Successor to Panasonic DMR-HS2? (Questions inside)

[Cyrax9]

OK everyone, time for one of those "I know I just got the old model, but..." scenarios.

I scrimped and saved and last fall I bought a Panasonic DMR-HS2 Set-Top DVD Writer so I could switch from VHS and a VCD which has caused me great problems with my lemon of a PC.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my DMR-HS2, but I hear it's being discontinued. Why? Why is Panasonic Discontinuing their top-of-the-line unit in the USA?

I know the UK/Eurpoe (but mostly the UK) has better models than the HS2 already available but the USA does not.

My questions are basically as follows:

1. Will there be a Successor to the DMR-HS2 in the USA? I'm assuming there will be but I could be wrong.

2. What "new" features, if any, will this model have and if all it has is a bigger HDD or an extra port stuck on it, is it worth another DVD Writer?

3. Will any of the "Replacement" units coming out from Panasonic encode Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio, have a "crisper" picture than the "old" HS2 and utilize a larger HDD as well as more than just the DVD-R and DVD-RAM formats and the like?

4. Will these "new" models cost me just as much, more, or less than the HS2 cost me at $850 back in November?

The reason I ask is because if the upgrades are significant enough, I may put my HS2 aside and upgrade the unit, if not, I'll keep using the HS2 for a few more years, also, keep in mind I give my parents the older equipment since they could care less about extra features until they get it second hand from me.

Finally if anyone has a US release date for the "new" DVD Writers, please let me know. Thank you in advance,

~Cyrax9~

[FulciLives]

There are at least two new replacement models that I know of.

The DMR-E80H which has an 80GB HDD
And another model (not sure of the model number) that will have a 120GB HDD

Both are basically the same except the 80GB unit does not have FireWire whereas the bigger 120GB model will (along with some sort of input for still digital camera memory cards).

The DMR-E80H is due out sometime in July and I think the 120GB model is due out in August ... give or take of course.

Otherwise these will be basically the same as the DMR-HS2

Oh yes the other "fix" will be the "black level" bug problem. All new Panasonic stand alone DVD recorders (starting with the DMR-E50 and DMR-E60 which are non-HDD models) will have selectable IRE level settings for the input so one can adjust for USA NTSC vs Japan NTSC/PAL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Cyrax9]

FulciLives--

When you say the "Black level bug problem" do you mean that the unit will be Multi-System for NTSC/PAL and not just NTSC or something else?

Also will the encoding quality be any better than the current HS2, like will the screen be crisper or anything?

Also in your opinion should I get the new Writer or just keep using the HS2 until they add more features to these units. The reason I'm asking is because I'm fairly satisfied with the HS2, my only gripe is that it only supports DVD-R and DVD-RAM and no RW formats or + formats as well as the -R and -RAM. I also find that the HDD fills up failry quickly and I'd like to have a larger drive however if signifigant improvements are being made than I would realy consider the upgrade.

Also what is the SRP for the new unit, I paid $850 for the HS2 in NOvemebr I can't afford that much again but if it's going to drop in price more and more I'd consider buying one.

Thanks again.

[FulciLives]

When you say the "Black level bug problem" do you mean that the unit will be Multi-System for NTSC/PAL and not just NTSC or something else?

No the machine will not be multi-system. What I mean is this ... right now the HS2 and other "older" models were set to record with the expected input IRE black level to be 0 (as in zero). However, this is used for Japanese NTSC and PAL but not USA NTSC. The USA NTSC format uses a black level of IRE 7.5 so your HS2 will not record any US NTSC signal correctly. The result? Some DVD players will output an overly bright and wash-out picture (in terms of color and black level). This is not apparent when playing back the disc on the HS2 as it compensates but many DVD players will not play back the DVD correctly. All newer Panasonic models have selectable IRE inputs so you can set it properly for USA NTSC. Chock this up to the fact that it was made in Japan and no one at Panasonic realized the mistake until users started to point it out. So far the new DMR-E50 and DMR-E60 models have the selectable IRE level for input. Panasonic has seen the light of day and have said that all newer models (at least USA models) will have this feature. Be warned that Panasonic does not call it IRE in the set-up but something like "lighter" or "darker" which is rather lame but at least the fix is there.

Also will the encoding quality be any better than the current HS2, like will the screen be crisper or anything?

No the quality of the image/sound should be the same minus the "black level" bug.

Also in your opinion should I get the new Writer or just keep using the HS2 until they add more features to these units. The reason I'm asking is because I'm fairly satisfied with the HS2, my only gripe is that it only supports DVD-R and DVD-RAM and no RW formats or + formats as well as the -R and -RAM. I also find that the HDD fills up failry quickly and I'd like to have a larger drive however if signifigant improvements are being made than I would realy consider the upgrade.

Well there would be two reasons why you might want to upgrade. Reason one would be the "black level" bug. Reason two would be a larger HDD. These are the only "enhancements" over the HS2.

Also what is the SRP for the new unit, I paid $850 for the HS2 in NOvemebr I can't afford that much again but if it's going to drop in price more and more I'd consider buying one.

I've read that the 80GB model will be out with a street price (as in mail order) of around $600 to $700 but expect to pay much more in a retail store. For instance most retail stores sell the now available DMR-E50 (no HDD) for $500 but you can get it on-line for around $400
I'm not sure what the price point of the 120GB model will be but I expect it to be at least $100 if not as much as $200 above the 80GB model.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Little known facts about the PANASONIC stand alone DVD recorders ...

1.) If you record to the HDD first and then to a DVD-R the machine will re-encode. This is BAD

2.) If you record to the HDD first and then to a DVD-RAM disc it will not re-encode as long as the recording speed is the same. For instance if you record to the HDD in the SP (2 hour mode) then to the DVD-RAM in SP mode then no re-encoding is done and the transfer is faster than real time (since it is just a data copy basically). However if you record to the HDD in say XP mode (1 hour) then to a DVD-RAM in SP mode (2 hour) then it will re-encode. This is BAD

3.) If you buy a DVD drive for the computer that can read DVD-RAM discs then there is a way to copy your recording from DVD-RAM to your computer's HDD and then author a custom DVD disc with your computer's DVD burner. This means you can do further editing (if need be) and create custom menus and chapters. If you do this the correct way then the computer will NOT have to re-encode your recording. Do it the wrong way (or with the wrong software tools) and it will be re-encoded.

PANASONIC makes a DVD burner that supports DVD-R and DVD-RAM (as well as CD-R and CD-RW) but if you already have a burner or don't want the PANASONIC burner (since it only supports 2x DVD-R writing as opposed to 4x and/or DVD+R/RW) then you can buy a TOSHIBA DVD-ROM reader for around $50 that also will read DVD-RAM discs made in your stand alone PANASONIC DVD recorder. However the TOSHIBA will need a special driver to work properly with DVD-RAM discs in the method described and TOSHIBA does not offer this driver although I think you can get it from the PANASONIC website. I know people have gotten it and made it to work.

[FulciLives]

This really blows chunks ...

Take a look at this THREAD:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=163250&highlight=

This really makes me MAD

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Cyrax9]

Woah, I didn't know that when I copied to DVD-R keeping SP mode for all recordings the unit re-encoded my video!

Now I'm even more tempted to just use rewritable media and make the "Final Copy" on the PC.

I haven't noticed too much of a problem with the reencoded Video though, but if they're able to hide it I guess it's not as bad as the :"Black Level bug" which reminds me that I did notice it before.

The HS2 and my Sony DVD Player ( I always forget the model number of this unit) usually play the finalized Dvd_Rs fairly well, meaning they look just right, but when I played the Disc on the PS2 it looked "Darker" in some areas and "Lighter" in others, now I know why.

However if the HS2's sucsessor is going to have the same problem as the E30's succesor with poor video quality I'm not dropping another $800+ on a new unit until they fix this. Of course Japan and US NTSC signals seem to be a problem with a lot of things, the worst is when I'm trying to figure out if someone means USA NTSC or Japan NTSC when referring to a video signal that's comepletly screwed up with one type of settings. PAL is easy to recognize if only for the fact that he Screen Res is different but I still wish Panasonic would get on the bal with the problems on the E50 before they release the replacement for the HS2.

The only "gripe" i have now about the new untis is that they'll probably STILL re-encode my video when I burn it on DVD-R and They'll only Support DVD-RAM and DVD-R, I like both, don't get me wrong, but there are tiems when I wnt to use DVD-RW and save some Money with all the Bells and Whistles on the HS2 you'd think the nex unit would support more formats bu I guess it's too expensive, as far as the IRE leel setings, I don't know why Panasonic doesn't offer a firmware upgrade already so people don't have to drop $800+ for a new unit to replace mistakes that should ahve stayed at the factory, IRE settings on the HS2 and color problems on the E50 are the reason I'm reluctant to upgrade now.

I guess I'll skip this coming generation and then next year I'll upgrade, hopefully someone at Panasonic is realizing these thngs could sell a lto faster if they'd drop the price by a couple $100 dollars.