I run this panasonic EZ47 recorder with a panasonic plasma tv via HDMI. It works OK but I would never recommend it to anyone. It is just so far from perfect. Here are my complaints:


Recording glitches lately: the display pixelates and freezes. It lasts a few seconds to up to 20 and it hard to fast forward through. I use DVD-RAM media and don't know it the problem would be different using DVD-R, DVD+R, or DVD-RW discs. I don't know if the problem is with the media or the recorder.
The recording quality of any TV program is notably worse than the native 720p or 1080i show on the tv itself. I have to choose between a better quality picture but with commercials - or the lower quality recorded version.
I turned off the display of status messages, even though it makes using the box less usable. Unfortunately, unless disabled, the display may come on repeatedly during playback - ruining the movie. This is the upper right corner message that comes on when you insert a disc. BTW, here is how to disable it: submenu > functions > other functions > setup > display > status messages > off
The box freezes sometimes and either won't turn on/off and will occasionally read a U99 error. This doesn't happen that often but is disconcerting.

I am very interested in other experiences with this box.

I run this panasonic EZ47 recorder with a panasonic plasma tv via HDMI. It works OK but I would never recommend it to anyone. It is just so far from perfect. Here are my complaints . . .

This . . . is disconcerting.

I am very interested in other experiences with this box.

See the thread dedicated to this 2007 EZ series model here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=856924

A number of other threads discuss a variety of bugs and design flaws with EZ series Panasonics. You may read of and share others' pain in those threads. (I own four 2007 EZ models and one 2008 EZ model.)

Regarding item 1: Are you recording OTA? Are you certain the glitches are the recordings and not the input signal?

Regarding item 2: The best any DVD recorder can do is 480i, which, by definition, will always be inferior to 720p and 1080i. But it shouldn't be much worse. What recording mode are you using, XP, SP, LP or FR? LP and longer doesn't look very good, but SP should look pretty close to the original. What source are you recording from, the EZ47's tuner or from some external source? If an external source, are you connected via s-video? Do you have the EZ47 HDMI output set to 1080p (assuming your plasma can handle it)?

Regarding item 3: I agree that this is annoying. However, I had to do the very same thing on my bluray player. So it seems other manufacturers have trouble getting this right too.

Regarding item 4: Have you loaded the latest firmware?

I have an EZ27 and EZ48. Not quite the same as your 47, but close. I too am disappointed in the occasional lockups and errors I see on my 27. The 48 still takes a long time to power off at times, but no lock ups so far.

I run this panasonic EZ47 recorder with a panasonic plasma tv via HDMI. It works OK but I would never recommend it to anyone. It is just so far from perfect. Here are my complaints:

Recording glitches lately: the display pixelates and freezes. It lasts a few seconds to up to 20 and it hard to fast forward through. I use DVD-RAM media and don't know it the problem would be different using DVD-R, DVD+R, or DVD-RW discs. I don't know if the problem is with the media or the recorder.

I have a lot of experience with -RAM disks, and I can tell you from my history with them, as well as that of others who have posted in this forum, that sometimes a -RAM disk, right out of the package, has a problem. It is not well understood what the cause is, but some disks will have bad spots causing pixelation and drop-outs. Some of these can be quite severe. In almost all cases, the problems can be corrected if you gently wash the disk with mild dish soap and dry with a soft, NON-ABRASIVE lint-free cloth. Remember to wash using center-to-edge wiping motion, NOT circular motion. There are many people here who have agreed that this procedure has saved otherwise nearly unusable -RAM disks. It can't hurt.

I have an EZ17 and mostly use DVD-RAM. I had one disc that was acting up. Started by having problems when using chase play. Then I could not schedule a program if this disc was in the machine because it stated was full. I recalled another thread where some people who had problems with RAM discs washed them, which seemed to fix the problem. I washed my problem disc and no more problems. I then washed all my RAM discs to avoid future problems.

Then the EZ17 started missing timer recordings. It would turn on & come out of pause mode, but the timer counter never advanced. The schedule screen indicated the program was being recorded, but the front panel display stayed at 0000. I cleaned the hub/spindle & laser lens per DidaDo's helpful instructions and the recorder now works properly. It took only a few minutes to open it up & do the cleaning.

The EZ17 does not upconvert nor use HDMI. But I found 480i component looked better then 480p component on programs that I recorded. IOW the TV was doing a better job of scaling than the Panasonic. Sounds like a step backward, but I'm using the 480i. For some reason though I could not tell any difference on commercial discs. FWIW, my ES20 also works better sending out 480i component. At the time that this was a current model other people posted the same thing. I have seen several comments that DVD recorders do not playback as well as DVD players do. Your expensive TV may do a better job of scaling & upconverting than your DVD recorder. For the heck of it try 480i component.

I cleaned the hub/spindle & laser lens per DidaDo's helpful instructions and the recorder now works properly. It took only a few minutes to open it up & do the cleaning.

More information/advice, a link to the Saint Baz cleaning procedure, and photos are found in this post and the posts that follow it:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14479898#post14479898