DVD Recorders: Sony Vs Panasonic
Panasonic DMR-E100H DVD Recorder
The Panasonic DMR-E100H is a good deal more expensive than the Sony RDR-GX7 but then again it has a pretty impressive exclusive feature list. In terms of media capability it does lag behind the Sony unit, as it can only record to DVD-R and DVD-RAM. Along with that, it's also incapable of reading DVD-RW discs although it can read DVD+R. You could of course argue that the DVD-RAM is a replacement for RW but then compatibility with other DVD players will not so great. You could further argue that with the 80GB hard drive on board tasks can be recorded to the hard disk until a more permanent record is required at which time they can be written to DVD-R for archiving.
Other very neat features are the inclusion of an SD memory card slot and a PC Card slot. Using a Canon PC Card Compaq Flash memory adapter we were able to read the JPEG images directly from our camera's memory card and display them on the TV screen. There's also the capability to transfer images to the Hard Drive or DVD media for more permanent archiving.
The remote control is relatively small and at first glance does not appear encompass as wide a range of functions as the Sony. This is simply because the Panasonic makes do with fewer short cut keys and relies more on its extensive on screen menu system. Unlike the Sony however, if you lose the Panasonic remote you are definitely up the creek without a paddle. While the Sony allows the user to access the menu system from the unit's front controls the Panasonic has no such feature. The front panel controls are quite limited, encompassing only basic transport, channel and media selection.
Connectivity is very good with three sets of AV inputs two at the rear and one under a small flip down panel at the front; all the AV inputs are Composite Video or S-Video. Also hidden under the front panel is a IEEE 1394 Firewire port to allow the direct connection of your DV camera to dub straight to hard drive or DVD.
To enable the units tuner to grab a signal there is an antenna input complete with pass though to your TV. Outputs include two combination Composite Video/S-Video outputs, a Component Video output that supports NTSC Progressive Scan and an optical digital audio output. There is no coaxial output for digital audio, so if your surround sound receiver is the older type that does not feature an optical input you may be in trouble.
The only thing to watch for when you are recording is that you have selected the correct destination for the video, either the hard drive or DVD media; although if you do mistakenly record to the hard drive you can then dub it over to DVD media. Recording to the hard disk first has its advantages as you can edit out the adverts and then dub over to DVD-R at up to 24x in EP mode. The unit supports four recording modes ranging from XP, which only records up to 1 hour on DVD-RAM, up to EP, which will squeeze 6 hours onto a DVD-RAM disc. The 80GB hard drive is good for 18 hours of video in XP mode and an impressive 109 hours in EP mode.
Because the Panasonic has the ability to record to DVD-RAM and hard drive there are some pretty nifty benefits bestowed by these two types of media, most notably the Time Slip feature. Essentially the hard drive and DVD-RAM are fast and flexible enough for you to play back one program while you are recording another to the same media. We tested using input from a Sony DV camera, viewing a recording from the start while the actual recording process was five minutes ahead. In Time Slip mode you can view the playback full screen or chose to have a small quarter screen picture-in-picture in the lower right hand side displaying the recording simultaneously.
Image quality was certainly very good with good colour and smooth diagonal lines. Both the Panasonic and Sony were excellent in this regard and both certainly put the old VCR quality recordings well and truly to shame.
Panasonic DMR-E100H DVD Recorder
Company: Panasonic Australia
Price: AU$2799
Phone: (02) 9986 7400
Sony RDR-GX7 DVD Recorder
Sony's entry into the DVD recorder market, the RDR-GX7, is quite an impressive unit. Admittedly it does not feature a hard drive, as does the Panasonic, but the Sony is around AU$1000 less expensive than the Panasonic. And, while the Sony can write to DVD-R/RW it is also capable of writing to DVD+RW but, inexplicably Sony chose not to provide DVD+R write support.
Like the Panasonic the basic functions of the Sony such as timer recording and the like are quite simple. If you can timer record on your VCR then the Sony should not prevent any challenges. Some of the more intricate editing features on the other hand are not so straightforward and will almost certainly require frequent visits to the relatively comprehensive manual.
Even though the remote boasts more controls than the unit itself, a common feature of modern appliances, because the unit has a screen based menu system many of the functions can still be accessed from the front panel. The remote is quite long and slender and while the control layout is not the best we have seen its is nevertheless adequate. The joystick navigator and most of the transport controls found in the centre of the remote are better than the less used controls at the top of the remote in this regard. The recording functions are located under a sliding panel at the bottom of the remote, which will hopefully reduce the likelihood of the kids randomly burning DVD-R's.
Like your average VCR the Sony has aerial in and out connectors at the rear. Additional I/O however is certainly more extensive than most VCR's. There are three inputs at the rear, two SCART and a Composite/S-Video input; a fourth Composite/S-Video input is conveniently located at the front of the unit. There are a pair of digital audio outputs, one coaxial and the other optical, a Composite/S-Video output with audio mixed down to stereo and a component Video output, which can be configured to output Progressive Scan for your projector. The Sony is cooled by a quite and unobtrusive fan located at the rear. There is also a DV port located at the front of the unit so you can directly link your Digital Video camera and record to DVD in one easy step.
Recording to DVD is a very simple process and there are six recording modes ranging from a very high quality mode that fills a DVD in just 60 minutes to an extended long play mode of fair quality that can cram a full 360 minutes onto a DVD. Standard mode which is the mode we used for testing purposes will fit up to 120 minutes onto a DVD.
Image quality from recordings taken from a Sony DV camera and commercial DVD's was excellent. Sony's Progressive Scan certainly went a long way to remove the coarseness and "jaggies" from diagonal lines, and we can't fault either the Sony or Panasonic units for visual clarity.
Sony RDR-GX7
Company: Sony Australia
Price: $1699
Phone: 1300 137 669
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I have tried to access the reports on comparing dvd players but it keeps going back to the same screen when I click on any of the links. Can you help?