Panasonic DMR-ES20S DVD Recorder Silver

• Multi-format, progressive scan DVD recorder/player in silver; measures 16.9 x 2.5 x 13.3 inches (WxHxD)
• Records to DVD-R/RW, DVD+R, and DVD-RAM; plays back DVD+RW, CD-R/RW, MP3, and JPEG
• Built-in analog TV tuner with 7-day electronic programming guide; chasing playback record function
• Video connection options: composite (2 in, 1 out), S-Video (2 in, 1 out), component (1 out), RF (1 in)
• Digital optical audio ouput for Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound

I needed something to offload my Tivo recordings onto and searched the various reviews for a good quality unit that would record and play in multiple formats. Rather quickly I narrowed it down to Panasonic (Sony had some attractive offerings but I am concerned about their obsessive digital rights management and so they were taken off my list) focusing on their ES10S model but found that it had been replaced by the ES20S. Some Googling revealed that the most significant differences appeared to be in fewer outputs on the newer model plus the addition of a cooling fan. Since I was planning on rather limited applications this was not an issue so I popped for the ES20S. After having used it for 3 weeks I must say that I am impressed overall with recording of DVD-R and DVD-RW discs. I also found that I did need to read the instructions to obtain the results I desired most specifically finalizing the disc after recording so that you can play it in most any other player. I now prefer recording with the DVD-RW in the 4 hour format and can usually get 2 Tivo movies on one disc that play well on my laptop. The remote is very good and can be coded to operate with my Sony XBR WEGA TV. I would have given it five stars if the user interface had been a bit more intuitive but overall I am very pleased and would purchase the same recorder today if I had to do it all over again.

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I bought this unit to save programs from TIVO my Onkyo 6DVD Changer is about the most sensitive / intolerant units to burned CDs/DVDs there is so I was really concerned, if the burned DVDs would work. The answer is: THEY DO! Reading some of the other reviews, the feeling I get is "forgot to finalize". There is a "Finalize" menu function (I admit it's somewhat burried in the manual), which closes out the DVD and makes it ready to be played on other devices. Used Memorex DVD+R disk, saved two shows of "24" from TIVO to disk, finalized: works like a charm on the Onkyo, works great on my PC, great picture quality.... what else do you need?!!!

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This is my first DVD recorder. I have used VCR's for the past 20 years so that's what I am used to.

My current over worked 5 year old VCR started to act up, so I started looking for a replacement and decided to go with the Panasonic DMR-ES20. The price was right, $180 at Circuit City.

I needed 3 things; to replace my aging VCR, to dub old VCR tapes I made before they deteriorate (some 20 years old) and to archive video shot from my digital video camera on an almost daily basis.

I won't talk much about the quality of recordings because my source (Adelphia cable) is so bad. Thankfully Time-Warner is supposed to take over early in '06.

My equipment and hookup: Panasonic DMR-ES20 DVD Recorder, Panasonic 27" standard TV, Panasonic PV-V4540 VCR , Panasonic DVD-RV27 DVD Player, Adelphia basic cable (no box). The ES20 will replace the VCR and DVD Player. I split the cable, one directly to the TV, the other to the ES20. S-Video from the ES20 to the TV since that's the best hookup this TV has.

Tuner. Yes, it has one. I think it's a bit weaker than the TV's tuner which is weaker than the tuner in the VCR. Probably won't matter if you have a good signal.

I have read reviews that state you cannot change channels using the numbers on the remote. Yes you can but you have to hit the 'Enter' key if you only enter 2 digits and it's a long reach from the numbers for my thumb. Also, the TV and VCR change channels instantly when surfing using the up/down buttons. The ES20 has a delay. It's not as slow as satellite though.

Playing. I popped in Spider-Man 2. Looked great to me, black level really good. My current player, the Panasonic DVD-RV27, has some features this recorder does not, the most notable instant replay and position memory. The position memory allows me to hit a button, then the next time I play that DVD it starts at that spot. This recorder does have a nice 1.3x speed playback. The benefit is that the audio is still understandable. It also has a 1 minute skip feature, good for passing over commercials instantly.

Recording. Let the fun begin. You can use DVD-RAM or the other non-ram formats it supports. I will be using both depending on what I am doing.

I plan on using non-ram for archiving from my camcorder and for dubbing old vcr tapes. I will be using the -R format as I will not need to write over them. They are permanent and that's what I need. They should also be very compatible with most other players.

Recording starts within 1 second of hitting the record button. It will not record over anything currently on the disk, it automatically finds empty space, instantly. No need to worry about recording over something.

I bought some Philips DVD-R disks for about $1 a piece. I dubbed a couple of classics (Near Dark and The Hidden) I taped off of Cinemax 18 years ago onto 1 disk using LP mode. When you start to record a new title is created. You can change the title, change the thumbnail, and add a disk name. I saw no way to add chapters. However, when I finalized the disk (it took 4 minutes) chapters were created automatically at 5 minute intervals. CNET's claim in it's review that you cannot create chapters is a bit misleading. You cannot do it, but the recorder does it automatically when the disc is finalized. I then tried playing this disk in a memorex player and a symphonic player. Worked just fine.

Using DVD-RAM gives the most options. The disks are about $2 a piece, not bad considering the claim you can record over them thousands of times. You can add chapters after you record. While playing you can hit the 'create chapter' button on the remote and it instantly creates a chapter. While playing you can hit the 'erase' button on the remote and it instantly erases (it asks for confirmation) that title. You can combine adjacent chapters. You can delete chapters. So, you could make a commercial break a chapter, then delete it. No more commercial.

Coming from the world of VCR's, a DVD-RAM recorder definitely has some benefits. I no longer have to find a spot on the tape to record a tv show on, the DVD-RAM does it automatically and instantly. Just hit the record button, it does the rest. It tells you how much time if left based on your recording mode. LP mode gives you 4 hours and is fine for cable / sat recording.

I have always had vcr's that had indexing. The difference now is instead of waiting for the tape to move forward or backward, it's instant.

You can view 6 titles or 12 chapters of a title at a time using the Navigator. Which ever title or chapter you have selected in the Navigator plays while the others are static. You can also easily erase these using the erase button on the remote (it asks for confirmation) without diving into a sub menu.

The time slip and chasing playback are really interesting and easy to use. You can watch something you already recorded while you are currently recording something else. I know, sounds odd, but it's handy. I was recording an episode of Boston Legal at night and while that was happening I was able to watch the episodes of ER I had recorded earlier. If I choose to I could stop watching the ER episodes and start watching the Boston Legal episode while it was recording, from any spot in the episode. Very nice.

Now, for some things I don't like or am not used to.

It does not display record, play, pause, FF, etc.. on the TV screen like a vcr does. I hit record but have to look at the ES10 or hit the status button to see if it's actually recording.

Can't add chapters while recording, have to wait until it's done.

There is a 10 second delay adding chapters. It adds them instantly when while you are playing, but when you hit stop there is a 10 second delay. I only notice this after I have added a chapter so I assume that's what it is.

The remote is a bit cumbersome. To change channels using the numbers you have to hit the 'enter' button and it's not near the numbers. The erase and create chapter buttons are next to each other and feel the same. The record button feels the same as the buttons around it. I like to work the remote by feel without looking at it or having to turn on a light.

To flip between title and chapter views you have to go into a sub menu.

Summary. I really like it. Last year I paid $125 for my dvd player, now I paid just $55 more for a recorder. Unlike a unit with just a hard drive, I can pop these disks out and save them forever if I choose. Camcorder plugs in easily with the front DV input. It's easy to use just like a vcr but with many more benefits. It's fast and fun. Go get one.

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Cannot believe that no one else has reported a problem trying to record TV pgms.

Panasonic tells me this is a known bug: when I try to record a number of pgms on the same day/or not, many will not record. or it may record the 1st and 2nd,only to skip the 3rd (leaving it gray) and record the 4th.

if I am trying to record a 1 hr. show and have 3 or even 4 hrs free on a pana dvd-ram disc, it will not accept the pgm in the Schedule section. it places an exclm pt ! next to the item.

Many, many shows have been skipped or whatever with AMPLE space on the disc. last night, with 4:01 hrs of free space, as shown in Scheduling, at 7:57PM I manually set it to record a 1 hr show, which began at 8:00PM.

set channel, start time, end time, mode =EP with 4:01 hrs of ep tim left on disc.

8:00PM came and went nothing happened! when I flipped the disc and gave it 6 free hrs, then it did record!

that is NOT a Scheduling bug, to my mind.

the cpu just does not deal with avail space/time on disc at all properly.

After first call on 11/01/05, pana says a FIRMWARE UPGRADE disc si in the mail, but I have no real confidence that this will correct problems. And have still not rcv'd disc, even after second call, 2-3 weeks after my original call...

will update...

1/03/06 UPDATE #1 STILL NO FIRMWARE DISC! Maybe I Should Just Get A TIVO... would now give ZERO stars.

pana has record of my 1st call/complaint on 11/01/05. Called back 2-3 wk's later w/same problem & disc. not rcv'd. was told disc would be forthcoming. it's now 1/03/06 and STILL NO DISC!

Placed 3d call and spoke to supv. bad machine and bad service.

1/06/06 UPDATE #2 FINALLY!! After speaking to a supv. and getting a bit irate, the firmware disc arrives.

Disc is clearly labelled "dmr es40". Instructions state to only use a disc having the same id number as the unit it's to be used with. I use it anyway, since no damage can result, (according to instructs.) Comes with 2 pages of photos of the display as firmware loads. Words such as "load, firmwre, etc" appear. NOne of these words appear on my unit. Another 50-60 min wait on pana 800-question line. (at least they do provide one with a real person on the other end!). Rep goes to secondary group; tells me that the es40 frimware and es20 is the same, but has no idea why I see none of the msg's as provided with the disc.

Have finished a little bit of recording: am now (at last) able to completely fill up a 6 hour side of a disc with normal recording of TV. did a bit of a torture test by leaving 3 minutes blank on disc, then recording 3 separate 1-minute pgm's to complete the 6 hrs.

Everything appears fine so far... In other words, it is now recording in the way it should have, all along.

My only question: HOW COULD PANA HAVE ALLOWED A PRODUCT TO BE SOLD/SHIPPED IN SUCH A DEFECTIVE STATE FROM THE START?

Update #3 1/27/06 STILL BUGGY!

Firmware still leaves a bug. with a ram disc that has 6 free hrs., if one recrods tv pgm's using the record on "day of the week" setting, say Saturday... I record 3 pgm's on a Saturday, each of 1 hour length. these are set to record every sat., and I have now used 3 hrs on the disc BUT going to the SCHEDULE function, I see that the 3 pgm's do NOT go away. they are at the bottom of the Scheduling area, but the date, saturday's date, is till next to them even though they have already finished being recorded.

Now, NOTHING ELSE WILL RECORD ON THIS DISC ON THIS DAY, (SAT).

The machine sees that 3 hrs of the 6 hr disc have been used. then it sees/thinks that there is/are still another 3 hours to be recorded (these are the same 3 pgm's already recorded, but which continue to show up on today's schedule). This gives us 6 HOURS!

The disc is maxed-out, so nothing furhter will record. If I record pgm's as a on-time-only deal, not as a repeating day of the week item, then the pgm disappears and it does not create a doubling of time used/needed. but then, I have to re-program to record that show every week, rather than just once, and foget it.

Once Sat. turns into Sunday, those 3 pgm's (and the time the machine is mistakenly reserving for them) go away till next week and those 3 "lost hours" are once more avail. to be used for recording.

suppose I could go on the 50+ minute wait-que, but would the info ever really get to the appropriate Pana technical staff, and does anybody really care anyway? Not that I can tell, or how could they have let this thing go out the way it was and is?

Update #4 2/15/06 It's going to "repair" shop.

got hold of Pana again. took 15 min or less! product specialist had me do a "re-initialize/reset" of machine. says my unit's firmware is/was already at the newest level of issue. the reset did not help when recording tv pgm's using the repeating day-of-the-week scheduling, the pgm's already recorded on a given day stay on the schedule as active, until Midnight of that day. pana rep tells me it's time to dig up receipt and make a trip to the shop.

We'll see... (I really have my doubts)

I purchased the unit in December for the purpose of copying about 25 8mm tapes to DVD and using this unit to make DVD's from my new mini DV Camcorder.

Before I updated the firmware (a process that took only 20 minutes), I had the same problems others have indicated. The machine would freeze and would need to be unplugged. Even with this issue, all the DVD could be finalized and work in the 3 DVD players I have. The remaining comments assume the firmware has been updated.

I have have been very pleased with the quality of the recordings and I'm picky. Thus far, I recorded 7 or 8 2 hour 8mm tapes without too many issues. I do not find any difference in the quality of DVD when compared to the original 8mm tape when the DVD is played on a DVD player connected to a 36 inch TV using component video. Before I started making copies, I purchased a high quality camcorder cable and I believe this makes a difference in the overall quality. In fact, comparing video quality is very depandant on the TV, how the unit is connected to it and the quality of the cables.

I have recorded one TV show and the quality was acceptable but not as good as recording the 8mm move. I wouldn't purchase this unit for this purpose that probably goes for any DVD recorder.

I have also recorded from my mini DV camcorder using the DV input jack. The quality of this recording was fantastic. Digital input recording is awesome.

This unit, like all DVD recorders on the market, has is flaws. A couple of times, it stopped recording for unknown reasons. In those cases, I found where it stopped and restarted the recording process and in the end had a good DVD.

This unit does not make it simple to create chapters. The only way to stop stop recording and restart. It does create 5 minute invisible chapters enabling you to jump to the next section on playback. I find this acceptable.

I have read the reviews for all the major brands, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, etc. and all seem to have some problems.

This unit is very acceptable for recording 8mm and DV tapes to DVD. Using a DVD Recorder is much more convienant than using the computer. I suspect the only reason to use the computer is if you plan on doing alot of editing.

I would recommend this unit only because I'm satisfied with the results and all the other brands seem to have their own problems. If a problem free unit can be found buy that one. Be sure to purchase a unit with the DV input jack for best results.

Probably the best feature is having the old 8mm tapes on DVD. I find it more fun to watch the old home movies on DVD.