Panasonic DMR-E85H (120 GB) DVD Recorder

This unit was purchased to be a video recorder for a home security system. It performs flawlessly in that department.... as I am able to record up to 120 hours of material. But before I hooked this unit up to the security cameras, I used it as a home dvd unit. Here is what I came up with:

I would have given an Excellent rating, but this DVD recorder is lacking in a couple of categories. Reason I say this, is because I own the other two DVD recorder models from Panasonic. While this unit has lots of Harrd Drive space to record many programs, it is very dependent on the TV Guide function to set up any type of record schedule. This can be quite clumsy and time consuming for those not adept at home electronics. The other two models don't have this time wasting feature, which may sway you decision. The other feature I feel is lacking is the menus you are able to program when you finalize a dvd. Not really a big deal, but one to think about when comparing toother dvd recorders.

Other than the TV Guide dependency for recording shows, this unit is flawless in every other function. It has a great picture and is very user friendly. It has tons of Hard Drive space -- enough to record a full season of a tv series -- and the price is right!

So, if you are in the market for a reasonably priced dvd recorder with copious amounts of hard drive space, than think about checking out the Panasonic DMR-E85H DVD Recorder.

This is the second Panasonic recorder I have purchesed on ebay. Both work great. the previous recorder had a smaller hard drive and this newer one goes in another room. The latest recorder for some reason does not have a "open tray" button on the remote - no big deal since you actually have to go to the recorder to put in the disc. I like the active TV guide feature on screen it has been useful since the cable box is not hooked up to this TV. Overall an excellent purchase and I highly recommend this product!

"ebay Member:wisamelectro" re:item #200216697043

1. I bought Panasonic DMR-E85H, the seller's comment said this product is tested as outstanding which is not true.
2. When I hooked up and the display on Panasonic DMR-E85H says "ERROR HAS OCCURRED". The Timer seemed to be malfunction.
3. We discussed about returning the product, but I don't want to pay the shipment, because it will be the third time.


123baguzin

After 3.5 Years die.Other I've owned have simpler menus and get you to important features not easily. Overall, I'd not recommend the dmr if you're on a budget.

I'm familiar with a couple of different models of DVD/HDD recorders made by Panasonic and they are high quality machines overall. They are very reliable and record at a high quality. They have far more features than a cable company DVR and it is well worth the purchase. The on-screen TV Guide works just like most standard DVR's and it's a FREE download over your cable system. Advantages include being able to record at 5 different video quality levels. You can make super-high res DVD transfers or record more than 200 hours of video at the lowest setting. The "LP" mode is the middle setting, and is totally fine for normal DVR-type recording and viewing and will hold about 100 hours total at that setting. Compared to the DVR I had from my local cable company, it holds way more video and is way more reliable. The ONLY advantage the DVR had is that it had 2 tuners so you could record two things at the same time. But this does everything that the DVR does with that one exception and I don't have to pay the monthly rental fee so it's paid for itself a long time ago. The only negative things about it is the fact that it is not super user friendly. You will have to refer to the owners manual a few times to figure out some of the editing features or more advanced settings. But being able to edit what you have recorded is so nice for archiving to DVD. No cable company DVR does that! The DVD player could use some improvement as well, but I mainly use it for Hard Drive recording so it doesn't bother me too much. I also have a sony DVD player and it works better as a pure player. But I would recommend any Panasonic HDD recorder for anybody who wants to archive to DVD or who wants a DVR without paying the cable company more money for an inferior product.

Had the same model until it was fried by lightning. Works kind of like Tivo, with the ability to record to either a hard disk drive, DVD or DVD-RAM. Really missed it and just wanted to replace it. Difficult but not impossible to use with many complicated options, but well worth the trouble to learn how. Have never been sure the included TV GUIDE setup was worth the trouble, but it does make recording easier when it works.

It was quick and simple, the product was as described and works great. The delivery was quick and paid free and arrived when expected. I would recommend this seller.

Excellent service. Super fast delivery and reasonable price. I highly recommed this service. Teh problem was taken care of and the equipment returned in 2 days.

Recorder received in advertised condition. Recorder worked perfectly and recei ed in excellent condition. Very pleased and satisfied with purchase.

I have had two Panasonic DMR-E85H video recorders for over 4 years. I had problems with the first one until updating firmware. I never had any trouble with the second one. I save stuff from satellite TV, History Ch, RFD TV, Serius Radio. A one hour program is about 52 min. without the breaks, five will fit on a DVD.

I have recorded sat. radio for two or three days at a time. I edit out the songs that I don't like, insert chapter breaks at the beginning of each song, and dub 130 songs at a time to DVD. These will play 10 or 11 hours and sound as good as a CD. You get the name of the song, artist, etc. on the TV.

For editing home videos you need to make a list of segments you want to put together, Start recording to the HDD for up to 8 hrs. play all the parts in order from your camcorder, VCR, ETC, don't stop the Panasonic till you are done. If you have trouble playing a segment just do it again. When you are all done edit out the spaces between the good stuff leaving a few seconds of black if you can. I have used two E85H's to combine titles that got divided by mistake.

There are several ways to do most of the edit functions. I feed stray cats and other critters. I record them with inferred cameras all night. I play it back at 30X or 70X speed marking chapters at start and end of any action. Then I go to CHAPTER VIEW and erase the spaces in between. If you want you can DIVIDE TITLE at the chapter markers.

Have fun, Dale