Panasonic DMR-E75V

The Panasonic DMR-E75V is a VCR/DVD recorder combination that allows the simultaneous recording (via its twin tuners) to both a recordable DVD and VHS tape. Near the very top of the specification list for the Panasonic DMR-E75V is a statement that I have not seen in any other recorder reviewed to date (not that they may not do it, it just hasn’t been in any specification I have yet seen). This unit supports recording to double-sided DVD discs in EP mode using the DVD-RAM format. In this mode, you get a very cool maximum of 16 hours recording to one disc.

This of course means that if you have say, a whole bunch of Seinfeld episodes (or Friends or whatever – you get the idea) on VHS tape, you can cram around 32 episodes, albeit at a lower quality, on to a single DVD. Perfect for archiving.

Other formats supported are DVD-R for recording (no DVD+R or DVD+RW) and for playback DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-A (Audio), CD, VCD and MP3.

As well as Chase Playback – where you can watch the start of a recorded program while the end is still being recorded – this unit also sports a Time Slip button.

Pressing this while recording will start playback of the scene recorded 30 seconds before while the rest of the show is still recording. And speaking of playback, both NTSC and PAL progressive scan is supported – of course you need a monitor/TV that supports it, but this feature is becoming more common on new models coming out now.

For those who want to cram an extra 30 percent of time into their lives, you can also watch recorded programs played back at 1.3 times normal speed, compete with sound. Playlists can also be created on DVD and played back in any order you like.

I wasn’t given access to a manual for this unit, instead getting a lot of information from the online version. Hopefully, the Australian version has renamed VideoPlus to what we more commonly call G-Code.

Recording times are pretty much standard, allowing everything from 1 hour in SP (standard mode) up to 8 hours in EP (Extra long play) mode.

Connectivity output options consist of SCART, S-Video composite, coaxial and optical. Input ports are composite, SCART. There is no i.Link port, however.

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3.8