Customer Reviews

Panasonic DMR-EA38VK Tunerless 1080p Upconverting VHS DVD Recorder

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I purchased this product because my older model Panasonic just bit the dust. I was reluctant to purchase another Panasonic because the other model lasted just over a year. But Consumer Reports rated some other Panasonic models very highly so I thought maybe it was just a fluke that my older model died so soon.
Aother reason that I bought another Panasonic was because I didn't want to have to learn an entire new system for recording. I record a LOT of movies on DVD so I wanted to replace my broken model post haste.
That being said, I have a few comments about the "new and improved" model.
My older model Panasonic was the DMR-ES45V, this new model is almost identical with the exception of the HDMI interface. Here are some functions the older model had, that was NOT carried over to the new model:
Title Name Save - On the older model you could enter a title name and save it to memory on the unit. This feature was very handy if you burned several episodes of a program of the same name OR if you wanted the title name and the DVD name to be the same. It saved having to re-type the same title over again.
Title Name PReview - You used to be able to preview the title name as you typed so you could see how it would look in the title window on the finalized disc. This was a cool feature because if you just type the title in, it can (and usually does) cut words off half way through and continue on the next line. Not having this feature makes the title harder to read, and it looks cheesy.
Some new features include:
Cable box control - This feature will allow the DVD/VHS recorder to control the cable box by changing it to the appropriate channel for a scheduled recording.
Chapter preview - On the older model the chapters were not organized until AFTER the disc was recorded and finalized. Now you can preview the chapters beforehand.
Quick start - This feature allows you the option of turning the unit on faster by remaining in kind of a "stand by" mode, OR saving power with slower start up
Faster disc finalization.
No need to pre-format a disc before recording.
I know there are some other new features, but I have not had a chance to explore all of them.

FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS: Overall this unit is not very difficult to use. I know I was recording soon after scanning the instructions, and learned the advanced features after using the unit for a few days. It is VERY easy to use for straight forward recording to DVD from VHS, Camcorder, cable box, etc. Setup is VERY easy.
The remote is supposed to control your TV and cable box, but this is a worthless feature. To controll the TV you have to press the RETURN key while holding down the TV Power key. To switch to the controlling the cable box you need to press the RETURN key while holding down the channel UP key. Sounds simple, but switching between the two either turns the TV/cable box on/off or changes the the channel on the TV/cable box unexpectedly. And after all this the only TV/cable box functions offered on the remote are channel change and volume control! So plan on using seperate remotes.
Other than that I like the unit, just hope that this one last longer than the last one did!
Ken

I bought this recorder for the purpose of transferring all of my old family VHS tapes to DVD. Since I got it, I have used it practically around the clock with no problems whatsoever. I primarily use -R and -R/W, but I've used all formats in DVD's and only one +R had a problem with a different brand player and I believe that was a fault of the other machine. I have used about every feature on this unit and all work as specified in the user manual. It is very easy to set up and use, just as you would expect from Panasonic. My only suggestion would be to read the manual first, perform the easy setup, and enjoy!

I bought this model (DMR-EA38VK) about a month ago. It has a beautiful picture on a CRT type television. (Don't know about flat panels 'cuz I don't have one). I've burned DVD+R DL discs, DVD-R & DVD-RW. All work great in my other DVD player. I have one issue though. The DVD+R DL won't play on Windows Media Player or Media Center. I can see the menu but when I click play nothing happens. The -R & -RW discs work fine. I tried it using several other computer media players & they all work fine (Nero Showtime, Power DVD & GOM Player). I did a search on the web for this issue, but it seems like so far there is nothing.

Still over-all I'm pretty happy with my DMR-EA38VK & give it 4 1/2 stars (outta 5)

Having used a Panasonic DVD recorder for 5 years, I wanted to upgrade to a DVD/VHS all in one recorder. I have had excellent use of my old DVD recorder so it was a no brainer to go with Panasonic again. Still easy to use and of course the picture and sound are tops. Watching old tapes & Dvd's recorded on my old machine come out even better then before. I spoke with Panasonic years ago when I got my first DVD recorder and they suggest not only their blank DVD's but also Sony and TDK. You can always get a good buy on the Sony blanks. If you want an excellent recorder/player without a tuner,this is the way to go especially if you get your TV reception through a DVR.

I purchased the machine primarily to convert VHS to DVD. For performing a straight copy, it does the job acceptably. Where it lacks sophistication is selective copying. I wanted to be able to select portions of a VHS to record; skipping small sections, perhaps rearranging the sections. The only option during recording was to press stop, reposition the tape and restart the copy. This is very crude editing. What I would rather use is the pause control to stop recording, reposition the tape or let it play through the bad spot, and then press pause again (or some other key) to restart the recording. Another nuisance is the indexing. If I have multiple stops and restarts on the VHS, the DVD will generating an index. The machine performs other functions, such as viewing pictures off an SD or USB memory, but I find them less valuable than having better editing.

Works great, does what I wanted, not as difficult to set up a I thought it would be. So far I have made copies of VHS tapes to DVD's, made copies of tv shows to DVD using the timer function, and copies of things for our DVR to DVD, and so far all have worked perfectly. I went with the tunerless model because unless you don't have cable or satilite you don't need a built in tuner. Also as far as the recording of copywrighted material is concerned, all units of this type would have the same issues.

While this is an excellent product, it was the wrong choice for me. The online description said you could record television broadcasts to vhs for analog, and digital broadcasts to several kinds of dvd. What it didn't say was that in order to do this, you need a set top box or converter box attached to the recorder. I knew it was a tunerless recorder, but I didn't think you needed a built in tuner if hooked up to a TV set. For another $20 I got the same Panasonic model with a tuner and sent this one back. Amazon promptly refunded the full cost of the original purchase.

The recorder is very versatile, and since I use it with a Panasonic 32 inch widescreen TV, it is easy to hook up and to use. I can view video and photos from my DVD camcorder, or view photos stored on disk or a flash drive. The only mentionable downside to this recorder is that after turning it on, it takes about a minute before you can open the DVD tray. I would highly recommend Panasonic DVD-RAM disks for recording broadcast shows. The recorder's user interface allows for ease of use for deleting previous recordings and scheduling new ones.

I purchased the Panasonic DMR-EA38VK to replace an aging Panasonic DVD recorder that did not have video upconversion and because I needed a VCR to play the vast number of tapes which I still have in my collection. I always knew that Panasonic had a reputation for making excellent DVD recorders, and since I liked my previous model so much I purchased this one to replace it. It did not disappoint. All of the solid performance of my previous unit was there, plus the added convenience of a built-in VCR. (I didn't need a built-in TV tuner since I have cable.)

My only real gripe is with the cosmetic design of the unit. The front panel is cluttered and visually unappealing, and the big silver dial on the right hand side further detracts from the look of the unit, in my opinion. Plus the A/V input on the front panel is exposed, while the play and stop buttons are hidden behind a drop-down door! What's up with that??? But these are only minor gripes considering how well the unit works. Even my videotapes look better when played on this unit! The intuitive menu system is nearly identical to the one in my previous Panasonic unit, so there was no learning curve for me at all in that regard.

Panasonic clearly knows how to make DVD recorders that are reliable and well-built. No buyer's remorse here whatsoever!

I purchased the first dvd recorder when they first came on the market,panasonic was the most affordable $900 (ho ho ho)I used it perhaps burned 30 discs in the two years it lasted...yes you heard that right... 2 years.I took it for repair and was told its cheaper to buy a new one,that they had come down to the 300 hundred dollar range .Well I foolishly bought another panasonic..and guess what?.... After burning perhaps 20 more discs in two years... dead again.Dont do what I have done...dont spend 5 or 6 hundred dollars on these panasonics.Absolute junk.

I am a video professional and needed this unit to convert a stack of VHS to DVD. I did not need a tuner for digital reception (and saved quite a bit by passing on that option.) The machine did this conversion accurately and and I am pleased with it. However, the instruction manual is a hot mess of options, weird graphics and hard to follow logic which made the initial set up confusing and very annoying. But ... it did the job and the price is right. I would recommend it but be prepared to scratch your head a bit at the beginning.(Note: Be sure to hold the record button down a good 3 count until you see "copy". It will NOT Finalize when finished copying, despite what the manual says. You must press Record AGAIN to finalize it. The DVD will not play on other machines unless you finalize)