Stand Alone DVD Recorders...No multiple copies?!?

[Jonny]

I, like many others, am in the market to buy an entry-level stand alone($250-$400 range) DVD recorder to archive all of my old VHS obscurities. I was thinking about the Panasonic DMR30 or 50 machines. I would burn my VHS to DVDRAM or RW, then slave the RAM/RW copies from original DVD player to recorder and make DVDR final copies. PROBLEM: I heard that you could only make one copy on the recorder, due to audio "time-slips" on subsequent copies, therefore only allowing one backup copy. IS THIS TRUE? And if so, is it only on Panasonics, or all stand alone recorders? It would seem ridiculous if you had to save your VHS tapes in case your DVDR backup got scratched or damaged, instead of (you would think) being able to just burn off another backup from DVD player to recorder. I trade scarce old B-films, and it would make it so much easier if I could just burn off another disc from my DVDR....Any help would be most appreciated......Thanks,
-Jon

[ZippyP.]

Rather than copying from player to recorder you're far better off making exact duplicates using your PC and a DVD burner.

[Meritocracy]

This is not true, and whomever you heard it from is incorrect. To be frank, the previous poster is correct in that you'd be better off making duplicates either from your computer, or better yet, purchasing a DVD Recorder with a HDD where you could do all of your editing and then make multiple Highspeed copies of the final product to DVDR if you so desired.

[Jonny]

Thanks Meritocracy, a DVD recorder with a HD was probably what I was going to go for(probably the cheapest Panasonic HD model). I just need a simple setup, no need to worry about encryptions, dual-layers, file formats, etc. of the various PC programs. I just want to archive(and edit out commercials) of all my old VHS obscurities. I have a vid stabilizer, so the few protected VHS I have to dub won't be a problem. Even with the Panasonic's(from what I've heard)"copy protected" message. Does anyone have one of these HD units, and does it work seamlessly(frame by frame cut out before burn) editing out commercials on the hard drive? AND will it burn a copy of a PAL disc outputting from a region free(Cyberhome) DVD player when slaved to it? This would be my only other questions before taking the DVD recorder plunge. Thank you.....
-Jon

[Meritocracy]

Jonny,

If a cheap Panny with a HDD is what you're presently in the market for, take a look at the E-80 as most stores have significantly dropped prices on this unit to make way for the newly released E-85 model. As for exact frame by frame editing, unlike editing on a computer, no DVD recorder on the maket offers this and none will for the forseeable future. After editing and a subsequent HS transfer to DVD-R, you will experience a slight pause when playing back the disc at these edit points, but if you're smart, just make your edits at the blackout points between commercials and thus the effect will be barely noticeable. If even this bothers you, you could record from the HDD to DVD-R in realtime. Using this method, you would be playing from the HDD to the DVD-R rather than copying the imperfectly stitched together file from the HDD, and the transition will look smoother.
Personally, I'd avoid this and stick to lossless HS dubs, as your footage must undergo a realtime reencode via this method and thus quality will be slightly affected. Of course if you're dubbing from a VHS source this option may appeal to you as the quality of VHS isn't terribly high to begin with. To further complicate matters, if you really wanted to strech your budget to the breaking point, the E-100 (not sure about the E-85 as info is just starting to leak out on this unit) offers a HS Playlist dubbing option which would allow you to avoid both the pause and the reencode. Finally, as for the transferring of a PAL formatted DVD, the unit will record exactly what it sees so if you're playing back on a standalone which has macro disabled and does on-the-fly PAL to NTSC conversion this shouldn't pose a problem.

[FulciLives]

The new Panasonic DMR-E85 will let you "rip" an unprotected DVD-R to the HDD then back to a blank DVD-R and I think this can be done in high speed i.e., pure digital copy.

This is based on info I read over on the AVS FORUM so you might want to double check it.

I know they also said that the Panasonic DMR-80 could not do anything like this at all.

The DMR-E85 is now replacing the DMR-80 and comes with a 120GB HDD instead of just an 80G model.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[handyguy]

Just make a dvd-r with the panasonic, put in your computer, edit & make your dvds.

Panasonic is taking out features as they make new models. I have a e30 & it has three s-video outs & more buttons on the front panel than a e50 so you can control a e30 with no remote.

[Meritocracy]

Just make a dvd-r with the panasonic, put in your computer, edit & make your dvds.

Panasonic is taking out features as they make new models. I have a e30 & it has three s-video outs & more buttons on the front panel than a e50 so you can control a e30 with no remote.

As he's already stated he doesn't wish to use his computer for this, I don't see how beating the issue to death adds to the discussion. Additionally, now that Panasonic has finally made a functional remote (post E-50 models), I'd be less than concerned considering the features they've recently added, Dubbing from DVD-R back to HDD/ Fixed the Black Level Bug which effects your unit (E-30) etc., certainly don't seem to be signs of regression.

[WaverBoy]

The new Panasonic DMR-E85 will let you "rip" an unprotected DVD-R to the HDD then back to a blank DVD-R and I think this can be done in high speed i.e., pure digital copy.

This is based on info I read over on the AVS FORUM so you might want to double check it.

Not true. I have the DMR-E85, and it will only let you copy the unprotected DVD-R to the HDD in real time. No high-speed dub possible in that direction. Not a big deal for me, as if I wish to copy any DVD, I've only to rip and burn it on my computer.

[susan_m]

I have the DMR-E85, and it will only let you copy the unprotected DVD-R to the HDD in real time. No high-speed dub possible in that direction. Not a big deal for me, as if I wish to copy any DVD, I've only to rip and burn it on my computer.

Am I correct that there would be loss of quality in doing this? I have the Panasonic E-80 and am thinking about getting an E-85. I have some finalized DVD-R's that I need to copy (made before I invested in some DVD-RAM discs) and wasn't at all happy with the quality when I copied them onto the E-80 HDD from a second DVD player. I haven't yet tried hooking E-80 output to input (a technique that I've read about elsewhere on this board). Just wondering if the E-85's built-in ability to copy from DVD-R to HDD would give me a better quality copy than either of these methods. Unfortunately my current computer isn't up to the task of making DVDs.