Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK DVD Recorder

Never so HONKED, Frustrated & Cheated

Posted Feb 4, 2008 - I purchased the first unit in July07. As it kept locking-up (freezing), no controls work, even power button, must unplug to re-boot. Weeks later found in the trouble-shooting guide at the end of the massive manual the "Reset" switch that requires a pointed object. I returned the first unit within the allowed 15 days and re-bought thinking I was really smart. Wrong! My wife is constantly irate as she wants the old dependable "VCR" back. I can vouch for all common problems on other folks reviews. The one I can add is my unit renders my DVDs inoperable after a few recording sessions. Cannot even re-format and have to pitch the disk. So, all recorderd treasures are lost. A DVD+RW is claimed good for 1,000 recording sessions but not even close with this unit. Occasional scheduled DVD recordings of HD channel results background audio only and no voice audio. Panasonic claims this is a result of the broadcasted audio type. Later to find that when this happens, all HD channels are receiving same audio problem. The 90 page manual is so poorly indexed by topics it literally takes one to read word-for-word every page to eventually find how to perform some options. My Son who installs Home-Theaters Strongly advised me to avoid Panasonic. No comment.

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Disappointed

Posted Jan 28, 2008 - I was really hoping this would be the solution to many of my needs, especially since I've always been happy with Panasonic, but: 1) Recording: despite following the instructions and having years of experience recording to VCRs, I could not get it to regularly record the shows I scheduled. 2) Digital Tuner: In large part I bought this to bring me to the digital age. Initially I was able to get many digital channels but over the 3 months I used the machine, they started dropping off 1 by 1. I tried a couple different antenas and they didn't help much 3) Copying from Tape to DVD: I also wanted to transfer home movies of my family from VHS to DVD. The device just couldn't do it. It would try for a couple hours and then crash or give up having recorded only a few minutes worth. In short, I'm on the market for a new box that has a digital tuner and reads/writes VHS and DVD :-(

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Digital tuner and HDMI upconvert capability

Posted Dec 5, 2007 - I left mine on for 2 days and came home one day to find it on fire... VERY dissapointed, ended up costing me about $10,000.00 in damage... thanks Panasonic

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Multi-function digitial video recorder, vcr, dvd player, dvd recorder, etc.

Posted Dec 2, 2007 - Based on the number of reviews we read, this was the best reviewed player within a reasonable price range for the number of features that we found to be decent and within our budget. Only thing is we were excited about all the features and forgot to make sure it played VCD's since that's what the parents needed. We were attempting to get rid of the number of machines they have and make it easier to connect to the TV. Instead, forgot to look for the VCD feature and ended up having to drag out the other player again. Otherwise, overall this machine is good because it has many other features. Plays dvd, vhs, records TV shows, record to dvd discs, etc. It did get rid of the need for multiple machines minus the one exception described.

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DMR-EZ47VK DVD Recorder (VCR, HDMI)

Posted Nov 26, 2007 - I wanted a DVD Recorder/VHS Combo to convert VHS tapes and TV signal to DVD. I also required a unit with a builtin tuner to be able to use without a cable box or external tuner. The EZ47VK seemed to me to be the best unit to meet my requirements. I have started converting an old library of VHS tapes to DVD with satisfactory results. I have recorded movies and sports events to DVD also with satisfactory results. The unit is very easy to setup and use. Once connected to the TV through the HDMI cable, by simply inserting a DVD or VHS tape its automatic from there. Nice unit.

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Panasonic DMR 475v

Posted Nov 19, 2007 - Good unit that seems to work well for recording from VHS to DVD and other players like Satelite. Still working out best type of media to use with recorder, but so far there are some issues,some come out well.

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Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK DVD Recorder

Posted Oct 12, 2007 - This unit delivers superb picture quality for DVD recording/playing as well as for VHS. In fact the picture quality of VHS is that good, that one would think it is also upconverted! (But I'm sure it's not, but the picture quality of VHS tapes is outstanding!) The picture quality in LP mode delivers a quality pretty much equal to that of the SP mode. It is super that you can connect this unit to you TV-set using just one cable (HDMI)for audio and video for VHS and DVD. Though, if your tv does not have an HDMI connection, this recorder has plenty of connectivity options. I like the fact that this recorder plays divx discs as well, which was one of the requirements for me to buy this recorder. And if you're into it, the recorder accepts also RAM discs :o) The ATSC tuner delivers good quality picture, but it must be noted that it is a bit fuzzy. I've seen better, the tuner overall is a but fuzzy compared to my other Panasonic DVD recorder. I can live with it though because I've seen much much worse, considering myself a bit of a perfectionist. Why Panasonic, (and pretty much any other manufacturer) no longer make units with a hard drive, has me puzzled! I really miss that feature a lot! Overall, you will be pleased with this flagship of the Panasonic DVD recorders, I dare to say, it is pretty much the best buy out there today on the market.

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Panasonic DVD Recorder/VCR Combo DMR-EZ47VP-K

Posted Oct 9, 2007 - I received this unit in exchange for a comparable LG model that was faulty. So far I've only watched DVDs and tapes on it and I'm impressed with the picture, especially the DVDs. The HDMI connection to my TV produces a very good picture. Too bad Panasonic didn't include a disc tray open/close button on the remote. This is the first player I've seen without one. I'm anxious to record onto a DVD both from a tape and the tuner. I also wish the manual was a bit easier to comprehend. Overall, I'm pleased with the unit thus far.

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You will be amazed at the difference!

Posted Aug 28, 2007 - I bought this unit specifically because of its upconverting abilities, and I wanted to combine a DVD/VCR combo unit I had WITH a standalone DVDR to save space. When I installed my new HDTV (1080i btw) I threw a copy of the Matrix into my old combo unit to see what it looked like - not bad from 8+ feet away, but pretty blotchy within 8 ft. (the usual telltale sign of SD playing on HD). When I switched over to this unit the difference was quite stunning - not true HD mind you, but still FAR better than a "regular" SD player. A few bits though - to get ABOVE 480p you MUST use HDMI, MUST. The GUI is straightforward but could be designed better.

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Great Machine

Posted Aug 12, 2007 - The good news is that this player/recorder combo can do so many things. The bad news is that it can do so many things that the learning curve is steep. The manual is 100 pages long, and, most unfortunately, not written with the beginner in mind and not organized particularly well. For example, the VCR functions and the DVD functions are intertwined, and sections on, say recording, are separated into basic and advanced in different parts of the manual. It will take awhile to learn it. That said, Panasonic has always been a great brand for me; I have always been very pleased with its products; and the products have always lasted a long time. I finally was able to successfully record on a DVD-RW(video only): the picture and sound quality were great, and I don't even have digital cable. After I watched, I was able to erase it and use it again. It accepts almost every format you can want, but the DVD-RAM seems to be the one that does the most and is most flexible. The VCR is good too, but there are 2 minor probems: first, it does not play tapes recorded on another VCR well--unless they have been recorded on a Panasonic VCR; second, when you are trying to scan forward or back in a fast mode, it overshoots the target considerably, so you wind up having to toggle back and forth. It is much better on the slowest speed in this regard. Another thing, some DVD media at some speeds cannot be played on another recorder, so you have to be careful. And despite what the salespeople say, you have to buy media that are designed for video, not data only. So far I rate the product highly but only a C for the manual. It's taken me far longer to read and understand because the directions are not always clear.

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Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK

Posted Jul 18, 2007 - Often referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of DVD recorders, the DMR-EZ47VK's versatility and performance has impressed me thus far. The five features that sold me were: 1)Built in digital ATSC Tuner; 2)HDMI connection (cable not supplied, upconverts to 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolution); 3)SD card slot; 4)Multi-Format Playback (Playable Disc Type) including JPEG, DivX and MP3 playback; and 5)Built-in VCR. Second to having a DVR, it has a quality look and feel about it and I found the operation learning curve less steep than expected. Input/output connectivity includes component video output, two A/V inputs with S-Video (one front, one back), two A/V outputs (one with S-Video), an optical digital-audio output, a FireWire input, and screw-type RF input/outputs. The two A/V outputs are labeled "DVD/VHS common output" and "DVD priority output." The remote is adequate but lacks a disc open/close button. Pressing the Direct Navigator button to the left of the directional pad on the remote brings up thumbnail images of the videos stored on the disc. This is keen. In the short time I've used it, though, I've had to reboot the unit twice after it locked-up during a disk erase operation and after I pressed the disk-eject button without a disk in the drive. Kind of reminded me of a computer crash. Not unexpected considering the DMR-EZ47VK's complexity. Also not the most user-friendly unit I've operated so only the more tech-savvy need apply. It also takes a while for the unit to warm up. I recommend the Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK although I still prefer my Panasonic DVD-F87K as a stand-alone player.

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Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK

Posted Jun 26, 2007 - This unit has a great image in LP mode (4 hours per Disk). When I up grade to HDTV it has the HDMI connector and supports upconversion to 1080p using my present DVD'S. I would buy this unit again and would recommend this unit to others.

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Panasonic DMR-EZ47VK DVD Recorder

Posted Jun 22, 2007 - I purchased this unit to convert my VHS and Hi-8mm tapes to DVD. I won't use it as my primary DVD Player; will wait to buy a HD-DVD player for that. This unit was fairly easy to copy from VHS to DVD and to copy from the Aux inputs. The instruction manual is a little confusing to understand. You have to flip through several pages to get the entire process of how to copy or program. This is my first Panasonic unit and not sure how about the reliability or support.

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