Panasonic DMR-EH50S DVD Recorder with 100 GB Hard Drive Recording
A very big disappointment...
I have used Panasonic products on and off for many years. I have generally had quite good experiences with them, and therefore have absolutely no bias against the company. Having said that, I found the DMR-EH50S DVD Recorder to be extremely disappointing, both in terms of build quality and software.    I should begin by pointing out that I have replaced the unit with a JVC DR-MH30S. This comparison will give some perspective to my negative views of the Panasonic, and will hopefully prove helpful to those of you who haven't yet made a decision.    I won't go into tremendous detail, but the two machines are mostly similar in terms of their specifications. But even if the two machines were equivalent in quality and design (which they are not), the JVC would represent better value in that it includes a 160GB hard drive vs. 100GB for the Panasonic. A 60% increase in hard disk capacity is a big deal, especially for those (like me) who prefer to record in the highest quality.    Setting that important difference aside, I found the JVC to be superior in many respects. First, the relative quality of the (all important) remotes is shocking: The Panasonic is one of the cheapest feeling and poorly laid out (confusing, etc.) remotes that I have ever used. With all of these complex machines, the buttons which allow one to toggle (left, right, up and down) and navigate the on-screen menus are the most heavily used and therefore are crucial. The Panasonic version is a shockingly cheap plastic ring which feels as though it could break at any moment, and it gives no clear tactile feedback either. The JVC, in stark contrast, features a thoughtfully designed keypad, and the unit itself is much more solid, substantial and heavy than the Panasonic. The buttons give clear feedback, and are easy to use and master quickly. I can't stress enough how vivid the contrast is between the two remotes, and if I worked for Panasonic I would be both embarrassed and worried about having such a poorlydesigned and poor quality remote associated with the company.    In my view, the other highly important feature in these hard disk recorders is the software interface. Now I must point out that I don't care about the TV Guide feature which so many people seem to like. And I believe (though am not sure about this) that the Panasonic offers a (TiVo-like) TV Guide function, while the JVC only has the VCR+ type quick scheduling feature. I am perfectly happy to schedule recordings manually, and the JVC interface is superior to that of the Panasonic. Other aspects of the software also strike me as being better designed and more intuitive on the JVC than the Panasonic, though in fairness, I returned the latter very quickly (in disgust) and did not fully explore it's capabilities.    As a final note, I also found the initial set up to be simpler on the JVC, and the manual easier to use than the one which came with the Panasonic.    If you have any specific questions about my experiences with the two machines, feel free to contact me.