Panasonic DMR-E85H - can I use TDK 8X DVD-R discs ?

[loopingstar]

Hi all...
I'm a bit of a DVD recording newbie , having just purchased a DMR 85H DVD/Hard Drive machine I'm a bit confused as to the best discs to use .
I was going to buy some TDK's but they seem to be 8X speed , and in the recorder's destruction manual it only mentions using 4X discs .
Anyone recommend which discs I should go for ?
Also...while I'm here ! Is it ok to leave the high speed dubbing recording option set yes , even if I may not always want to bother transferring stuff from hard drive to disc ?

Thanks in advance for any tips
Loop

[JoachimS]

Hi,

I got the same recorder. 8x speed media means that they can be used up to 8x. In other words 1x to 8x.

I am currently using Verbatim, TDK and Sony media.

Nice typo: "destruction manual" ROTFL, I should remember that one

High Speed Dubbing means 4x speed maximum without requantization of the MPEG material.

I always try to avoid "FR" as it converts the program to fit exactly on a 4GB size DVD-R. So when entering a scheduled program to be recorded, I choose XP for 1hr or less, SP for more than 1hr but less than 2hrs. If the program is more than 2hrs, I use XP but must then use FR in the dubbing mode to burn it on a single DVD-R.

Cheers,

JoachimS

[chas0039]

These machines can be picky as to the media type. I went through a lot a grief before I found some usable types. Prodisc S03 and Ritek G04 both work well. Be aware that Verbatim, TDK and Sony media can vary in media codes so they might work once and then next batch might fail. Also I found that writing the title to a disc first would always tell me if a disc would work.

[handyguy]

I use Accus on my Panasonic. Meritline has a list of what to use if you want to buy from them.

[Captain Satellite]

Maxells work perfectly. No reason to avoid FR mode. If your program is 2:15 for instance, record in FR mode to the hard drive then dub to your DVD-R. Don't waste your money on 8X discs because they will only dub at 1X speed on the recorder.