in. (This is likely because it reads so many different formats: DVD-V, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD, so can't complain.) Wish it would record video to CD as well, just because CD-video media is so much cheaper. From DVD-Audio discs, it only reads 2 channel sound, not Dolby Digital or 5.1 Surround.
Overall: A great all-around first DVD recorder for those who like to record from TV and want to replace their VCR, or for those Tivo users who want to send recorded programmes to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Great Recorder!
Review: I've had this recorder for about a month now and it is great! I bought it mainly to record tv shows to replace my VCR and it's doing a great job. It's a snap to set the recorder to record. I like the fact that it tells you how much time you have left on the disk. The price was really great too! I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a reasonably priced recorder. Only wish it would take DVD-RW instead of DVD-RAM.
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