Panasonic DMR-ES10K DVD Recorder (Black)

Manufacturer:	Panasonic
List price:	~~$199.00~~
Our price:	Too Low To Display that is 100% off!

Panasonic DMR-ES10K DVD Recorder (Black)

Average rating: Stars

Maybe I'm being too demanding, but . . .

After about a month using it, I have two complaints, one minor, one major, about this machine. If you think the major complaint doesn't warrant a two-star review -- in other words, if you think I should've rated it higher -- please click the "No" button at "Was this review helpful to you?" to let other shoppers know that I'm overly finicky.

My minor complaint: the remote and the unit don't communicate well. It's not a serious problem, but it's irritating. I push a button on the remote, and I have to check the TV screen to make sure it's registered with the recorder. In this area the machine is inferior to every VCR I've owned.

My major complaint: Flexible Recording (FR) mode often fails. Here's how FR mode is supposed to work. If something I want to record is exactly one hour long, I use XP mode, which puts exactly one hour (well, one hour and twenty-or-so seconds) onto a DVD. If it's two hours long, I use SP mode, which puts two hours onto a DVD. XP mode provides somewhat higher quality than SP mode. (There are two other, longer-recording and lower-quality modes.)

Rarely, though, do I want to record something exactly one or two hours long. If I'm recording a one-hour TV show, I like to start recording two minutes before the listed start time and finish two minutes after the listed end time, in case the show starts early and/or finishes late. That's where FR mode is supposed to help. The user can set the machine to put exactly one hour and four minutes onto the DVD, which means that most of the DVD will be recorded in XP mode, and only a little in SP mode, so that the recording's quality will be as high as possible.

The problem is that FR mode often or usually produces an unusable disc. It's happened to me three times now, with two brands of DVD (Sony and Staples) and both DVD+R and DVD-R discs. I've given up using FR unless I'm home during recording, because I've found that the DVD comes out fine if I stop recording before the disc is full. Otherwise I have to use SP (two hours per disc) to record for an hour and four minutes. That's not really a big deal, because SP is still very high quality. The frustrating recordings are those that last a little more than two hours, because then I have to use LP (four-hour) mode, which is a big step down in video quality from SP. Many movies fall into this category, as do two-hour TV shows (since I leave a couple of extra minutes at beginning and end), so I end up with DVDs that aren't nearly as sharp as they would be if this recorder worked properly.

That's why I give it two stars rather than three. If you think this flaw wouldn't bother you, then by all means buy this recorder. The fact that it uses so many types of DVD media is strongly in its favor, and both XP and SP modes provide excellent video quality.

Panasonic DMR-ES10K DVD Recorder (Black) - Panasonic

Quality Unit

If quality is defined as meeting or exceding expectations this is a quality unit. I've read reviews for other DVD recorders as being difficult to use. The Panasonic ES10K presented no problems and has great features for the money. Very satisfied.

Panasonic - Panasonic DMR-ES10K DVD Recorder (Black)

No problems at all...........

I usually don't write reviews but here goes....... First of all, I bought this to transfer all of my VHS tapes to disc. Out of the 100 Verbitum discs I bought {in a great deal here at amazon} all came out in good working order. So their is a plug for the discs and the recorder. The set up was fairly easy to do and I worked this thing for three straight weeks of non-stop recording. The picture quality is pretty good even in 6 hour mode. I did no recording in the eight. The two hour mode recording is just excellent by my eyes and see not alot of difference in the four. I am now using it to record my favorite TV shows and what I have seen they also are reproduced very well. If you are looking for a reasonably priced recorder and that is all I will be using it for, I think at this price, this unit is a steal. It is only 50-75 dollars more than a good VHS player now. I strongly recommend this product. I will say that I was a recording novice, but I will never go back to VHS again.

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