Panasonic DVD Recorder High Speed Mode or XP mode?

[chloh]

Hi Panny owners, I am using a Hard Disk recorder model and I am using High Speed mode to record, so that dubbing from HD to DVD-R is faster. I also notice that when doing this, the dubbing seems not to re-encode.

Before I did this I recorded in XP mode (wihtout High Speed Mode on), and when transferred to DVD-R the dubbing mode played back the entire clip. It seems that the unit is reencoding the video file, but I cant be sure.

My questions are

1. Which setting records the best quality, XP in High Speed Mode or XP in normal? Or are they identical?

2. If I use normal mode, is Panny re-encoding when I dub to disc?

Cheers
ch

[DereX888]

In XP mode if your recorded video is longer than some 60min (about 62-63 min IIRC) then the file stored on your panny's hdd is too big to fit on DVD-R. Thats why panny is reencoding it before it records it on disc.

IMO panny's reencoding method spoil the quality.
Therefore if the video you are about to record on hdd is longer than 1hr, and you know you will put it on the disc later, then youre better off recording it (capturing to hdd) in SP mode. Unless it is even longer than 2hrs, then use other recording modes, but below SP mode they are rather crappy quality - with obvious exceptions (very low motion movies, black & white, etc etc).

To answer your questions:
1 - XP in normal mode should be the best quality.
2 - As I explained above, if your recording is less than 2hrs at SP mode, then it won't be reencoded when you output it to disc.

[Captain Satellite]

1. XP in high speed mode is obviously the best quality - no re-encoding.
2. If you use normal mode you are re-encoding.

[HoustonGuy]

Actually if a TV program or otherwise is longer than an hour(or even 2 hours) it is better to record it at FR(flex record) (not SP) to HDD, then high speed burn to disc.

[psychotronicfilms]

Actually if a TV program or otherwise is longer than an hour(or even 2 hours) it is better to record it at FR(flex record) (not SP) to HDD, then high speed burn to disc.

Maybe I'm wrong on this - but I thought that if you used the Flexible Recording function, that High Speed Dubbing was not an option. All Flex Recordings are then dubbed at normal speed only, causing them to be re-encoded. Right?

[HoustonGuy]

psycho- No that is incorrect- You can definitely record at FR to HDD and then high speed burn the program to a disc and there is no re-encoding on this high speed burn. In fact this is the best way to do a 1 hour and 45 minute movie or a 2 hour and 10 minute movie , to use two examples.

[Captain Satellite]

FR is not available when recording to the hard drive - hell, there's nothing to 'flex' with that kind of space. Psycho is correct.

[HoustonGuy]

Sorry- captain- I have 2 E-80's and do it all the time- What in the heck are you talking about? You are wrong as you can be. I am talking about recordings over 1 hour. It is better to record, say a 1 hour and 45 minute movie, in FR on the HDD and then high speed dub it to a disc than any other way. This is the best way. period. Unless you want to originally record at XP and divide the movie into 2 less than 1 hour programs and then high speed 2 discs. Recording at XP over 1 hour will not high speed dub to one disc. It is not possible.

[Captain Satellite]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[shutterbug]

For Flexible Recording to your hard drive: click the "Functions" button on your remote, then hilight the "Flexible Rec" tab and type in the amount of time you want to record. You can also use Flex Recording with the timer function or vcr plus recording.

You should use Flexible record anytime a program is more than 1 hour and less than 2--you'll get a higher bit rate than recording in SP mode. If you high-speed dub the program to DVD-R, you'll fill the dvd with about 4 gig and no re-encoding (though the blank will hold 4411 MB). As long as DVD-R Compatible Record is set to ON in your unit's setup, you can high-speed dub any program to DVD-R. As long as it's under 4411 MB in size (regardless of the time length of the program)

Oh yeah...Merry Christmas!

[Captain Satellite]

For Flexible Recording to your hard drive: click the "Functions" button on your remote, then hilight the "Flexible Rec" tab and type in the amount of time you want to record. You can also use Flex Recording with the timer function or vcr plus recording.

You should use Flexible record anytime a program is more than 1 hour and less than 2--you'll get a higher bit rate than recording in SP mode. If you high-speed dub the program to DVD-R, you'll fill the dvd with about 4 gig and no re-encoding (though the blank will hold 4411 MB).

Oh yeah...Merry Christmas!

Thanks! I discovered that this morning after HoustonGuy's post. It isn't the first time I've learned something on here! I sowwy, HoustonGuy.

[HoustonGuy]

Captain- I am a good guy- Merry Christmas.