New Panny HDD/DVD recorders?

This may not be good news to you, but truth be told:


The E-85 and E-95 are riddled with reliability issues and have not been highly recommended. The newer models will be highly questionable. The trend is to make these units to sell at lower prices. The overall quality and reliability is sacrificed more each time they release a new model. Do you want a disposable DVD recorder? This is what the manufacturers want (for you to throw it out sooner than you should and buy a new one!). This manipulation of the consumer has been going on for some time now. I would strongly opinionate that the replacements will be as buggy or worse, as this has been the trend (proven over time).


I would STRONGLY recommend the DMR-E100 while it is still available (though very hard to find!). I have used one every day for a year and a half. It is unusually reliable, works with most media, has more user friendly editing and dubbing features and a 120GB hard drive which has been very reliable. I have burnt approx. 300 dvd's (various brands) with almost no failures! This quality and reliability will NEVER be available again! No manufacturer can produce a truly high quality unit like this and retail it for $400-500! It's simply impossible! The E85/95 have caused people alot of grief and the newer models will be built even cheaper!


If you can be open-minded and can possibly afford it, get the E-100! You will not regret it! It is a phenomenal machine and worth it's weight in gold! (it's original list price was, and still is $1200.00)


For the record, I saw one on amazon.com just recently. They are a very reliable source. I would avoid other sources if amazon still has it.


GOOD LUCK!

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Thank you for the patronizing tone--with all due respect for your vast armchair wisdom, I must still point out that I actually own the product in question. I'm sorry if a little real-world observation is so distressing to you that you must evoke legions of imaginary people to support your opinions. It always amazes me when Internet know-it-alls presume to be speaking on behalf of some nebulous, unverifiable "overall consensus" rather than stating their opinion based on their own experience or at least some specific factual basis. Then again, if you have no personal experience with the product (and there's nothing in your posts to indicate that you do) I guess the only way you can opine is by elevating your fact-free judgment to the status of "accepted truth."

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FYI, I was responding to your own words in your previous post: "If you can be open-minded and can possibly afford it, get the E-100! You will not regret it! It is a phenomenal machine and worth it's weight in gold! (it's original list price was, and still is $1200.00)." Silly me for taking the accuracy of your information for granted. Not a mistake I'll be making agin.


Thanks for your "input"!


Philip Brandes

I had an E85 that I returned because it's SP mode seemed identical (to worse) than LP. That said, I do miss having it, even though I also have a Pioneer 420. The only thing that holds me back from picking up another E85 is the Panasonic model (E50??) being released in a few months that has DVD-RW besides -R and -RAM and is said to have similar picture quality in LP as in SP.


Although people rave about the E100, I just can't justify buying one when it (like the E85) only does -R and -RAM. If it was also -RW, that would be a whole other story--but it doesn't.


Only time will tell, but I suspect anything people buy today they will want to replace in 2 to 3 years. Probably the main reason? Superior recording quality at LP and EP.


BTW, I do think the price of the E100 will drop when the new models come out.

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I noticed that the E100 is listed at Panasonic's web site last week and was surprised.


You are right. It is hard to find one not selling at a premium. Amazon's $599. I do consider a premium considering it is out of production.


Panasonic and JVC are owned by the same company. Unlike the current Panny offerings, the JVC offers -RW (in addition to -R and -RAM). I do wonder why JVCs are harder to find in stores and not discussed very often here. They do have a current HD model.

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Then that's a misinterpretation. On the Panasonics, XP/SP recordings have a horizontal resolution of 704 lines. 500 lines in LP will certainly not produce recordings equal to SP.


And like you said, resolution is only one factor. Even if the new units did record LP at 704 x 480, the LP recordings would still have to have a much lower bitrate than SP recordings. Obviously, a lower bitrate (by half) means lower quality. LP will never look as good as SP. It's impossible.


Anyway, I'm another very satisfied E85 user. I think slprp1 is way off base with his comments.

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I don't believe this is true. As far as I can remember, over 25 yrs, JVC and Panasonic have never been affiliated in any way. JVC used to be Japan Victor Corp, and is now known as Victor Company of Japan.


Panasonic is the branded name and a sub of Matsushita Electric, which also branded the Technics name and at one time OEM'd some RCA products, I believe.


At no time did Panasonic and JVC's VCR's, or other products look alike. JVC, not Panasonic, originally developed and licensed VHS, and invented the CD-4 quadraphonic LP and SVHS videotape formats. Panasonic was not associated with the original development of either, and to the best of my knowledge never pushed SVHS VCR's.


Just thought I'd try to correct any mis-information.

ss9001

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And I, in turn, am (unfortunately) forced to correct your "mis-information."

There is a big difference between "believe" and "know." You beliefs [first sentence] are wrong.


It helps to check one's facts before making a put-down, know-it-all posting. Check the "Fact Sheet" at Hoovers:


Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC [ADR])

http://www.hoovers.com/matsushita/--...ite=matsushita

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NTSC television measures resolution a little differently than the size of the frame that we are accustomed. NTSC measures lines in the horizontal direction within a circle the diameter of the vertical dimension of the frame size. So 500 lines in the horizontal direction would actually equate to a horizontal frame size of 750.


Since they don't state whether they were claiming 500 lines of NTSC resolution, or a horizontal dimension to the frame size equal to 500, either way you are right to regard these ad-hype claims from the marketing agencies suspiciously.