Panasonic DMR-ES46VS VHS / DVD Recorder Silver

Average customer rating:

Worked fine until it failed

Questionable reliability

It's not perfect, but a good machine while waiting for HD format wars to settle

Great for converting VHS to DVD, but Tuner is Terrible

Poor picture quality

Panasonic DMR-ES46VS VHS / DVD Recorder Silver

Manufacturer: Panasonic
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

All | DVD Players & Recorders | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
DVD Recorders | DVD Players & Recorders | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
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Product Features:

Plays both VHS tapes and multiple disc formats - DVD-RAM, -R/RW, +R/RW, DVD Video, VCD CD-R/RW, MP3 CD

Super multi-format recording and playback allows reading & writing to multiple disc types

One-touch 2-way S-VHS dubbing

Easy Quick Start for recording

Task-oriented GUI menu for easier use and completion of DVDs

ASIN: B000FKDTSK

Product Description

The Panasonic DMR-ES46 gives you the ability to enjoy older and newer media formats without taking up precious space in your home entertainment setup. You've probably got plenty of great stuff on VHS tapes, from your favorite films to home recordings. Instead of taking up room with a VCR and a DVD player, you need a single unit that plays both. That's where the DMR-ES46 comes in. Taking what worked well in previous models and improving them, it also includes new features that make everyday DVD recording simpler than ever. The HDAVI-Control allows you to control multiple components without the mess of wires and remotes that you'd normally face. While enjoying your favorite VHS movies and recording to tape, you can also record & play back DVD-Audio & Video, CD audio, CD-DA and MP3/JPEG discs. You can even load up an SD card and preview your digital photos and video on a larger screen. The simple HDMI connection lets you manage your home theater connections without facing a jumble of wires. The DMR-ES46 offers you the easy operation and versatility you need to complete your home entertainment center. VCR Refresh Dubbing with advanced DNR DV Auto recording and playlist creation Transfers content from a DV camcorder or SD card in just one step Simultaneous playback and recording (for DVD) Chasing playback tool allows you to watch the start of a program while you're still recording it (for DVD) Uses single-layer DVD-R and DVD-RAM (recording up to 4.7 GB) Auto DVD-R Finalizing Records using MEPG-2 compression, for up to 8 hours of video on one disc VBR recording for optimized bitrate depending on type & length of recording Time base corrector for stable, natural images Front A/V input Built-in SD card slot HDMI Inputs - 2 S-Video, 2 Component, 2 SCART, 2 line in 1 line out, 1 Optical, 1 Component, 1 S-Video, 1 Composite Recording formats - DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW Dolby

Customer Reviews:

Worked fine until it failed.......2007-11-19

Purchased this at Sam's. Used it for 13 months. Of course, at 13.5 months, the power supply fan stops working and it keeps shutting down. Spent a looong time on hold waiting for help from Panasonic. After they transferred me twice (= more hold time), I got someone on who faxed me a form to send in for repair. No offer to extend the warranty. They just made sure I knew I would pay for parts/labor. I will not buy future video equipment from Panasonic because of their phone support and failure rate.

Questionable reliability.......2007-10-02

This DMR-ES46V was my third and last Panasonic DVD player, though my first recorder. I have yet to find one that will last much more than a year, using the device perhaps twice a week. Perhaps a refurbished one for under $150 would be worthwhile. While the functions are good for the price, product life for Panasonic players leaves much to be desired, at least based on my experience.

It's not perfect, but a good machine while waiting for HD format wars to settle.......2007-03-02

I purchased this machine refurbished from Panasonic for a total of $150, including shipping, making the imperfections quite tolerable. It does much more than my previous DVD recorder which was twice the price. I have a Sony Bravia LCD HDTV and the display from this machine is quite good. After setting up the format for my widescreen TV, it worked like a charm.

I do not intend to use it as a tuner. I rent an HD DVR from Comcast for tuning. I really did not see much difference in the video quality on playback with commercial DVDs, but for my home recorded DVDs, the improvement is significant. VHS also will play through the HDMI cable, with some improvement too. These are formated for 4:3 aspect ratio and there really is no getting around it until you can get an input that supports high resolution 16:9 through component or HDMI interface. I was able to record from my OnDemand playlist through Comcast (something you cannot do on the rented DVR).

As with other reviewers, I am puzzled by the lack of eject and open/close functions on the remote, which even the cheap sets have. However, this machine does have very easy to use buttons that are large and right next to each slot on the machine. My past machines had tiny buttons that looked like all the others for the eject and open/close functions, making the remote almost a necessity. You do have to get up and walk over to the machine to get your disk or videotape out anyway, so this was not a huge deal for me. However, it did have trouble recognizing some DVDs at first pass, and I had to open/close the tray a few times before it recognized there was a playable disc in the drawer. So, you may want to wait by the machine while it reads before you sit down to watch.

The remote is fairly intuitive, particularly if you are used to DVD-R functions.

A huge rave for me is in regard to the flexible recording option, allowing you to customize the recording time on the DVD to fill the DVD, regardless of the length of the recording. This way you have the best possible recording quality. This is quite similar to DVD recording on your PC. Finalizing is a snap and much quicker than my old Sansui recorder.

Great for converting VHS to DVD, but Tuner is Terrible.......2007-02-15

This model (also the DMR-ES35VS which I tried before) has a terrible tuner. When viewing TV programs (I have a 42" Sony Wega High Definition TV) through the machine to record them, the picture is degraded by 40% I think, and the color is not vibrant. And this is with the HDMI connection. At first, I thought the HDMI cable that it came with was no good, so I bought a $90 HDMI Monster Cable, but there was no improvement in the picture. Also, the remote control does not have an eject button, why is that? Even my old VCRs and DVD recorder/player have that feature.

If you want to convert VHS tapes to DVD only, then buy this machine it's great for that purpose. But if you also want to record shows from your TV, then I would suggest you check out other models/brands because the picture quality on this Panasonic is unacceptable (to me anyway). I will be returning this machine and will get another Sony, my two-year old VCR/DVD recorder has a great tuner.

Poor picture quality.......2007-01-28

I ordered a DMR-ES45VS refurbished but they shipped a Dmr-ES46VS. I called
they said it was the same but came with a free HDNI cable. It was a little tough to figure out. The complaint I have is the picture quality, even when
you just use it as a tuner the picture quality is worse that when you don't.
Thats using the HDMI or S output. Called tech. dept.,waited for 45min only
to be hung up on. Called back again 45 min wait, the tech. didn't have clue.
Called again, same wait, this tech was worse. Tried to send a email twice
on their web site couldn't. Company says I can ship it back if I pay the shipping. So far bad news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!