Page 1 of Sony or Panasonic DVD Recorder

I am looking to buy a DVD Recorder. I am getting Sky+ installed next week and already have a Maxtor 120Gb ready and waiting for it! I also have a Toshiba SD-100E DVD player. Having done a little research on the Toshiba (which I'm keeping), it would seem that it is only able to play -Rs. This, together with a budget of £400 leads me to either a Sony RDR-GX3 or a Panasonic, maybe the DMR-E60.

I am after a little help with the Panasonic range which seems very confusing! Within my price range are the E50 and E60 as shown on Panasonic's Website, then there is the E30 which seems to be widely available in the UK and the E80 which even has a HD but seems to be an "import" job. I would love the DMR-HS2 with its HD but at over £500 it outside my price range :( Help!

The DMR 60 is a waste of space unless your a camcorder fanatic or the modern equivalent of wanting to bore people with holiday snaps. The E50 is unbeatable for the money and the flexiblity of the RAM system for editing etc is unmatched. The dual capability of the Sony (+ and -) is a bit of a gimmick and you will pay 50% more for it.

the sony +/- is not a gimmick.how is having 3 different recording formats a gimmick,if it is then ram is a gimmick on the panasonic.and the sony is clearly not 50% more.don`t put the sony down as it has 1 more recording format than the panasonic and when did cheaper dvd players become better than newer slightly dearer ones.

all this sony v panasonic is getting boring but i just wanted to correct some information.buy whatever dvd recorder you think will suit you.

Quote:
the sony +/- is not a gimmick.how is having 3 different recording formats a gimmick,if it is then ram is a gimmick on the panasonic

Actually, it is.
+RW and -RW have their own benefits, but not in one machine intended for the home recording use, you`d use one or the other, not both.
Ram is definitely not a gimmick, it`s the best format (excluding hard drive before Phellings jumps in <grin> :D) for using like a normal video recorder, and has the advantage of seeking out blank space on the disc for recording to.

Quote:
the sony is clearly not 50% more.don`t put the sony down as it has 1 more recording format than the panasonic and when did cheaper dvd players become better than newer slightly dearer ones.

Average price of the Panny`s are sub £300, average price of the Sony is around £450+ so therefore £300 / 2 = £150 add to the original £300 and you get £450.
(OK, prices vary, just being devil`s advocate here), so the origibal comment is sustainable.

I`ll put Sony down at every turn, but not for the formats. I`ll put them down for what I always do, high prices, low features and a lack of build quality in the last decade unless you go for their top end models.

I have an E50. It fits my needs perfectly except for the iLink which I would have preferred to have.
DV in allows connecting more than just a camcorder, but that *is* it`s main function.

Anyways, long and short of it is, decide what you want a recorder for. Once you decide what you actually want to do with it, that narrows most of the models in itself.
Myself and Phellings have already explained this on other threads, so why not have a search and find the model best suited to you?

Jimbo : oÞ
PS: can`t remember if it`s PhellinGs or Phellins.....erred on the side of caution and added the G <chuckle>

i have no bias against panasonic unlike you have against sony.
3 recording formats is actually not a gimmick.i have lots of dvd+rw discs from a philips i used to own so i use both +rw and -rw so you are wrong there.i bought my sony made multi region for £360 so for a newer recorder on the market is a very good price(and price will drop just like the panasonic did) and not £150 dearer.panasonic owners seem to be always giving wrong information out about the sony and cleary have some vendetta against it.

you bought a panasonic which you cleary really like and some people buy a sony that they really like-so don`t be childish with mine`s better than yours attitude.if you have a panasonic comment on why you like it and not comment on other recorders you don`t have or know about.if you notice i`ve defended my sony recorder without making untrue or bad remarks about the panasonic.

Why not go for the JVC DR-M1, it has the best of both worlds, -R/RW for compatibility and RAM for time slip, editing etc. It als has a DV in socket. Mine only cost £299. So to recap, that`s Price, features, compatibility and looks great as well.

I rest my case.

Well I woudn`t mind giving the Sony house space. :) :)

Oscar.

Thanks all for the replies.

As I said before, I need to be able to record to -R and it would be useful to be able to use re-recordable disk of some form or other. As I do not intend to share the re-recordable disks I use, any of the formats out there will do.

As I don't have a camcorder at all, the E60 is out (thanks Snafu).

I have come to the conclusion that RAM would be the most useful. This, together with the price should point me to the E50. However, as Chuck says, the Sony is a newer machine and although is does not have RAM, and "a bit of a gimmick" or not, it does have + and - RW which if nothing else, should give me the hours of fun trying to prove for myself once and for all which is the best!

As the Sony is newer, is it technically better internally? Clearly both are within my budget so I can effectively ignore cost and simply select the best bit of kit possible. I don't want to throw money away but I would prefer extra functionality in the recorder to a £100 saving.

Hi Telboy10. I discounted the JVC as I heard that it didn't have the RGB input that I will need for my Sky+

As an aside, if Sony's multi-format answer is the way all DVD manufactures go. Will "joe public" then realise that there is not really that much difference between + and - after all! They will then rush out and buy the cheapest disks out there, effectively killing the dearer format and ending all the fun.

The Sony is most definitely overpriced.However,having time to look at what it can do,I would say its dual formatting is not a gimmick.
-RW and -R take care of editing and archiving but the addition of a limited +RW feature enables the user to play rewritable discs on other players without finalising.But even at £360 it is over £100 dearer than a Panasonic machine.If you think its worth £100 to use your rewritable discs in other players-fair enough.

I love Sony kit, my place is full of it and I have Sony stuff going back 20 years to the days of betamax (all working) but this dual recording thing doesn`t make sense and certainly not for a price premium.

PS: I think +r is a great medium but I wouln`t touch the mainstream manufacturers of the kit with a barge pole.