Panasonic DMR-EH50S DVD Recorder with 100 GB Hard Drive Recording
I'm hopeful
I am not at all technically proficient.  Having read all of these reviews I had no illusions setup would be easy and was prepared to return my unit, especially after a week of trying -- and failing -- to get my television to recognize the unit.    Yesterday I called Customer Service and together we explored every possible reason I was having so much trouble.  The last (and probably last ditch) suggestion was the magic one and I was able to input my zip code, etc. and begin to download the TV Guide On Screen system.  I thought the Customer Service rep was out of her mind when she made the *magic* suggestion.      I do not have a cable box and was fully prepared for the TV Guide not to download -- but it did! Now, I hope timed recording works for me and that I have no problems scheduling recordings.    The only reason I do not give this 5 stars is because of the miserable manual.    UPDATE 5/20/06    Now that I've had an opportunity to use this model awhile I have good -- and bad things to say about it.    The good:    1.  The quality of the recordings has been really sharp.  I've noticed little to no deterioration from the quality of the original broadcast.  2.  Once you get the hang of it, dubbing is easy and relatively painless.    The bad:    1.  The TV Guide went the way of the dodo bird after a power outage and I haven't been successful in getting it to download again.    2.  I really miss the cabability of watching a broadcast while recording another.  I was able to do this with 2 VCRs but can't seem to do with this DVD recorder.  Is this pilot error?  The manual is silent on this issue.