Panasonic DMR-ES30VS DVD Recorder/VCR Combo
Pleasantly surprised
After hearing all the negative reviews here, I figured I should avoid this <br />particular model.  But then I noticed ALL the units I was considering  <br />had lots of negative feedback, so I had to dig a little deeper.  I finally <br />found a review from a professional, and he recommended this model, <br />especially over the es40v, which apparently took out some features. <br /> <br />I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and easy it was to use this <br />unit.  Pop in a tape, pop in a DVD, and hit the dub button.  If you hit <br />stop on the VCR, it ends that \\"chapter\\", and separates the title on <br />the DVD.  You can change recording modes in between, and once <br />you're done recording, you just finalize and play it on your DVD player <br />or watch it on your computer. <br /> <br />For all the people complaining about having to finalize, it's just a fact <br />of life, you have to do it or else it won't be readable.  I had absolutely <br />none of the \\"problems\\" described here, like freezing, having to reboot, <br />etc.  In fact, I had about 150 hours of VHS tapes to convert, and I <br />pretty much did them straight through for a week.  I started a 6 hour <br />tape at midnight, and I would wake up at 6:00am to \\"flip\\" the tape <br />and go to the next one.  I did have a fan going, as I didn't want to <br />have heat related problems, but it performed very well, like a workhorse.