Panasonic DMR-E500HS DIGA DVD Recorder with 400 GB Hard Drive and Ethernet Port
Product required major work less than 4 weeks after receipt.
I don't advise buying from this product line for the following reasons. I gave it 2 stars because I really liked the features. I felt that we'd given Panasonic a good heads-up and waited long enough before making this post. They never returned our inquiries or offered anything beyond what you'd hate to hear from someone who's given up on you. <br /> <br />- The manual is not useful to customers that need specific help <br />  setting up the unit in a A/V configuration. <br /> <br />- The Panasonic Customer Support group was helpful but are not  <br />  experts. They'll tell you that your repair can be held up to  <br />  30 days without their getting involved to help resolve a  <br />  problem. <br /> <br />- Experiencing a major repair problem is not something that  <br />  one would care to experience so soon into a purchase. <br /> <br />I really liked the DMR-E500HS features and the price was right. I'd researched the product line, consulted several AV forums, and read the reviews. I was throughly convinced that this was the right model for our AV setup.  <br /> <br />I was aware of the comments from users about the less than helpful setup and usage information. I agree that it's not as easy as reading the manual. I eventually threw away the manual and the Panasonic Customer Support line help and did the cabling myself. Just as I shifted into a comfortable state, the unit totally froze up... can't turn the unit on/off from the remote or from the deck.  <br /> <br />I have to admit that the Panasonic reps are good at reading scripts, as that's all they were able to accomplish, aside from leaving me with the dangerous task of upgrading firmware on a badly behaving unit. Eventually, after a whole week of calling support and trying various things, I was told to take the unit in for repair. I had to drive 65 miles round trip and it took about 2 weeks to replace one of the control boards. <br /> <br />I have the unit back now and (hopefully) I've educated someone about the risks involved with trying out new technology from vendors who don't want to promote themselves as being comsumer-friendly. <br />