Panasonic DMR-E75VS Recorder

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.
Amazon.com Product Description

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
Double your pleasure with the DMR-E75VS. It hosts a progressive scan DVD-Video recorder and VCR in the same unit. It records on DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs, and has plenty of great recording and playback features to keep you entertained for days on end.

Panasonic DMR-E75VS Recorder

Test report

Easy to use!, April 27, 2005 Test Report: Gina - Got this about a month ago. After reading the reviews, I was worried about the manual.

However, I found the manual to be just fine, after you get used to it. (But, I do read technical engineering manuals in my job!) This unit is very easy to set up! I like being able to record on both VHS and DVD now!

My only complaint is that the DVDs I bought don't record for more than 2 hours in EP mode. I bought the Panasonic DVDs, since there was an insert for free shipping from Panasonic. I thought the DVD cartridge would go for 4 hours in EP mode. However, you have to physically turn the cartride over; i.e. you only get 2 hours per side. So, I don't think the cartridge is worth the extra price.

Overall, I'm very happy with this unit!



Panasonic, DMR-E75VS DVR-VCR Combo, April 1, 2005 Test Report: Dogman (Illinois) - I had absolutely no troubles with unit, minor problem making sure TV input and Unit input matched,after that I recorded off TV and then I dubbed DVD disk from a VHS tape, No problems just remember to finalize after dubbing is finished, timer recording worked well I am getting ready to record TV to a DVD-R disk, if it works like everything else did it should be a breeze. I heard the manual was suppose to be very confusing, you do have to jump around a bit, but it is still no better or worse than other manuals I have used. This is the very 1st review I have ever written.



JUST ANOTHER NICE ELECTRONIC ITEM, March 25, 2005 Test Report: Ricky W. Cancilla (Ridgway, Pennsylvania United States) -
This panasonic DMR-E75S is just another nice electronic item that panasonic came out. I'd looked for faults and the only thing i'd found was the owner's manual booklet can be better written to understand it. and I must alert you that the customer care center by phone sucks just like a straw, nothing like a recording telling you that the waiting time for your call to get answer is about 55 minutes and will be answer in the order it came in and all that BS. The panasonic web site isn't to bad, on a scale 1-10 (10 Being The Best) I give it a 7. Overall this machine is very great and I am very happy with it.



All I can say is it's ok, January 29, 2005 Test Report: Steven P. Lang (Sunrise, Fl. USA)
Would I buy this again no and customer service is my major problem. Always a 30 minute wait time with the panasonic call # recieved with the product. I need to add that the vcr recording when playing back is of the poorest quality. I need to play with the tracking over and over.





Doing Okay So Far, January 20, 2005 Test Report: L. M Young (Marietta, GA USA) - Just got this unit hitched up on Sunday and it has performed well so far. On Monday I discovered I had five minutes to record a movie I wanted and was able to grab the manual, find the instructions, and start the DVD on time. Recorded on 2-hour speed and it looked great. Husband did a dub of an old aviation film on video (no Macrovision) and he said the process was very simple.

I do agree about the manual--I think it was translated from another language by someone who needs a little more training on grammar and syntax. The instructions are there; it's just difficult to wade through them. Lots of abbreviations used that could be confusing. I couldn't figure out where the finalize instructions were, either, until husband pointed out the page. Some color coding might help!

I am using Maxell disks I got on sale at Office Depot this week. They appear to work fine.

Both DVD and VCR play look fabulous. We're using component video and the picture just pops out at you (television is a Panasonic as well).




Warning: Panasonic service is horrible!, January 16, 2005 Test Report: Ace Fish - I received this item as a gift for Christmas, began hooking it up shortly after. Turned it on, and got an error message - something about 'can't read the disc', even though I hadn't gotten past the point of pressing the power button. Now I realize that the few days after Christmas must be the busiest time for customer service, but the Panasonic help line left the message 'live help is not available, please send an email'. I sent an email, got a response a week later - send the unit in for repair! They would not simply replace the unit with another brand new one, they made me bring it to a Panasonic repair center. I'm sure it's a great unit, if you get a working one. Beware.




SOME BRIEF OBSERVATIONS:, July 11, 2004
Test Report:
"krej" (NEW YORK, NY United States) -
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.



Great machine. Very happy, overall, September 27, 2004 Test Report: Jon G. Purkey "jpurkey" (Chantilly, VA United States) - 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 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. The VCR on-screen messages are suppressed too when recording. I actually find this 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 VCR and the other to DVD. However, there are two restrictions: 1. You can only do one TUNER (Channel ##) recording at a time, so one or both recordings must be via AV inputs. AND 2. You can only do one TIMER recording at a time, so one or both recordings must be started manually. Still it lets you, for example, record a cable/satellite program via L1/AV to DVD and at the same time record an OTA or antenna program to the VCR.
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, but it is also complete so I suggest reading it from cover to cover.
3. The remote is also confusing at first and it is easy to hit wrong button. The DVD Record button for example is right below the display button and it is very easy to hit the wrong one. There should at least be a lockout on the REC button.
4. No frame advance on the VCR, just pause and slow motion. And the slow motion is awkward to use.
5. Many good DVD 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.)
6. Except during rew/ffwd/search, the VCR on-screen messages can not be kept on the screen for longer than a few seconds.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Double sided DVD-RAMs are not of much use since this unit can only record or play one side at a time. The disc must be ejected and flipped to use the other side.

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



Slick & Easy, December 4, 2004 Reviewer: Dennis Petticoffer (Orange, CA United States) - This is an excellent product. It's easy to set up and use. I love the thumbnail indexing, which makes it easy to locate chapters and create playlists. Finalized DVD-R's play fine on my computer, as well as outside DVD players that I've used. The one-touch dubbing makes it easy to edit. Picture quality is great. And for those with older tvs lacking s-video connectors or inputs for component video cables, there's no need to go out and buy a new tv. Just spend $10-20 for an RF modulator, which you can get at most electronics stores. My only complaint is that DVD-R's are limited in editing options as opposed to DVD-RAM's. Otherwise, I'm impressed with this machine. At last I can jettison my antiquated vhs tapes and home videos and preserve them on high quality DVD.


Very pleased, November 22, 2004 Reviewer: M. Fielder "Markus" (North Alabama) - I have had the unit for a week now and transfered a dozen movies or so. The dvd-r format works fine on my other players and computer once it is finalized. I wish the dvd ram disks could be finalized and used on other machines as well. They work wonderfully but only play on ram machines, like Panasonic. (As far as I can tell.) The VCR is smooth and fast on the rewind. Manual tracking works great. All in all a good, quality machine.


GET TO KNOW IT., November 20, 2004 Reviewer: G. F. THOMAS "fredth61" (plattsburg,mo) - I bought this unit,brought it home hooked it up and thought I had made a big mistake! After fooling around with it all afternoon, I finally called Panasonic support. After a long wait, they were very courteous and helpful. I had to call two more times and now everything works. I had the same problems as some of the others have mentioned,such as not responding to the remote or not ejecting and not working in other players or my computer. Panasonic Techs really impressed me. They went step by step and solved all my problems. I will say it can be complicated in the manual for an average person like me,but they made it work. I am satisfied with the results so far and would recommend this model for the price.
Most of the problems were in connections or settings and if you finalize your disks, they play in all my dvd players, two sony's, and a hp computer.


DVD-Rs must be finalized, October 24, 2004 Reviewer: Marilyn A. Moyle "technochallenged" (Davis, CA) - I just purchased this DVD/VCR recorder yesterday from Circuit City, spent several hours and ruined one VHS tape and one DVD-R trying to figure out the one touch dubbing process. I finally made a DVD that played back in this machine, tried it in my other two DVD players and couldn't make it work. I called Circuit City; the helpful salesperson went over the directions in the manual with me, and I realized I hadn't finalized the DVD-R. I did that, and now the DVD works in my other DVD players. The reviewer who was frustrated because the DVDs didn't work in his other DVD players did not follow directions, which specifically state that the DVD-R must be finalized in order to play in other DVD players. I think this machine is going to be just what I need for transferring family videos to DVDs.



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Panasonic DMR-E75VS Recorder

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