Panasonic DMR-ES10S DIGA Series DVD Recorder , Silver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you're going to copy a lot of VHS tapes to DVD-R or DVD+R discs, this is the one to get.I tried both a Philips DVDR600VR DVD recorder/VCR combo and a Sony RDRVX500 DVD recorder/VCR combo.The Philips had a couple problems and I returned it, so I'll compare the Panasonic to the Sony:

The Sony had a lot of nice features and overall good quality, but I found that it had a major problem copying VHS tapes from a separate VCR with a GoDVD device.The quality in that case is substantially degraded, with streaks of interference, as with a satellite dish with the polarity or azimuth tuned wrong.This is either with the composite video connection, or using an S-Video cable from the GoDVD to the Sony.The odd thing is a signal from a separate DVD player comes through the same GoDVD device OK, and the signal from the VCR is OK without the GoDVD. The only way I found to get a decent signal from a separate VCR through the GoDVD to the Sony was through an adapter to the coaxial input, which of course is lower quality anyway and somewhat defeats the purpose.

However, with the Panasonic DMR-ES10, I made perfect copies of the exact same tapes from the same VCR through the same GoDVD device.Additionally, the Panasonic has the following handy features not on the Sony combo unit:
1. Flexible speed recording.If you have a tape that's 2 hours 5 min. you can record it at a speed that exactly fills the DVD-R (or +R), where if you just left it in SP mode it would run out.I tried a DVD-R disc recorded this way on 2 other players and it works fine.
2. You can change the thumbnail images in the menu. With the Sony you're stuck with the first frame. With this model Panasonic you can play the title to any frame you want to select for the menu image.
3. You can store phrases for the titles.For instance, if you're recording Perry Mason episodes, every title starts with "The Case of the ... " You can store that so you don't have to spell it out each time.I like to add previews to the extra space on a disc, so I saved "PREVIEWS."

The only problems I've had with the Panasonic DMR-ES10 is with DVD+R media.When recording stops, it fouls up the disc so it's unusable.I've had this problem with TDK, HP, and Sony DVD+R disks.Once in a while it works if the recording is under an hour.It always works fine with DVD-R.

This isn't a combo unit, so the quality from the VHS tape depends on the VCR.I tried two different VCRs, an old Toshiba and a newer cheaper model, and got great quality DVDs from both.I tried both VCRs with the Sony and both had the problem with the GoDVD described above, but seem fine without the GoDVD.But the VCR built into the Sony combo unit seems to have worse performance than the separate VCRs, causing flickering sometimes.
Because of that I don't see much advantage to the combo unit, and recommend the Panasonic DMR-ES10 as the best option for copying VHS tapes to DVDs.

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Product Description:
Why wait? Panasonic's high-tech DIGA series DMR-ES10S DVD recorder has everything you need to archive your old VHS and camcorder tapes while taking over any lingering TV-related duties from your VCR and serving as a home-theater-caliber DVD player to boot. The unit records to your choice of DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+R, or rewritable DVD-RW. For playback, it'll handle those formats in addition to DVD+RW, DVD-Audio (high-resolution 2-channel only), video CD, MP3 CD, and recordable CDs brimming with your cherished JPEG digital photos. DVD-Audio media offer super high-fidelity (192 kHz/24-bit) sound and provides unique bonus materials not available on regular audio CDs.
The DMR-ES10S's virtual Multi-Encode System enables LP mode recording with the same 500 lines of horizontal resolution as the deck uses to encode in the higher-quality SP and XP modes. This is twice the 250 lines of resolution used in conventional Long Play recording. Now you can store 4 hours of full-resolution program material on a standard 4.7 GB recordable DVD rather than merely 2 hours.
Panasonic's Time Slip feature lets you use your DVD recorder like a digital video recorder, viewing the recorded portion of an ongoing program from the beginning, while still recording the program in progress. With Chasing Playback, you can view the recorded portion of a live program, from the beginning, while continuing to record that program until its completion. Simultaneous record and play lets you view a previously recorded program on either a DVD-RAM disc or the hard disk drive while recording a different program.
The DMR-ES10S uses a 12-bit video analog-to-digital converter to provide 4 times the number of possible color gradation (shades) offered by 10-bit converters. This preserves your source images with more detail, more definition, and more beauty. Other enhancements include Panasonic's Real-Time Variable Bit Rate Control, integrated noise reduction (NR), and Visibility Modulation technology.
The DMR-ES10S is also a progressive-scan DVD player for use with both standard- and high-definition or HD-ready TVs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.
Panasonic's Direct Navigator simplifies the process of previewing recorded programs, letting you access recorded material from an onscreen menu that lists recording dates, times, channels, and titles. The DMR-ES10S also offers a feature called high-speed quick start. The unit is ready to record just 1 second after you switch it on, easing your mind on those occasions when you forget (or almost forget) that an important program is airing.

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