Panasonic DMR-E55K Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player , Black
EXCELLENT RECORDER IF USING THE RIGHT BLANK DISCS
I have had this player for several months and had nothing but good experiences uses it.  I used Sony, TDK, and Panasonic blank DVD-Rs.  Recently I purchased some new TDK blank DVD-Rs and had my first problems.  The unit was flaky and would not record most of the time, while giving the Self Check indicator for several minutes.  I read a review below and it mentions that 8x discs are not recommended for this recorder.  The TDKs I bought are 1x-8x speed, so that appears to explain my problems.   <br /> <br />I had used the Sony DVD-Rs mostly for the past several months and went back to them for this reason.  However, a couple of days ago, I inadvertently bought a box of 1x-8x again, as I never really even paid attention to the record speed.  The great news is that these new 1x-8x Sony DVD-Rs are every bit as stable and viewable as the older 1x-4x version of the same Sony DVD-Rs I was previously using.  Therefore, I highly recommend going with the Sonys, as I have never had one lockup on dozens of DVD recordings using them, whether the speed of them is 1x to 4x or 1x to 8x.  If you can find Panasonic DVD-Rs, I would assume they would be safe also.  When the discs are compatible, the player is the best $250 investment I have ever made.  For the money, there is no better performing DVD recorder out there.