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Panasonic DMR-EZ47 - DVD Recorder & VCR Combination - With 1080P Up-Conversion & Freeview - Black | 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
Buy Refurbished: £159.99
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 22266
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 16.3
Dimensions (in): 20.2 x 18 x 6.8
MPN: DMR-EZ47VEBK
Model: DMR-EZ47VEBK
EAN: 5025232434121
ASIN: B000QDENXG
Release Date: May 7, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Does the job very well, possible picture issues, but I have a multitude of scart leads and splitters that could be to blame December 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm always pleasantly amused by negative comments regarding this recorder, even from pro critics. This is a DVD and VHS recorder (with built in freeview), simple. It preserves your existing collection of standard DVDs and VHS cassettes, with connections to view camcorders. It upscales your EXISTING standard library to HD if you ave the right TV and HDMI leads, so you don't have to re-buy your collection again in BluRay. So why do some reviewers (admittedly in the US) complain that it doesn't record in HD, that's what a Blu Ray recorder is for!!
I also read negative comments like "I can't copy original VHS films onto DVD", so it gets another negative comment; so why would Panasonic produce a machine that could copy copyright material!!! It's for playback and so means you can still play your old tapes, not necessarily copy them. Of course home made tapes are easily copied at the press of one button.
I read "there's no HDD", so why buy this DVD/VHS recorder then? Buy a higher spec system that costs 100-200 more (if you want DVD, VHS AND HDD)!
You'll also find people saying that the DVD recording from old VHS is as bad as the original VHS, a classic mistake people make when also buying Hi-Fi equipment, a bad signal in means a bad signal out. DVD recording doesn't enhance a poor input signal, it records what it sees.
In summary, I can only agree with all the positive comments, and smile at some of the negative ones. However, I must agree that there might be some picture quality issues, as even my old Panasonic VHS recorder has a better signal amplifier which brightened the picture more than the DMR EZ47. So I'll need to adjust the TV settings. But, that said, the old VHS had to be left on permanently in order for the signal amplifier to do the job, unlike the DMREZ47.
The signal from my Sky box does suffer from a slightly less sharp picture, but it is going via a scart lead, then into the DMR EZ47, and then through a scart splitter and then another budget scart lead into the TV (with 640x480 pixel resolution). Perhaps there's so much going on in the box with all the gizmoes that there is signal interference in the machine itself, or I connected everything up badly when I swapped the machines over. But, I cannot truly judge the picture quality unless I am sure my connections are flawless.
Pictures direct from the DVD and VHS are very good however, and as good as any standalone product. If you get jumpy pictures using old VHS, Panasonic suggest you use a manual tracking adjustment which is on the remote control, especially if auto tracking doesn't work immediately.
Also, yes there is some motor noise, but it's like comparing a diesel with petrol, all players make a noise, some noises are just smoother than others. This noise is just less smooth than my Pioneer DVD player which just whines at a higher pitch and is more acceptable in my opinion.
Nevertheless, the machine does the job as described and the instructions are surprisingly simple. The remote is a tad cluttered, so perhaps that is the only gripe, but the layout is in a typical Panasonic style so previous Panasonic owners will get to grips easily. My 5-year old is able to teach herself the art of playing a DVD, so that's a pretty good endorsement. Just remember to FINALISE every DVD you record, otherwise like some reviewers, the DVD doesn't playback in other machines, oops. Also, VHS still has its merits as the fastest possible means of taping programmes, especially as most DVDs straight out of the cellophane seem to require formatting on the first record, and if your programme is about to start, formatting can take 1-2 minutes, so hats off to VHS in this regard.
Either way, I bought this for the same price as a standalone DVD recorder with Freeview, so the extra VHS is a welcome bonus. I'm very pleased, and at less than 200, it's one of the best on the market.
 General comment ref.my Panasonic DVD Recorder experience November 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not directly relevant to this model but I've had three Panasonic DVD recorders in the past few years i.e. one DMR-RES10 and two DMR-ES20 and they each became unuseable just after the manufacturer's guarantees had expired.
No extended warranties had been purchased and the tuner expired on the first and the others became unable to read my disks.
I'd chosen Panasonics because they are one of the very few on the market that are able to record and play DVD-RAM disks.....my favourite for editing because they don't need to be "finalized" as with DVD-RW.
 Good quality machine , poor instruction booklet and remote . October 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this machine recently and find it very good quality both as a DVD player and VHS one. Picture and sound quality are first class and indeed some of my older VHS tapes look fresher on this player . It copies across well and there is no loss of quality . I would have given it 5 stars but the instruction booklet is badly set out and difficult to follow on occasions ( as a tip I reccomend looking at the very last page and going form there it helps a bit ) . The remote is crowded and there are a few buttons which repeat others . Still all in all I bought it for a good picture and sound and there I can highly reccomend it .
Disappointed August 16, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Purchased this recently and have not managed to get it to work yet (it will have to go back); connected it up as per instructions but get the "no channels found" message constantly... very disappointing.
 This machine does not like older VHS tapes April 8, 2008
42 out of 45 found this review helpful
I purchased this machine yesterday to replace the older model of the same, bought just 2 years ago. As with the previous machine, this one does not like older or more used VHS tapes, causing the picture to 'bend' and flicker, and sometimes drop out altogether. On the old machine, it had seemed ot be a developing fault with no cure - part of the reason for replacement. However, the same tapes play perfectly welll on a 10 year old Sharp VHS machine. I consulted the manufacturer who basically said I shouldn't play old tapes on their shiny new machine if I don't want these problems. I work in TV, and the BBC and Channel 4 still have enormous numbers of old VHS tapes in their libraries, so I have no option but to return this machine today, and buy a newer second hand VHS player and a decent separate DVD recorder to replace it. The remote control is also overcrowded and fussy as has been previously pointed out. Sadly, I cannot recommend this machine to anyone wishing to transfer their aging VHS collection to DVD.
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