question on DMR-E80 and DMR-HS2 ???

[ktnwin]

I look up online shopping and found that
DMR-E80 costs around 560$, with 80GB HDD built in
DMR-HS2 cost around 700+$, with only 40GB HDD
Can anyone shed the light on this ? There must be something the DMR-E80 is giving up for a lower price.
I am thinking about buying one of these, but the contradiction in price versus features make me thinking twice.

[FulciLives]

I look up online shopping and found that
DMR-E80 costs around 560$, with 80GB HDD built in
DMR-HS2 cost around 700+$, with only 40GB HDD
Can anyone shed the light on this ? There must be something the DMR-E80 is giving up for a lower price.
I am thinking about buying one of these, but the contradiction in price versus features make me thinking twice.

The HS2 is an older model and had a higher MSRP than the E80 which is the newer current model replacement. Not too long ago when I last checked you could get the HS2 for cheaper than $700 since most on-line stores were blowing them out to make room for the E80 which was comming and is now, as I understand it, actually available NOW.

I do know that the E80 does not offer a DV in port and I think (though I'm not sure) that the HS2 did offer that. Otherwise the E80 is superior especially considering it does not have the "black level" bug that the HS2 has plus you are getting a much bigger (by double) HDD with the E80

If you MUST have DV input then PANASONIC does have another model due that will have that but it will probably be at least a couple hundred more than the E80 because not only will it have a DV input but it will be a 120GB HDD instead of the 80GB HDD that the E80 has. This model I am talking about has not been released just yet but should be out very soon.

The DMR-E60 does have a DV in but no HDD

Anyways, in short, I see absolutly NO REASON to buy the HS2 over the E80 because even a DV camcorder plugged into the analog S-Video and Stereo RCA audio jacks will look SO good that the human eye really can't see the difference between that VS inputting it as DV ... any loss in quality vs the two approaches borderlines on the technical more than "real life" since you can't see the difference in the end result.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ktnwin]

Thanks for the quick reply. So without the DV input, the E80 cost a lot less than the HS2. That makes a lot of sense.
I also agreed that DV input is not that crucial since both boxes will video to DVD anyway (and therefore resulting in a little loss of quality).
I am fine with S-video in.
Another question: do these boxes support half D1 DVD format when you select 2+ hours recording ?