Panasonic DMR-E55K Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/Player , Black
Saving your FINALIZATION FAILED discs & other tips
I'll try not to repeat what everyone else has written and instead share tips or another POV if  my experiences were significantly different from others. I will say, like so many, I'm happy with my DVD recorder (happier tonight) and it's pretty easy to use once it's been set-up. Note, I've only used my recorder to record VHS tapes and all my suggestions and examples are based on this.     1. EXAMINE THE DISC BEFORE USING: Make sure there are no blotches in the recording layer & no smudges, dust, or scratches on the disc.  Don't toss it if the blotch is along the outer rim, just don't record to the maximum allowed time. And one little itty-bitty spec of dust can stop your recording effort -- take the disc out, blow off the dust, put it back in, see where recording left off, and start recording again from that point.    2. ERASING LARGE BLOCKS: I find that I cannot truly erase great blocks of recorded material. I notice that with 30+ minute chapters, the disc will SEEM to erase, but that space is not re-opened to other recording. If I'm recording a movie, I don't even review anymore to see if it's worth finalizing, because I can't erase it anyway -- I simply finalize it and check it out later. Other than with home movies, I don't sit and set chapters, so usually I am dealing with large blocks of recorded material.    3. RECORD A BUFFER. Before your real project, record about 1 minute of nothing on XP or SP. Some reviews I've read suggest that a disc won't finalize if you fill it completely. This may be true. I've taken their experience to heart & haven't had any problems with finalization. It doesn't matter what you record as you will erase it before you finalize.     4. FUJI FREEZE???  I, like another person on this forum had trouble with FUJI discs. They wouldn't finalize. I threw them away, but I may have been able to salvage them (see 9).    5. 1-4x ONLY???  One reviewer suggests that this recorder will only be happy with 1-4x speed discs. I have used Philips 1-8x,Memorex 1-8x and TDK 1-4x and had (mostly) no problems. Fuji 1-8x, problems. I've only used DVD-R single-sided discs so far.     6. CABLE MATTERS.  Another reviewer had problems setting up and became very frustrated. YOU WILL RECOGNIZE HIS REVIEW BECAUSE IT LOOKS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE THIS LINE!  1 star.  If you look at the setup instructions, it shows how to set-up with a splitter -- to split the cable signal from either the VCR or TV to the DVD recorder. When I first turned on the DVD recorder, it was looking for that cable signal so it could set-up the channels and it would not let me do ANYTHING until that was done. I did not have a splitter, so I (eventually) moved the cable's cable to the DVD recorder, let it set-up, and then put it back on the VCR. The instructions don't tell you this, but I guess the other 22 people who wrote reviews either split their cable signals or figured out what I did.      7. DIAGRAM NOT FOR EVERYONE. If you have an older model TV or VCR, you should only use the diagrams for hints -- you may not match wire for wire, plug for plug. The instructions are pretty weak, so some of your set-up will have to be experimental or intuitive, especially, if like me, you don't have the latest model VCR and/or television. Plus, the diagram assumes VCR use and is only of the tiniest help if you're not using one, though probably initially you will.    8. STUCK ON A SCREEN.  It is easy to get \\"stuck.\\" You can't simply stop or turn off the recorder if you're using a particular function like Direct Navigator or are in one of the menu screens. You can press those buttons until Doomsday, but unless you exit those screens properly, you're not going anywhere.  I ended up unplugging my unit after one lengthy button-pushing session -- this was before I got edumicated.    9. SAVING FAILED FINALIZATION!!!  BEST TIP OF ALL (I think)! Remember the buffer chapter -- saving about 1 minute before you record your other project(s)? Just today, I had two non-Fuji discs fail to finalize. When finalizing, there is a blue screen that comes on and a bar which shows the progress as it slowly \\"fills\\" from left to right. That bar is half-filled whenever my finalizations have failed.. It's frustrating because you can't undo a failed finalization -- you can't erase, you can't reuse the space, and in all likelihood you've spend over an hour or more recording something. I decided to try something when the second disc failed tonight. As usual, before finalizing, I had already erased the 1 minute buffer. I had always assumed, based on what I've read, that once the finalization failed, the disc was unusable--\\"coasters\\" or \\"frisbees\\" as some call them. Tonight, I hit the stop button. The recorder showed that I had 1 minute of recording time. I recorded 30 seconds of whatever, and went to finalize the disc, expecting that if it worked at all, it would only finalize the 30 seconds (I was just testing). As finalization began, the screen shows both the thumbnails for my movie and the 30 second blip (normally, the failed finalization effort shows a black thumbnail). When the finalization was done, both had been saved!  I was able to view the movie too, even on my PC. Fluke? I wondered, so I tried it with the first disc that screwed up, and Voila! It also finalized the whole disc. So try this before you toss out those FINALIZATION FAILED discs. And also, when you do make that 30 second blip, record a blank screen -- I now have an obnoxious commercial which pops on after my movie is over. By the way, the discs I used tonight were Memorex -- I had recorded about 10 projects previously with no problems.       HELP, PLEASE? I noticed the vibrancy of the colors is dimmed on the DVD recordings. It doesn't matter what compression I use, XP, SP, LP (I don't use EP) -- the colors simply aren't as bright on the discs as on the VHS tapes. I noticed this right away when taping an animated feature, and compared all later and found it to be the case on all my recordings. On some, the fade was barely noticeable, on others more so. If anyone has a solution to this, I hope you post a review.     One last thing -- don't throw your VCR out too soon. If you get discs that absolutely won't work with your Panasonic, you'll want the trusty VCR as a backup recorder for your TV shows. My VCR has never been picky about the brand of tape that went in it.    Overall, I'm pleased with this purchase -- it's economical, relatively easy to figure out, and records well at XP, SP, and LP (I never use EP), depending on the quality of the original recording. I'd buy another, but I'm reluctantly giving it 5 stars (4.5 would better), because 1) I have no idea why finalizations fail and my heart stops every time it happens, 2) color vibracy is an issue, and 3) the instructions can be confusing -- I had to set-up by trial and error, abandoning the instructions after about 30 minutes. Still, for the price, it can't be beat.    NOTE: In step 9, it may be necessary to turn off the unit completely & let it reboot before you can erase or record on the saved little space to try this save. I forgot to put that important information in. Sorry.