Wife said maybe we should get recorder, but has to have vcr
Just starting to get info on different brands and features.
Would like to copy vcr to dvd.
Would like to copy dvd's we rent to dvd.
Would like good audio also.
Price doesn't matter too much as long as unit is good.

The only Combo unit that I would want as my Main DVD Recorder would be one of the Panasonic models.

As for copying Rented or Store Bought DVDs you are NOT going to be able to do that because of the Copy Guard System in DVDs without using a "Video Filter" to remove the Copy Guard & as far as I know none of the "Filters" can be hooked up to the newer Combo DVD/VCR units by themselves but they can be hooked between a seperate DVD Player & a seperate DVD Recorder (It Could Be A Combo Unit) but you need the player to add the "Filter" on.

Do a search here on "Video Filters" or "Copy Guard" & you should get plentry of info on Copy Guard Filters.

Wife said maybe we should get recorder, but has to have vcr
Just starting to get info on different brands and features.
Would like to copy vcr to dvd.
Would like to copy dvd's we rent to dvd.
Would like good audio also.
Price doesn't matter too much as long as unit is good.

The absolute best combination unit ever made is the Panasonic DMR-EH75VS!
It's the most exceptional unit I've used and produces the best copies from VHS (better than the original)! It even has a built in hard drive, which allows for editing and copying to DVD.
(this opinion comes from a long history of testing various units from various manufacturers - plus it's received very good to excellent professional reviews).

The current Panasonics are made in China and don't even come close to this model (which was made in Japan, very rare by today's standards). The rest of the units currently available from other manufacturers leave alot to be desired!

The problem is that, even though you say "price doesn't matter" you might be opposed to spending $2300.00!* Unfortunately, this unit was discontinued earlier this year and there's no replacement for it. It has become so scarce, that it is now demanding very high prices new. There seems to be no used market for it (I have the sense that once people have it, they won't part with it).

*BTW, the $2300.00 price is from Amazon.com marketplace. There seem to be no other sources for it currently.

GOOD LUCK! :)

Will not be primary unit. Only to transfer some old tapes to dvd etc.

I bought 2 Panasonic EH75s when Circuit City was closing them out. I'm using 1 of them now and the other is still sealed in the box. They may be a better investment than the stock market.

...
Would like to copy dvd's we rent to dvd.
...
There is software available to do this with a PC with an internal DVD burner. Some is freeware, but most of the decent software packages costs around $100. The problem with commercial DVD's is that they are dual layer and will not fit on a cheap single layer DVD. The packages have compression algorithms that shrink the movie to fit on a 4.7Gb single layer DVD.

The absolute best combination unit ever made is the Panasonic DMR-EH75VS!

The problem is that, even though you say "price doesn't matter" you might be opposed to spending $2300.00!*

*BTW, the $2300.00 price is from Amazon.com marketplace. There seem to be no other sources for it currently.

Other than this site for $399.88.

http://www.stepup.com/product/obg-PANASONIC-Open-Box-DMR-EH75VS-DVDVCR-PlayerRecorder-with-Hard-Drive-Silver--1508-msp58112282

It may be "Open Box", but you would be lucky to find it at all.

Other than this site for $399.88.

http://www.stepup.com/product/obg-PANASONIC-Open-Box-DMR-EH75VS-DVDVCR-PlayerRecorder-with-Hard-Drive-Silver--1508-msp58112282

It may be "Open Box", but you would be lucky to find it at all.

One minor problem......

It's not available!

It looks like a fake site. It says J&R, but it's not the real J&R site.

If your just looking to copy some of your "home made" Video Tapes & your VCR is still working "ANY" DVD recxorder can do that & I would look for last years model Panasonic DMR-ES15 which can be had Open Box for around $90 but again, if the Video Tapes you have are Store Bought Tapes your not going to be able to copy them either because most of them also had the Macrovision Copy Guard System in them.

You are also better off if you use the VCR that made the tapes in the first place to play them back when dubbing them to DVDs.

Again, If you have to have a VCR/DVD Combo unit I would look at any of the Panasonic models.

Slprp1, The only thing that makes the Combo DMR-EH75V model so good is because of the HDD in it but as far as I'm concerned the Original DMR-E75V Combo unit had a far better VCR section in it than the EH75V does plus you could feed it's own Outputs back into it's Own Inputs so you could hook a Copy Guard buster between the Inputs & Outputs to dub store bought Video Tapes to DVDs & Yes it was made in Japan.

Slprp1, The only thing that makes the Combo DMR-EH75V model so good is because of the HDD in it but as far as I'm concerned the Original DMR-E75V Combo unit had a far better VCR section in it than the EH75V does plus you could feed it's own Outputs back into it's Own Inputs so you could hook a Copy Guard buster between the Inputs & Outputs to dub store bought Video Tapes to DVDs & Yes it was made in Japan.

Bill1313 -
I own both units. The VCR sections are identical (I've had the covers off on both).
You can feed the inputs to the outputs on the -EH75VS as well.
Only the first production run of the original -E75V was made in Japan (as with numerous other Panny's).
The vast majority of them came from Malaysia (which seem to have a similar track record as Japan......at least insofar as Panny's go).
All of the -EH75VS units (start to finish) were produced in Japan (for some reason).
I have found that, when comparing the two units, the picture quality on
VHS --> DVD dubs is superior on the -EH75VS.
It is , IMHO, the best dubbing deck ever produced!

It looks like a fake site. It says J&R, but it's not the real J&R site.

It links you to the actual J&R site but these "open box" units breeze in and out
of their inventory very fast.
You need to be lucky, if what you want is an "open box" (aka, used) unit.

slprp1, That's good to know about the EH75V Inputs/Outputs because I was told that they could'nt be feed back into each other.

As far as the VCR section goes I was told by a Panny tech that the original E75V has a lot better Video Heads in it so your not going to be able to tell that by just looking inside of them but if you say the EH75V produces better dubs I don't doubt you because maybe Panny made improvements to the dubbing circuity?

Doesn't the E75V VHS Tape Door say something like "Super" on it which ment a certain Panny video head design?

I know my daughter has the next years model the DMR-ES30V & that's when I called Panny about the Video Heads & was told that the heads in the E75V were better & different but at least her ES30V was made in Japan :)

Don't get me wrong I would still want a EH75V with the HDD in it over the E75V anyday I was just trying to say from what I was told that the E75V has the better VCR section in it & besides even if the EH75V din't have a HDD in it I would want it over the E75V just because it has the "Full Resolution" in the LP Mode when recording DVDs.

dvds/video tapes can be 'copied' by using a sima ct2, ct200, dimax grex, or various others. YOU WILL BE SKIRTING THE LAW BY USING THEM TO BREAK THE MACROVISION/OTHER COPY PROTECTION ENCODING SCHEMES.

If you go or call around to different Circuit City stores, you might still find one that's got an EH75VS laying around.

I know that a few people here have been able to find one in a store within the last month or so.

(I didn't know that about the ability to "loop" on the EH75 either - I have one, and that's good to know!)

"Skirting The Law" Your Breaking The Law but they will never bother you unless you start selling your copies for a profit.

Their more interested in stopping the Manufacture's, Importer's & Seller's of Copy Guard Busters than the Customer's of them because it's always better to cut the snake's head off than it's tale. :)

After Sima lost it's court case you never saw the Copy Guard people go after ANYONE that bought or sold them & believe me if they thought it was worth it they would have nailed Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Comp USA & Etc who have Deep Pockets & they never went after them or their customers so don't worry about using a Copy Buster for non-profit purposes.

My local BB still displays one prominently, right on the top shelf of the recorders, at eye level.

You can't miss it, as it hits you right in the face as you walk by.

My local BB still displays one prominently, right on the top shelf of the recorders, at eye level.

You can't miss it, as it hits you right in the face as you walk by.

If you're referring to the Panny DMR-EH75VS......
that's interesting, since BB never carried that model (in their stores or on
their website). I wonder how it got there? :confused:

If you're referring to the Panny DMR-EH75VS......
that's interesting, since BB never carried that model (in their stores or on
their website). I wonder how it got there? :confused:

I think he means a Sima...

slprp1, That's good to know about the EH75V Inputs/Outputs because I was told that they could'nt be feed back into each other.

As far as the VCR section goes I was told by a Panny tech that the original E75V has a lot better Video Heads in it so your not going to be able to tell that by just looking inside of them but if you say the EH75V produces better dubs I don't doubt you because maybe Panny made improvements to the dubbing circuity?

Doesn't the E75V VHS Tape Door say something like "Super" on it which ment a certain Panny video head design?

I know my daughter has the next years model the DMR-ES30V & that's when I called Panny about the Video Heads & was told that the heads in the E75V were better & different but at least her ES30V was made in Japan :)

Don't get me wrong I would still want a EH75V with the HDD in it over the E75V anyday I was just trying to say from what I was told that the E75V has the better VCR section in it & besides even if the EH75V din't have a HDD in it I would want it over the E75V just because it has the "Full Resolution" in the LP Mode when recording DVDs.

The people at Panny that answer the phone are the furthest thing from technicians. Techs don't get on the phone. If the call themselves "techs", they may simply have insecurity issues. Additionally, the people that they have manning the phones know basically nothing and will often make things up as they go along (basically to entertain themselves). They must have an agenda but I'm unsure as to whether or not they even have a clue as to what it is!......
Most companies (Panny is no exception) stopped caring about putting real
quality into their VCR's and/or combo units years ago.
I've made numerous physical comparisons (basically out of curiosity and I have
a friend who's an actual tech for a service facility who checks these things out).
The VCR "decks" are the same in all models within the same brand.
It's a matter of economics and ease of assembly.
There's no such thing as "high end" anymore (at least when it comes to VCR related products). Whether you spend $70.00 for a cheapie VCR or $500.00+ for an -EH75VS (good luck finding one!),
it's the same exact VCR section (unfortunately)!
The "super" you mention refers to the drive mechanism and not the heads.
The refinements in the -EH75VS that give you upgraded quality dubs are
strictly in the electronics......not the heads or mechanism.
BTW, the enhanced LP mode in the later generation models is a major advantage! The picture quality is far superior! :)

Stopped by local cc to check out latest and greatest combo recorder. They have open box dmr-eh75v for $419
Is this good deal. Will I still need filter to copy some vcr's from stores ?
Have a few old vcr units somewhere, maybe best way to go is just thru my computer?

Stopped by local cc to check out latest and greatest combo recorder. They have open box dmr-eh75v for $419
Is this good deal.
Yes, grab it. CC will provide the manufacturer's warranty on open box items, so if there's anything wrong with it, it's covered for a year.
Will I still need filter to copy some vcr's from stores ?
Have a few old vcr units somewhere, maybe best way to go is just thru my computer?
Yes, a filter will still be required, as another vcr to playback your tape. Combo units can't use the filter since everything's built together.

Can you feed outputs with the imputs on this model?

^^You can connect another vcr to this model using yellow video, red/white audio cables into the dvd recorder. inputs.

Bill1313 -
I own both units. The VCR sections are identical (I've had the covers off on both).
You can feed the inputs to the outputs on the -EH75VS as well.
Only the first production run of the original -E75V was made in Japan (as with numerous other Panny's).
The vast majority of them came from Malaysia (which seem to have a similar track record as Japan......at least insofar as Panny's go).
All of the -EH75VS units (start to finish) were produced in Japan (for some reason).
I have found that, when comparing the two units, the picture quality on
VHS --> DVD dubs is superior on the -EH75VS.
It is , IMHO, the best dubbing deck ever produced!

Does this mean I can use filter between dvd and vcr section on this unit ?

Well according to slprp1 (See Above) you can feed the Outputs Back into the units Inputs so you can hook up a "Video Filter" between the Outputs & Inputs of the EH75V to copy store bought Video Tapes & you won't need another VCR if you can do that.

slprp1. Maybe you can post what you have to select when dubbing a store bought Video Tape with a Video Filter hooked up to the Outputs / Inputs to dub Directly To A DVD & maybe even what Outputs to use to hook the "Video Filter" to.

slprp1, Above when I was talking about a Panny tech I ment a higher up head Panny Tech & Not one of the CS reps that you get on the phone but I've also found head tech's to be wrong sometimes too because it all depends what the specs are that have been loaded into their computers & unless they have worked on the item before or just happen to have the model in front of them to look at plus with different markets & countries that they are made in really can play havoc sometimes when putting the specs into their computers.

I've talked to CS reps sometimes & have had them give me info about a USA product & it has turned out that the specs in their computer are for the same product but for another country because the Wrong Specs got loaded into their computers (The Easy Ones To Spot Are Scart Inputs & Pal Tuners) :)

Yeah, I'd definitely grab it.

Heck, if nothing else, maybe you can sell it on Amazon for 2 grand, like that other schmoe there is asking ;).

Well according to slprp1 (See Above) you can feed the Outputs Back into the units Inputs so you can hook up a "Video Filter" between the Outputs & Inputs of the EH75V to copy store bought Video Tapes & you won't need another VCR if you can do that.

slprp1. Maybe you can post what you have to select when dubbing a store bought Video Tape with a Video Filter hooked up to the Outputs / Inputs to dub Directly To A DVD & maybe even what Outputs to use to hook the "Video Filter" to.

slprp1, Above when I was talking about a Panny tech I ment a higher up head Panny Tech & Not one of the CS reps that you get on the phone but I've also found head tech's to be wrong sometimes too because it all depends what the specs are that have been loaded into their computers & unless they have worked on the item before or just happen to have the model in front of them to look at plus with different markets & countries that they are made in really can play havoc sometimes when putting the specs into their computers.

I've talked to CS reps sometimes & have had them give me info about a USA product & it has turned out that the specs in their computer are for the same product but for another country because the Wrong Specs got loaded into their computers (The Easy Ones To Spot Are Scart Inputs & Pal Tuners) :)

1) I've never attempted to duplicate "store bought video tapes" (or DVD'S for
that matter) and never claimed that I did......and besides.......shouldn't this subject be avoided altogether here?
I know that I don't (and won't) discuss it.
Looping the output to the input is for home movie duplication and the like, as far as I'm concerned. The process is self explanatory and easy....... Just try it and you'll see.

2) How did you get to speak to a "higher up head Panny Tech"?
As far as I know, they don't answer phones. What's your secret?
I (and I'm sure other's) would love to know! Please share this info. with us!

Thanks! :)

I had got the phone number at my local Panny repair shop & It probably was a number that they use if they are having a problem fixing a product ?

Also I've got to tech's before by calling companies directly & NOT using any 800 numbers & when you get the main switchboard you can get them to transfer your call to any dept. you want because all the 800 numbers to most "Any" company today are just going to get you a customer service rep. & the Customer Service Reps. may even be an outside company that they have hired & have nothing to do with the company you are calling & they may be CS Reps. for 100's of different companies. I rember once I talked to a Philips CS rep. & it turned out she was in Jamacia & had nothing to do with Philips at all. :(

So if you want a Panny Tech just call the Main Non 800 number of Panasonic in NJ & when you get the switchboard operator just ask for "Tech Support" & they will transfer you to that dept.

Believe it or not, or at least I've found it to be true, the best way to get any company to help you with a problem or info is to write them a letter the old fashion way :) & give them your addres & phone number & you will usually get a call or follow up letter from them but usually it's a phone call.

So even if your just looking for catalogs on products if you send a letter you will get them quicker & they usually come with more info or other catalogs too than you have requested :) That reminds me it's time to write Panasonic for their "New" DVD Recorder Catalogs which usually come out in June & what I like about the catalogs is that they have a lot more specs. & pictures in them about the products than the info they give you on their website's & for the last few years or so the "New" catalogs have been out before the websites have shown the new products. Also I've found for Electronics most of the "New" Catalogs are out by the end of June.