Panasonic  DMR-ES40VS VHS / DVD Recorder Silver
Confusing and poor support
Received the recorder as a birthday present to replace seperate DVD player and worn out VHS recorder. My son-in-law, who is very knowledgeable about home entertainment centers did the setup: simple to TV and HiFi system. Unit plays DVDs and VHS tapes and will record TV to RAM disk. However, I can not do anything with the VHS IF there is a DVD in the unit, even when the VHS has been selected as per directions. Speaking of directions, the manual is extremely confusing. It does not define terms, steps require that one look forward or backward to other pages, etc. I have had great difficulty using the Panasonic site to determine how and where to get a RAM drive for my computer (seems they are discontinued) or info re the best kind of drive for my Dell workstation. I emailed the online support with two questions and never received any reply (after a week and a half wait).  <br /> <br />So, as of now I still have not experienced any of the \\"bells & whistles\\" of this system and remain frustrated.