I thought this might be an easy reference guide if we put a list all in one place, so that when people have a question about a particular recorder they know who to ask. Of course, for that reason we may get some people who don't want to list their recorders, but lets give it a shot. And by "own" I mean have used for more than a week or so and then returned--lets say a minimum of one month as a baseline. Let's keep it to standalone DVD recorders to avoid confusion with PVRs.

Me--Pioneer 520H
Sony GX300

Panasonic HS2 - sold
Panasonic E30 - sold
Panasonic E80 - 3
Panasonic E85 - 1
Panasonic E95 - 2
Panasonic EH50 - 2

Wow JustinCheckin, that's eight machines that you currently own--very impressive. My wife would be very, very annoyed with me if I did that. I have three, and she thinks I'm out of my mind owning that many!

Panasonic E85 - 1
Panasonic EH50 - 2

Panasonic E-65
Panasonic E-500

RG

My first DVD recorder was a Philips DVDR-985. Stopped working after 2 1/2 years, which I understand to be rather long-lived for this model.

I then replaced it with a Philips DVDR-520 (no relation to the Pioneer) which was really a clone of the iLO HDD-equipped model, down to the owners manual. Nice features and PQ, but the firmware got increasingly buggy which forced frequent unplugging of the machine. Finally returned it after 30 days.

I then replaced it with a Pioneer DVR-520H. Nice machine, but it refused to dub any of my old Philips-made discs onto its HDD. I reluctantly returned it.

I then went with the Sony RDR-HX900. I bought it despite its limitations, because it would dub my old Philips discs onto its HDD. I later discovered its excellent PQ both for recording and playback, and I eventually discovered the joys of being able to record downconverted HiDef in its native widescreen thanks to its Component Inputs and the ability to set the flag.

When Costco offered the Pioneer DVR-420H for $249, I as well as many AVS Forum members bought it. I liked the 520H except it wouldn't dub my old discs, so when this came up I decided to get one. I put this in my bedroom so I can record programs off my old TiVo. I then discovered that the Sony's -RW(VR) discs are fully editable on this machine, and will even finalize on this machine.

When Pioneer discontinued the x20 series, I picked up a 225s from Best Buy for $160. The original intent was to put this on my big living room TV, so that when I go into editing mode, at least the "postage stamp" picture will be a lot bigger. I ended up putting this in the bedroom with the TiVo, and putting the 420H in the living room along with the Sony.

Oh man. It seems like I've had a thousand. Probably at least 35 of all different makes and models. I like to try everything out in my own "mini lab" and see just what I really like. I probably only keep 5-10% of the stuff that comes through my home.

Panasonics!

1 - DMR-HS2
1 - DMR-E50
3 - DMR-E100
6 - DMR-EH50

Robin

Only one ....

Pioneer DVR-533H-S

Happy as a clam :-)

Sony RDR-GX7 16x9 and good integration with Sony camcorder
Pioneer DVR-531HS Excellent PQ, hard drive edit, high speed dub, double layer

both quality machines

First one, a Pioneer 210 (Costco version of a pioneer 310).

This unit helped me understand the value of having a hard drive.

Second one, a Pioneer 520.

Now I am happy with my hard drive. But, I could not create properly flagged 16x9 recordings from my HD TiVo unit.

So I now successfully use Toast 7 on my Macintosh to modify the unflagged anamorphic 16x9 recordings that were originally created on my Pioneer DVD recorders. With the flags added the DVDs automatically play properly on both 16x9 and 4x3 TVs.

My thanks once again to HealeyGuy for steering me to this solution for my Pioneer/Mac environment.

Panasonic DMR-E100 Love its Playlist scene definition: START and END times
Panasonic DMR-E85 Can real-time dub dvd-r to hdd

In order of purchase:

- Panasonic DMR-E50
- Toshiba D-KR2
- Panasonic DMR-E85H
- Pioneer DVR-633H

Still have them all, and they all still work as well as they ever did.

In order of purchase too:

1) Pio DVR-5100

2) Pio DVR- 520

3) Pio DVR-530 ( because of JukeBox ). Unfortunately the worst of them all IMO.

Have had 3 total - all Pannys

1 Panasonic E30 - sold
1 Panasonic E80 - sold (didn't really need/use 2 of em)
1 Panasonic E80 - in use

I have only 1 unit (I feel like the poor relation).

Panasonic E-85

I only write RAMs on it for transfer to my PC.
I do 99% of all my editing/authoring/burning on the PC.

Panasonic E-80
Panasonic E75VS--Upstairs one.


Mom thinks i"m nuts already, especialyl during marathons, scheduling 8 hours of recording on E75VS, and 6 hours on E-80, or 4 hours, or however long marathon is. I got so many rams, I hardly know what's on each one anymore, I just have to put them in and check direct navigator. and sometimes I record on VHS, if I don't know if I'm gonna keep it or not, but usually I end up keeping the shows.

My first and only recorder to date is the Toshiba RD-SX34.

So far it has been perfect. Excellent PQ, never misses a recording, and more features than I'll ever use (at least at this time).

I HIGHLY recommend this machine.

Cons:

1.) Could use a better layout on the remote control.
2.) All those features means one actually has to read the manual. :rolleyes:
3.) The usual TVGOS issues. (I know, it's not a Toshiba issue but it still bears mentioning.)

Regarding TVGOS, I did not buy this machine because it had an EPG. I was looking to do manual setup of recordings (which this does flawlessly). However, when the EPG is working it is incredible.

Panasonic DMR-ES10 - my workhorse. This machine is used just to copy movies that were recorded on my Scientific Atlanta PVR/cablebox. It was my primary unit before I had a cablebox PVR, and the RAM media was nice, but with a HDD unit RAM is unnessesary.

Pioneer DVR-531. My bedroom unit - used mainly for the HDD for disposable sitcoms, also used for any archival recordings to DVD that need editing. I'm using it more often for movies as the hi speed copy is great for recordings under 2 hrs. Also great for copying DVD's that aren't encrypted with copy protection. Machine is a little noisy and I had many problems with EPG. Great machine otherwise.

Panasonic E85H - totally satisfied, except for two things - 1.) I wish they would get someone with a better understanding of the English language to compile their manuals, and 2.) I wish TVGOS worked with satellite.

Panasonic E100 - my workhorse
Panasonic E85 - still in the box, never been powered up and the warranty has expired.
Panasonic E95 - used last 4th of July when some programs I wanted were on at the same time.

My basic problem is a lack of shelf space to hold all 3 of these units. Someday I will get organized but for now I have 2 backups in case my E100 drops dead.

Dave

Pioneer DVR-520H
Pioneer DVR-633H-S (EPG disabled)
Pioneer PRV-9200

just one recorder -- Panasonic E20, though i also have a Pioneer 563A player for DVD-A/SACD enjoyment.

Toshiba RD-XS32.

It corrupted its hard drive. I bought another 80 gig drive on ebay in the admittedly unlikely hope that someday someone will have figured out how to recover the video. (But to give them a tiny bit of credit, the manual DOES spaz about doing lots of editing -- though I know almost exactly what I was doing when I had to power down and it corrupted.. If I can get the new hard drive to reformat, I am likely to try to reproduce the *hang* that I originally ran into which made me powerdown, which knowingly can cause it to format.)

I've also had two DVD-RAMs corrupt. One repeatedly so I've stopped using it.

Even with this many problems, I absolutely like the *feature set* of the recorder. If only they could have a more robust filesystem. (Basically, a Tivo with the editing capabilities of the XS32 would be worth $1K to me.)

Pioneer 531
Panny E85

Toshiba RD-KX50

It's a brand new machine; only been in the stores for a couple of weeks. You can get it at Best Buy for $399. I'm quite happy with it.

Panasonic:

Dmr-e20 (2)
Dmr-e30
Dmr-hs2
Dmr-e-80
Dmr-e-100
Dmr-es10

Sony:

Rdr-gx-300 (2)
Rdr-gx-315

Pioneer:

Dvr-310
Dvr-520

Panasonic
e30
e80 (2)
e75
Pioneer
220 (returned)
Liteon
5005 (returned)
Ilo
H04 (returned)
HD04
JOE

Phiips:
DVDR75 my first recorder, died after 18 months (600 DVDs).
DVDR77 (2) Poor remote control, Flexible units with fragile electronics.

Panasonic:
ES10 - good for VHS tape input, RAM editing ok, video editing sucks.

Ilo:
R04 - easy to use, compatability issues - returned.

Liteon:
5101 - many issues - returned.

Sony:
GX300 - well built, good video, video mode editing sucks - returned.

Pioneer:
225 - video mode editing sucks - returned.
531H - workhorse, no EPG for me, many useful adjustments, not perfect but easy to edit/use.

Toshiba:
Haven't tried one yet, but understand that they have the most DVD menu creation options by far, including chapter menu options.

Lack of decent burned DVD menu options is one of my major complaints with Sony, Pany and Pioneer. Even my old Philips 77 let me pick a DVD menu thumbnail AND background from within the video on it and shows the user no "unused/blank" menu choices. :rolleyes:

Phiips:
DVDR75 my first recorder, died after 18 months (600 DVDs).
DVDR77 (2) Poor remote control, Flexible units with fragile electronics.

Panasonic:
ES10 - good for VHS tape input, RAM editing ok, video editing sucks.

Ilo:
R04 - easy to use, compatability issues - returned.

Liteon:
5101 - many issues - returned.

Sony:
GX300 - well built, good video, video mode editing sucks - returned.

Pioneer:
225 - video mode editing sucks - returned.
531H - workhorse, no EPG for me, many useful adjustments, not perfect but easy to edit/use.

Toshiba:
Haven't tried one yet, but understand that they have the most DVD menu creation options by far, including chapter menu options.

Lack of decent burned DVD menu options is one of my major complaints with Sony, Pany and Pioneer. Even my old Philips 77 let me pick a DVD menu thumbnail AND background from within the video on it and shows the user no "unused/blank" menu choices. :rolleyes:
when you say video mode editing sucks when referring to a non hard drive recorder, I assume you are talking about trying to edit a DVD -R in video mode? Pretty much all recorders are limited in what editing you can do without a hard drive in that mode aren't they? Have you found a non hard drive recorder with significantly different editing options on a DVD -R in video mode?

True,
I should have said DVD-RW editing sucks in general compared to DVD+RW editing. The Philips, Ilo and LiteOn clones can edit fairly well on a video mode DVD+RW without a hard disk and no finalization is required to play the results on standalone DVD players.

I'm not recommending anyone buy the Philips et al. However, the ease of DVD+RW editing spoiled most of the DVD-R/RW non-HDD DVD recorder (Pany, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba) models for me . I was sorely disappointed when I found how little editing could be done on DVD-RW media, if you wanted to read it in a DVD player. VR mode??? Duh...

DVD-RAM is the only other DVD format besides DVD+RW that has decent editing and I don't have anything (player or PC) besides the Pany ES10 that will read/write DVD-RAM. So the DVD-RAM format is useless for me.

I'm not trying to start a off-topic flame war here... just my personal opinions...
;)

E-10 (paid Over 2k, And Blank Rams Were Around 16.00 At Discount)
E-20 (paid Close To A Grand)
Hs2
E-80
E-85 (my Least Favorite)
E-95
Pioneer 533 (i Really Like This Machine's Picture Quality)

Sony HX-900 (sold after 6 months)
Toshiba RD-XS54

Panasonic DMR-E55 (Christmas Gift For My Daughter). She loves it & it has been a real workhorse & it's still going strong :)

Panasonic HS2 - I only use it as a player or for time-shifting because of the black-level problem.

Panasonic E80 - I do all my editing and dubbing on it, but I get freeze-ups and blocking with 8x discs.

John

Liteon 5001 (died)
Pioneer 210 (died and returned to Costco) replaced with Panasonic E-10
Panasonic E-85
Panasonic E-95
Panasonic E-30 VHS combo unit
JVC DR-MX1 VHS / HDD combo unit
Go Video VR-3930 (unopened Black Friday purchase $147) VHS combo unit
(I have a lot of VHS to dub)
But most of my recording is now done directly on the PC via a Hauppage tuner card and Beyond TV software.

E-10 - (paid $399 from Amazon)
E-20 - (paid $650 and sold it for $450)
Hs2 - (paid $700 - lasted 4 months - sitting in closet)
E-80 - (Paid $600 in July 03 - has problems reading dvd-r's, dvd-roms, and dvd-ram) - still under warranty needs to be repaired
E-500 - (Paid $450 in July 05 - what can I say just love that 400 gig hd)

My first was a Toshiba DR-1. One of the first available DVD recorders.

The drive died in it, and after finding out that it would cost me over $300 for just the replacement drive, doing the labor myself, I decided to simply buy a new unit.

My second, and current, is a Toshiba RD-XS34.

| Oh, I almost forgot... I do have a LG DVD burner on my PC which supports DVD-RAMs. :D

Panasonic DMR E-95. Quite happy with it - no problems in almost a year.

Panasonic HS2 - I only use it as a player or for time-shifting because of the black-level problem.

Panasonic E80 - I do all my editing and dubbing on it, but I get freeze-ups and blocking with 8x discs.

John

Did you update the firmware?

E-500 - (Paid $450 in July 05 - what can I say just love that 400 gig hd)

You got a good price. I paid $550 last August...400 gigs is XP heaven... :D

Only one so far: Panasonic ES20. Got it two months ago, and have been using heavily (150 discs so far).

Planning for a hard disc based model in 12-18 months or so, at which point I will be using the ES20 mainly for unedited VHS-to-DVD transfers, tuner recordings, and as a backup.

Did you update the firmware?

I don't have a burner on my computer to download the upgrades and I haven't been able to get Panasonic to send them by mail.

John

I don't have a burner on my computer to download the upgrades and I haven't been able to get Panasonic to send them by mail.

John

I think that I responded to a post of yours in another thread. Try and get someone to burn the CD for you.

Pioneer 520H

Very easy to use, editing capabilities seem good

Unable to duplicate some personal DVD's ... don't know why
--------
off topic.... what is the easiest way to copy a few minutes off a commercial dvd?
dvd shrink onto dvd -rw... and then on to HD?

I have the DMR-ES10. Just a starter unit to see if DVD recording was going to work for me. I have a TiVo I use for disposable programs, so the DVD recorder is for travel programs, mostly movies.

Liteon 5045 (ret'd to Costco)

Liteon's editing was very time-consuming and difficult. Worst problem was that the HDD became corrupted, retaining the file headers & thumbnails, but lost access to the actual content. In Microsoft OS terms, this seemed like the disk directory became completely detached from physical file locations. Gave up and returned the unit to Costco. (Owned from May'05 until Nov'05, but only used for about 60 days).


Pioneer DVR-633H-S (EPG disabled) Excellent PQ, hard drive edit, high speed dubbing, DL is bonus.

My primary capture is via DirecTiVo, so I don't need EPG, disk is silent with it disabled. Pioneer is used only for manual recordings from TiVo, converting camcorder tapes to DVD, or VHS dubs, flawless so far. Editing on the Pioneer is a magnitude beyond the Liteon, very user friendly. (Received in Dec'05, used for one month)

1. Panny EH-50: Had this about 6 months now with zero problems, except for the TV Guide-Cablevision problem, but since I just discovered this forum, I've learned I'm not the crazy one and disabled that feature. This was a replacement machine I received from Panasonic after my previous one (the EH-50 predecessor, can't remember the model number) was in the shop several time for board and drive failures. Panny finally figured it was easier to replace my machine than keep fixing it. Until then, I never would have bought another Panny, but I'm very happy with this one.

2. Go-Video R6750: Only have this because it was $99 about a year ago and I was looking to replace a dying Sony DVD player in the bedroom. Since it doesn't have an HD, I only use it to dub camcorder tapes and occasionally tape things I don't need edited or in high quality, such as Tivo'd program to show somebody.

Panasonic DMR E80H (2)
Pioneer DVR 520H
Pioneer DVR 420H
Pioneer DVR 531H
Panasonic DMR ES30V (2)

My favorite for overall ease of use is the Pioneer 420H, with the 520H a close second. My favorite for PQ is the Pioneer 531H, but its user interface is very cumbersome.
The ES30s save a lot of time in transferring video tape that I don't need to edit. Dubbing is much faster in terms of operator time than dubbing tapes using a HDD recorder. For editing, while the ES30 does allow more options than I had anticipated, a hard drive recorder is still the way to go.

doxtorRay,

What differentiates the 420 from the 520 besides the FireWire/DV port? I had the impression that they were otherwise the same.

All Panasonic models for me, dating back to early 2002 if I recall correctly

E20 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E30 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E50 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

HS2 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine, I had two of these and I
gave one to my brother)

E80 (3, one now just sitting on a shelf, one used exclusively for my daughter playroom, recording the Disney channel and playing back a lot of discs, it's a real workhorse)

E85 (3)

E95 (3, 1 is still new in the box and may end up on EBAY)

E500(1 - $449 at Buy.com was just too much of a bargain to pass up, I wish I had gotten two of them!!)

EH50(3)

I really like the EH50 a lot, if we could just add the 400 gig hard drive from the E500 in the EH50 I'd be pretty happy with things. And yes, I know I'm crazy for having so many recorders, even my wife has stopped mentioning it anymore, so she knows I'm hopeless.

All Panasonic models for me, dating back to early 2002 if I recall correctly

E20 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E30 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E50 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

HS2 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine, I had two of these and I
gave one to my brother)

E80 (3, one now just sitting on a shelf, one used exclusively for my daughter playroom, recording the Disney channel and playing back a lot of discs, it's a real workhorse)

E85 (3)

E95 (3, 1 is still new in the box and may end up on EBAY)

E500(1 - $449 at Buy.com was just too much of a bargain to pass up, I wish I had gotten two of them!!)

EH50(3)

I really like the EH50 a lot, if we could just add the 400 gig hard drive from the E500 in the EH50 I'd be pretty happy with things. And yes, I know I'm crazy for having so many recorders, even my wife has stopped mentioning it anymore, so she knows I'm hopeless.

You are the King of DVD recorders...!!! :D

Panasonic E80H
Panasonic E10S
Plextor 716A (PC)
Plextor 740A (PC)

Pioneer DVR-633H-S

Sony DRU500A (PC) Best in class for it's time
Sony DRU710A (PC) Lite-on based and they lost the recipe
Plextor PA716A (PC) Totally awesome

SA 8300HD Non-DVD DVR from TWC

All Panasonic models for me, dating back to early 2002 if I recall correctly

E20 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E30 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

E50 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine)

HS2 (now collecting dust on a shelf, but still works just fine, I had two of these and I
gave one to my brother)

E80 (3, one now just sitting on a shelf, one used exclusively for my daughter playroom, recording the Disney channel and playing back a lot of discs, it's a real workhorse)

E85 (3)

E95 (3, 1 is still new in the box and may end up on EBAY)

E500(1 - $449 at Buy.com was just too much of a bargain to pass up, I wish I had gotten two of them!!)

EH50(3)

I really like the EH50 a lot, if we could just add the 400 gig hard drive from the E500 in the EH50 I'd be pretty happy with things. And yes, I know I'm crazy for having so many recorders, even my wife has stopped mentioning it anymore, so she knows I'm hopeless.
How many TVs do you have and can you possibly have enough tuner sources to feed all these? Do you have 10 different satellite hookups or something?

Panny HS2 (just replaced DVD drive - works perfectly)
Panny E85 (works great - never had a problem)
Panny RP82 (all copy protection removed)
Panny RP27

PC Hardware: (all read/write +/-R, +/-RW and RAM)
Iomega Superdrive (internal)
Qty 2 --- LG 5163A (external -- dual layer)

First machine in 2002 was the Philips DVDR-985...I just loved the component inputs
It lasted about 2 years with very heavy use (mostly Direct TiVo recordings of NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and some HBO programs and of course "24"..I don't edit much so it was a very good machine for me..
In early 2004 I bought the Sony RDR-GX-7. I have been very pleased with the PQ in both recording and playback. Recording Hi-Def looks very good (not really HiDef, I know) and as I said, I do not edit much and use the GX-7 mostly for dubbing down TiVo recordings and some DV to DVD as well
About a week ago I was looking for a second recorder for a rather modest setup in the bedroom (40HR Series 2 TiVo, Digital Cable, Sony Wega CRT) and was very lucky to pick up a brand new in sealed box Sony RDR-GX300 for just $98 on Clearance at Tweeter...
I have been very pleased with it and aside from not having the "Firewire" or "iLink" input, it has been perfect....I had several dozen +R discs from my Philips days and couldn't use them until now...I like the fact that this recorder is extremely well built, performs well, has outstanding PQ and records all four single layer formats (DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW)...
My next machine will be a dual layer recorder perhaps in the late fall of 2006...

How many TVs do you have and can you possibly have enough tuner sources to feed all these? Do you have 10 different satellite hookups or something?

I have 4 TV's throughout the house and 7 of the recorders currently connected to a tuner, but just regular cable TV with a lot of splitters and a good amplifier and then two digital cable boxes for recording premium channels. In reality I'm only recording on maybe 4 of the units on any given day and sometimes not even that. The other recorders that I do have set up are mainly used for dubbing and editing from VHS tapes.

Hi Bill,

Is this the one with the 200GB hard drive. what do you record? I am interested in the dmr-eh55s and don't know if this is the same model as yours. I want to record from directv hd dvr HR20-700 and was wondering if you ever recorded tv episodes.

Any feedback is much appreciated and thank you,.

I'm not Bill, but Bill1313 was referring to an earlier model Panasonic w/o the HDD (the E55 vs. the EH55). The EH55 had not even been released at the time. Before your post (and mine), the last post to this thread was January 2006!. If you still want to contact Bill1313 you would have more luck posting in a more recent thread or sending him a PM directly.

Good luck.

P.S. Do a scan of recent threads here, I think there is one dedicated to the EH55 (besides the EH55 VS. EH50 thread you posted to) http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=684277 and those folks may be able to relate their experiences recording from a HD DVR box. Also, you may want to check out the thread titled It's all about the input - Recording Widescreen here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=736599

I own the cousin to the EH55, the EH75 (has a built-in VHS deck in addition to the HDD and DVD burner). Since the Pannys only have S-video and composite inputs, it might be hard to record an anamorphic 16:9 HD feed since they are usually output from these HD boxes via component outputs (the s-video/composite outputs are usually letterboxed). If you just want to record letterboxed/4:3 HD or if your DVR outputs anamorphic 16:9 on s-video then the Panny should work OK as long as you record to DVD-RAM (there are some other gotcha's if you record to other DVD types> search on Keywords such as "setting 16:9 flags" for further info).

Panny E-85

Panasonic DMR-E85H, bought almost exactly two years ago. Initially it recorded analog broadcasts directly off the air (I don't have cable or satellite), but now I record via the line inputs from my Sony HD DVRs, since I've switched to OTA digital.

Even though I don't use it for DVR-type functions any more (timeshifting, chase play), it still gets a lot of use for archiving: two daily syndicated series, plus two weekly series, plus occasional specials, plus (right now) the World Series. (Go Tigers! :) )

two Liteon LVW 5005
ReplayTV RTV 5040

I own the following:

SD: Panasonic DMR-E80H
HD: Sony DHG-HDD250 (x2) - this is a DVR only.
VHS: Panasonic VCR (circa 2005 with only 3 uses since new)

Panasonic E80H, for timeshifting and archiving. Sure wish it could HS dub playlists.

Panny ES20, for when I want to record two shows at once. <$100.

Updated from my orginal response in this thread. :o

Philips:
DVDR75 my first recorder, died after 18 months (600 DVDs).
DVDR77 (2) Poor remote control, Flexible units with fragile electronics.

Panasonic:
ES10 - good for VHS tape input, RAM editing ok, video editing sucks.
update:
ES15- tried/returned it, no improvements for me over ES10.


Ilo:
R04 - easy to use, compatability issues - returned.

Liteon:
5101 - many issues - returned.

Sony:
GX300 - well built, good video, video mode editing sucks - returned.

Update:
Polaroid 2001G hdd recorder..Tried an "D" build for a few days, had a lot of problems and returned it. Currently have a "G" build model and everything seems to work on it. The remote is accepable, picture quality is good from component in. Have time shift shut off. Issues are: Very short title names, no image adjustments, VR only recording mode and mpeg audio (not AC3). However it has decent DV input and provides lot of bang for the buck. :)

Pioneer:
225 - video mode editing sucks - returned.
531H - workhorse, no EPG for me, many useful adjustments, not perfect but easy to edit/use. Easily controlled from my cable STB. :)

update: added a Pioneer 640H to my collection, missing some features from the 531H but has better extended time (2:30+) recording quality. Works nicely in my setup using the the 531Hs remote control.

Toshiba:
Haven't tried one yet, but understand that they have the most DVD menu creation options by far, including chapter menu options.

update: Tried and returned Toshiba Xs35 hdd recorder.. had a lot of features, "false positive" copy protection on my cable system, had a disk fragmentaion problem after editing a few movies on the HDD. complicated to learn "hidden" menu system. :rolleyes:

Lack of decent burned DVD menu options is one of my major complaints with Sony, Pany and Pioneer. Even my old Philips 77 let me pick a DVD menu thumbnail AND background from within the video on it and shows the user no "unused/blank" menu choices on a finalized DVD.

Hi All,

Only one - Toshiba RD-XS55. It was given to me as a Father's Day gift from my lovely,wonderful wife!Editing is a breeze.And even more so from my PC,making it more easy to perform all functions from the unit.I never used the "email recording" function,I see no need for it(personally).

Panasonic E30 - gone
Cyberhome 1600 (2) *
Samsung R100
Samsung R120 - gone
Samsung R130 - gone
Polaroid 2001G (2)
Toshiba DR-K2 (2)*
Toshiba DR5

* I picked these up "as is" on eslay and repaired/replaced the drives. I've got about $35 into each plus shipping. They work as new but the Cyberhomes are a ticking time bomb. The D-KR2's are excellent machines.

The Polaroids are nice machines for a lower end HDD model.

The Samsungs bothered me because of the recording modes.; There's a big gap in my mind. 1-2-4... hours. I could never get the flex record to truely work using a time record. If the recording was 2:15 long the flex feature would record in 4 hour mode. Perhaps I was doing something wrong.

The Toshiba R5 is a nice machine with HDMI upconvert for an HD television I have. This newer Toshiba has moved to recording modes as opposed to the D-KR2's which allow me to set the bit rate. I actually like the D-KR2's better because they offer more options/features.

Philips DVDR 75 (still working, but getting a bit tempermental when cold)
Pio 520H (love it...works great)
Pio 640HS (just delivered yesterday) :) :)

Sony RDR-HX900
Sony RDR-HX715

My first and only recorder (post-VCR era) is a Toshiba RD-XS34 that I've had for nearly two years.

Yeah, the TVGOS has been hit and miss (mostly miss) but I did not buy the XS34 for that. My son is homeschooled and receives many of his classes, both live and recorded, via satellite. After many years of getting out of bed in the wee hours of the night to swap VHS tapes for multi-hour blockfeeds, I decided it was time to find something more convenient and reliable (I sometimes forgot to swap out full tapes or wasn't home to do it). I had previously burned through many VCRs and had seen the steady decline in brands like JVC that I once respected.

We are now in our second school year of HDD recording and, overall, things have been going well. The non-live classes are broadcast twice per week in 1.5 to 2.5 hour blocks so I usually have a backup in case one of the feeds was bad due to weather (common) or technical (less common) issues. I review the blockfeeds, chapter dividing and labeling the title into the usual 5 classes and then I delete the second feed if the first one is clean.

This is the primary use for the XS34 and it is generally recording about 20 hours a week plus a few time-shifting jobs for NCIS, 24, and other assorted TV shows.

A couple times per year, the recording function will stop working without warning but a quick power cycle (unplug) will restore operation.

I have also burned many DVDs with the XS34 and have lately found that Staples DVD-R discs have been reliable.

Ken

In order of purchase. Still own/use all three daily.

1- Panasonic DMR-ES10K.

No HDD. Capable of recording and playback of all Formats except DVD+RW. Daily "throwaways" recorder using RAM so I can chase play/speed play. Fast erase with RAM discs. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

2- Philips DVDR 3455/37

160 gb HDD. No DVD Ram support. Main unit for editing and archiving titles to DVD +/-R.

3- SV2000 WV20V6

DVD/VHS no HDD. Made by Funai. No DVD-RAM support. Use to archive VHS to DVD and for daily "throwawy" recording. Has rapid play feature. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

Lite On 5007

My first and only. I have had some problems with this machine, but it is good for time shifting TV shows. Whenever it starts acting up, a firmware reinstall has fixed it. Lately though, it's been kinda hesitant to eject discs... maybe it's finally starting to die so I can get a new DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner. I'll miss the TV Guide though, I haven't seen a ATSC tuner equipped DVDR with built in TV Guide yet.

Jay

Panasonic ES-10 (Set up at home, still going strong)

Panasonic ES-15 - Travels with me by car all over Nevada and Southern California. Another workhorse. Has to deal with hotel cable systems and an RF converter. Other than extremely minor issues, satisfies me every time.

Got a new SV2000 WV20V6 by mail from Wally World. Couldn't pass up $57 + shipping. Still in the box!

Brand new (refurbished) Samsung VR330 that I got for a bedroom unit. Still checking it out. So far, so good for the price. ($99 with $20 rebate from Tiger Direct).

Had briefly: A small Lite-On that I sold to a friend, and the Magnavox currently running around $99 at Wal-Mart. Both good machines with some limitations.

crabboy, I love my ES10K. It has been a rock, and I love the sweet, sleek, shiny black look of it. Almost everything else available was silver when I bought mine.

crabboy, I love my ES10K. It has been a rock, and I love the sweet, sleek, shiny black look of it. Almost everything else available was silver when I bought mine.

A rock is right. Mine's silver, but I don't mind.

Sony RDR-HX900
(2) Toshiba RD-XS55
Toshiba RD-XS35
Panasonic DMR-E85
(2)Sony RDR-GX300
Pioneer 531 (Sold)
Panasonic DMR-ES25S

Out of all of these Toshiba Leads the way with the Sonys Second.

Panasonic DMR ES-10

Love the DVD-RAM capablity, and three inputs. Still works great after nearly 2 years.

Downsides: no HDD and no bulit-in ATSC tuner.

Just hope the upcoming ATSC-equipted recorders are as solid.

I'll break up the Panasonic fan club.

1 - Samsung DVD-R130 5/06-1/07; lets just say I got rid of it
2 - same model 1/07 to present.

First one developed problems nobody could help me figure out; it gave me a headache, learned a good lesson about not throwing out source material. Bought a new one same model, because I do like it, it's black, and the picture quality, at least on my standard def JVC 20" TV, is outstanding. It even makes my TV sound better. I wish I could buy the Samsung hard drive version they sell in Britain, the HR730, and I would except I'm afraid the tuner would be in PAL rather than NTSC. Anyway, so far, so good with the new one, I almost expect I'll be buying another one by Labor Day if not sooner. We'll see.

In order of purchase. Still own/use all four daily.

1- Panasonic DMR-ES10K.

No HDD. Capable of recording and playback of all Formats except DVD+RW. Daily "throwaways" recorder using RAM so I can chase play/speed play. Fast erase with RAM discs. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

2- Philips DVDR 3455/37

160 gb HDD. No DVD Ram support. Main unit for editing and archiving titles to DVD +/-R.

3- SV2000 WV20V6

DVD/VHS no HDD. Made by Funai. No DVD-RAM support. Use to archive VHS to DVD and for daily "throwawy" recording. Has rapid play feature. Also use as a backup for important "1 shot only" recordings such as basketball games.

4- Add the Sylvania HDRV200F. Made by Funai, and very similar to the SV2000, but limited to -R and -RW discs and adds a 160gb HDD. I like it. Has some shortcomings, but edits are much nicer than with my Philips, and no "Skipping Problem" when playing back edited DVDs on other players. Wish I could say the same for the Philips. :( Due to not having the "Skip Problem", and better editing, the Sylvania has become my new Main Drive for editing and archiving Titles to DVD.

LITE-ON HD-A760GX
Polaroid DRM-2001G (Retired)

i started w/ SANYO (dont know model #) from wally world, july 04, the laser fried itself after a month and the pause function ruined the recording, didnt work properly.

next was TOSHIBA dr2 which is basically xcellent, ran it mercilessly for 18 mos, fried transport, sent it off to lowell, ma for new transport, its now 2 1/2 + years old and working so well that i searched the net for another one, found it, bought it for a c note (the 1st was 2.6 c notes), the reason i like these machines is they properly record anamorphic/letterbox dvds.

my newest is PANASONIC dmr es-15, which is great for 4:3 stuff and movies over 130 mins. u can add black to the input (& output) signal which sometimes really helps. it also relieves a lot of the load off the dr2s which will hopefully let the machines last longer.

im hoping the new 07 pannys and other makers will have 16x9/4x3 recording options.<<<<< SEE THIS DVD RECORDER MANUFACTURERS?!

so currently:
2 toshiba dr2s
1 panasonic es15.

Panasonic Fan Club Time:

E50 (1)
ES10 (2)
ES15 (3)
E85H (1) (Bought as-is on the internet & will be sending to Panasonic for flat rate repair)
EH50 (2) (Bought 1 brand new in 2005 & 2 weeks ago found one in perfect brand new condition in original box for get this: $50! The guy who sold it to me works for Panasonic & had it in the box for 3 years because the TV Guide feature doesn't work with sattelite. Lucky me!

I thought this might be an easy reference guide if we put a list all in one place, so that when people have a question about a particular recorder they know who to ask. Of course, for that reason we may get some people who don't want to list their recorders, but lets give it a shot. And by "own" I mean have used for more than a week or so and then returned--lets say a minimum of one month as a baseline. Let's keep it to standalone DVD recorders to avoid confusion with PVRs.

Me--Pioneer 520H
Sony GX300
Samsung DVD-R130 - owned for over 2 years. May soon replace it for one with a digital tuner, however am currently running a Magnavox digital box through it. Records well, and as a player it does well for my needs. Still own SDTV.

CURRENT own,dmr-e10 just bought brand new for 150.00 , 1 DMR-EH50, 5-dmr-e20's, 2-dmr-eh55, 3-dmr-eh75vs, I ALSO have spare HDDS FOR ALL OF THEM.....AND SPARE BURNERS........LOVE THEM ALL..

Toshiba D-R1
Toshiba D-R2
Pioneer DVR-640H-S
Philips DVDR-3575H

Have loved all four of them, only use the Pioneer and Philips now.

Have:

Pioneer 510
Pioneer 531
Pioneer 540
Pioneer 450

Had:

JVC DRM100
JVC DRMV5
Pioneer 633
Pioneer 640
Toshiba RD-SX32
Toshiba RD-X20
Phillips 3576

Most of the Pioneers were purchased VERY cheaply as "broken as-is" and then repaired by me using tips from online forums. I reckon I've saved hundreds of dollars this way. The JVCs were good for awhile but became less appealing due to no HDD, the Phillips was really nice but difficult for me to integrate into an all-Pio system, I sold it after realizing I didn't use its ATSC tuner much (I'm cable dependent for a signal). The Toshibas were incredible units but I gave up on trying to repair them when they suffered meltdowns (this was before extensive threads appeared here with advice for fixing them- otherwise I might still have those :().

Toshiba RD-XS52
Toshiba RD-KX50

Toshiba D-R5 (Best DivX player ever, solid, well built machine, easy to use, great PQ, a favorite of mine)
Toshiba D-R400 (Nice all around unit, cheap, skimpy features, plays DivX well)
Toshiba D-KR10 (Same as the D-R400, decent pq, no tuner)
Toshiba RD-XS35 (Excellent unit, great editing features and PQ)
Toshiba RD-XS55 (Same, bigger HD, networking)
Sony HX-900 (One of the best ever built IMHO, outstanding PQ, maybe the best ever?)
Phillips 3575 (Haven't used it much yet)
Liteon 5005 (In the closet for now, Records anything, but basically a cheap unit, Nice EZ-Guider menu system, cut my teeth on it, but mono tuner, ugh! Does record CD's - a nice feature.)

1 Panasonic DMR ES25
1 Panasonic DMR EZ27
2 Liteon LVW 5005 (drives replaced)
1 LG RC797T

Had
1 APEX 9000
1 Panasonic DMR ES15

i started w/ SANYO (dont know model #) from wally world, july 04, the laser fried itself after a month and the pause function ruined the recording, didnt work properly.

next was TOSHIBA dr2 which is basically xcellent, ran it mercilessly for 18 mos, fried transport, sent it off to lowell, ma for new transport, its now 2 1/2 + years old and working so well that i searched the net for another one, found it, bought it for a c note (the 1st was 2.6 c notes), the reason i like these machines is they properly record anamorphic/letterbox dvds.

my newest is PANASONIC dmr es-15, which is great for 4:3 stuff and movies over 130 mins. u can add black to the input (& output) signal which sometimes really helps. it also relieves a lot of the load off the dr2s which will hopefully let the machines last longer.

im hoping the new 07 pannys and other makers will have 16x9/4x3 recording options.<<<<< SEE THIS DVD RECORDER MANUFACTURERS?!

a year ago, i added a PRESIDIAN dvdr. it was under $50 @ radio shack, couldnt pass it up.
i recently bartered it away. worked pretty good.

CURRENT own,dmr-e10 just bought brand new for 150.00 , 1 DMR-EH50, 5-dmr-e20's, 2-dmr-eh55, 3-dmr-eh75vs, I ALSO have spare HDDS FOR ALL OF THEM.....AND SPARE BURNERS........LOVE THEM ALL..

Many of my Panasonics (and a Philips 3575) are described and pictured in this and the following posts:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14568295#post14568295

Since these posts I have reconfigured my "recording centers." The Philips 3575 was moved to the bedroom and the bedroom DMR-ES30V has been set aside for standby service. The Philips is now a master with the RF feed from the Comcast Motorola box. There are now two DMR-ES15 models in daily use in the bedroom. As before, the Philips feeds its amplified RF output to a DMR-EZ17 slave in the home office. The Toshiba M745 VCR from the home office has been set aside for standby service.

I have just added a fifth DMR-ES35V. This one appears in every respect to be new, now serviced and set aside for rotation into regular use. A DMR-EZ28 "in good working order" will arrive within a few days.

That totals fourteen functional Panasonics, three Panasonic parts machines, and the Philips:

(2) DMR-ES30V (2005)
(1) DMR-ES40V (2005)
(5) DMR-ES35V (2006)
(3) DMR-ES15 (2006)
(2) DMR-EZ17 (2007)
(1) DMR-EZ28 (2008)

(1) Philips DVDR3575H/37B (2007)

(2) DMR-ES35V parts machines
(1) DMR-ES15 parts machine

Have(all Pannys):
'06 ES-15 (3)
'06 ES-25 (1)
'05 ES-30 (4)
'07 Canadian EH-55 (1)
All are in occasional use except a ES-15 not being used. The EH-55 accounts for ~90% of my current use.

Had:
'05 Panny ES-20 (lacked features, returned it)
'07 Panny EZ-17 (5) they all DIED! Exchanged all except last one which I got money back for. Total POS, IMO.
'07 Panny EZ-27 died, returned
'05 ILO, returned poor PQ
'05 Sony, returned, poor PQ, quirky
'05 Cyberhome 1600(I think), Poor PQ,
'05 Centrios, returned, Poor PQ
'05 Pio ??? DVR/VHS model, Poor PQ LP
'05 Liteon 505, returned, Poor PQ
'05 LG LRA516, returned, Poor PQ
'06 Sony RDRGX315, returned, Poor PQ
'07 Philips 3575, gave to father who's loving it. I had poor contrast and didn't like PQ in speeds 2 1/2 hrs/disc & over.
'08 Panny EZ-28 (3) returned, never died but too quirky for me. Missed several events.

My god! I've returned 18 DVDRs :eek:but ended up not returning 10. My odds would have been better if not for that damn Panny x7 series;)
In hind site I would have liked to try a XS series Toshiba and maybe a decent Pio, probably not one with TVGOS though:D
My next purchase will probably be a TR-50, if the initial reviews aren't too bad, although I get a pretty darn good picture with my EH-55 and CM-7000 CECB. Makes waiting bearable. If I didn't have a CECB or a digital tuner DVDR I'd probably have a Sony DHG-HDD250/500. I can't stand to record SD anymore:cool:

If I had have only 1 DVDR(and no CECBs) I'd probably have a EZ-28, but I'd sure miss the HDD.
DVDRECORERJUNKIE-Thanks for keeping this thread out of the archives, kind of a fun idea.

Digado, whats up with the EZ-28?, not a bad unit and if I had to only have 1 DVDR(and no CECBs) I'd probably have a EZ-28, but I'd sure miss the HDD.

Jeff,

The EZ28 is somewhat of an insurance policy as it may be swapped into the place of an EZ17 when one of them gives out. The EZ28, purchased at a very reasonable price, may be set aside for standby use or set up as a slave to a Zenith DTT900 converter box to free up the ES35 for exclusive dubbing use.

I need at least two machines with digital tuners in my home office. One EZ17 is the number four machine enslaved to TCM (through RF pass through from the Philips 3575 in the next room) or this EZ17 may be connected to a direct Comcast coaxial feed through an A/B switch. The other EZ17 is on a direct Comcast coaxial feed.

The ES35 is also on a direct Comcast coaxial feed with an input set to the Zenith DTT900. After setting aside the Toshiba VCR the ES35 is my only currently active VHS dubbing setup. The ES35 also feeds its RF output to a stand alone RCA CRT TV.

All three of the current home office DVD recorders may feed the Dynex HD LCD TV through direct component or switched composite connections through a Pelican System Selector that has a variety of inputs/outputs. The Pelican accommodates four DVD recorder inputs. If I run four Panasonics in the home office I may set up the ES35 somewhat offset to avoid remote conflicts with the other three Panasonics. The practical benefit to this arrangement is that a single remote may control two Panasonic recorders. I expect to use my EUR7659T70 remote that has a Drive Select button (a remote supplied for my second EZ17) for the ES35 as well as the EZ28 (where the Drive Select button is used for switching to the memory card). The EZ28 remote seems nearly the same as the EUR7659T70 except that it substitutes FAVORITE for DELETE. The other EZ17 is using its original EUR7659T50 remote. The "new" EZ28 doesn't include a remote.

You caught me:o I had deleted my OT question shortly after posting, but you must have quoted it before I had time. Anyway I wish you luck with your EZ-28 and think you'll find it less buggy that your EZ-17s.
Now all we have to do is get you into a HDD Panny. Once you do you'll wonder how you ever lived without one for so long:D
BTW if my count is correct, after reading this whole thread, I think you're "king" of the DVDR count:cool:
I think I may have had that title for VCRs but lately have been selling many off. Gotta keep the classics though.

Man, there are some serious recording junkies out there.

I have the Toshiba XS32 and DKR2. Have bought and returned the Philips 3575 due to strange PQ issues with my equipment.

The XS32 is now on its third HDD (160GB Maxtor) but not due to anything other than full capacity on the original 80GB and the replacement Seagate 160GB. Have never experienced any HDD errors of any kind while recording or editing, even though I routinely keep the HDDs full and often quick edit in a chop/shop kind of way. Rarely use the formal editing features so plentiful on this machine but love them when I need them. Have also replaced the burner as the OEM burner is a POS and finally settled on an LG model which can read and record everything. Same model OEM DKR2 burner has also been replaced with an older LG warhorse.

Am starting to encounter more and more Copy Once flags on even analog channels from the Comcast HD DVR so useful life seems to be waning some. Oh well.

In order of acquisition:

Aspire (don't recall model) Returned after about month
Emerson EWR10D4 -
Pioneer 531 (Hard Disk corrupted - out of service)
Magnavox 2080
Philips 3575
Magnavox 2160.

The Emerson if by far the oldest (must be getting close to 4 -5 years by now). For last year has been used only occasinally.

(I believe that other than the Pioneer - all of the above are actually built by Funai Corp).

Rick

Am starting to encounter more and more Copy Once flags on even analog channels from the Comcast HD DVR so useful life seems to be waning some.Even with your older units? That's disappointing to hear.

You should look into one of those video filters.

Unless some of these people that own a ton of units are into some heavy duplicating, I don't know if they're necessarily "recording junkies" as much as "recorder-owning junkies".

I don't know if they're necessarily "recording junkies" as much as "recorder-owning junkies".

:D:DThat would be me:o

Thanks Rammitinski, I have been considering getting a filter now that Copy Protection is becoming more of a problem. I have to say I was quite surprised to encounter it even on some TNT HD older programming. Latest surprise came from a recording of 'Stealing Beauty' from an SD Movie channel, forget which one. It's weird...sometimes it's one recording after another...then nothing shows up for awhile.

jjeff...does your wife know about this love affair? :p

Unless some of these people that own a ton of units are into some heavy duplicating, I don't know if they're necessarily "recording junkies" as much as "recorder-owning junkies".
Hey! I resemble that remark. My wife would certainly agree with your assessment, but she has 12 place settings of china, I am just past half way there in DVD recorders.:D

Unless some of these people that own a ton of units are into some heavy duplicating, I don't know if they're necessarily "recording junkies" as much as "recorder-owning junkies".

The DVD recorders and combo recorders are used for time-shifting from TCM my favorite early talkies through the film noir era. I also copied selected portions (around 5,200 titles) of my near twenty years of home-recorded videotaped recordings to DVD. These were mostly from The Nostalgia Channel in the 1980's and AMC in the 1990's. Today my home-recorded DVD index has around 19,300 titles, all time-shifted or dubbed recordings.

Along the way I have turned into a "recorder-owning junkie." Some of my machines have needed a little TLC to keep them going with the huge demands placed upon them. Along with my daughter and the cat these machines have become my "babies." (Well, actually, the cat thinks of me as "grandpa.")

Somehow I had a feeling exactly which ones of you were going to respond to my comment. ;)

DigaDo - I wish I could have a cat or a dog myself right now, but it's not really feasible. I've taken to buying the cheapest dry dog food I can find from Aldi and feeding the raccoons in the back of my house at night. I've brought up two different "families" in the last two summers. The neighbors hate me for attracting them, but they seem to forget that before I started feeding them, they were a bigger terror getting into their garbage (I've got woods across the way from me where they live). Now, the only time they do that is when I stop. They should really be thanking me, but you know how cranky some neighbors can be. I wait 'till it's completely dark and do it on the sly.

Those are really my only "babies" right now.

Somehow I had a feeling exactly which ones of you were going to respond to my comment. ;)

DigaDo - I wish I could have a cat or a dog myself right now, but it's not really feasible. I've taken to buying the cheapest dry dog food I can find from Aldi and feeding the raccoons in the back of my house at night. I've brought up two different "families" in the last two summers. The neighbors hate me for attracting them, but they seem to forget that before I started feeding them, they were a bigger terror getting into their garbage (I've got woods across the way from me where they live). Now, the only time they do that is when I stop. They should really be thanking me, but you know how cranky some neighbors can be. I wait 'till it's completely dark and do it on the sly.

Those are really my only "babies" right now.

Some years back on a visit to the coast the racoons came right through the open patio door into the kitchen to beg for food while we stood around in amazement. Perhaps they were also seeking sanctuary from the neighborhood coyote.

My parts machine ("babies") have the honor of a special sticker. This is DMR-ES35V parts machine #1:

The DVD recorders and combo recorders are used for time-shifting from TCM my favorite early talkies through the film noir era. I also copied selected portions (around 5,200 titles) of my near twenty years of home-recorded videotaped recordings to DVD.

Ditto.Ditto. Ditto.:D Except my backlog of VHS that needs to be transferred is closer to 3,500 than your near-20,000:eek:. I'm actually very glad I haven't gotten around to a lot of my old AMC stuff yet: my current Pioneer recorders are much better encoding cable TV sourced VHS than my JVCs ever were. Have you noticed a sudden drastic drop in TCM image quality in the last few weeks? They used to have a nice clean signal, now its nothing but overcompression to the point that backgrounds in B/W classics shift like a heartbeat: left, right, left, right. Its obscene that Turner tolerates this and isn't kicking up a fuss with Time Warner about it, although they aren't alone: aside from the major networks and the premium channels, all of basic digital cable has now dropped to the equivalent of an 8-hour DVD-5 here in New York City. Disgusting. If this keeps up I won't have any need for multiple recorders after I finish dubbing my tapes.:mad:

Ditto.Ditto. Ditto.:D Except my backlog of VHS that needs to be transferred is closer to 3,500 than your near-20,000:eek:. I'm actually very glad I haven't gotten around to a lot of my old AMC stuff yet: my current Pioneer recorders are much better encoding cable TV sourced VHS than my JVCs ever were. Have you noticed a sudden drastic drop in TCM image quality in the last few weeks? They used to have a nice clean signal, now its nothing but overcompression to the point that backgrounds in B/W classics shift like a heartbeat: left, right, left, right. Its obscene that Turner tolerates this and isn't kicking up a fuss with Time Warner about it, although they aren't alone: aside from the major networks and the premium channels, all of basic digital cable has now dropped to the equivalent of an 8-hour DVD-5 here in New York City. Disgusting. If this keeps up I won't have any need for multiple recorders after I finish dubbing my tapes.:mad:

Viewer difficulties with TCM quality come up with some frequency on the TCM message board. TCM has a few of their people that respond to posts from time to time. Tcmprogrammer has mentioned that TCM output is of the best quality they may provide (short of HD) but, of course, TCM has no control of downstream signal quality once it's delivered to satellite and cable providers.

We also have Comcast HD and OTA HD in our household so we may compare signal quality. We have noticed problems related to compression/bandwidth with our local Comcast service. Some of our local OTA broadcast stations are transmitting as many as five subchannels (one of which is HD) so compression/bandwidth is also an issue with broadcast stations. The clamor is for "more HD channels" with little emphasis on "quality." Our local AVS Forum OTA and Comcast threads have regular discussions of these matters. I expect that these discussions of signal quality are also common elsewhere.

I've recently added a fifth DMR-ES35V (in new condition), a DMR-EZ28 (in new condition) and a third DMR-EZ17 (that appears to be in "good-enough" condition--EZ17 owners know what I mean by "good-enough").

That totals fifteen functional Panasonics, three Panasonic parts machines, and the Philips:

(2) DMR-ES30V (2005)
(1) DMR-ES40V (2005)
(5) DMR-ES35V (2006)
(3) DMR-ES15 (2006)
(3) DMR-EZ17 (2007)
(1) DMR-EZ28 (2008)

(1) Philips DVDR3575H/37B (2007)

(2) DMR-ES35V parts machines
(1) DMR-ES15 parts machine