Panasonic DMR-E85 Review

Overall Rating

Very simple to switch between the two modes of use: DVD and Hard Drive. Large Hard Drive for outstanding video recording quality from the tele, and HD TV. Video recording quality on HDD transfers nicely to the DVD without loss of quality. A myriad of input and output ports on the machine, including co-axial and digital. Four recording modes just like a VCR. Easy menu's to move between that are very descript. Definitely a unit for the person who wants to be in control of their recordings and editing.

If you are not really familiar with electronics such as VCR's or Computers, you may have a tough time at first trying to figure out how to use the record function while recording VHS tapes to the Hard Drive. Since this is somewhat of an advanced DVD recorder, it may not be good for the novice DVD enthusiast. You may want to spend $100 or so on a cheaper unit, or become familiar with DVD recording on your computer with a DVD recorder for that before buying this unit. It's that good. Also, if you're looking for a unit that records in a bunch of different formats like DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, etc This unit is NOT for you. It only records in two formats: DVD-R, which is read by almost every home DVD Player, and DVD-RAM, which is a fairly new re-writeable DVD disk medium that allows you to write to, and re-record on, the same disk up to 100,000 times!!!! That's like recording, watching and erasing 1 TV show every day for the next 30 years!!!! So, I believe Panasonic is ahead of the game when it comes to this type of medium.

I decided to buy a DVD Recorder a couple of months ago because I wanted to be able to convert my VHS Tapes, and the tapes I have from the Hi8 HandyCam, into a digital format which I could then record to DVD. Since the VHS tapes are larger, and more cumbersome, and since they don't last as long as CD's or DVD's, I definitely wanted to get the media moved from one format to another before there was any sort of permanent degradation to my tapes. And, so I would have more room on the walls of my house. So, I began scouring the Internet for information about DVD drives and recorders. I visited nearly 100 websites all over the world, including the 'biggies', like PriceScan, BestBuy, Overstock, Pricegrabber, BizRate, ePinions, etc What I realized in visiting these sites and reading all of the product spec's and reviews was this; If you decide to get a DVD Recorder, it is IMPERATIVE that you get one that has a functioning Hard Disk Drive. I say this for a number of reasons.

One: A functioning hard drive acts as a buffer between the DVD drive, and the program you are recording. In my experience with computer DVD and CD Recorders, it has always been necessary to go from Media Source to Hard Drive to Recording Medium because there is a vast improvement in video and audio quality. I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to preserve the quality of the tapes I had recorded so that viewing them later on in DVD format would not be any different than the original versions of the tapes.

Two: On this unit, you have a choice between recording mediums; DVD or Hard Disk. You can chose to record your shows or tapes to the Hard Drive first, then edit the shows to remove Commercials or unwanted scenes, assign chapters and titles to the compilation, and then write the entire project to DVD. This, in itself, is worth the money you pay for this unit. The first thing I did when I bought it was to record one of my VHS tapes onto the Hard Drive, edit out anything I didn't want, add titles and chapters for easy scrolling, and then publish the entire tape onto a DVD. Bingo. I'm a video editor. And, it looks great.

Three: Because this unit has the built-in Hard Drive, you can record your television shows very much like you would with a VCR, AND you can do so digitally like a TiVO box. Instead of having to buy a TiVO box and pay for the service, you have the function built right into this unit. So, in essence, you are getting a hard disk TiVO recorder, a DVD Recorder, and a DVD editor all in one machine. Plus, unlike the TiVO box, you can record the digitally recorded shows onto a DVD drive and permanently save them. TiVO doesn't have this option. You almost have to record the show on a TiVO unit and then find a way to hook the TiVO box up to your computer to try and get the shows moved from TiVO to DVD or CD. That is just way to much work for me. I want it all in one unit and easy to use.

Therefore, this unit had everything I was looking for, minus a built-in VCR But, for the price and options this machine has, I can live without it. Most of the DVD Recorders I looked at were Combo units, meaning they had the VCR and DVD Recorder in one box. But, the quality was just not there. In reading a bunch of the reviews from people who had purchased this type of machine, they just weren't getting the quality they expected out of the units. And, there was a reason for this: no hard drive. The Hard Disk drive is the key. It will allow your Recorder to keep up with the tape as it records, maintain the quality of the recording, and then transfer it flawlessly to the DVD Drive. Since Panasonic has included a 120 Gigabyte Hard Drive with this unit, you are able to record up to 26 continuous hours of XP Mode/Speed programming/tapes. You may think that 26 hours isn't a long time, and you're right. But, when you are doing video editing or recording, you always want to maintain the highest quality possible, and this unit allows for that.

I hate to make it sound like I am really gunning for this unit, but I feel a little obligated to do so, especially after reading some of the reviews on the internet about this box that were negative. People were complaining that it was too hard to figure out and that they didn't have enough options when it came to what types of DVD's they could use to record to. Too me, these people are really overlooking the value of this machine. If you are in the market to buy a DVD Recorder, spend the extra money and get this unit, or one similar to it that has the built-in BIG hard drive, and the editing functions. In the long run, you'll thank me for it as other DVD manufacturers evolve and begin to include the hard drives in their units.

One final note: Panasonic has included a TV Guide function that will download all of the latest TV shows in your area so that you can use the 'timed recording' function. I really don't care about this feature since my interest in this unit is purely for archival purposes. And, if I really want to watch something that bad, I'll turn it on at home, hit the record button on this unit, and record away. I guess that doesn't do a lot for the people who are only looking for a 'Digital VCR'. But, with this unit, that's not what you are getting, though the function is included. If that's all you want, look elsewhere this unit is not for you. If you want as many bells and whistles that you can get for a reasonable price, this Panasonic is the machine for you.