Panasonic DVD Recorder (DMR-E85HS)

[tbyrd]

First time post. I have been watching the DMR-E85HS drop and waiting to pick up locally at a decent price. This past weekend did it. Best Buy had dropped this down from $599 to $449. Circuit City had the same unit, said web only price, but in store the same, $399.

I ended up buying a floor model for $329, but would have bought at $399, if the only option. Here are the specs:

? Record straight to DVD
? 120GB hard drive
? Multi-format playback ? Progressive scan
? A/V versatility
? Digital audio

Offers TVGUIDE for cable customers at no charge.

Inputs and outputs
# A/V outputs (RCA/composite) 2
# of S-video outputs 2
Component video output Yes
Digital coaxial output No
Digital optical output Yes
Audio
Dolby® digital (AC3) decoding built-in? Yes
Convenience
One-touch record and play Yes
Zoom control No
Parental controls Info unavailable
Remote control type Standard
General features
Playback format(s) DVD-Video, DVD-Audio (2-channel), DVD-RAM, DVD-R, Video CD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW
Progressive-scan Yes
Warranty Parts 12 Months
Warranty Labor 12 Months
Dimensions
Height 3.1 inches
Width 16.8 inches
Depth 10.8 inches
Weight 9.9 lbs

 

[MrBond]

Pretty good price - I *think* Consumer Reports rated this one pretty highly too.

Can you edit commercials out of stuff before burning to DVD?

 

[kcreekmore]

It's also available from Amazon for $399.84 at the moment, with free Super Saver shipping. That should save a few bucks on tax.

 

[tbyrd]

I think you can edit out parts you would not want to see from the HD. I have not had time to play much with the unit. Still trying to get the TVGUIDE schedule to download from cable. I have heard others do not use the guide because it is to hard to get working from setup and those that do say it can be slow to download. I do plan to manually record to the HD and then back to DVD RAM disk this weekend to verify all major parts of this floor model work before the in store return policy expires.

 

[thebruiser]

I didn't see MP3 playback listed. I take it that it won't play MP3 encoded discs?

 

[kcreekmore]

Originally posted by: thebruiser
I didn't see MP3 playback listed. I take it that it won't play MP3 encoded discs?

via a cursory google search, I found that radiodirectory.com lists one of its features thusly:

Plays DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, VCD, music CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and MP3 CDs

edit: ...oh yeah... it also lists MP3 on the CircuitCity.com site.

 

[stephman73]

Yes, you can edit commercials out on the HD before burning to DVD.