Panasonic DMR-ES20D DVD Recorder

Pros: Price, build quality, responsive, picture and sound quality, easy to use, DV/FireWire
Cons: No DVD+RW recording

DVD recorders are getting almost insanely cheap. After I sold my P anasonic DMR-ES10, which I originally purchased for $189, I got the new model: Panasonic DMR-ES20 for only $169. Not only it is less than ...

Pros: DVD-RAM disk lets you to erase 1 program at a time, not all at once.
Cons: Will not record in widescreen...and has no hard disk storage.

I'm in Canada and the Panasonic Model is DMR-ES20S so I assume it's the same. Bought as a replacement for the VCR AND the old DVD Player, and it was nice to have one less component box than before. Setup was a little tricky when you have a cable box ...

Pros: Being able to watch (delay) what you are recording is great.
Cons: Is likely to lock up under certain conditions requiring a reboot

Being able to start recording a show, and then start watching it while still recording (chasing playback) is what makes this and other Panasonic recorders stand out. If I did not want this feature, then I could have saved some money and gotten a more ...

Pros: Wide range of compatible DVD formats, convenient miniDV connection, auto chaptering.
Cons: No manual way around auto channel setup, picky about discs. No confirmation of auto chaptering.

When searching for a DVD recorder, I had 3 goals I was trying to achieve. 1)I already have a DVR on my bedroom tv, so I wanted either a DVR or DVD recorder with similar features such as pause live tv, timeslip, etc. 2)Simple to connect my MiniDV ...

Pros: Great Picture, True Multi-Format Recording and Playback.
Cons: Doesn't come with S-Video cable.

Bought the unit to transition my old VHS to DVD. Decided on this one after quite a bit of research. I was looking for a multi-format model as I don't want to end up with a 'Beta' from the 80's. Machine will not only play virtually all formats -/+, ...

Pros: Is less frustrating in the garbage
Cons: slow, locks up, dreadful menus

Everyone likes the concept of a DVR. You can record television seamlessly, without the loss of quality associated with a VCR, and there is no rewinding. Likewise, everyone likes a good deal. A good deal this Panasonic is not. You have to ...

Pros: Recording setup is straightforward
Cons: Unit locks up if you use a DVD it doesn't like

I received the Panasonic DMRES20 DVD Recorder as a Christmas gift because I am trying to transition from VHS to DVD. Initially, it was a little difficult to set up when using a digital cable box, but I was able to complete the setup after about an hour ...

Pros: Features, see my previous review
Cons: Unit locks while playing and recording, audio sync issues.

This is an update to my earlier review: h ttp://www.epinions.com/content _215843245700 You can read all I like about the unit there. Now, after using it for3 months, I have some serious issues. I first ...

Pros: Good picture quality. Didn't reject any blank disc. DV input.
Cons: Very buggy before upgrading firmware. No component video inputs

I bought this recorder about a year ago, mainly to be able to backup the content of my Explorer 8300HD Digital Video Recorder. I immediately noticed that the auto clock setting which use a signal broadcasted by PBS didn't work. It was a minor ...

Pros: Easy to use, great playback and recording quality, good design.
Cons: Terrible manual, many features only usable with DVD-RAM.

First I must admit I am a Panasonic fanboy. I waited for theese to drop a bit in price before I got one though, as the original $400.00 price tag was excessive. I've been using this for 4 months now without a single problem and have gone through over ...

Pros: Price, ease of use, dvd-ram ability, component output
Cons: Nothing at this price

You will not find a better dvd recorder for the money anywhere. Similar units in the $150.00 range are no name with less features. I have two panasonics, an es10 and an es20. Both work very well. In this price range forget small things like the remote, its fine. My first es20 unit did have to be returned do to a noisy transport. Second one is great and the folks at bestbuy are great with returns. if you are having problems with an earlier es10 panasonic has a firmware update that should fix many problems.

Pros: Small, great picture and sound at standard speeds. Superior features when using RAM disks.
Cons: Strobing, difficult editing, locks up at the slightest provocation, like fingerprints on the RAM disks.

This replacement for the phenomenal ES10 was an incredible surprise. Recording at slow speed is not as good as its predecessor, and double speed playback now exhibits strobing ...not smooth like the ES10. Furthermore the sound disappears when double speeding: not serious but a departure from the ES10. Most disturbing of all is a different editing procedure that will not allow deletion of program segments until chapters are created, a much slower process than the direct editing features of the ES10. Finally I found it necessary to return this machine to the store because, on multiple occasions, it locked up. Not one button on the remote or main body allows recovery until the power is removed after which it goes into a lengthy self check, wasting even more time.

Pros: Firewire input, easy to manually record
Cons: No zoom or time remaining features

I like the recording features, particularly the firewire input. But how can they make a DVD player in 2006 that doesn't zoom or show the time remaining on a DVD? I called Panasonic to make sure I wasn't missing something. The rep knew less than I did, but he did try to figure it out.

His final answer was that "We aren't that technically advanced yet." Huh? These features were both available in my first DVD player 4 units ago.

Pros: price , features
Cons: poor product support , terrible reliability , random failures

I purchased a Panasonic 10 series dvd recorder and loved it so much that I purchased the DMR-ES20 DVD recorder. I had to take three units back to best buy because they all failed within two weeks. I took a chance and tried another and it made it almost six months before failing. At first menu choices were removed, then the FR recording mode caused the recording to fill only a third of the disc when it should have filled it. The unit is on it's fourth repair and has been gone better than three months total so far. Best buy has been awful to deal with and Panasonic has not helped me in any way. I would avoid any Panasonic products at this point. The sad thing is that I just love the other Panasonic dvd recorder and it has been flawless.

Pros: Cheap, Chase play quality in HD is near 100%
Cons: No zoom

Bought this a few months back after my Toshiba DVD recorder stopped working. To get the Toshiba fixed it was going to be $30 shipping and $80 fix-it fee. For another $20 I bought this unit.

The Toshiba had a 100 page manual while the Panasonic is long it is much easier to understand. The only feature missing from the Panasonic is the variable bit rate recording. The Panasonic will do variable recording FR mode but you can't schedule the FR mode. The Toshiba had about 5 different variable bit rates that could be programed.***UPDATED 3/3/2006*** Ok after reading the manual a little closer, you can set the scheduled recording to FR mode (flexible recording) and utilize 100% of the disk to get the best quality for the timed recording.

Another feature missing is zoom and alternate angles. The Toshiba had it. Nice to have for viewing DVDs but not completely necessary.

My Panasonic is hooked to my HD receiver and HDTV, when watching the chase play, the quality is almost 100% maybe 95% of what regular HD looks like (this is in SP mode). I haven't tried HD recording on DVd-r or DVD-rw only RAM