Great for VHS Converting

Author's Rating:

Pros: Cable-ready, Nice to have so many features in one unit

Cons: start slow and learn, it takes time

The Bottom Line: 
Consider the VCR-DVD combo unit with the HDD.

Author's Review
I bought the Panasonic DMR-EH75VS for the primary purpose of converting old VHS tapes to DVDs.

I have it connected to the entertainment center via an HDMI cable now, but at first had it connected to another TV unit.

The HD unit accepted the unit at 1080i format.

The TV was a Panasonic and the bonus was that the remote worked with both the DVR unit and the TV.

I have ComCast and the unit immediately found my cable service and began to populate the TV Guide listing with the local channel listing for the future 7 days. I did not intend to purchase this unit for the DVR ability on cable, but it is a plus. Though I have TiVo on a DVR with DVD recording, now I have a 2nd unit to capture shows I want to save on DVD.

At first the manual was hard to understand. I used the one-step method to rip a VHS tape directly to the hard-drive. This is a method that where a VHS tape is entered, and a one-button push (VHS-HDD) starts the recording.

However, I could only place two hours of these recordings on a DVD. The recording speed is SP (Standard Play). After becoming more comfortable with the unit, I went back to the manual and discovered how to make copies at LP (Long Play - 4 hours) and EP (Extended Play - 6 hours) using the remote control.

Making recording at EP and SP rates, then burning to DVD allowed me to compare the final product. I was willing to accept this quality at EP, thus able to place more recording on a given DVD.

As the VHS material is copied they become 'titles'. It was fun to watch as a tape was played and a second recording was encountered on the tape. Quite often the unit would sense a change, close out the first title, then start a new title. The unit actually stops, backs up about 10 seconds and plays again. This appears to be the same process the unit calls 'divide' when it splits an existing HDD recording into separate titles.

Later upon reviewing the title on the hard-drive (hdd), the titles could be given names and edited. By editing, one could cut out a dead spot, at the beginning, at the end, and any place in the middle. Should one need to divide a title, the recording can be edited into two separate titles.

Burning to a DVD was fairly simple. By selecting titles and observing a percentage meter, a DVD can be recorded in about 15 minutes. However, another option exists; if one wants to squeeze more onto the DVD past 100%, then the recording take place at 1x speed. Making a recording with this option, the selected recording played in real time and at the end of each viewing were individually copied to the DVD. I suspect some compression is occurring on each recording. The results were acceptable.

The unit also accept SD cards, though I haven't tried this yet. The unit also has RCA jacks for input from another VCR, handy to obtain copies from a camera, edit and then move to DVDs.

The DVD format show a thumbnail of the first scene on the recording and the title name given when editing.

Surprises are that this unit could be a poor-man's TiVo box - no subscription required.

While recording, the unit locks up so no other work can be performed. It would be nice to do editing while other files are being copied, but one thing at a time.

After ripping a stack of VHS tapes, reviewing the copies, editing the titles, deleting the static on the tapes, then selecting the items for the DVD, it was great to see the one small DVD sitting on the stack of VHS tapes.

Glad now that I did not go for a less expensive unit that just used VCR and DVD. The DVR (digital video recorder) with the HDD (hard disk drive) has made this project much more easier.

After I finish, this unit will give me a second DVR for the entertainment center, another DVD player and a method to combine smaller camera recordings onto one DVD.

The style by which the recording are finalized on the DVDs may not suit most folks used to commercial products, but once the recording of old home movies come to the plasma/LCD screen, the start screen is behind you.