Panasonic DMR-E50K DVD Player/Recorder
Worthless
I have owned this recorder for several months and found it to be the most frustrating piece of electronics I own (including my computers). I finally took a hammer to the unit and it felt so good! I have on several occasions tried to record long movies and have this unit &quot;crash&quot; near the very end (forcing me to re-record the movie and spending another 3 hours). I have often spent much time getting this unit to record to a disc -- restarting the recording process after a crash -- perhaps as much as one out of four recrodings. Often I cannot get the unit to open and give access to discs that have crashed. (The on/off button has no over-ride, like a computer, to reset memory.) I have been using Memorix blank DVD's and would suspect that they are of fairly good quality -- yet I probably lose 10 to 20 out of a 100. I must wonder if the hard drive isn't just too wimpy to be a good recorder. The manual says that it may be necessary to clean the lens for the laser. I ordered a panasonic lens cleaner for over $30 (they sell the same type of device at Wal-Mart for $9) and cleaning the lens has no effect on performance. I will not be buying any more Panasonic products for some time to come. This is a rip-off.<br />Mike in Buchanan, MI