Panasonic DMR-ES30VS DVD Recorder/VCR Combo
Unsatisfied
This recorder makes decent recordings, but it is definitiely not as user friendly as other recorders I have seen.  It claims to read DVD+R's, but all of my DVD+R discs that were previously recorded on my computer drive cannot be read by the panasonic.   <br /> <br />My old sony dvd player died after about 4 years, and it read any and every dvd I have made on my computer DVD+RW drive. I bought the panasonic to replace the sony as my new dvd player and as a recorder to transfer old home videos.  The panasonic's vcr tracking is below par.  My 10 year old vcr plays my home videos without any tracking problems, but the panasonic's auto tracking actually makes them worse!!  My home video's are un-watchable on the panasonic because it seems to be constantly trying to fix the tracking.  Quite annoying.  It does have inputs so I can plug my old vcr in, but I spent extra $$ hoping that a newer vcr would make the transfers better in quality.   <br /> <br />This is not a user-friendly player either. The remote lacks audio and subtitle buttons; when watching any dvd, you have to go into a menu to change the audio or subtitle settings.  My 4 year old sony has a noticeably better picture than this brand new unit as well. <br /> <br />Needless to say, I don not recommend this unit.  I miss my old sony, and I wished I had spent the extra $40 on the sony dvd recorder. <br /> <br /> <br />