Panasonic DMR-E80 VS Pioneer DVR-810h VS Pioneer DVR-510h ?

[gsquez1]

Hey i am going to buy one of these DVD recorders with a 80GB Hard Drive.
Which is the better model for the money?
I know that the Pioneer is more expensive but it has Tivo installed.
I am looking to record from my VCR and record from TV.

What are the pros and cons of each of these DVD Recorders?

I would like it to play these formats which include vcd svcd dvd-r dvd+r dvd-rw cd-r cd-rw.
Let me know your opinions on these two DVD Recorders.
Thanks.

[oldfart13]

A better test would be between the E80/E100 and the Pioneer 510 since the 810 is a TiVo unit and doesn't allow you to edit the material recorded from the HDD. That means you'd have to leave in the commercials before burning to disc. The 510 allows editing as well as copying non copy protected DVD-R to the HDD and back to another DVD-R at 4X. The Panasonics apparently have better PQ though so it will be up to you as to what features you can't live without and what you can discard...

[gsquez1]

Hey i did not know you could not edit from the Hard Drive on the Pioneer 810h with Tivo. Why did they do that because of Tivo?
Which would be the better recorder then for the money?
Panasonic DMR-E80 or The Pioneer 510H? The Pioneer seems to be more expensive.
The Panasonic records to DVDRAM and DVD-R and both have 80GB Hard Drive.
The Pioneer records to DVD-R and DVD-RW.
Which plays more formats like VCD SVCD DVD-R DVD-RW DVD+R DVD+RW CD R CDRW ? It seems like the Pioneer plays more formats.
Is it too early to buy a DVD Recorder with a Hard Drive?
Do you think i should wait?
Thanks for the info.
Anymore opinions on this?
Let me know. Thanks.

[oldfart13]

Operation of a lot of the recorders is not that easy as a vcr. At least not yet. Many require some understanding of bitrates, video encoding, filtering, etc. though the defaults can be used. Some have inputs or features others don't have, etc. For playback, I use another DVD player as the quality of the Panasonic while good is not as good as many of the straight DVD players. Also, though the non HDD units seem to be what they are pushing now as an alternative to a vcr, I'd wait for the HDD units to come down a bit and buy one of those, possibly waiting til the firewire in/output versions also come down in price so you will have everything you want. I love my E80 to death as it's doing stuff like archiving tapes, recording TV for friends, etc. that I have had to put off for a long time. That saying, there are things that I am missing on it that hopefully will be dealt with in upcoming models. I'll just have to wait til next year to see...

[gsquez1]

Hey what features are missing on the Panasonic E/80 that might be in future models?
I think i am going to wait until the prices come down and then buy one with a Hard Drive.
Hopefully next year they will come down in price.

[zanos]

You can't edit out commercials on the pioneer?!?!? WTF!!

[handyguy]

Some units come with Guide Plus, which is free, its just like TIVO only its free.

[bnbhoha]

The E100 has firewire, picture thumbnails, 4x recording. 120gb HD, and card reader; E80 does not. The E80 can be had for around $470 after rebates at ecost, the cheapest I've seen E100 is for around $820 delivered. The best bang for the buck ins the E80. From the reviews that I've read, the Panny's are better than the Pioneers. If you're on a budget and want one of the best, get the E80. I elected to get the E100 and have no regrets. I got it because of the picture thumbnails and firewire. Otherwise, the E80 would've been my choice.

Panny did jerk us around a little, they could've added picture thumbnails to the E80 as well as firewire. I bet the next models will have this. IF you really want to wait, they will becoming out with dual layered dvd recorders in the second half of next year and dual layer pc writers in the first half of next year. I belive Philps will be the first to offer it and it will be +r format. The -r people said they're working on a dual layered as well, but haven't given dates. The dual layered will hold around 8.4gb of data, no quite double but close enough.

[oldfart13]

Yeah, the E80 HAS to make a text menu while the E100 does not. I could have used that. I could also use the ability to create your own menues on a PC then load them into the Panasonic. Firewire in out to all sources, including PCs would be a big plus. An all format drive like the LG Superdrive would get rid of the format wars once and for all. Audio overlay would be great if you are doing a wedding video. Metered audio input volume would be a big plus in that case as well. Still trying to figure out what I could use an Ethernet connection for. These are in the new Sony units available in Japan. I didn't think that many people over there were wired that way since most are still using dial up or ISDN and not cable or ADSL. We'll just have to wait and see...

[gsquez1]

I am choosing which to buy out of these 3 DVD Recorders.

Pioneer DVR-810h: Can't edit from hd but it has Tivo? What is Tivo for and do i really need it? This recorder is really expensive too for not having editing features. I guess you are paying for Tivo. Will a recorder ever come out with Tivo and editing features on the same player?
It records on DVD-R and DVD-RW.

Pioneer DVR-510h: It has editing options and i guess you can copy a non protected dvdr to the hd and back to dvdr. Can you do this with vcd's to hd then back to dvdr? This recorder is pretty expensive too and i hear the picture quality is not that great. No Tivo with this one. It records on DVD-R and DVD-RW. This is the newest Pioneer model i think.

Panasonic DMR-E80: I keep hearing great things about this recorder and it is the cheapest of the three.
The PQ is suppose to be really good on it as well. You can edit on this player but i dont think you can copy a non protected dvdr to the hd and back to dvdr. It records on DVD RAM and DVD-R

Let me know if you have anymore opinions or info on these 3 DVD Recorders.
Which do you think i should buy out of these 3?
I am planning on buying one by Christmas. Do you think i should wait for newer models with a hd next year?
I would hate to buy one now and then have it be old news in a couple of months.