Why we got it:
My husband and I have hundreds of self-recorded videotapes, some as many as 15+ years old. We've been chomping at the bit to get a DVD recorder so we could start transferring our videotapes to DVD before they disintegrate into nothingness, or before the VCR eats them. So we jumped at the opportunity when the local Circuit City put the Panasonic DMR-E20 on sale for $500 dollars (and Best Buy, who listed it for $750, offers price match + 10% of the difference)

We also got it to replace our VCR. It has some nice record features, such as VCR Plus and the ability to start recording the split-second you press the record button (unlike many VCRs which take a few seconds to get going). It seems to have all the features you would expect to find on a VCR, plus tons of DVD-writing/viewing extras.

On the outside:
We wanted a black one to match the rest of our components, but only silver ones were available at the store. There are limited buttons available on the face of the unit (power, channel up & down, disc open/close, stop, pause, play) as well as a "time slip" roller bar, and there are more buttons available if you open the mirrored front panel underneath the face (input jacks, skip & search, enter, return, cursor buttons). The LCD display is large and attractive, with a volume level master and a circular image to indicate record, play, etc.

The remote has many of the buttons you would expect to find on a TV/DVD remote (although it is lacking a "previous channel" button, which I really miss). There are quite a few extra buttons to allow you to partake in the many extra features (time slip, top menu, etc). There is a "joystick" in the upper middle of the remote that can be used on menus to allow you to move up, down, left, and right.

In back there are a plethora of jacks, including RF-IN for cable/antenna/cable box. There are 3 S-Video & Composite Ins (including one on the front) and 2 S-Video & Composite outs.

What type of discs can it record/play?
My husband and I have taken a crash course in DVD technology in the 2 weeks since we've had our recorder. You can record onto DVD-R and DVD-RAM (4.7 GB/9.4 GB) discs only. You can play DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-Video, Video CD, CD-DA (digital audio), and Audio CDs. It CANNOT play some DVD-RAM (2.6 GB/5.2 GB), DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or CD-ROMs, among others. The disc tray can hold cartridge and non-cartridge discs.

Writing to DVD-RAMs
DVD-RAMs cannot be played in most other DVD players, however they are really cool (a technical term). You can write to it many times (100,000 times, supposedly) and erase entire programs or small bits (such as commercials). Unlike DVD-R's, when you erase you actually do get the space back. You can dynamically move & arrange the order in which recorded programs or program segments will play (by creating 'play lists'). Aside from the tedium of using an on-screen keyboard for entering titles, I've found the editing menus to be quite easy to understand and convenient to use (although there are so many options it takes a little while to learn how to navigate quickly).

Writing to DVD-Rs
DVD-Rs are much more limited editing-wise than DVD-RAMs, but can be played in many (not all) regular DVD players after they are finalized. DVD-Rs can only be written to (finalized) once, however before you finalize you can go back into what you've already written and "erase" chapters (but you don't get the space back). Chapter stops are automatically set whenever you start/stop the recording (note: not when you pause the recording). Chapter stops are also set every 5 minutes (on longer items). You can also set the chapter and disc titles. You cannot move items around or change play-order on DVD-R's. After the DVD-R is finalized it can be played on many regular DVD players (but not our old one -- apparently it is too old). We're still in the process of giving out our DVD-R's to friends and family in an experiment to see who can play them and who can't. I'll try to update this review with some of our findings.
Update (8/18/02) - so far everyone of our friends and family have been able to play our home-recorded DVD-R's. All of their players different makes and models, many as much as 3 years old. (end-of-update)

Quick Note on Video CDs:
We've used Nero tools to burn VCDs. Nero allows you to create nice menus complete with thumbnail images -- however the Panasonic DVD Recorder doesn't really allow you to navigate the VCD's menu. The menu and its titles and images will display, but you can't use the arrow keys to navigate and highlight -- you must simply enter in the number of the item you wish to play.

New quick note on re-recording (an 8/18/02 update):
I don't think my husband could stand the fact that our old DVD player couldn't play our newly recorded DVDs, so he went out and purchased a new but relatively cheap APEX player. Now we can hook it up to our recorder to make copies of our self-made DVDs! We used it to make duplicates of my son's first birthday party DVD, and sent them to all of our friends and family, who were absolutely thrilled to get their own home-made DVD.

So, how is the picture quality?
Well, that depends upon the speed you use to record. There are four speeds available: XP (1 hour per disc), SP (2 hours), LP (four hours), and EP (6 hours). As I mentioned above, we wanted to use our DVD recorder to copy all of our old videotapes, many of which aren't of a terribly high video quality anyway, so we figured EP (6 hours) would be fine for them -- but we were wrong. Everything looks fine in EP until there is fast movement or a large, sudden color change on the screen -- then the image becomes rather blocky. We've stuck with LP for our videotape dubbing and some television recording, and SP for high-quality copies directly from the television. It might be a trick of the eye, but the images seem to look crisper and cleaner than they do on the videotapes we dubbed them from, so I'm extremely pleased.

August update
We've recently discovered a "FR" recording speed. Basically, if you want to record a movie that takes 2 hours and 10 minutes, instead of using the 4-hour "LP" speed and getting lower quality with wasted space, you choose "FR" and it will fill the disc with whatever you are recording at the best speed possible. It will fill the disc with your 2-hour and 10 minute movie, at a better quality than if you picked the 4-hour speed. What an excellent idea!

What is this "Time Slip" thing?
It allows you to watch any part of a disc while you are recording it. For example, if you set it to record a football game while you were out, but you got back before the game was over, you could start watching the beginning (or middle) of the game while you continue to record the end of the game. Pretty nifty (although we haven't really used this feature much yet -- other than to show off).

So why shouldn't I go out and get one right now?
Well, for one thing currently there is an on-going format-debate. It is quite possible that in a few years a "standard" DVD-writing format will be selected, and all new DVD players and recorders will be able to read it, regardless of manufacturer. Right now different companies use different formats, so there is no guarantee that future DVD players will stick with the DVD-RAM and DVD-R formats used by Panasonic and some others (although hopefully we'll be able to re-dub our DVDs to the new standard should a different one be adopted). DVD-R seems fairly safe, DVD-RAM might not be.

Price is also a big factor -- we really got a great deal on ours, but I'm sure the price will come down a lot in the coming years. Blank discs can also be on the pricy side -- however we were able to buy in bulk on-line and get DVD-Rs for just over a dollar apiece and DVD-RAMs for just over $6 apiece. At the store we've seen DVD-Rs for $6, and DVD-RAMs for $15.

Anything else you might change, if you could? (newly updated 8/18/02)
I wish they could somehow change it to make setting the chapter stops easier. I have tons of tapes that I would love to just straight-copy, then go back and make the chapter stops, however it doesn't work that way.

Final thoughts:
I really just touched on some of the things this DVD-writer can do -- the manual is a 103 page book, which should give you an idea of all the features involved. We've had our DVD recorder for two weeks now and are still exploring menu items and finding new things to do (and I'll try to update this epinion as I learn more). If you are willing to take the chance on a different DVD-recordable format being adopted as the standard in the future, then I highly recommend the Panasonic DMR-E20 as an alternative to your VCR.



Related Review:
Panasonic LF D521 DVD-RAM/DVD-RW Burner


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 485