For the 2006 models -$1000 minimum , IF you have a unit that is perfecto with original box and all equipment. The EH-55 has 200 GB HD and the EH-75 has at least 80GB plus has VHS conversion and play- AND BOTH will record and play any kind of disc including DVD-RAM. Of course you may be able to buy a working model for less. However anyone selling these models for less than $800 is crazy. Remember the 2006 Panny HDD models also have DV input where you can easily edit your camcorder video ON the HDD. This is big. As to a working 2003 E80 HDD unit(btw this was the first hdd recorder that actually did it's job) it is worth around $200-250 maybe more since it has an 80 gig HDD and the easy English user menu interface (as all Pannies have) and makes a Polaroid/Philips HDD seem like Chinese.

PS- Panny 2004-5 HDD models should be going for $400-500. Most of these have DV inouts.

For the 2006 models -$1000 minimum , IF you have a unit that is perfecto with original box and all equipment. The EH-55 has 200 GB HD and the EH-75 has at least 80GB plus has VHS conversion and play- AND BOTH will record and play any kind of disc including DVD-RAM. Of course you may be able to buy a working model for less. However anyone selling these models for less than $800 is crazy. Remember the 2006 Panny HDD models also have DV input where you can easily edit your camcorder video ON the HDD. This is big. As to a working 2003 E80 HDD unit(btw this was the first hdd recorder that actually did it's job) it is worth around $200-250 maybe more since it has an 80 gig HDD and the easy English user menu interface (as all Pannies have) and makes a Polaroid/Philips HDD seem like Chinese.

PS- Panny 2004-5 HDD models should be going for $400-500. Most of these have DV inouts.
Mine are worth much more to me
Joe

I have a barely used EH55 US model without a scratch in its original (clean) box. It still has the marketing placard adhered to the top of the unit. As new condition. All accessories and manual. Everything that comes with a new unit of course. October 2006 build date. My only use of it was to test it. Let me know if anybody is interested in it.

For the 2006 models -$1000 minimum , IF you have a unit that is perfecto with original box and all equipment. The EH-55 has 200 GB HD and the EH-75 has at least 80GB plus has VHS conversion and play- AND BOTH will record and play any kind of disc including DVD-RAM. Of course you may be able to buy a working model for less. However anyone selling these models for less than $800 is crazy. Remember the 2006 Panny HDD models also have DV input where you can easily edit your camcorder video ON the HDD. This is big. As to a working 2003 E80 HDD unit(btw this was the first hdd recorder that actually did it's job) it is worth around $200-250 maybe more since it has an 80 gig HDD and the easy English user menu interface (as all Pannies have) and makes a Polaroid/Philips HDD seem like Chinese.

PS- Panny 2004-5 HDD models should be going for $400-500. Most of these have DV inouts.
Once again I will lament the fact that such items are dissapearing from the market in the US, and we are forced to pay high prices for what are sometimes used items that may or may not work correctly.

After seeing the seemingly endless variety of HDD players on a recent trip to Japan, I am seriously bummed. They even had one Toshiba that was a HDDVD player with a HDD. Sharp, Panasonic, Pioneer, Hitachi, Sony even I/O Data all had more than one current model out and all would record HD on HDDs up to 1TB.

Are the salad days over for the US market and consumers thanks to the likes of Tivo and Comcast?

Are the salad days over for the US market and consumers thanks to the likes of Tivo and Comcast? My first reaction to your statement was to say that the reason for the disappearance of DVDRs with HDDs is because most Americans buy based on "cheapest" price or "apparently" getting more for the same price, NOT quality. (I'm an American, but I buy based on quality, not price.)

But reflecting "more" on the sad state of the disappearance of DVDRs w/ HDDs now and discovering that the cable company's DVR can record two programs symultaneously and rents for $10 / month, I'm not so sure that "cheap" is the main reason.

Yes, lower inital cost is a major factor ($10/mon verses $300+ for DVDR w/ HDD), but could the overwhelming lack of advertising by the manufacturers of DVDRs w/ HDDs be the more major reason? I've seen cable company ads for their DVRs on all the stations but I've never seen even one ad for a DVDR w/ HDD. Every single one of my friends that I mentioned the joy of getting a DVDR w/ HDD to had never heard of it. They had no concept of the joy of time shifting, chase playback, commercial skip, editing out commercials and saving movies and programs on cheap DVDs (compared to videotape) with high picture quality.

Now with HD on the horizon, I've come to the conclusion that my son renting a DVR for $10/mon is probably the better plan since the DVR could be upgraded within the 2.5 years break even point of buying a DVDR w/ HDD for $300. My son still intends to buy a DVDR so he can burn programming on DVDs though. He's saying he will probably buy the Philips 3575 so he can off load the DVR's HDD to the 3575's HDD, then burn the programs later since the DVR's HDD can fill up so quickly. But my son is an excepton and none of my friends are willing to buy a DVDR w/ HDD so far.

Skylark

My first reaction to your statement was to say that the reason for the disappearance of DVDRs with HDDs is because most Americans buy based on "cheapest" price or "apparently" getting more for the same price, NOT quality. (I'm an American, but I buy based on quality, not price.)
Yes I am on a WAF budget as well, but I am willing to pay more for good quality as you are and I think most people here on AVS are. The units that I seen in Japan ranged in price from $300 to almost $2K. Trust me when I say if it would have been compatible I would have bought it and shipped it back.

I look at the $10 bucks a month as just another time based fee that will add up over the years. I have had my E85 for about 3-4 years (don't remember exactly)and at $10 per month that would have more than paid for it by now. For me the fact that it is not upgradeable is not an issue, it still does what I want it to do.

I think that you are correct when you say that there is was a lack of advertising on the manufacturer side. Most of my freinds are amazed at my Panny and my Sony and wondered where they can get one. Allot of hem didn't make the connection that the Comcast/Dish/DTV DVRs that are always being advertised are the same thing with strings attached.

The problem is that most of the major CE companies don't do that much advertising anymore. Yes you see a Sony or Sharp commercial every now and then for the flat screens, but most expect that some place like BB/CC/FS will promote their products in store or online. If the store gets a better deal from Tivo or DTV, what are they going to focus on? Correct me if I am wrong but don't the stores get a small monthly kickback for customers that have bought their service there?

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10071880&catid=22226&logon=&langid=EN

Our local Future Shop in Vancouver (Canada) has a bunch of the EH-55s in stock, marked at C$499. Looks nice, no digital tuner mentioned but appears to have everything else.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10071880&catid=22226&logon=&langid=EN

Our local Future Shop in Vancouver (Canada) has a bunch of the EH-55s in stock, marked at C$499. Looks nice, no digital tuner mentioned but appears to have everything else.

Are you offering to pick one up and ship it since they are OOS online...

If so, I'll take one.

Are you offering to pay $1000? :)

It's showing in stock at several FS store locations I checked online, and there was a substantial pile of boxes in the store where I saw it, so I suspect it will become available online shortly.

Are you offering to pay $1000? :)

It's showing in stock at several FS store locations I checked online, and there was a substantial pile of boxes in the store where I saw it, so I suspect it will become available online shortly.

Not $1000 but I could make it worth your while. If I could afford to pay that much I could have gotten one from one of those Canadians selling them the past few weeks on EBAY.

I don't think they ship to the USA because when I put in my ZIP they told me it was invalid and had to be in a different format, which I suspect might be the Canadian equivalent.

I can buy one and ship it to you guys anytime. Just PM me.

I have a barely used EH55 US model without a scratch in its original (clean) box. It still has the marketing placard adhered to the top of the unit. As new condition. All accessories and manual. Everything that comes with a new unit of course. October 2006 build date. My only use of it was to test it. Let me know if anybody is interested in it.

Hi, nextoo,

How much you are willing to sell your EH55? I am interested to buy one.