Page 1 of Advice needed on new DVD recorder with hard drive

Hi.
I bought a Panasonic DMR E65 DVD recorder almost a year ago but after 9 months it started playing up (I was told it was the RAM Drive).I returned it to the shop & they sent it on to be repaired but the repairers took 5 week just to order a new part (which they still have not received) The shop manager said that to wait this long was not acceptable,so he has offered me a credit note for a new machine.
I want to upgrade to a recorder with a hard drive,I also want to keep the DVD Ram recording capabilities.I have picked out a choice of 3 from the shops stock:
Panasonic DMREH50
JVC DRMH50 SEK
Toshiba RDXS24

What do you recommend out of these 3 to be the most reliable ?
I thought my original Panasonic was great but I really want something that lasts longer than 9 months.

Any advice will be welcomed.
Thanks

If you`ve got HDD facilities, you really don`t need DVD-RAM as you get the same facilities on a more reliable medium. However, I reckon you might want to stick with Panasonic as their build quality is usually excellent. Maybe your original machine was a rare dud.

J Mark Oates

I agree.
Of the 3 Panasonic are generally more reliable but no make can be 100% perfect.
As Panny offer better quality on lower recording levels aswell as +R recording in addition to the usual ones its th best option.
It also records NTSC.
Most JVC machines don`t have RGB input and lately there have been a few threads aroun with Toshiba problems.
But why worry about RAM when you have HDD?

Thanks for the replies.
I have to admit,I was very impressed with my old Panny & more than happy with it until it went wrong.
The reason I wanted a DVD RAM machine is because I have about 20 discs that I bought for my old machine,half of them are new & the other half is stuff that I recorded & wanted to be able to watch again.

Thanks again

Quote:
The reason I wanted a DVD RAM machine is because I have about 20 discs that I bought for my old machine,half of them are new & the other half is stuff that I recorded & wanted to be able to watch again.

Very good point. Didn`t think of that when I posted :D

J Mark Oates

If you`ve got HDD facilities, you really don`t need DVD-RAM as you get the same facilities on a more reliable medium.

Oh Mark Please. DVD RAM is probably the ONLY medium that is faultless. Both R/Ws & Hard drives are well known to crash or stop working. I`ve lost stuff on all mediums but never ever on DVD-RAM & I use DVD-RAM 90% more than anything else.

Paull,please give it a rest jumping to the defence of RAM everytime someone tries to say something else is better.
You`ve never even had a HDD machine so you can`t compare the 2 for a start.
RAM is just as limited as any other format for capacity.
Can`t transfer mutiple recordings from Sky+ overnight on to a RAM disc.
I`ve had a HDD recorder for 4 years,first from Panasonic,then Pioneer and recently another Pioneer.
While Sky+ and Freeview HDD recorders sometimes hit problems(nearly always related to software updates) my HDD/DVDR combos have never missed a beat.
Bar being stuck with a pile of incompatible RAM discs he`s already bought, a HDD will do the job in better quality and with more convenience.
As you use RAM 90% of the time,you obviously have not yet got up to date.
DVD recording is just as tiresome as VHS,only with better quality.
Why worry about having to have a blank in the machine all the time?
Those with latest technology(over 5 years old though already) just fill the HDD up .No worries about qulaity settings to fit enough on and no worries about blank media

This item was edited on Friday, 17th March 2006, 22:18

I`ve got the Panny EH60D with a HDD. Also bought 10 RAM discs when I got it. Never used `em. HDD recording is sooooo good. Probably for convenience as much as anything. Like you say - making sure there is a disc in the machine with enough space. No worries there with a HDD. :D

Ste

This item was edited on Friday, 17th March 2006, 22:26

I`ve got a Panasonic DMREH50, bought it before Christmas, not a single problem v v happy with it.

I`ve got 5 brand new unused DVDRAMs sitting next to it. I just record everything to the hard drive. If it`s a film I then want to keep I transfer it to a DVD-R, easy as pie :)

Al


www.admars.co.uk

I have a 3 year old Panasonic DMR-E50 which stills works well. I have had the odd ram disc problem with it going in to recovery mode a few times.

I would get a Panasonic again but would only get one with Freeview as it very frustrating have lots of programs with no titles. I would also have the hard drive model but at £400 its a bit too much for me.

At present if my Panasonic failed I would get a Freeview/Hard drive as it would be more useful.

What i`m waiting for is a Freeview/Hard Drive/Recorder for under £300 (come on Panasonic!)