Panasonic DMR-E30S Progressive Scan DVD Recorder

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [2.70mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 17 x 3.5 inches ; 8.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00006HCJ4
• Item model number: DMR-E30S
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,165 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A terrific all-around player and recorder, the Panasonic DMR-E30 offers the flexibility of recording on both DVD-RAM--ideal for instant chapter access and for multiple rerecordings--as well as DVD-R, regarded as the most widely compatible of the many DVD formats (great for sharing camcorder footage with loved ones). With the DMR-E30S you can digitally record superb picture and sound--up to 12 hours on a double-sided DVD-RAM disc and up to six hours on a single-sided DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc, thanks to Panasonic's original Hybrid VBR (variable bit rate) technology. (Rewriteable DVD-RAM discs can be rewritten over 100,000 times and offer 4.7 to 9.6 gigabytes per disc.)

The unique Time Slip feature lets the DVD recorder be used like a personal video recorder, or PVR. Because of DVD-RAM's extremely fast transfer rate, it's possible to view the recorded portion of an ongoing program from the beginning, while still recording the program in progress. In addition to recording new video content, the DMR-E30 lets you transfer favorite VHS recordings to durable, space-saving discs. The Direct Navigator instantly accesses recorded material from an onscreen menu that lists recording dates, times, channels, and titles. Finding and viewing recorded material are simple, because there's no need to search, fast-forward, or rewind.

As a player, the DMR-E30 offers a progressive-scan video output for optimal picture quality when viewing a DVD movie on a high-definition or HD-ready TV. Progressive scanning doubles the scan lines of an interlaced signal by scanning all 525 lines in 1/60 of a second for each full pass. The higher-density video signal creates filmlike DVD images with rich detail, extraordinary depth of field, and precise color reproduction.

Product Description

Silver Stereo Advanced Virtual Surround Sound (V.S.S.) 1 year warrantyDMR-E30 is the worlds first DVD video recorder to offer Time Slip function. It provides the extended-time recording DVD-RAM: up to 12 hours (EP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Burn That Disc..., November 17, 2002

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E30S Progressive Scan DVD Recorder (Electronics)

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.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome unit!, January 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E30S Progressive Scan DVD Recorder (Electronics)

I have had this model for almost a month now and all I can say is WOW! It is very easy to use (in spite of the poorly written, confusing manual) and the discs it has created have been viewable in all 7 DVD players that I have tested, including a cheapie 2 year old Wal-Mart DVD player. It truly is as simple to use as a VCR. I have been copying home movies to DVD from my Sony digital 8mm camcorder and the results have been impressive. I wish that the unit had a firewire port(like the next higher up model, but without the ($$$) extra cost) for the digital camcorder, but I can live without it. In the normal mode(LP), the DVD is every bit as good as the outstanding picture on the camcorder (or from my DirecTV/TiVO unit), and on the longest play mode, the picture is still quite good. The picture quality on the longest mode is not as good, but unlike a VCR's extreme graniness, the picture just gets a bit softer. Making titles/chapters is a breeze as well. The only con for the device is that you can't record letterboxed video on standard DVD-R discs. Some sort of lame copyright protection I assume. You can record letterbox content onto a DVD-RAM, but these discs are far more expensive than the DVD-R discs, and usually can't be played on another DVD player. This really affects me because I shoot a lot of video on my digital camcorder in 16:9 format for playing on my widescreen HDTV, but when I try to copy the video to a DVD-R, the unit stretches the picture vertically to fill the screen. Same thing for letterbox movies. The only gotcha is to make sure that you are using the correct media. All DVD-R discs aren't the same. The discs were over three dollars at my local CompUSA, but I have found them online for much less than a dollar each shipped! Don't hesitate to buy this unit. You won't regret it. Buy it and enjoy!!! Do some internet searching and you can find a really great price.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Total Digital Entertainment Unit is the DMR-E30!, December 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E30S Progressive Scan DVD Recorder (Electronics)

The best way to think about this new entertainment appliance is this way: DVD player and recorder + VCR + TIVO. With that said, in many ways the E30 brings the benefits of total digital entertainment right into the comfort of your living room. This unit is great for anyone who wants to edit their own vacation, family fun or "life" videos, or record high-quality video either from television, VHS, or camcorder. So if you've cam-corded thousands of miles of kid birthday parties or recorded 5,000 old TV shows, the E30 gives you the ability to edit right on DVD-RAM and then make a DVD-R to view, share with your friends or even archive. Now contrary to some misconceptions, you CAN record popular DVD-R discs on the E30 that WILL play on your buddy's DVD player, or your grandmother's DVD player for that matter.

But if you really get to know the E30, you can easily title your programs, choose a menu color, set it to skip commercials, divide programs, all while recording very high quality video. If you're looking for a DVD recorder that is quite versatile and covers all the bases, I recommend the E30 highly.