Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK DVD/VCR Combo
DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R, DVD-R, CD-RW, VHS, Secure Digital (SD) Card - DVD Video Playback, CD-DA Playback, MP3 Playback, JPEG Playback, DivX Playback, SQPB Playback, PCM Playback, MPEG-2 Playback - Prog

After a good deal of research, I bought the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK DVD/VCR Combo because people who reviewed all the other main brands had more trouble with units that didn’t work when received or broke down quickly. In the month or so since I have had this machine, I have used all of its main features: recording television programs onto DVD-RW disks, copying VHS tapes onto disks, playing commercial movies, and viewing JPG files on a CD. They all work, and are easy to set up. Furthermore, the manual is detailed and reasonably clear. My only dissatisfaction has to do with a design that has not fully taken the needs and convenience of users into account. For instance, (1) it is impossible to eject tapes or disks using the remote control, (2) it is impossible to find out how much time remains on a DVD, and, worst of all, (3) if you remove a DVD from the drive and reinsert it, there is no way to begin viewing where you left off. Believe it or not, you have to begin at the beginning again! I actually called Tech Support to confirm this last point. The techie who answered was obviously outsourced, and could only read scripts, but she finally admitted that the machine can’t do this simple and otherwise universal task. The transaction with buy.com was unproblematic.
 
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I bought this unit for a family Christmas present. The plan was to consolidate space by using the Panasonic unit to replace a digital tuner box, 2-year-old Samsung DVD player/recorder, and really old Sanyo VHS player/recorder. I read all the reviews and did my homework before buying the Panasonic unit. Most reviews were very positive. Unfortunately, my experience is not so favorable. So far, I haven't even tried to record (VHS or DVD), so I don't know what kind of experience that will turn out to be. Anyhow, here is a summary of my observations at this point (have had the unit for less than a month). Picture quality when viewing TV via the Panasonic unit's tuner is poor (mediocre at best). I'm not sure if it's the actual tuner or something else in the circuitry. When compared to my old set-up - a cheap Magnavox digital tuner running through a Samsung DVD player/recorder - the Panasonic TV picture is noticably inferior. It's kind of like comparing a soft-focus photograph with a vividly clear and sharply focused photograph. By the way, I have reverted to using my old set-up for watching TV, which kind of kills the intent of consolidating three pieces of equipment into one. Here's more about the TV picture quality when viewing thru the Panasonic unit's tuner. The mediocre picture quality deteriorated even further when I had to make adjustments to the zoom and aspect ratio settings in order to view a full screen on the TV. In short, the picture quality with a full screen was so bad that it was intolerable. This was the main thing that drove me back to my old set-up. Changing channels on the Panasonic tuner is a frustrating experience. It is painfully slow when going from one channel to tne next. Bottom line: if you are used to even mild channel surfing, you'd might as well forget it. By the time you surf through 8-10 channels, it's time to shave again (a bit of exaggeration, but you get the point). VHS player: The quality is no better (maybe worse) than the old Sanyo I've had for years. The Sanyo has been through three moves, so it's not even as sharp as it used to be. You'd think a brand new Panasonic unit would at least offer a "cleaner" picture. DVD player: Decent, but not quite as sharp as the old Samsung (when it was working). Side note: The Samsung was great in terms of picture quality, but within a year of purchase, it began to play only selective DVDs and finally got to the point that, if it played any DVD at all, it was a surprise. This is also one of the factors driving me to buy the Panasonic VHS/DVD combo unit. Maybe your experience has been/will be better than mine. While very happy with the transaction thru Buy.com and with 6ave Electronics, I am, at best, VERY disappointed in this unit...might even send it back if I haven't waited too long.
 
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I have started recording all my home movies from VHS tape to DVD's. The quality of some of my old tapes has gotten bad, but they still copy good. I got a GREAT deal thru buy.com. The unexpected bonus is I get more channels thru my cable system, there are sub channels I never knew about that get programmed in when you do an auto scan. This is an all around GREAT VHS/DVD setup! I read other reviews that said it automatically puts chapters in, I haven't had that issue. If you start a new record session on the same DVD it creates a new chapter and this is good.
 
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Very easy transaction with Buy.com and great service from 6ave Electronics. Delivered ahead of schedule and in excellent shape. Have been using it for about three weeks and have had no problems. Very easy to setup and use. Great quality. The ONLY thing that isn't great is it takes a few seconds to change channels. If I wear this one out, I would but another.
 
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