I want to get a new dvd hd recorder to replace my old Toshiba. Since Toshiba doesn't make HD models anymore, but is the best at editing I am hard pressed to find a replacement.

The modesl avaialble in Canada are:

Sony HX-730
Panasonic EH-55S
Pioneer 650H

LG 790H?

I have a Pioneer 640H and the picture quality is excellent. I don't like it's editing features that much so I use it as a backup in another room.

I was leaning towards the Pioneer 650 but want an opinion on the Panny 55 and Sony730 models.

My priorities are excellent recording picture.

Ability to place chapters anywhere on burnt dvd's

Fairly good editing ease.

Good user interface.

My experience is with Panasonic E100H, E85, and EH55S.

Chapters can be set anywhere, but will be retained only if copy is made at high speed. But if there was any editting done, there will be a momentary freeze at the edit point if copied at high speed. Copies made at real time can eliminate the freezes, but lose any pre-set thumbnails and chapter points, inserting own chapter points at about 5 minute intervals.

The EH55S can write to and read any current format, including dvd-ram. Dvd-ram is the only format that allows high-speed copy dvd to hdd.

EH55S and E100 have firewire input; the E85 does not.

I use PLAYLIST for editting. Note-- PLAYLIST in the Panasonic may not mean the same thing as PLAYLIST on other brands. PLAYLIST is merely a set of markers pointing to selected scenes (chapters); you can select chapters from multiple source titles, and you can have multiple independent PLAYLISTS from the same source title. Quite flexible and powerful! The PLAYLIST Name becomes the Name of the copied Title on the dvd.

If you get much above 30 to 50 chapters, ediiting begins to get a bit tedious, difficult to add a bit to a chapter. The E100 is a dream in this area, the selected scenes are defined by Start and End times, just like on my Hi8 edit vcr; makes it very simple to change a Start or End time.

You can build a COPYLIST of one or more source titles and/or PLAYLISTS (mix or match) and copy the whole list on one run.

Good user interface? Not bad. Many things are buried two or three menus deep on the EH55s, but you quiickly learn your way around and it's pretty straight forward. Numerous convenience features on the EH55S. You can "Copy Only" or "Copy and Finalize", for example. If you choose "Copy and Finalize", you will have wanted to have already entered the disc name; no changes or corrections after the finalize.

I am quite happy with my EH55S. In addition to my personal EH55S, we use one weekly at church to record the service.

Some things are not obvious; you cannot choose a PLAYLIST from the "COPY" on the main menu, rather you have to go to "ADVANCED COPY" on the second menu. But people are here to help.

Now someone else can brag up the SONY.

Happy Choosing!

My experience is with Panasonic E100H, E85, and EH55S.

Chapters can be set anywhere, but will be retained only if copy is made at high speed. But if there was any editting done, there will be a momentary freeze at the edit point if copied at high speed. Copies made at real time can eliminate the freezes, but lose any pre-set thumbnails and chapter points, inserting own chapter points at about 5 minute intervals.

The EH55S can write to and read any current format, including dvd-ram. Dvd-ram is the only format that allows high-speed copy dvd to hdd.

EH55S and E100 have firewire input; the E85 does not.

I use PLAYLIST for editting. Note-- PLAYLIST in the Panasonic may not mean the same thing as PLAYLIST on other brands. PLAYLIST is merely a set of markers pointing to selected scenes (chapters); you can select chapters from multiple source titles, and you can have multiple independent PLAYLISTS from the same source title. Quite flexible and powerful! The PLAYLIST Name becomes the Name of the copied Title on the dvd.

If you get much above 30 to 50 chapters, ediiting begins to get a bit tedious, difficult to add a bit to a chapter. The E100 is a dream in this area, the selected scenes are defined by Start and End times, just like on my Hi8 edit vcr; makes it very simple to change a Start or End time.

You can build a COPYLIST of one or more source titles and/or PLAYLISTS (mix or match) and copy the whole list on one run.

Good user interface? Not bad. Many things are buried two or three menus deep on the EH55s, but you quiickly learn your way around and it's pretty straight forward. Numerous convenience features on the EH55S. You can "Copy Only" or "Copy and Finalize", for example. If you choose "Copy and Finalize", you will have wanted to have already entered the disc name; no changes or corrections after the finalize.

I am quite happy with my EH55S. In addition to my personal EH55S, we use one weekly at church to record the service.

Some things are not obvious; you cannot choose a PLAYLIST from the "COPY" on the main menu, rather you have to go to "ADVANCED COPY" on the second menu. But people are here to help.

Now someone else can brag up the SONY.

Happy Choosing!

Chapters are important to me. I had a Toshiba where the edit popints would drift but I got good at estimating where the slight drift time and set my chapter start a bit behind so it would drift forward to where I wanted it to be. I am not sure if the Panny can do that but it seem like it can. As for a slight freeze, that can be eliminated if you set edit points on a black section or slightly behind where you want it to start? The only time I have more than 30 chapters is when I want to edit a football game. Why is it tedious?

The Toshiba can have multiple playlists as well and they can be a combination of chapters and shows from all over the HD too.

Why is it tedious to edit more than 30 chapters? Background- I edit own production, children's contests, church services, etc. So want to get rid of awkward interludes, false starts, microphone testing, pauses between acts, repeats. . . Sometimes I may have set two chapter points close together, and want to delete (or save) two adjacent chapters instead of typically every other one. Also, since much of the editting is for broadcast over a LPTV station, the result must be accurate to the second, typically 58 min 30 sec, or 28 min 30 sec. If I want to add 3 seconds to a chapter, I must reconstruct the chapter from the source, one big reason for using playlists!

As for the "drifting" of chapter markers or exact edit points, it helps to understand the basics of how the digital data is (are) recorded on the disc or hdd, 30 frames per second. But not 30 complete frames, that would take much more storage. So they developed a compression algorithm to store a complete frame, the index frame, then 9 or 14 frames containing only the changes from the previous frames. Then a new index frame and a series of partial frames.

Now, if I set my chapter marker on frame 3, or 16 or whatever, there is no complete picture upon which to base the changes; it must "wait" for the fraction of a second till it reaches an index frame. I think this pretty much holds true for all brands, the MPEG compression.

So yes, if you have black or silent sections and can place edit points there, yes, you can achieve clean edits.

Thanks I might get this one to try out. I noticed it doesn't have a backward CM skip and only skips ahead in 1 min. increments. I watch a lot of TV shows so skipping commercials is important. I am leery about the TVGOS as I tried one before on the Toshiba and it missed some shows!