anyone find a good source of dvd recorders yet?

Amazon has a lot of them.

World Import still has some Panasonic DMR-EH59 recorders if you want to stay with Panasonic. As long as you don't need a tuner for US cable or OTA.

What model do you have, and what features do you use?

I also have a Panasonic DMR-E80H, bought in 2003 when it was jet freighted to the USA according to the exterior box the unit came in. I never use it anymore. The tray mechanism is on its last legs, the remote is pretty much shot (I can use the EH-59 remote I have) and it takes twice as long to record on a DVD-R than newer International models. The E80H doesn't have thumbnails, a nice feature on newer Panasonics. One newer Panasonic international model I have, the EH-67, is a door stop, it stopped working after a voltage surge or something that caused its display to go blank. Panasonic's Texas repair facility said it would fix the EH-67 for the flat rate $120 fee then in effect, then returned the unit to me saying they did not have the parts to repair the recorder. You cannot believe anyone these days, especially from Texas. International Panasonic models are not as reliable as the E80H, from my experience. Trouble is, I want to record closed captions and for that, I have the Magnavox 515 I bought from Walmart last February. All around, the Magnavox was the best HDD DVD recorder for the price, although it does a pretty dismal job of editing video recorded on its hard drive. Your best chance is if Funai re-opens a manufacturing line and ships out some more Magnavox 515s with bigger hard drives and a new model number. I wouldn't hold my breath, though, for that to happen, whatever the optimists here say..

The problem here is you do not have the option of "I don't want to spend $400." Panasonic DVD/HDD recorders are almost completely gone from the North American market aside from the import EH-59 and EH-69, and those cost approx. $300-400 depending on model and whether you can snag a "refurb" deal. Complicating matters is the fact you still own an E80H, which is so old it has mold on it: this means you have the Panasonic operating details memorized and would have a very difficult time changing over to the Magnavox, which is the only other DVD/HDD option and also costs in the vicinity of $300. You have to balance your comfort with Panasonic against the high cost, and decide if enjoying a familiar recorder for another 3-5 years is worth $400. If so, buy an EH-59 from B&H Photo Video while they still have some stock. Panasonic has already begun winding down production of all BluRay/HDD and DVD/HDD recorders, once the EH-59 is officially discontinued prices will skyrocket to $600 on the last few units as people buy them up to flip for profit on eBay.

You could explore the alternative of having your E80H repaired by AVS member mckinct, who by all accounts does an excellent job and is pretty much the only practical repair option in the USA. Send him a private message to inquire about costs, depending on what he says it may make more sense to invest in a completely new EH-59 with new HDD and new burner + HDMI output and other upgraded convenience features.


The Magnavox is a compromise alternative that works for some people, while others just can't make the transition to it. There's no denying it can seem incredibly clumsy to use if you've had a Panasonic for five years, and the editing can indeed be tricky to get accurate results from. On the plus side, they tend to be incredibly reliable (other than the fragile remotes), the burners are very solid, and the HDD is user-replaceable. They also were once incredible bargains at $229 new from WalMart or $169 like-new refurb from J&R. Unfortunately they were recently discontinued after a dramatic 50% price increase. The mfr has announced replacements will be available this fall, but pricing is TBD. I suspect at least one model will retreat to the original popular $229 price, while the two with much larger HDDs will go closer to $300.

In muffyn's particular circumstances, spending a little extra to stick with the familiar Panasonic operating feel may be a wiser long-term choice. The Magnavox really shines when its off-air widescreen digital tuner can be exploited, when connected to a cable box it isn't as versatile as the Panasonic EH-59.

From his posts, the OP sounds like he is recording analog, direct from the cable using the E80's tuner. Correct me if wrong but isn't it true the Panasonic internationals do not have tuners that can be used with N.A. cable or OTA. He would have to use a cable box of some kind.

As to the new funai units, it remains to be seen what will actually be shipped but remember when the 515 was released just a few months on the heels of the 513, sales of the 513 dried up and they had a warehouse full of units they couldn't unload until the supply of 515's dried up. I would wonder about them making that mistake twice -- there is not enough difference between a 320GB and 500GB model that people would opt for the 320GB model. I also suspect that $330 price point the 515 ended up at will stick with the new 500GB unit -- the price of HDD's is just not coming down and we may be in a situation where the manufacturers can make more by producing less.

I have to agree with CitiBear. Send a PM to MICKINCT and see what he thinks the problem might be and how much to repair it. I disagree with you that the international models are not as reliable as older models. I have been using an EH59 for a long time now without incident. Most electronics will fail in a voltage surge.

It wasn't quite clear to me whether it was a cable box or the E80H was tuning the analog cable channels itself. Either way, the key question remains: does muffyn prioritize familiarity with how Panasonics work over other factors.

The import Panasonics like EH59 do not have any tuner usable in USA/Canada: they will not tune broadcast OR cable off the wire. If muffyn is one of those "boxless" cable subscribers, the choice is between a rock and a hard place: get a cable decoder box and enjoy the familiar Panasonic, or switch to the Magnavox and deal with its unreliable cable tuner and unfamiliar interface on the off chance it *might* tune cable channels in that town without a box. Unless the new upcoming models correct the longstanding issues in the Magnavox cable tuner, the headaches involved aren't worth the trouble. The E80H is an old recorder with a strictly analog tuner, so it is immune to cable company nonsense. The Magnavox, like most other recent recorders, has a trouble-prone digital+analog tuner which gets screwed up every time the cable service clears its throat or hiccups. Anyone who insists on stamping their feet and never EVER using a cable box should make sure they buy a Magnavox only from WalMart: if it's tuner can't handle your boxless cable service, you'll want the security of their no-time-limit, no-questions-asked refund policy.
Edited by CitiBear - 7/10/12 at 10:16am

What's the issue with hdd prices?

The massive flooding in Thailand awhile back supposedly destroyed most of the factories that produce hard drives. Over the following months, panic demand for the existing limited supply in warehouses spiked prices to double or almost triple what they'd been just a week before the floods. The annual doubling of HDD capacity for ever-lower prices we took for granted this past decade has been turned on its head, and where prices will go now is anyones guess.

Depending on who you believe and how much credit you give to conspiracy theories, it has been alleged in some quarters that the flooding wasn't nearly as catastrophic for HDD mfrs as they've been claiming. The story goes that there was an initial rebuilding cost to recoup, but thats been taken care of and the sustained higher prices are a result of extending the excuse of the floods indefinitely to stabilize profits on an otherwise commodity product that barely made a dime on each one sold.

Take your pick of reasons: in the short term most popular HDD sizes and the devices that use them (laptops. recorders, media players) are noticeably more expensive than they should be based on past tech trends.
Edited by CitiBear - 7/10/12 at 11:44am

I have a E80H that I'd probably sell for $100 but I'd rather not ship, it would be great if you were near MN.
I purchased it recently and while it makes great recordings the lack of thumbnails and a few other feature differences from the newer Panasonics make it less desirable for me.
That said I'd really suggest a EH-59(if you can get by without the tuner) while the 3-400 may seem high, considering it's features and the fact that your E80H probably cost north of $600(and thats 2003 dollars) it's quite a bargain. The build quality isn't as nice as the E80H(nothing ever is, later models always cut corners, mostly cosmetic or using plastic instead of metal) but I've never had problems with either of mine(the oldest is a little over a year old) and using HDMI the picture quality is sharper than a E80H using component.
BTW my E80H works just fine and is quite clean and the remote looks to be in very good condition, of course like yours it's a 9 year old DVDR. PM me if interested.

Yea I googles it after reading your response. That article blames market consolidation and long term agreements oem manufacturers entered in to in response to the flooding.

Magnavox, build me a recorder with a ssd!!

There are over 46 refurbished Magnavox MDR513H and MDR515H available from this dealer

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130733283881?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Place is "eCom electronics", on 140 58th St., in Brooklyn.

 

Citibear- any knowledge of them?

The price seems to go up daily, today its 323.00 I want a new unit, but will wait for this falls new offerings.

B&H has a great price on new EH59: $324.99, free shipping in US.

I see eBay has a bid price of $325 + $22.80 shipping for a used EH55. Even this is less than the $400 to $450 I paid for my EH55's in recent years.