Panasonic DMR-EZ37VK DVD-Recorder/VCR Combo with ATSC Tuner Black
See it at Amazon.com for $199.99Average Customer Rating
(3.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(2 out of 5)too many flaws and limitations
Since the arrival of DVD recorders with ATSC tuners, I have tried three of them. I wanted to like this one, but it has too many flaws and limitations.
Pros:
Good picture
Good build quality
Good fast tuner -
It receives all my stations, including one which causes trouble for some tuners.
FR record mode -
It is nice to be able to get maximum quality for 1.5 or 2.5 hour movies, without wasting space by using the next longer standard mode.
Cons:
Auto clock setting never worked; I had to set it manually. Auto clock worked on the other two ATSC recorders and even on my old analog recorder. So, it isn't my local broadcast situation.
The first timer recording I attempted didn't work - still don't know why. When I came home, the unit was on, with "stop" displayed and no error code or further explanation. The event was gone from the schedule. My second attempt worked.
[Edit: From other users I now think I know the problem. If you lose signal for a few seconds during the recording, it stops. Thanks.]
Crippled RW -
Forget trying to use all the functions you expect from RW. There is no real VR mode. To do any editing or chapter work, you need to use RAM discs. I like my recorders a little more versatile and compatible than that.
Clunky dubbing -
-You find the start point, then stop the tape, then start dubbing. Other machines let you start dubbing from a paused tape - far more accurate. Dubbing from stop gives you about a +/- 2 second error as to where your recording will actually begin.
-Once your tape is cued and stopped, you now have two choices to actually begin dubbing. Either start dubbing by holding a dubbing button on the machine itself for several seconds and then switching to the remote to make a couple more selections, or, to use only the remote, you dive into the main menu and get to the dubbing section to make those choices - needlessly complicated and lame.
No FR mode for dubbing -
It would be nice to have this option when dubbing tapes. Those 2 hour 10 minute movies could look a lot better. Granted, most machines don't have this feature at all, but to have it for OTA, input, and timer recording and not for dubbing is very disappointing.
(5 out of 5)Great machine
I bought this to copy my old VHS tapes to DVD. Right out of the box I did thirty in a row without a hitch. Easy to use when you get the hang of it and perfect for my purpose. I also use it as a recorder for taping from TV and timer et al works just fine. I am happy with it.
(3 out of 5)Lacks 2 good features
This is the 2nd Combo DVD/VHS recorder I own, and it lacks 2 good features of my 1st unit: (1) when copying from VHS to DVD (or visa versa) you cannot skip over commercials so they are also copied. (2) you cannot determine the length of copied movie.
(3 out of 5)Good Recorder
I bought the recorder because it had the digital tuner. A lot of these recorders do not come with tuners.
Pros
Easy to use
Can use most types of DVD media
Does not look or feel cheap
Tunes over the air HD channels
Does the job
Cons
Slow to channel surf (You can press the channel up several times before it moves up.)
It can get confused when switching from DVD to VHS to fast (It once locked up so the only thing I could do was unplug it)
The status information sometimes randomly displays while watching DVD's
(No big deal but you already know that you have a DVD in the drive and that it is playing, why tell me when I did not ask)
(5 out of 5)Very good
This unit records VHS and DVDs from the TV or you can copy from one to the other. Playback is quiet and there's no annoying hum like some machines have. It's easy to operate (although I did find the set-up instructions confusing.) Programming scheduled recordings is simple and if you do make a mistake, a message pops up to tell you what's wrong.
The buttons on the remote are clearly marked and easy to use. This is a reliable machine and I'm pleased it, but I recommend shopping around; it is priced much lower elsewhere.