Panasonic DMRE85HS Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with 120 GB Hard Drive Recording
When it's good, it's very good, but when it's bad, ...
The editing works very well, allowing the user to edit down to a single frame.  The hard drive has good capacity.  It is marvelous with DVD-RAM disks. <br /> <br />Now for the bad stuff.  If you push the eject button when the machine is powered down, it will get ready to eject the disk, but it will lapse into a coma.  I've had to pull the plug to snap it out of its catatonic state.  If you are in a hurry to get the disk out, you will have to wait a few minutes while it checks itself out.  To add injury to insult, unplugging the unit will cause it to forget all programming you have put into it, requiring you to start over.  At that point, don't think you can use TV Guide to help you, because the unit will have forgotten all Guide information, as well.  It downloads programming from TV Guide only in the wee hours of the night, leaving you with the choice of manually entering the times and stations, or waiting until next morning to use the Guide. <br /> <br />Writing to DVD-R disks causes the machine to crash 40% of the time, turning your disk into a coaster.  So, don't erase any programs you have copied onto a DVD-R until you have successfully written all of them.  My advice is to use DVD-RAM disks as much as possible, keeping in mind they are five times more expensive. <br /> <br />Remember that scene in Apollo 13 when Jim Lovell was challenged to a race at a red light?  He was driving this cool sports car that looked like a million bucks.  When the light changed, the car stalled, making him look like an idiot.  That's how it feels to own this machine. <br /> <br />If there is someone on your gift list you don't like, you might consider giving them one.