Editorial Review:

Item Description:
The Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK DVD recorder is capable of receiving both digital and analog broadcasts. Even when digital signals drop out because of interference with direct signal access, which makes the picture either disappear or become filled with block noise, the Digital Tuner still produces a beautiful picture. Just slip the SD card into the slot or use the cable to connect the camera to the USB terminal, and you're ready to enjoy a spectacular big-screen slideshow with family and friends. You can even listen to music recorded onto a USB device while viewing your photos. Connect your Panasonic DVD recorder to a flat-panel HDTV via an HDMI cable and the TV channel setting information is automatically downloaded to the recorder. Once the Auto Preset Download is complete, the DVD recorder will keep whichever TV channel you're watching as its receiving channel. This means you can record the program you're watching by just pressing the Record button on the VIERA remote. With VIERALink, you don't have to worry about setting the recorder to the right channel every time you want to record something. Frequently used buttons, such as Power and Open/Close, are located at the top of the main unit (this makes them easier to see when the unit is placed in a rack, where you need to look down when operating it). SD Image File Format - JPEG conforming DCF Image File Number of Pixels - 34 x 34 to 6,144 x 4096 Inputs and Outputs - 2x LINE (pin jack) Analog Audio (2 Ch) Input, 2x Line (pin jack) Video In, DV Input Terminal, 2x S Connector S-Video In, Built-in SD Card Slot, 1x LINE (pin jack) 2ch Audio Out, Component Video Out (Y, PB, PR) 1080i/720p/480p/480i, 1x S Connector S-Video Outputs, and Optical Digital Audio Out (Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM), 2x LINE (pin jack) Video Out Dimensions - Height 3-5/16 x Width 16-15/16 x Depth 13-5/8 Weight - 11.90 pounds









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Rating: - * As DVD/VHS combo recorders go, this is one of the best. ...
Pansonic introduced this DVD recorder a year after its predecessor, the EZ47VK. The EZ47VK had almost the same feature set, but suffered from overheating problems. So Panasnic added a cooling fan with the EZ48VK.

I bought this recorder to transfer VHS tapes to DVD and to record programs off cable TV. In both these respects this player works just perfect, with one flaw which I will touch on below.

The auto-tune feature tuned all the standard (non-pay and non-premium) channels from my cable company and even set the clock time based on the local PBS station. The ATSC tuner picks up over-the-air HDTV and DTV programs. I am using this player with an Antennas Direct DB2 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna. It picked up local HD channels and some from as far as 40 miles away. A minor annoyance is that when you switch between antenna and cable (I use an external A/B switch) you need to auto tune the channels all over again.

Transferring VHS to DVD is a cinch. The resulting DVD is often better than the source VHS tape due to the noise reduction. I've also had excellent results recording my favorite TV programs (particularly movies from AMC and TCM). In the two months I've had this player, I've recorded just over 40 movies for personal use.

As others have suggested, DVD-RAM disks are a must-have for this player, particularly for recording TV programs you want to later delete. DVD-RAM disks give you a Tivo-like experience, and you can pause and rewind the program while the rest of the program is being recorded. And DVD-RAM disks allow you record over and over thousands of times.

Caution about dual-layer DVD+R disks:
The only problem I had with this player is with dual-layer DVD+R disks. When recording multiple programs in sequence, the player can get "confused" with the layer change in the dual layer disk. It corrupted two disks, making them unreadable. And it required me to power off and power on in order to eject the corrupted disks.

Anyway, I found that that recording dual layer DVD+R disks works perfectly when I recorded a single long program that spans both layers.

Overall, I have high praise for this player!

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Rating: - * It Does What I Wanted It To Do. ...
A "fully loaded with features" piece of electronic equipment, I found the Panasonic VHS/DVD/Digital Tuner combo still easy to setup and program. I'm definately not a techno-wizard-buff so easy setup was important.

I bought the Panasonic DMR-EZ48V Recorder unit for several reasons.

First, it seemed like a good value for the price and I have had good luck with the reliability of Panasonic electronics. I have only had it a couple of months but look forward to a long history with it.

Second, an older VCR had crashed so I needed a way to play the tapes. I like the way this handles the older tapes and that I can easily transfer them over to a recordable DVD. I have dozen of family tapes, recorded TV programs, and older movie tapes that are being transferred to recordable DVD.

Third, I like the fact that the Panasonic talks nicely to my Sony Bravia XBR LCD HDTV when playing both tapes and DVD's.

Lastly, if my Comcast's digital signal ever goes on vacation (would that ever happen? Heheh!) I can easily switch over to the antenna and receive a digital signal.

I'm sure there are other VHS/DVD Recorder/Digital Receive combo units from other manufacturers that are as good or maybe even better than this one. But, it does everything I wanted it to do.

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Rating: - * Can't record in VR format on DVD-RW, so what's the point? ...
I got this unit as one of the replacement possibilities in the saga that was trying to replace the lemon that was the Samsung DVD-VR357 (see my review for that for the full story), but returned it promptly for one simple reason.

I used to do a lot of recording of TV shows onto DVD-RWs because I could edit the commercials out of the final product easily and permanently.

In order to do that, they must be recorded in DVD-VR format. This unit will only record DVD-RWs in DVD-V format, where this sort of editing is not possible...so what's the point?

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Rating: - * Very short life span - better buy the extended warranty ...
I bought the DRM-EZ48V about 14 months ago and the DVD recording bit the dust, 2 months after the manufacturer warranty expired. On the average, I used it everyday for about 1 hr. of recording and 1 hr. of playback. I continued to do the recording using the VHS for about 3 months and the HDMI interface failed yesterday. I am totally disappointed about the reliability of this product. If you are thinking about buying this DVD/VHS recorder, I advise you to seriously consider purchasing the extended warranty, either from Panasonic or from the store, inorder to have a piece of mind.

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Rating: - * Be Wary If Transferring VHS ...
I purchased this mainly to transfer home movies. Unfortunately, Panasonic has decided that it knows better than you do. They have programmed the machine to divide recordings whenever a break in the video occurs. This means that your two-hour home video is going to be automatically divided into about 16 parts and there is no option to disable it. Each division causes a loss in the beginning of the next part.

You will have to plug a separate VCR into the unit to be certain of uninterrupted recording. Of course, you might as well buy any DVD recorder if you are going to do that and pay much less. The DVD recording quality is good - as good as just about any other recorder.

Too bad: Panasonic built a good concept, but they forgot to give the consumer the freedom to decide how to record.