Have some questions about Panasonic DMR-E55?

[krazydl]

I am thinking of buying this DVD recorder.
The main reason I'm buying this is to record one of TV program that my girl friend wants to watch.
And I want to know few things before I buy this...
(I am familiar w/ dvdrw but never dealt w/ DVD recoder, so...)

1. When I record TV show, does it work like VCR or it is totally different?

2. Does it record shows w/ region code? If it does, can I change the region code on this?('cause my girl is going to stay in Japan for 6 months so I need to record w/ Japan's region code so she can watch this on normal DVD player-this is the main reason I need to record TV show. Apparently they don't show this in Japan)

3. I should have asked this question first before #2 question. It's almost same question as #2. Anyway, DVD(- or +) disc that I record will play on other DVD players or it only works w/ Panasonic players?

4. Can I record TV program provided by cable company(TW cable w/ HD box). I read it somewhere that sometime cable company can copy-protect their signals......???

If anyone knows any of these things, PLEASE, give me some advise.
Thanks in advance...

[Anonymous65]

I have the DMR-50, which should be almost the same as the 55 I think.

1. Yes, it works pretty much like a regular VCR. You select the record quality, like SP, LP and so on, select the channel and hit the record button. When a disk is full, you will have to Finalize (close) the disk so it will play on other players.

2. I believe the region code is set to all regions (0) on teh disk. The Panasonic will not play or record any PAL formated disks on a NTSC unit and vise versa.

3. The Panaonic recorder will record to DVD-R only, which will play in most newer DVD players. If you use DVD-RAM disks, they will not play in other players.

4. I believe the unit ignores the copy protection on VHS tapes, which I assume is the same protection used on the cable/satellite systems. I have recorded many VHS tapes and have had no problems with copy protection.

[chas0039]

In no way does this ignore copy protection, unless you were lucky enough to get some sort of odd machine. Not only does it block copies of Macrovision on VHS, it also does not work well with simple Macrovision copiers as it still recognizes that the Macro is there and blocks recording. It is so thorough that it will even stop if it is in the middle of copying and you change the source. Some machines allow this workaround and others do not. I also own an E-50 and while I have been content with it I have read of some newer machines from Pioneer and others that are considered by experts to be much better. If I had a choice I would wait. Do some searching and you should find the posts on the new machines. They were in the last week.

There is copy protection for analog and digital and they are different. Do more searching to see what is going on with cable.

[ZippyP.]

RE. region coding.

Region coding is only for commercial dvd's so it is not an issue. North American video is NTSC standard as is Japan, so that is not an issue as well.

[krazydl]

Thank you so much, guys!
I really appreciate it.

However, at the moment, I'm not thinking of copying VHS tapes. I just want to record TV programs.(probably when I have more time, I will try to backup my VHS tapes. I have too many of them though.....)

Anyway, I guess I gotta dig deeper for cable company's copy protection policy.
Better the technology is, harder the my life become....

[rr6966]

I have Time Warner cable w/ their HD Box. I have a Pioneer 310 and a Toshiba 52 DVD recorders . I have the cable split running a coax into the recorder, as well as, an s-video into the recorder.I use the recorders tuner for the analog channels, and the s-video for the HD and digital channels. I also have HBO and Showtime, and have had no copy protection issues, and have been able to record movies and shows like the Sopranos with no problems. I hope this helps!

[krazydl]

That was the answer that I was looking for(#4 question)
Thanks, rr6966!

And all of you guys.

I get a lot of good help from this site most of time.

[handyguy]

Walmart has this recorder instock for $150 now. In store only.

[krazydl]

Thanks,handyguy!

Another question...

Does anybody prefer other recorders over this one?

[rr6966]

From everything I've read, the best quality bargains are Pioneer ( entrance models ie. Walmart etc ), Panasonic DMR-55, and there are alot of people who like the JVC DRM10SL . Out of these three the Pioneer seems to get the highest overall praise w/ reliability being taken into account.

[lennyt]

I have been using the DMR-55 for the past 2 months. I bought a 5-pack of DVD-RAM disks (Panasonic) and with the tuner I record 2 movies per disk in LP mode. After watching I erase the disks and repeat. Think of a DVD-RAM disk as the closest thing to a hard drive. If you want you can record up to 8 hrs on 1 DVD_RAM. If you want you can record on DVD-R disks. I would say that DVD-R will play on adout half of the DVD players around. And if you are lucky enough to have a DVD writer on your computer that can read DVD-RAM disks you can copy to your hard drive, edit and burn to DVD-R and DVD+R disks and Rewritables. I checked this forum for DVD-RAM readers and bought a new DVD writer. 2 things to remember. 1. Install theDMR-55 exactly how they suggest for best tuner results. 2. Don't use cheap no-name disks. So far I have been using Panasonic DVD-RAM disks with excellent results.

[krazydl]

Thanks for all the help!
I will research some more and decide one of them.

Thanks again!!