Panasonic DMR-E75VS Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/VCR Combo

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [6.41mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 16.9 x 3.1 inches ; 12.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 15 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: B0001WV6W8
• Item model number: DMRE75VS
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,380 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #98 in Electronics > Televisions & Video > DVD-VCR Combos
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Introducing Panasonic's first dual-deck DVD-Video recorder/VHS recorder, which enables you to easily dub home movies and recorded VHS tapes onto either DVD-RAM or DVD-R discs, and from DVD discs back to a VHS tape. It also plays back music burned to CD-R/RW discs as well as MP3 digital audio.

The DVD side of the DMR-E75V features progressive-scan video playback and great sound thanks to the Dolby Digital and DTS output. The unit also offers twin NTSC TV tuners, enabling you to record two channels at the same time (one on DVD and one on the VHS VCR). Other features include variable data rate settings, a front A/V input, and composite-, component-, and S-video connections on the back.

With Chasing Playback, an element of the Time Slip feature, you can watch a program currently being recorded from any point that's already been recorded--while continuing to record the program in process. Simultaneous Recording and Playback, the second element of the Time Slip feature, lets you record a program onto a disc while you're watching any other program that's previously been recorded on the same disc.

Tech Talk

• DVD-RAM: DVD-RAM discs can be rewritten up to an incredible 100,000 times, whereas DVD-R discs are write-once. They come in double-sided (9.4 GB capacity) and single-sided (4.7GB) varieties in both cartridge (provides additional protection) and noncartridge types. DVD-RAM discs can be played back on DVD-RAM-compatible DVD home players and portable players.
• Progressive scan: Progressive scanning, otherwise known as 480p ("p" for "progressive"), creates a picture signal with double the scan lines of a conventional interlaced picture, 480i ("i" for "interlaced"), to create a noticeably sharper image. Standard DVD players use interlaced scanning to produce a picture. Interlaced scanning combines two fields to generate a picture of 525 scan lines (480 of which are displayed). Your television projects an interlaced image by first scanning the 240 odd-numbered lines of one field (in 1/60th of a second), followed by the 240 even-numbered lines of the other field (in 1/60th of a second). A progressive video processor enables all 525 lines (480 of which are displayed) to be scanned at the exact same time. A television with 480p component inputs completely scans the entire image in 1/60th of a second, so it only takes one field to build one frame of video.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Panasonic DMR-E75V DVD/VHS recorder, remote control, 2 AA batteries, and printed operating instructions.

Product Description

J&R's Scratch-&-Dent section is an exciting place to find great bargains. These products may have minor cosmetic blemishes or be refurbished, but this does not affect their performance - only their price! They are very heavily discounted, and offer great value. Most are one-of-a-kind, and quantities are very limited. J&R stands behind our Scratch-&-Dent products with a 30 day no-hassle return policy. We want you to be happy with your purchase; you can return your Scratch & Dent item within the first 30 days, and we'll give you a refund for the full amount of the merchandise. Quantities are very limited; all products are first come, first served. Since the "availability" status on our website does not update in real-time, it's possible that we may receive several orders in a row before the product status can be changed to "Sold Out". If your order is received after all the stock has been reserved, you will be notified by email. For more information click on Scratch-n-Dent Panasonic DNR-E75 DVD and VHS Recorder and Player Combo - Will make discs that will play in most existing DVD players (DVD-R only) High speed transfer (up to 22 Mbps) to and from DVD-RAM for time-shifting Quick recording function automatically finds the blank part of the disc Variable Data rate settings Time base corrector delivers highly stable, natural images Front A/V input Progressive Scan DVD play compatible Dolby Digital and DTS outputs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

529 of 531 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great machine. Very happy, overall, September 27, 2004

By 

Jon G. Purkey "jpurkey" (Chantilly, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E75VS Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/VCR Combo (Electronics)

POSTED 09/27/04:

I purchased this unit about three weeks ago and so far, overall, I have been very happy with it.

Below are some things I really like and dislike about the Panasonic VCR/DVD Recorder.

LIKES:
1. DVD-RAM: CHASE feature. With this feature, similar to a DVR, you can start watching the program that is being recorded before it has finished recording OR you can watch another program on the same disc. Chase also allows you to pause live TV, backup to see something again, etc. Chase mode even works when dubbing tapes. If you are one of those people, like me, that is constantly backing up the tape to see/hear something again, this will save wear and tear on the VCR.
2. DVD-RAM: 1.33x playback. It speeds up the audio, but doesn't change the pitch. Not really suitable for movies or dramas, but it does allow you to quickly watch news and documentaries. With this feature and skipping commercials I can watch an hour long documentary in just over 30 minutes.
3. DVD-RAM: Easy trimming and editing of recordings allows you to cut out commercials and make more room on the disc. Shows can be divided too and chapter marks added.
4. DUBBING: Easy and clean dubbing VHS to DVD. Just cue and pause the tape and then when you hit DVD record it starts the recording and unpauses the tape at the same time. Only a couple frames of the paused image get recorded. Commercials can be removed this way too if you want to take the time. VCR on-screen messages are suppressed when recording, so you don't have to worry about a "PLAY" becoming part of your recording. I actually find this manual method of dubbing better than the ONE-TOUCH dubbing option, which doesn't give as much control. This also works for DVD to VCR dubbing, but the procedure is a bit more complicated.
5. You CAN record two shows at once, one to the VCR and the other to DVD. However, you can only do one TUNER (Channel ##) recording at a time, so one or both recordings must be via AV inputs.
6. Remote control of the VCR and DVD is mostly the same.
7. The clock seems to keep accurate time, having gained only about 3 seconds in 3 weeks.
8. VCR: A VP recording speed which is 5x longer than SP and doesn't look much worse than EP. With VP speed you can record 13h 20m+ on a T160 or 16h 40m+ on a T200. Not compatible with most other VCRs though.
9. VCR: 35x search mode. Clean picture with little noise too.
10. VCR: Super fast Rewind and also a Jet Rewind, both take less than a minute to rewind a T160 tape.

DIS-LIKES:
1. No digital zoom on DVD Player. I have poor vision and the zoom feature on my last DVD player allowed me to see small print without getting closer to the TV, so I really miss the zoom feature!
2. The manual is confusing and dis-organized (see 02/19/05 update), but it is also complete so I suggest reading it from cover to cover.
3. No frame advance on the VCR, just pause and slow motion. And the slow motion is awkward to use.
4. Many features only available on DVD-RAM. (Do download the manual from Amazon and look at the RAM DVD-R, etc. headers to see what recording formats each feature supports.)
5. CD-Audio playback is too loud and muffled and sounds terrible, at least on my TV. It could be my TV, but output from DirecTV as well as TV, DVD, VHS and MP3 playback from this unit all sound great on the same TV.
6. Quality of LP and EP DVD recordings is really bad during scenes with smoke/steam/fog. Scenes with fast motion also cause some digital artifacts too. However, these could be problems with all DVD Recorders in general and not just the Panasonic.

Anyway, despite the above problems I am really pleased with this unit. The pluses definitely outweigh the negatives. Unless something better comes on the market I would get another one if I needed a second VCR/DVD recorder

** UPDATE 02/19/05: **

Having used this unit for several months now I just want to add that I still find it to be an excellent machine. The Time-Slip (simultaneous record and play and chasing playback) have changed how I watch TV. I rarely watch a program live anymore, or when I do, I wait until it is about 1/3rd over so I can watch it in chase mode and skip the commercials.

The flexible recording mode has been wonderful for recording programs and copying tapes to DVD-R. Flexible Recording calculates the necessary bitrate to fit a recording on a disc at the best possible quality. Many recorders limit you to fixed rates, such as 2 or 4 hours. With FR, if a program or tape is 2 hours and 10 minutes long it can be recorded at near SP (or 2 hour) quality instead of having to be recorded at a noticeably lower quality. While Flexible Recording is not available for One-Touch Dubbing, it can easily be done manually. Just tune to the "TP" (tape) channel before starting Flexible Recording.

I've found that many commercial tapes can be copied. Don't assume like I did at first that none can. Use a DVD-RAM disc or scrap DVD-R to do some test recordings of all your tapes and see which you can backup to DVD-R. More than 50% of the tapes I own can and don't give the copy protected message.

For time-shift recording I recommend you get some double sided DVD-RAMs in cartridges. The cartridge protects the discs from dirt and dust which can cause write errors. While you do have to flip the discs to use the other side, a double sided cartridge takes up no more room than a single side cartridge or two single sided non-cartridge DVD-RAMs.

If you need to record more than 4 hours and can't change discs and don't want to record to DVD in EP mode, you can use the VCR too. VHS may be a step backwards from DVD, but VHS-SP looks a lot better than DVD-EP. The VHS recording can then be copied to another DVD-RAM for editing.

Regarding the manual, if you buy this unit then be sure to download the manual from Amazon. You can then use the PDF viewer to search for the feature or function you need to learn how to use. Trust me, it's a lot quicker to fire up the computer than trying to find what you want to know in the printed manual.

** UPDATE 10/6/05 **

The manual says that timer recordings cannot be executed on both DVD and VHS at the same time and that timer recordings can not overlap. However, I discovered recently that this is not true. Two timer recordings can be made simultaneously, provided they are not from different channels. You can record L1 and L2 at the same time or a combination of either L1 or L2 and a tuned channel.

I've also discovered that if you are recording to DVD-RAM and are not playing a title then hitting Time-Slip will begin playback at 30 seconds from the end of the recording. This is a useful feature when you have the TV on in the background and have one of those "What was that?" moments. :)

191 of 195 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SOME BRIEF OBSERVATIONS:, July 11, 2004

By 

Robert Krejcik "krej" (NEW YORK, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E75VS Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/VCR Combo (Electronics)

1) Contrary to what the reviewer states, the unit does not contain twin tuners (at least not the one I got). You can only record one channel at a time (either on the VHS or DVD side).
However, you can record on one while playing on the other.

2) The unit does not have a RF Modulator - so you cannot connect it to your TV's antenna terminal, only via the direct input jacks (assuming your TV has them).
Panasonic does this with all their DVD Recorders. (Really chinchy of them.)

3) Be forewarned - you cannot make copies of your store bought VHS and DVD movies that are copy protected (Macro Vision).
Also, there is no audio volume control that would allow you to compensate for tapes that are too loud or too low.

4) The new EP speed of 8 hours is backward compatible on older 6 hour machines. The quality is about the same as the 6 hour so you are effectively getting 1/3 rd more on the same DVD-RAM disc.

All in all a pretty good machine, assuming you understand its complexities. The manual is quite elaborate and may at times be hard to follow. The remote is quite good and preset to Control Setting #1. It and the machine can be changed to #2 or #3 if you have other Panasonic DVD Recorders and wish to avoid a conflict.

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great, July 7, 2004

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Panasonic DMR-E75VS Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/VCR Combo (Electronics)

No idea what the guy from Bethesda was talking about. I've had this for about three weeks now and it works great. No problems at all. This is just like using a VCR but you can record more stuff and/or at higher quality. Be sure to get good blank DVDs, though, as that makes a difference in quality and storage shelf life. If you don't need the VCR go with the Panasonic models without VCR and you can save some money. (Although, good VCRs are hard to find these days, so if you have lots of VHS tapes this one is perfect.)