📀 Panasonic DMR-ES20S Silver DVD Recorder: High-Quality Recording and Playback Review

Bought to replace my broken model. Everything works except for the on/off button that comes with the native remote control. This works a little differently than my original (for some reason) even though it's the same model. It's a shame that Panasonic discontinued these wonderful recorders.

This is my first DVD burner and I was looking for a cheap, no frills unit. After reading the reviews I realized that DVD players can have a lot of problems so I bought this because it was said to be trouble free. I bought some cheap Staples DVD-Rs (100 for $18) and have been burning discs ever since. Easy to set up and use, this Panasonic recorder has only recorded one DVD to date. I rate its reliability and ease of use very highly and these are my top priorities.

Ignore the ES-15 which has more features and functions. But if you can get it cheaply, it's a good entry-level recorder. The next step is an HD recorder, which is much better for time-shifted playback, but the ES-20 is just as good if you have a lot of DVD-RW or DVD-RAM discs. RAM is better suited for editing commercials and creating chapters. It's a great machine for transferring VHS home movies to DVD-R. DVD is actually better quality than VHS because the ES20 cuts out the noise. Very happy…

I replaced my GO DVD burner with this unit and found the Panasonic to be much easier to use, has a much longer range and apparently can be used with a variety of DVD+ R - and DVD-R discs. I don't use DVD-RW discs. The only downside is that while I can record HD TV images in widescreen format, the playback is in 4x3 format. Good quality. I like it when the component's black color matches the other components in my rack. This is a great addition to my cable DVR when I want a more permanent…

Works great! DVD-RAM prices are reduced and 100,000 writes, even in final form, allow you to record video or back up your old tapes. I was able to get it working straight away and it's a lot easier to use than my old broken VCR. It's so small compared to my other non-progressive DVD player, but the picture seems sharper in resolution. I am very satisfied with the performance so far. Recordings are higher resolution than VCR tapes and 4 hours on a DVD-RAM disc is decent. The instructions are…

I bought this to burn my VCR to DVD at home. That works great. I also thought I would use it with TV shows and rewritable discs because of the time difference, but then I got a dual tuner DVR from my cable provider and didn't need to use that feature. It's great for copying the dash cam boast, if anything happens I'd like to send it to the family. The instructions are handy in deaf English and require patience. Not bad for the money and picture quality is normal. You'll see the difference…

This is my second DVD burner in the last month - the first was the Samsung DVD-R120 which I tried and found it had problems to digitize my home films Hi-8. (Results were shaky and blocky at times - even in XP mode). I returned it to Revain and ordered the DMR-ES20S instead because I read somewhere that the Panasonic DIGA chip does a good job of capturing high quality video. And I found that it really is. My DVD-Rs look just as good as original Hi-8 videocassettes. No better, no worse - but…

I am disappointed with this product for two reasons. First, not all brands of DVD-RW will work with this unit. I bought 10 DVD-RWs from JVC (not 3rd party) and now I can't use them for anything because they don't work with this model. There is no warning or mention that not all brands of DVD-RW will work on this unit. Pansonic doesn't seem to make DVD-RW discs, only DVD-Ram discs, so using the same manufacturer for the media as the player is not an option here. Second, it's not very easy to…