Audio Video News

Panasonic is getting serious about DVD recorders. Early this summer, the company announced its third generation DVD-recorder. Available in August, the DMR-E30 will arrive at dealers with a new low price, only $799.95.

The new machine accommodates 12 hours of digitally recorded picture and sound on a double-sided DVD-RAM disc, and up to 6 hours on a single-sided DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc, thanks to Panasonic's "hybrid variable bit rate" technology. The DMR-E30 features a proprietary "Time Slip" function, progressive scan output, and "a host of many other convenience features, in a sleek new package," according to a June announcement.

The DMR-E30 leverages advancements made in optical disc technology to allow hundreds of thousands of recordings on a single DVD-RAM disc---what company marketing manager Alberto Reggiani calls "the best of all worlds" solution. With the DMR-E30, you can "record and re-record your favorite programs, over 100,000 times on the same disc," he says.

"Rewriteable DVD-RAM discs offer huge storage capacity of 4.7 to 9.6 gigabytes per disc and give consumers greater versatility and control over what they want to keep or delete," commented Reggiani. "Because DVD-RAM provides a single format for computer and video-based applications, it provides a practical and flexible way to manage multiple PC video needs." The DMR-E30 can also record on DVD-R discs.

Panasonic's "Time Slip" feature allows viewers to replay a scene recorded 30 seconds earlier without disrupting the recording process, simply by touching a button on the remote. Time Slip also enables the recorder's "Simultaneous Record and Play" function, a convenient feature for recording a favorite TV series. A 16-program timer allows unattended recording for later viewing. Whether in real time or unattended, the DMR-E30 will automatically find blank space on the disc and begin recording. DVD-RAM's extremely fast transfer rate lets you watch the recorded portion of an ongoing program from the beginning, while at the recording process is in progress. All the machine's functions are accessible via the remote control.

Panasonic engineers weren't just thinking about functionality in the design of the DMR-E30. They were also thinking about picture quality. The DMR-E30 offers progressive scan output, which essentially doubles the number on lines of video information onscreen. The result is said to be "film-like DVD images extraordinarily close to the way they originally appeared in the cinema - with rich detail, extraordinary depth of field, and precise color reproduction."

The DMR-E30 also allows consumers to archive favorite VHS tape recordings and camcorder-originated material to space-saving discs. As a playback device, the machine is compatible with many optical disc formats, including DVD video, music CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs. An on-screen menu called the "Disc Navigator" allows accessing recorded programs via recording dates, times, channels and user-entered titles. Amateur videographers will be eager to use some of the DMR-E30's simple non-linear video editing - such as rearranging the order of scenes, skipping over unwanted scenes and creating custom playlists of favorite scenes on a disc.

In addition to offering a new, improved DVD recorder at a very attractive price, Panasonic has lowered the fee for its recordable DVD blank media. Panasonic-branded DVD-RAM multi-pack includes three high-quality DVD-RAM discs for $23.95, or just $7.99 per disc. "Panasonic is committed to making DVD recordable media widely available and affordable, while keeping the quality high," said Marko Wityk, national marketing manager for Panasonic's Entertainment Media Division.