Page 1 of DVD recorder. Confusion reigns!

Please Help,

I am very interested in purchasing a DVD recorder mainly for transferring my Mini DV camcorder tapes to DVD-R format. I`m not too bothered about the re-recording side of things (RW/+RW/RAM), as I already have a Sky+ system for that. I have read many reviews, and the Panasonic DMR E20 seems to come out top (and its only £499 now from various major retailers!).

I understand, though that Panasonic are about to release the DMR E30. Should I wait for that model?, what are its advantages over the E20? I don`t think its got a DV socket, which would make it less useful than the E20!

Also, the DVD-R format seems to be the "industry standard" for once-only recordings. Does this only work in certain players (i.e. would it work in my Toshiba SD120 player). I assume this format is there to ensure backwards compatablilty.

Sorry to be long winded, but I don`t want to buy something that will mean my recordings can`t be played in 5 years time!

Thanks for any info.

Hi Beavo,

I`m more or less the same boat as you. I posted a forum here about Philips vs Panasonic. I`m glad to hear that Panasonic are about to release the E30. I suggest you wait and see what this later model can do. The DVD Recorder market is quite young therefore a lot of changes will be out there. I hope the the newer Panasonic will . . .

- Give manual access for Chapter markings when creating a DVD.
- Play MP3s from CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-RAM
- Maybe play/record on DVD+RW (this will finish Philips` model off!!)
- Have better compatibility with other DVD players on created DVD-Rs.
- Maybe have some more input/output features (E.g Optical/DV IN and OUT).

Hope this helps,

BB.

Hi BB,

Thanks for your reply. I agree..think I`ll sit tight a couple of months to see what happens. Apparently Panasonic are offering subsidies to retailers so they can sell the E20 cheaper and get a stronger market share (£499 Currys/Dixons, £579 Comet). This is probably to pave the way for the E30. I have heard though that the E30 does not have a DV input socket (the E20 does). How true that is we`ll have to wait and see!!!

Beavo

Hi Beavo,

Guess what? You`re right!! There`s only about 3 things different with the E30.

(1) Weighs less than the E20
(2) Approximately half the height of the E20.
(3) Uses less power (about 5 watts less) than the E20.

Not good enough Panasonic. We want more. Let me know if you find anything. Cheers.

Benet.

Its here for £499 with free discs but I have heard its not available until September?

http://www.avland.co.uk/

Hi,

From the diagram on the Avland site, it seems pretty certain that the E30 doesn`t have a FireWire (DV) port. A major omission, and I think a big mistake.

One key advantage DVD-RAM has over DVD+RW is the ability to `time-shift` Because DVD-RAM is sector-based rather than track based, you can watch something on one part of the disc while recording onto the same disc. So you could come home halfway through a live football match and watch the recorded first half while the second half continues to record. Also, recording on DVD-R means that you could watch last nights Eastenders on your laptop on the way to work (if that`s your thing). I`m not certain about these specific DVD-RAM discs, but on earlier versions of DVD-RAM discs it was possible to remove a disc from its caddy and play it in a regular DVD-ROM drive. That gives the benefit of a re-recordable format, with the benefits of DVD-RAM, that can be played in a regular DVD-ROM drive.

Why have Panasonic done this? One of the key factors of a DVD Home Recorder would be the ability to archive home movies from your DV Camcorder. Never mind the "sleeker" and "lighter" stuff. If you put the wanted features on it, it will be a key point to selling it. The E30 sounds like some kind of pre-Christmas filler compared to the E20. The "Time Shift" feature sounds good, but I personally think Panasonic in particular are not delivering enough.
Another thing is why cannot someone create a DVD Home Recorder the records on both DVD-RAM and DVD+RW?
Finally when Panasonic released the DV Camcorder NV-EX1B, outside of Europe this camera had DV IN/OUT whereas in Europe because of some "legal thing" the DV IN was disabled. You had to hack your camcorder to enable it thus invalidating the warranty. I hope this kind of thing doesn`t happen with DVD Home Recorders sold in Europe where handy features are left out.

BB.

"Finally when Panasonic released the DV Camcorder NV-EX1B, outside of Europe this camera had DV IN/OUT whereas in Europe because of some "legal thing" the DV IN was disabled."

No. In the UK a camcorder with and input is taxed twice, one as a camcorder and if it has an input again as a video recorder.

Hi all...

I just got the E20, and its a great bit of kit.
I got the E20 when i found out that panasonic had removed the DV
port.
I use FWS discs, and never had a coaster.
All the kids films i have backed up on it works on all the home dvd players
i have tried.
The DV port is great to have just plug it in switch the paney over.
and record.....

Buy the dmr-e20 now before they all go as it appears Panasonic want to get rid of all remaining stocks very inexpensively to try and get a foothold over the £500 Phillips recorder. The new Dmr-e30 does seem to lack a firewire in, but either way, I would not recommend anyone buying a DVD+RW unless compatibility is a major issue.I have had both systems and the Phillips is crap compared to the Panasonic in every aspect.The Phillips was so bad, I had to return it after a few days due to excessive blocking when recording at lower bitrates. I am now the proud owner of 4 DMR e-20s...