Customer Reviews

Panasonic DMR-E55S Progressive Scan DVD Recorder / Player , Silver

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Panasonic DVD-R recorder is the best way to get started on DVD recording. This is not to say this is a "basic" unit. It has lots of features like time slipping. But I'm the kind of VCR users who never went beyond basic playback, recording, and programmed recording. The Panasonic is very easy to use, esp. if you already know how to use a VCR. If you want to get sophisticated, the advanced featuers are there for you to play with.

What's important is the Panasonic works very well. I transfered my old VHS tapes to DVD-R, and all the discs burned without a hitch. I also record a couple TV shows on the machine, and it's never failed me. Panasonic was the first company to come out with DVD recorders and the maturity of this product means it's also reliable.

Yes, this model is identical internally to the black DMR-E55K model. I personally prefer silver.

The Panasonic DMR-E55 is highly rated, but with some limitations, and I was considering getting one. But Panasonic just came out with a replacement, the DMR-ES10, which not only fixes most of the problems/limitations of the E55 but is also a mind-bendingly reasonable $200 list price. It just hit the shelves a few days ago, and I was lucky enough to be there at the right time and ended up with a unit. I love it. See the review I'm writing under the ES10.

Even if you find a good deal on a used/refurbished/closeout E55, you might at least want to consider the ES10 for its improved functionality.

[I gave the E55 a 4* rating to avoid skewing the ratings. I've noticed that when people don't rate a product, that counts as 0 *'s]

I bought this DVD player over the summer in the hope of burning DVDs for programs that had been originally recorded on TiVo or VHS tapes.

I found the device for the most part to be relatively intuitive. The process of recording is straightforward. The recorder can record onto DVD-R (basically, record once) discs. I stayed away from using DVD-RAM discs because they are expensive and not widely used.

Recording onto a DVD-R disc is a 2-step process:
1. you record 1 or more tracks
2. at some point, you finalize the disc. When you finalize the disc, the disc is no longer writable, and you are able (theoretically) to play the finalized disc in any DVD-R compatible player

I was, initially, quite happy with the product, until we started to run into problems.

A huge issue is that the recorder occasionally craps out when you are recording tracks. Once it craps out, you can't finalize the disc, which means you either can only play it on this recorder or not at all.

Here are the specific problems I've run into:
1. For one disc (TDK), the recorder can play the disc but can't finalize it. So I am stuck with only being able to play it on this recorder. That's bad. The disc also skips in the same places during playback
2. Another disc (TDK) skips in the same places every time during playback. We were able to finalize the disc, but the skipping is annoying
3. For another disc (Memorex), the recorder crapped out while I was trying to set the thumbnail clip for a particular track. Now the recorder says the disc is empty. I can't even play the tracks I've already recorded on the recorder. The sad thing is I already deleted those tracks from TiVo (which is what I use to record TV programs), so now those tracks are lost.

I ran into problems #1 and #2 using TDK DVD-R discs. So I bought a different brand of disc (Memorex), but I ran into the problem #3 using a Memorex DVD-R disc. My strong impression now is that it is the recorder that is the problem, not the discs. Believe me, I wanted this recorder to not be the problem. It's affordable and like I said earlier, fairly user-friendly, and I don't like wasting time with the learning curve of a new device.

Once the recorder hoses the DVD-R disc, it seems extremely difficult to get the data back. I tried a bunch of Windows programs (e.g. Isobuster) with no luck. I even tried some command-line utilities on Linux.

If you purchase or own this device, my strong advice to you is to only record 1 or 2 programs before finalizing. And don't delete your original copies until after you've finalized the disc. Obviously, you shouldn't have to worry about not being able to finalize. You should be able to record as many tracks as you want until the disc is near full. But my experience is that you increase the likelihood of hosing the disc irreparably.

Do a search on "Panasonic can't finalize" and you'll see lots of other Panasonic recorder owners who have run into similar problems like I've described.

Problem #3 caused me to lose clips that I REALLY want to have. I am going to have to resort to paying a company to try to recover the data, which isn't cheap.

As a last piece of advice, if you can afford it, I recommend that you get a -RW or +RW recorder. Since researching the problems, I've read a lot of stuff on the Internet that say that the process of finalizing discs is fraught with issues, regardless of the recorder manufacturer.

I did call Panasonic customer service, and they were entirely unhelpful. They got value out of the call (by collecting marketing information about me: where I live, my name, when I bought it) but they were entirely unhelpful. The CSR said there is no way to recover the data. Their simple advice was: use only Panasonic DVD-R discs. That's garbage, and this whole experience was so frustrating I want to spare others my aggravation.

You should look at the reviews for this Panasonic DMR-E55 unit with the black outer finish on Amazon for many more reviews of this silver version. All I can add to those informative reviews is how pleased I am with its incredibly easy set-up and very well designed interface and remote control. I'm thrilled with the quality of the recording even without using the higest quality format. I'm actually surprised the unit is so inexpensive considering the quality and number of features.

This should say it all: I just came back from the repair shop. When they saw me walk in with the unit the clerk said, "I can't believe how many of these units come in." This very model. I used it for a few months, made 20 or 30 recordings, then it just failed. I called tech report, told them the error message I was getting and they told me to bring it in. I have a feeling I'll be returning it often till the warranty expires and then I'll throw it out.

For what it's worth it worked well until its demise.

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.

I bought and returned this unit from a different retailer. I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but my thoughts might still be useful.

The deal breakers for me were the following: This unit doesn't remember your current position in a show when switch to a different show, or when you turn the unit off. To use this, I would literally have to write down where in a show I was before I stopped watching, and then fast forward through the show to get to the same spot. Also, I wanted to be able to watch the shows I recorded on PC. It turns out DVD-RAM is VERY incompatible with most drives. None of my DVD-ROM or DVD-RW drives in any of my computers were able to read the discs, which for me was important. (I wanted to be able to watch shows in different locations).

Other negative stuff:
This unit, like a VCR, doesn't record a scheduled show unless it's turned off. That makes no sense, because the unit is capable of recording a show while it plays back. Sony's DVD recorders, for example, don't force you to turn the unit off before it records.
On that note-the image of the show being played back seems to "jump" forward-sort of like it has a bad frame rate, if a show is being recorded at the same time. That said, the feature is at least sort of useable.
I wasn't thrilled with the image quality. I think it's possibly better than Tivo, but the colors to me looked a little washed out-not bad though.
This unit, like all stand alone DVD recorders, doesn't really have that much recording time. To get good quality you have to increase the quality setting, which drastically reduces the amount of recording time you have. I discovered that on some days I wouldn't really have enough recording time on a DVD-RAM disc to grab all the shows I want at the quality settings I want.

Also, I don't like the unit's interface. I've used Tivo, which is of course much, much easier to use, but I even preferred the Sony VCR this was supposed to replace. Brining up menus feels slow, the directional buttons aren't very responsive, and menus to me don't feel very intuitive.

This probably sounds pretty negative, but aside from the top two points, this seems like a pretty nice unit (and Amazon's price is certainly good). The unit allows you to set 16 shows to be recorded, and the interface for that is pretty solid. (My old VCR only let you set it for 8 shows, which isn't enough for me). You can also give shows you record a name-like if you record "Lost" every week, you can give it that name, so that it shows up by name in the list of shows on your DVD-RAM disc. Entering names is a pain, but worth it for repeating shows. The menu screen for selecting recorded shows is sort of neat-in addition to the time, station, (and optionally the name), it displays a video clip of the beginning of currently selected recording. The response time for the menu is a little sluggish though.
The unit seems solidly built, and is fairly quiet when in operation (and dead silent when you switch it off-unlike Tivo).

It doesn't meet my needs, but it's worth considering!

Consumer Reports was right to rate this DVD-recorder the highest in its class. It is very easy to set up; it has inputs and outputs for basic coaxial, S-video, component and composite video, as well as standard and digital audio. With three line inputs, you can hook up a number of devices to it, like a VCR, a TiVo recorder, etc. It can serve as a tuner for broadcast and cable, although I don't use that feature, since I have satellite TV.

Recording was easy and straightforward. You can use DVD-RAM discs, which effectively turn the recorder into a TiVo-like device (although nowhere near as convenient or as effective). Or you can burn DVD-R discs, to make permanent copies of your VHS tapes, TiVo recordings, TV shows, etc. It records as several speeds, including a great feature called "flexible recording," where it picks a speed in between the standard speeds to make maximum use of the time remaining on a DVD.

So far, we've been able to record DVD's from VHS tapes and from my TiVo with no problems. The quality of the recordings is first-rate.

Two things to watch out for:
1) While the recorder can output its video signal to the TV using S-video, component or composite video, it cannot output using standard RF coaxial cable. It can receive the signal via RF coaxial cable, but cannot output it. If your TV can only receive a signal via coaxial cable, you'll have to purchase a little converter box from your local electronics shop to make this work.
2) If you have satellite TV, you won't use the DVD-recorder as a tuner. However, every time you turn it on, it will want to automatically search for channels, but it won't find them, since you're using your box or TiVo as a tuner. So, what you have to do is manually set one or two channels to fool the recorder into thinking that it's tuning your TV signal. Then it won't pester you with the Automatic Channel Setup dialog every time you start it up.

For the price, this recorder is well worth it. Don't hesitate to get it, so long as you pay attention to the two caveats mentioned above.

I purchased the DMR-E55 in May 2004 & have nothing but praise for this machine and I think the DVD-RAM format is so good because I am able to record my favourite tv shows in DVD-RAM Format in XP or Flexible record mode then simply erase the commercials leaving just the tv show then play the Ram disc back in my Panasonic S27 player and record to DVD-R to keep for future viewing anytime I wish to watch them. I also have backed up many VHS tapes & home movies to DVD-R. The only problem I have ever come across with this recorder is that on the odd occasion after finalizing a DVD-R the menu has not been completely created even though all chapters buttons work fine the menu is not in full view but maybe that has been more a faulty disc than the machine itself but even so these few discs still play fine. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone who is looking for a good DVD recorder.

Yes, there are better DVD recorders out there - ones that support more diversity in the media they will play and ones that have slightly easier connection options. However for the price this one is selling at, I have to say I like it. I've had mine for about a week now and have burned about 20 DVD-Rs from movies I had saved up on a cable DVR box. Each one at varying lengths - so I've had a chance to play around with speeds and recording quality. Recording at 2hour or using flex recording a recording at 3hour gives you good quality pictures when played back on a digital/hd tv or on an analog tv. Remember the quality of the picture is never better than the original - so when you record from VHS tapes don't expect amazing results. But it's not bad - and maybe even slightly better - as long as you chose a recording speed equal to or less than the one the original recording was made in (i.e. I cut out a lot of useless stuff from home videos and shortened the recording time).

Some of the bells and whistles, such as watching one program while recording another, etc. are not possible with a cable box, but then they weren't on a vcr either - so while I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised. I think it's up to the cable companies to address that one!

The body of the machine is a little thicker than my regular dvd player but not by much and looks attractive (I have the silver one). The mechanism which takes disc in and out does have the potential to fall apart - if any part of the machine is flimsy that's it. But if you're setting this up in an environment that it'll be used carefully I imagine it'll hold up - at least until the next new gadget comes out!

Overall I'd say you'll like the machine.