aves digital camcorder recordings to DVD: no loss in quality

Author's Rating:

Pros: Permanently saves digital video to DVD-video, TIVO-like television playback, plenty of disk space

Cons: No component video-in, limited DVD-video menu options, records no faster than real-time

The Bottom Line: 
I highly recommend this innovative product for digital camcorder video transfer to DVD-video, and for television viewing and playback. Plenty of disk space for me!

Author's Review
After purchasing the recorder/player at Best Buy for $999.99 plus 7% tax, I hooked it up easily and was able to figure out the functions fairly easily. I am technically inclined, though.

I bought the recorder to transfer video from my digital camcorder via DV cable, also called FireWire or IEEE 1394. The transfer from my Sony DCR-TRV130 is flawless.

I transferred video from my camcorder to the hard disk. I edited the video, divided it into programs, and recorded it to a DVD-Video disk, which can play on any DVD player. I've had positive comments from people who've tried it on different systems. The quality is great!

A bonus with the system is recording a satellite signal (or any incoming TV signal, for that matter). I use a gold-plated S-video cable to get the best transmission from satellite receiver to the recorder. I have another s-video cable from the recorder to my TV. I'm ecstatic about the quality and the ability to record and play at the same time. In that way, it's similar to TIVO.

For me, there's plenty of space to record on the hard drive. Over 8 hours is plenty for me for 'working storage', and reused space for recording all programs nightly.

I am considering the 3 year 'warranty' provided through Panasonic. That's above and beyond the 1 year standard warranty. I'm not Mr. Big Bucks, and losing $1,000 plus tax if it fails after the one year standard warranty would be heartbreaking, even though Panasonic does have a good overall reputation in terms of reliability.

There are improvements that could be made, but for my needs, it is an excellent fit. There are not component video inputs. I don't have component video out on my satellite receiver, so I could care less. It dubs to DVD-video at real time, which to some people could be seen as too slow. I don't mind. I'm not churning out DVD's by the hundreds. It *does* have component video out, which is great for people who want to take advantage of that feature on the great new televisions coming out. The menus it creates when you create DVD-video are limited, but they are sufficient for any amateur. Your friends will be thrilled to receive a DVD from your which you created on this machine.

It is pricy, but it's like TIVO without the ridiculous monthly fee. It doesn't do some features of TIVO, like choosing what programs to record for you based on what you like. Big deal. I can choose for myself. I like lots of controls and freedom to choose explicitly. It's fine for that.