Panasonic DMR-ES35VS DVD Recorder / VCR Combo with DV Input
Potentially a very good machine, but mine arrived broken.
Pro's:  Recording controls are intuitive; Quality of DVD recording is very good;  Quality of VHS recording is very good.<br /><br />Cons:  My unit would not eject VHS tapes (right out of the box) & I had to return it for a refund.  Quality control may be an issue;  One of three DVD recordings I made would not play in my other DVD machines.<br /><br />This machine does a lot.  This makes for some complicated instructions and remote control functions.  This machine isn't for those who have no patience with reading an operating manual and learning a new remote control.  I used the DVD burner to transfer one VHS tape, record one television show from local cable and record one movie from a satellite cable channel before returning the machine because it wouldn't eject VHS tapes properly.  For all three experiments I used the same brand of -R DVD blanks.<br /><br />The quality of the transfer from an ancient VHS tape to -R DVD worked well.  The quality of the DVD image was at least as good as that of the original VHS Tape.  The recording of a movie from satellite cable also worked well.  After finalizing, the other DVD machines in my house read the recorded DVD.  However, the recording of a television show did not work out very well.  Though I finalized the -R  DVD disk after recording, I could not get the recorded DVD to play on two other DVD machines in my house.  It would however play on the Panasonic machine it was created with.  Given this, it sounds as if the failure was caused by the equipment rather than a bad DVD blank or incorrect operation of the machine.<br /><br />Use of the DVD recorder and the editing functions is fairly intuitive.  Panasonic has tried to make operation of the DVD recorder very similar to operation of a VCR.  For example, you can pause the recording when a commercial comes up and restart the recording again when the commercial is over.  This is done by pressing the pause button and then the record button to start again just like with a VCR.  Unfortunately, there is a two or three second delay in starting the recording again.  Therefore, the best way to edit out commercials is to record the entire show and then use the editing functions from the remote control before finalizing the DVD.  The ability to play the DVD in the Panasonic machine even before finalizing the DVD lets you fill up a disk with many shows while retaining the ability to edit out commercials, insert titles and insert chapter breaks before you decide to finalize the disk.  After finalizing, the disk can't be edited.  Also, editing on the Panasonic machine was much, much faster than using my computer and re-burning the DVD.<br /><br />For the most part, the Panasonic machine seemed to do everything it was advertised to do well.  Given my short experience with the machine, it is hard to tell if the one failed DVD copy was the exception or the rule.  In regard to the failure of the machine to eject VHS tapes properly, in all fairness to Panasonic, the box the machine was shipped in from J & R Music was really battered and I don't think it had been packaged well.  The failure to eject VHS tapes may have been caused by a combination of harsh shipping and poor packing rather than a flaw in the machine.  It's hard to tell.<br /><br />For the kind of money these machines cost and the insane delays in getting service even when a product is covered by warranty, these machines really need to work out of the box.  If it wasn't for the failed DVD recording, I would have given this machine a four or five star rating.  Perhaps I would have given it a higher rating if I had kept the machine longer and used it more.  However, I was unwilling to take the financial risk by waiting to see if the machine really worked or not over the long term.Unfortunately, there is a two or three second delay in starting the recording again.  Therefore, the best way to edit out commercials is to record the entire show and then use the editing functions from the remote control before finalizing the DVD.  The ability to play the DVD in the Panasonic machine even before finalizing the DVD lets you fill up a disk with many shows while retaining the ability to edit out commercials, insert titles and insert chapter breaks before you decide to finalize the disk.  After finalizing, the disk can't be edited.  Also, editing on the Panasonic machine was much, much faster than using my computer and re-burning the DVD.<br /><br />For the most part, the Panasonic machine seemed to do everything it was advertised to do well.  Given my short experience with the machine, it is hard to tell if the one failed DVD copy was the exception or the rule.  In regard to the failure of the machine to eject VHS tapes properly, in all fairness to Panasonic, the box the machine was shipped in from J & R Music was really battered and I don't think it had been packaged well.  The failure to eject VHS tapes may have been caused by a combination of harsh shipping and poor packing rather than a flaw in the machine.  It's hard to tell.<br /><br />For the kind of money these machines cost and the insane delays in getting service even when a product is covered by warranty, these machines really need to work out of the box.  If it wasn't for the failed DVD recording, I would have given this machine a four or five star rating.  Perhaps I would have given it a higher rating if I had kept the machine longer and used it more.  However, I was unwilling to take the financial risk by waiting to see if the machine really worked or not over the long term.