Panasonic DMR-EH55/57

[dvdpanrec]

Hi!

My first question would be which one to choose EH55 or 57? Also my main concern is: after i record to hdd, can i copy the material without reencoding to the dvd disc? If not, are there any other dvd recorders that can do that? I would like panasonic as pq is amazing, but reencoding usually ruins that.

Thanks!!!

[trhouse]

The EH55 has a NTSC tuner and the EH57 has a PAL tuner with this warning.

Note! WARNING: This is a "PAL" product and CANNOT be used in the USA. It is designed for use with video products built to European TV standards. For use in the USA please choose NTSC. A PAL signal is required for a PAL recording, and an NTSC signal is required for an NTSC recording.

The EH55 has a 200 GB hdd vs the EH57's 160 GB. Typically, if a recorder can copy from the hdd to dvd in high speed mode ( not realtime ) it is not being re-encoded. It takes the EH55 about 7 minutes to burn a dvd and about 1.5 minutes to finalize.

[dvdpanrec]

Thanks! What happens if the recording can't fit on one DVD? Can it be split onto two disc without reencoding?

[trhouse]

There are two ways to do it. One is permanent and one is not.

The permanent method is to use "edit title" then "divide title". This creates two titles that cannot be recombined.

The second method is to go to the title that is too long and select "view chapters" , then "create chapter" to divide the title into two chapters.

With either method, you can burn to dvd without re-encoding, but in the second method you can use "combine chapters" to put the title back to its original length.

[Tearren]

I have the DMR-EH50, but I have a bit of experience with panasonic DVD recorders. If you edit on the HDD and want the most compatibility for other DVD players, it really is going to be neccessary to re-encode to the DVD. Without going into a lot of detail, the best way to explain it, is in essence the re-encode seals the gaps created when editing. It probably has gotten better with later generations, but I think you should be aware of it before making a purchase.

What are you concerns about re-encoding? The re-encoded video should not have any distinguishing degredation in SP mode, atleast that I can see.

Tearren

[trhouse]

The EH50 is a 2005 model of the same generation as my ES10 which captures at 704x480 resolution. These were the last Panasonics to use 704x480, after that it was 720x480. Under what conditions does a playback problem occur? I have tested EH55 edited dvd's on Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, etc. but no problems so far.

[Tearren]

The EH50 is a 2005 model of the same generation as my ES10 which captures at 704x480 resolution. These were the last Panasonics to use 704x480, after that it was 720x480.

I'm not sure what the resolution has to do with the issue I described, to my knowledge it does not relate.

Under what conditions does a playback problem occur? I have tested EH55 edited dvd's on Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, etc. but no problems so far.

Transferring video via DVD-RAM to computer to author dvd. Also, I have done a number of dvd's for friends from Camcorders. The first one I did had an issue when I fast dubbed, so I just burned them all re-encoding. I had this same issue with my old recorder DMR-HS2.

Tearren

[oldfart13]

No such issue here with an old E80H. I've transferred hundreds of programs using the Panasonic Movie Album copy tool and DVD RAM. The only problem I have of late is sometimes the LG burner I have (22L) refuses to recognize discs burned on the E80H and when you erase the discs using the Movie Album software, the E80H fails to recognize the disc. It's an easy fix in either case though and I've never had the issue crop up when using old 1X or 2X DVD-RAM. Only the new 3X and above discs can be problematic....

[trhouse]

I'm not sure what the resolution has to do with the issue I described, to my knowledge it does not relate.

It might have been more clear to say that the mpeg encoders are different. The ES10 used a Panasonic encoder with 704x480 resolution. LSI encoders with 720x480 resolution were used in the half generation which included the ES20. After that they went with their own again in the ES15 series which included the EH55. Now they are back to LSI apparently in the EZ series.

I have never seen this problem with dvd-ram in either the EH55 or EH75V which are both 2006 models. All the hdd to dvd transfers have been high speed. It takes about 7 minutes burn time with 1 1/2 minute to finalize.

I have an ES10 and have done hundreds of dvd-ram transfers to computer to edit with DVD Author but never saw the problem described. All the dvd-ram were x2-3 Panasonics. What media are you using?

[musr139]

No such issue here with an old E80H. I've transferred hundreds of programs using the Panasonic Movie Album copy tool and DVD RAM. The only problem I have of late is sometimes the LG burner I have (22L) refuses to recognize discs burned on the E80H and when you erase the discs using the Movie Album software, the E80H fails to recognize the disc. It's an easy fix in either case though and I've never had the issue crop up when using old 1X or 2X DVD-RAM. Only the new 3X and above discs can be problematic....

Hi,
I have DMR_EZ475VK. I am happy with that when it does not freeze up.
How can I transfer something that record on DVD-RAM to a DVD+R or -R ]that can be played on other
players?

Where do you get the Panasonic Movie Album Copy Tool.
My Recorder did not come with any software.
Thanks

[Tearren]

I am not the only one that has experienced the issue I described and it is not an isolated incident. Also, It is not my media. The issue I have described has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum.

The issue is really hit or miss. If you haven't had any problems, congratulations, I don't mean that flippant either. I hope Panasonic eventually fixes / has fixed the issue.

I had the problem on the DMR-HS2 and I have experienced the problem on my DMR-EH50.

My point to the original poster was just to inform him that there has been issues in the past with using high speed dub on a Panasonic and those said problems could potentially still exist. Re-encoding eliminates the problem thus I recommend "If you edit on the HDD and want the most compatibility for other DVD players, it really is going to be necessary to re-encode to the DVD."

For reference to the issue see here:

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic175473.html

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic237555.html

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic179093.html

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic183614.html

[oldfart13]

musr139: Mine came with the Panasonic/Matsushita DVD RAM burner I had from long ago, but it now also comes with the TMPGEnc Mpeg Editor software:

http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tme20_feature.html

[trhouse]

The p/n for the Panasonic Movie Album cd is VFF0128. It is considered a replacement part for the Panasonic LF-D321U drive. The disk is only $8.29 direct from Panasonic. I have it but it will not install if your drive is not a Panasonic. It has been said that it will work with some LG drives.

[lordsmurf]

The ES10 is LSI-based. The LSI chipset supports all MPEG resolutions commonly found in DVD/DVB.

[trhouse]

The ES10 does not use an LSI part but the ES20 did. Here is a link with photos of the ES10 processor. It runs very cool to the touch and does not require any heatsink,

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic272629.html

[musr139]

musr139: Mine came with the Panasonic/Matsushita DVD RAM burner I had from long ago, but it now also comes with the TMPGEnc Mpeg Editor software:

http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tme20_feature.html

Thanks. I tried this software. It does the job. Thanks.

[musr139]

The p/n for the Panasonic Movie Album cd is VFF0128. It is considered a replacement part for the Panasonic LF-D321U drive. The disk is only $8.29 direct from Panasonic. I have it but it will not install if your drive is not a Panasonic. It has been said that it will work with some LG drives.

Thanks. After calling several times, finally managed to get someone who was able to help me buy
this SW CD for $13.19. I will try this out.
Thanks

[lordsmurf]

The ES10 does not use an LSI part but the ES20 did. Here is a link with photos of the ES10 processor. It runs very cool to the touch and does not require any heatsink, https://forum.videohelp.com/topic272629.html

It appears your memory is better than mine.
It's been more than 2 years since that machine came out, no wonder the specs are a little hazy.

Either way, the recording quality of this unit is craptastic. Great for filtering, passthrough only.

[trhouse]

Either way, the recording quality of this unit is craptastic.

To each his own. My relatives love the VHS to DVD transfers from it and picked it above all others but it was a simple majority. Every recorder had its adherents. Some of my five VHS recorders can play back some tapes better. It is like that on the recording side too. Some recorders do a better job recording some tapes than others. No shoe fits all feet.

Has it been two years?

[lordsmurf]

It's an early 2005 model, yes.

The ES10 produce an image that is, like most Panasonics, blocky beyond two hours, slightly dark (luma issues, as usual), and has a new error all to itself: posterization. It can really posterize images badly. A number of subsequent Panasonic machines do this too, and it's apparently chipset independent, some other piece of crap in the machine causes it. I've seen it on the LSI and current Panasonic chipsets too. Luckily my new tv can filter about 80% of it out, but anybody watching on non-filtering tv's would get annoyed or easily notice the problem.

Relatives and other people are an odd group. Many people actually believe that anything not made by a studio is supposed to look bad. Many times, they're just too nice to say anything. There's still a mixed bag of psychology out there on do-it-yourself stuff. That's why so many people will make a piece of crap (be it a flyer, a DVD, etc) and use a term like "it's fine" or "good enough" when questions about how crappy it is. They think that bad is all that is possible, unless they spend millions of dollars. The truth, however, is that it's all about skill and being selective with the tools you use. That's what I try and teach, the skills and how to select better tools (for video, as well as other topics). It sounds really narcissistic, but I surprise people every day of the year with the quality of my work, because I use good tools, in addition to having enough skills to get the job done. Folks should not have to be so surprised.