Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I was looking for a new dvd recorder w/hard drive, because my Panasonic dmr e85h finally stopped working. It's been very difficult to find a unit like this anywhere a lot of the brick and mortar places don't sell these anymore and haven't for sometime. I use this unit for my home theater it up converts dvds to 1080p I use the hard drive for recording off the cable box and it does it well a nice feature I discovered was that is can pause live tv awesome if you are looking to replace your dvd recorder or looking for one the I recommend to you to purchase this

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

We use this mainly to record our church services from the input of our Panasonic AG HPX170. They work flawlessly together. This recorder allows us to produce same day DVDs of our recordings in less than 5 minutes. It is amazing and produces quality output. So far this has been one of our best media purchases to date.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I have had several Panasonic DVD recorders in the past and have had no problems. When my present recorder malfunctioned , I found Panasonic has ceased marketing these sets in the U.S. for some unknown reason. But I found this set at B & H which apparently is marketed in Europe and ordered it. When it arrived I attempted to connect it to my cable box and TV, but discovered it did not come with appropriate connecting cables. After fruitlessly looking for such cables at Radio Shack and other local suppliers, I called B & H to see what help they could give. Although they attempted to find a solution to the problem, they were unable to do so. The alternative was to return the item and absorb the return shipping cost. The warning about power incompatability was not an issue since the set came equiped for 110 volts and if not, a power transformer could have been used.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

It's hard to find a DVD recorder, but we did and it works great.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

The hard disc recording capability is awesome. U can watch programs recorded on hard disk, burn it on to a DVD disc if the program is worth the archive space or delete it after watching. I wish Panasonic would make a US version of this device so I can connect it directly to my cable box using hdmi cable instead of the auxiliary cables.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

The DMR-EH59GA-K recorder is easy to adapt for use in the USA. With this unit I can record on Dual Layer DVDs, and by using a DVD-R DL I can copy wide-screen. If you are recording to a DVD, and the disk runs out of space the Hard Drive kicks in and you save it all. Do not be afraid to mix Euro and USA, the detailed booklet is well written and easy to understand. I can't find a negative in this recorder. This recorder will add a lot of flexability to your recording, far beyond any other unit you will find in the USA. Bravo B&H for making this recorder easily available to US costomers. B&H has truly earned their Top Spot.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I am quite enthusiastic about the dvd recorders with hdd (hard disk drive), starting in 2003 with the E100H that I used to edit and convert to dvd rolls of camcorder video tape. I got two later models, each with added features.

I bought my first EH59 used, excellent price, and ended up giving that to my son. Bought a second EH59 that I am keeping. This one is the third EH59 that I have bought, this time for a friend who got pretty excited about it after I demonstrated mine. He wants to use his to record from satellite during the week, so he can watch when he goes to his cabin on weekends.

This is as close to ideal as I've found.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

Simple, straightforward recorder. No flash and glamour here, just effective. You will be satisfied.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I have VHS and Hi8 tapes from the 1980's I want to transfer to digital to easly handle and store in safe and share with others. With more than 40 tapes to have a store copy for $ each, decided to buy, record and edit myself.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I use this machine to record programs and edit them, especially to edit out commercials. The editing feature was easy to learn. With a little practice, the edits can be made with razor-like precision down to parts of a second.Fortunately my husband is qite knowledgeable about electronics, so he hooked it up without reading the directions. Nice! I am not sure that I could have done it on my own. What I didn't like about it is that the manual is very complicated. Only a moderate amount of the information is useful; the rest of it I don't know what they are talking about. So I just read the specific part I need at the moment, which sometimes can be hard to find amidst all of the (too much) information. Once I got the hang of it though it has been great. I have movies (with all of the commercials edited out) available to watch whenever I want them. [*]

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This is our second Panasonic dvr. We record some shows on dvds, others on the hard drive.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I bought this product at my mom's request. We have been having trouble finding a dvr with a disc burner and she was very excited to find the Panasonic recorder. We were a bit confused when we found that we cannot play DVD's. You can play a recorded disc but not a movie and we still can't figure out any explanation. We tried to change the zones under the menu and were unable to. When we called the help line we were told there was nothing we could do to play a movie, apparently having something to do with the fact that our machine is made for overseas use. Why has nobody mentioned that in the reviews? Luckily the machine does seem to record from live TV and we are hopeful that we can burn VHS tapes to CD's which is what my mom wanted from the player. I just think for the amount of money perhaps the description might give you a clue that you can't play a store bought movie on it. Also the instruction manual is not very instructional. Be prepared to figure out alot on your own. This is a decent product but honestly my Magnavox (that is no longer made anymore) was the better purchase.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This unit is excellent for recording to the HDD or a DVD from satellite/cable or from other external sources by connecting via component/composite cables. Output to TV or to a A/V receiver thru HDMI is exceptional. The PAL tuner only comes into action if one uses the unit for a TV tuner, which I never do. This one is a replaecement for an older Panasonic model (EH-85) that worked well for me for 10 years. This one mates perfectly with Panasonic TV monitors.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

It has all the features that we wanted and the price was very good. We just had to plug it in and turn it on. Very easy to use.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This recorder is reliable, easy to use and of great quality!

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

There is a learning curve, but once you know how, everything works well. The 500 GB HDD means you don't have to record to DVD straight away. I have stored more than 6 recorded programs at one time (you can record more), at different quality levels. And we can play the DVD's my son got for Christmas from his grandmother in Australia!

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

[...] received it on 3/9/11, I didn't have time to install it until 3/11/11.. After trying to install the unit several times, I gave up...I called "Tech Support" for help with the installation and got nowhere, it obviously was a defective uni, therefore, returned it back to B&H on 3/21/11 for a replacement of refund... [...] There is no way that this unit was functional and only 13-days old and did not work as it should have...

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I use the EH59 (and EH67) daily to record video depositions. The Panny DMR line is still my top recommendation to videographers upgrading to all-digital setups. In this task it reigns supreme in convenience and quality.

The menus are actually very easy to use, once you get the hang of them. New users need not fear these units. Anyone familiar with earlier Panasonic DMR recorders already know 90% of how this unit works.

That being said, now on to some info for the power users and videographers out there....

As a legal videographer, I never use the tuner, so I don't care that it's not digital. Also haven't messed with HDMI out or DV input yet. Legal video is still 4:3 and not HD, so I feed my 59 through Svideo and composite inputs.

Coming from older units like EH80/EH85, you'll notice the burn speeds are faster, but watch out for maximum speed. Mine made a coaster with an awful 1" gap of unburned tracks in the middle of the disc the first time I tried it (gasp!), plus it sounded like an airplane taking off! So I turn all mine to "normal (silent)" mode in the setup and it's quiet and reliable just like the E80/E85 I used in previous years. At that speed it takes about 6 or 8 minutes to burn a full DVDR, which is about how long it takes me to pack up after a shoot anyway. Using "normal/silent" speed, I've only had about 3 discs out of 500 have bad sectors and need to make another copy. (I verify every disc on computer by making an ISO file in DVD Decrypter to ensure 100% readable sectors.)

Current gen units like the 59 use a Gracenote CDDB database pre-installed on the HDD, and the firmware looks for that to validate a working HDD at powerup. So simply popping in a new drive after HDD failure doesn't work like in E85 days -- you have to copy a valid image to the HDD first. (Boo hiss Panasonic.) I have two units, so this isn't a problem for me, since the images don't seem to be unit-specific (ie, a 59 hdd copy can resurrect a dead 67 and vice versa).

Lastly, the battery that maintains the time of day is MUCH smaller than previous generations. Mine only last for about 4 hours without power, then they go back to 00:00 on Jan 1 on the year of the firmware or somesuch. That's fine for the home user and the occasional power dropout, but videographers can look forward to setting the clock before every shoot, if you want the date column in Direct Navigator to be useful. Clock setting is about 4 layers deep in the menu, btw.

The E80/E85 units were very picky about the brand of media they work with. I assume this is still true, so I've stuck to Sony DVD-R's to be safe, but haven't experimented much to see if other brands work better in they did in previous models.

I believe the half dozen or so "themes" for DVD menus are the same ones that have been around since E85 days. All of them still hardcoded for 6 tracks. It would be nice if they had at least a couple of layouts more tailored for 1 to 3 tracks.

On the positive side, finalizing a disc is now streamlined into the normal copy mode like a small batch process. Since that includes finalizing at the end, you are blocked from starting a new recording while dubbing, so you have to use "advanced copy" to record a new track while dubbing. BTW, the "advanced mode" is identical to the old interface from E85 days that just does the copy and you finalize it later.

The interface in Direct Navigator is better now too. No next/prev buttons to jump screenload to screenload, you just arrow off top or bottom and it scrolls accordingly.

Some differences I've noticed between the 67 and 59: The 59 will automatically group divided titles together. The 67 knows about groups, but doesn't group automatically following a divide title event.

The 59 presents a normal/advanced choice after choosing COPY, whereas the 67 has advanced copy under the "other" menu and therefore just assumes normal and jumps to track selection following pressing COPY. Therefore, I use the 67 for SP recordings that I'm likely to have to divide into pieces, and use the 59 for LP which I'm less likely to have to divide.

When dividing titles with the 59, the Next Track button jumps to fadeouts between segments, rather than the end of the recording. This is VERY handy for cutting recordings into smaller pieces (to fit on DVDR). This could be a setting that the 67 also supports, but haven't dug around to figure it out.

Even with the limitations listed, I still think the Panasonic DMR line are the best choice for the modern videographer that still uses svideo/composite outputs from 4:3 MiniDV cams, as is still standard in the legal video industry now in late 2010.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

We got this to replace our old Panasonic DVD/VHS/HDD recorder, which failed. This one works beautifully with our big Panasonic plasma TV; the upconversion via HDMI cable was even sharper than before ( now full 1080p). The manual doesn't explain how to connect a satellite or cable box, but I figured out that you can do it via the AV4 input connections, which are intended for a VHS player. The necessary US to EU cable adapters were not included, but were easy to get. We were accustomed to the interface from our previous recorder, so had no significant learning curve. Thoroughly recommended.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I got this product to replace a DMR-EH50 (Panasonic) which was toasted by lighting.It seems to be as good as or better than the first.It's new so time---.I record this and that and copy to disc.So far no problems .As I said before ;it;s easy,does it well,and all.The cost was more than the first but what isn't.I had to send the first del. back for a malfunction, however B&H made it painless,Thank you!

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I was looking for a new dvd recorder w/hard drive, because my Panasonic dmr e85h finally stopped working. It's been very difficult to find a unit like this anywhere a lot of the brick and mortar places don't sell these anymore and haven't for sometime. I use this unit for my home theater it up converts dvds to 1080p I use the hard drive for recording off the cable box and it does it well a nice feature I discovered was that is can pause live tv awesome if you are looking to replace your dvd recorder or looking for one the I recommend to you to purchase this

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

We use this mainly to record our church services from the input of our Panasonic AG HPX170. They work flawlessly together. This recorder allows us to produce same day DVDs of our recordings in less than 5 minutes. It is amazing and produces quality output. So far this has been one of our best media purchases to date.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I have had several Panasonic DVD recorders in the past and have had no problems. When my present recorder malfunctioned , I found Panasonic has ceased marketing these sets in the U.S. for some unknown reason. But I found this set at B & H which apparently is marketed in Europe and ordered it. When it arrived I attempted to connect it to my cable box and TV, but discovered it did not come with appropriate connecting cables. After fruitlessly looking for such cables at Radio Shack and other local suppliers, I called B & H to see what help they could give. Although they attempted to find a solution to the problem, they were unable to do so. The alternative was to return the item and absorb the return shipping cost. The warning about power incompatability was not an issue since the set came equiped for 110 volts and if not, a power transformer could have been used.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

It's hard to find a DVD recorder, but we did and it works great.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

The hard disc recording capability is awesome. U can watch programs recorded on hard disk, burn it on to a DVD disc if the program is worth the archive space or delete it after watching. I wish Panasonic would make a US version of this device so I can connect it directly to my cable box using hdmi cable instead of the auxiliary cables.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

The DMR-EH59GA-K recorder is easy to adapt for use in the USA. With this unit I can record on Dual Layer DVDs, and by using a DVD-R DL I can copy wide-screen. If you are recording to a DVD, and the disk runs out of space the Hard Drive kicks in and you save it all. Do not be afraid to mix Euro and USA, the detailed booklet is well written and easy to understand. I can't find a negative in this recorder. This recorder will add a lot of flexability to your recording, far beyond any other unit you will find in the USA. Bravo B&H for making this recorder easily available to US costomers. B&H has truly earned their Top Spot.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I am quite enthusiastic about the dvd recorders with hdd (hard disk drive), starting in 2003 with the E100H that I used to edit and convert to dvd rolls of camcorder video tape. I got two later models, each with added features.

I bought my first EH59 used, excellent price, and ended up giving that to my son. Bought a second EH59 that I am keeping. This one is the third EH59 that I have bought, this time for a friend who got pretty excited about it after I demonstrated mine. He wants to use his to record from satellite during the week, so he can watch when he goes to his cabin on weekends.

This is as close to ideal as I've found.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

Simple, straightforward recorder. No flash and glamour here, just effective. You will be satisfied.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I have VHS and Hi8 tapes from the 1980's I want to transfer to digital to easly handle and store in safe and share with others. With more than 40 tapes to have a store copy for $ each, decided to buy, record and edit myself.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I use this machine to record programs and edit them, especially to edit out commercials. The editing feature was easy to learn. With a little practice, the edits can be made with razor-like precision down to parts of a second.Fortunately my husband is qite knowledgeable about electronics, so he hooked it up without reading the directions. Nice! I am not sure that I could have done it on my own. What I didn't like about it is that the manual is very complicated. Only a moderate amount of the information is useful; the rest of it I don't know what they are talking about. So I just read the specific part I need at the moment, which sometimes can be hard to find amidst all of the (too much) information. Once I got the hang of it though it has been great. I have movies (with all of the commercials edited out) available to watch whenever I want them. [*]

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This is our second Panasonic dvr. We record some shows on dvds, others on the hard drive.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I bought this product at my mom's request. We have been having trouble finding a dvr with a disc burner and she was very excited to find the Panasonic recorder. We were a bit confused when we found that we cannot play DVD's. You can play a recorded disc but not a movie and we still can't figure out any explanation. We tried to change the zones under the menu and were unable to. When we called the help line we were told there was nothing we could do to play a movie, apparently having something to do with the fact that our machine is made for overseas use. Why has nobody mentioned that in the reviews? Luckily the machine does seem to record from live TV and we are hopeful that we can burn VHS tapes to CD's which is what my mom wanted from the player. I just think for the amount of money perhaps the description might give you a clue that you can't play a store bought movie on it. Also the instruction manual is not very instructional. Be prepared to figure out alot on your own. This is a decent product but honestly my Magnavox (that is no longer made anymore) was the better purchase.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This unit is excellent for recording to the HDD or a DVD from satellite/cable or from other external sources by connecting via component/composite cables. Output to TV or to a A/V receiver thru HDMI is exceptional. The PAL tuner only comes into action if one uses the unit for a TV tuner, which I never do. This one is a replaecement for an older Panasonic model (EH-85) that worked well for me for 10 years. This one mates perfectly with Panasonic TV monitors.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

It has all the features that we wanted and the price was very good. We just had to plug it in and turn it on. Very easy to use.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

This recorder is reliable, easy to use and of great quality!

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

There is a learning curve, but once you know how, everything works well. The 500 GB HDD means you don't have to record to DVD straight away. I have stored more than 6 recorded programs at one time (you can record more), at different quality levels. And we can play the DVD's my son got for Christmas from his grandmother in Australia!

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

[...] received it on 3/9/11, I didn't have time to install it until 3/11/11.. After trying to install the unit several times, I gave up...I called "Tech Support" for help with the installation and got nowhere, it obviously was a defective uni, therefore, returned it back to B&H on 3/21/11 for a replacement of refund... [...] There is no way that this unit was functional and only 13-days old and did not work as it should have...

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I use the EH59 (and EH67) daily to record video depositions. The Panny DMR line is still my top recommendation to videographers upgrading to all-digital setups. In this task it reigns supreme in convenience and quality.

The menus are actually very easy to use, once you get the hang of them. New users need not fear these units. Anyone familiar with earlier Panasonic DMR recorders already know 90% of how this unit works.

That being said, now on to some info for the power users and videographers out there....

As a legal videographer, I never use the tuner, so I don't care that it's not digital. Also haven't messed with HDMI out or DV input yet. Legal video is still 4:3 and not HD, so I feed my 59 through Svideo and composite inputs.

Coming from older units like EH80/EH85, you'll notice the burn speeds are faster, but watch out for maximum speed. Mine made a coaster with an awful 1" gap of unburned tracks in the middle of the disc the first time I tried it (gasp!), plus it sounded like an airplane taking off! So I turn all mine to "normal (silent)" mode in the setup and it's quiet and reliable just like the E80/E85 I used in previous years. At that speed it takes about 6 or 8 minutes to burn a full DVDR, which is about how long it takes me to pack up after a shoot anyway. Using "normal/silent" speed, I've only had about 3 discs out of 500 have bad sectors and need to make another copy. (I verify every disc on computer by making an ISO file in DVD Decrypter to ensure 100% readable sectors.)

Current gen units like the 59 use a Gracenote CDDB database pre-installed on the HDD, and the firmware looks for that to validate a working HDD at powerup. So simply popping in a new drive after HDD failure doesn't work like in E85 days -- you have to copy a valid image to the HDD first. (Boo hiss Panasonic.) I have two units, so this isn't a problem for me, since the images don't seem to be unit-specific (ie, a 59 hdd copy can resurrect a dead 67 and vice versa).

Lastly, the battery that maintains the time of day is MUCH smaller than previous generations. Mine only last for about 4 hours without power, then they go back to 00:00 on Jan 1 on the year of the firmware or somesuch. That's fine for the home user and the occasional power dropout, but videographers can look forward to setting the clock before every shoot, if you want the date column in Direct Navigator to be useful. Clock setting is about 4 layers deep in the menu, btw.

The E80/E85 units were very picky about the brand of media they work with. I assume this is still true, so I've stuck to Sony DVD-R's to be safe, but haven't experimented much to see if other brands work better in they did in previous models.

I believe the half dozen or so "themes" for DVD menus are the same ones that have been around since E85 days. All of them still hardcoded for 6 tracks. It would be nice if they had at least a couple of layouts more tailored for 1 to 3 tracks.

On the positive side, finalizing a disc is now streamlined into the normal copy mode like a small batch process. Since that includes finalizing at the end, you are blocked from starting a new recording while dubbing, so you have to use "advanced copy" to record a new track while dubbing. BTW, the "advanced mode" is identical to the old interface from E85 days that just does the copy and you finalize it later.

The interface in Direct Navigator is better now too. No next/prev buttons to jump screenload to screenload, you just arrow off top or bottom and it scrolls accordingly.

Some differences I've noticed between the 67 and 59: The 59 will automatically group divided titles together. The 67 knows about groups, but doesn't group automatically following a divide title event.

The 59 presents a normal/advanced choice after choosing COPY, whereas the 67 has advanced copy under the "other" menu and therefore just assumes normal and jumps to track selection following pressing COPY. Therefore, I use the 67 for SP recordings that I'm likely to have to divide into pieces, and use the 59 for LP which I'm less likely to have to divide.

When dividing titles with the 59, the Next Track button jumps to fadeouts between segments, rather than the end of the recording. This is VERY handy for cutting recordings into smaller pieces (to fit on DVDR). This could be a setting that the 67 also supports, but haven't dug around to figure it out.

Even with the limitations listed, I still think the Panasonic DMR line are the best choice for the modern videographer that still uses svideo/composite outputs from 4:3 MiniDV cams, as is still standard in the legal video industry now in late 2010.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

We got this to replace our old Panasonic DVD/VHS/HDD recorder, which failed. This one works beautifully with our big Panasonic plasma TV; the upconversion via HDMI cable was even sharper than before ( now full 1080p). The manual doesn't explain how to connect a satellite or cable box, but I figured out that you can do it via the AV4 input connections, which are intended for a VHS player. The necessary US to EU cable adapters were not included, but were easy to get. We were accustomed to the interface from our previous recorder, so had no significant learning curve. Thoroughly recommended.

Comments about Panasonic DMR-EH59GA-K Multi-Zone 250GB HDD/DVD Recorder:

I got this product to replace a DMR-EH50 (Panasonic) which was toasted by lighting.It seems to be as good as or better than the first.It's new so time---.I record this and that and copy to disc.So far no problems .As I said before ;it;s easy,does it well,and all.The cost was more than the first but what isn't.I had to send the first del. back for a malfunction, however B&H made it painless,Thank you!