My horrible experience with the DMR-HS2
Written: Feb 10 '03 (Updated Feb 11 '03)
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Pros: Firewire port on Front
Media slot for digital Photos
Hard Drive
Cons: System doesn't Work AT ALL!!!!!
It is in for service..........
The Bottom Line: If I get one that works I'll let you know, meanwhile, stay away!!!
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| newdurango's Full Review: Panasonic DMR-HS2 (40 GB) DVD Recorder |
I was in the market for a set top DVD-R Recorder for quite a while now. The price has recently come down to the acceptable level and decided to investigate what models and options where available. There were several options that the DMR-HS@ had that led me to make my purchase.
1)The unit has an internal Hard Drive that allows you to copy programs to it, edit them, and send the final product to DVD-R. Especially useful if you want to trim commercials off your favorite show or if you accidentally recorded 15 minutes of the floor because you didn't know you camcorder was still on.
2)A Front panel 4 pin Fire wire port enables you to directly hook a digital camcorder to the front. This enables you to download the entire footage off the camera, edit it, and then either send it back to the camera or off to DVD-R.
3) A front panel Memory stick slot. I have a digital camera that uses memory sticks. My Digital Camcorder uses SD Memory to record photos, and my parents digital camera uses Smart media. All I had to do was buy a 4 in one memory stick reader ($45) and I was able to insert the memory, copy the photos to the hard drive, and transfer them to DVD.
4) The unit also offers Digital Audio Out and it is Progressive Scan as well.
It had all the features I was looking for so I went ahead and placed my order.
Unfortunately the unit I received was defective and I have yet to be able to use it. What follows is the letter I sent to Panasonic. I will update my review here when I finally get the DMR-HS2 returned to me.
The following is a letter I sent to Panasonic. I have yet to hear back.
I have been a supporter of Panasonic products for years. In a business such as yours where there is quite a bit of competition, word of mouth advertising is everything. Having been in business ourselves for over twenty-five years, I know these are words to live by.
I have been in the market for a set top DVD-R Recorder for several months and I did what most consumer customers would do, I searched the internet. I found the one that seemed to fit my needs the most was the DMR-HS2. AT a list price of $1000 it was by no means the least expensive unit available. I decided to not forsake any options and opted for the top of the line Panasonic unit.
I purchased my unit from a well known retailer and the unit arrived to my door three days later in the original box. As I do with all new “high end” purchases, I quickly filled out the registration card, read the setup instructions, and unpacked all the components. I hooked the unit in to my Home theater system and was anxious to test out it’s abilities. Much to my dismay, the unit did not and would not work. There seemed to be some sort of hard drive problem. I searched the internet for the problem I was having but could not find any information. I found the 1-800 number for tech support and realized that I had an hour to get through before the customer service center closed. For that entire hour I pressed redial and was greeted with a busy signal. At exactly 9:00 pm I finally got through. What was I greeted with after trying diligently to get through for an hour? A message telling me that the service center was closed. I decided to put everything away and try again the following day. I called immediately at 9am when the support center opened. After waiting almost 25 minutes on hold I was finally connected to a customer service representative. I described my problem to your representative and she stated that “It sounded like a hard drive issue” and the unit would have to be brought in for service. She alerted me to the fact that the closest service center was about 45 minutes away in West Hartford, Connecticut. I refused to take 2 hours off from work to drive and return the unit so I opted to ship it UPS.
It has now been over TWO WEEKS since I originally purchased my unit and I am out the nearly $1000 I paid for it, the $17 Shipping charges, and still have been unable to tape a single show!
I am copy sending this letter to consumer reports, posting it to my epinions.com website, and also the two Audio/Video forums that I am a member of. As I stated earlier, Word of mouth advertising is everything and I will gladly share with everyone what ever positive action you are willing to take to help me rectify this problem.
UPDATES TO FOLLOW
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 829 and more
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Epinions.com ID:
newdurango
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Location: Waterbury, Ct., USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
25 y/o Gadget and electronic guru.
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