My Panasonic DMR-E85H DVD Recorder adds 1 minute to all my recordings whether I set them manually or not! This is very annoying because it doesn't allow a 1 hr XP onto a DVD-RAM because it is actually 61 minutes...etc. To make matters worse Panasonic's Help Line (800 211-PANA) says that since the recorder works this way it must be normal! Sure it is normal because the one who programmed it screwed up!!! Panasonic PLEASE fix this GOOF and issue a firmware update so I can keep this machine. Also please train your service personnel to recognize mistakes and not just go along with them!!! I also sent you some emails concerning this issue weeks ago and have not received any responses???? Michael mtrager1@optonline.net 631 344-2080
I still have heard nothing from Panasonic concerning this matter? Don't understand what is taking so long to check out a simple problem? Michael
hey michael im not sure, but i think ive answered your posts before. i have the same machine, but i record everything to the hdd. its easier for me, because the editing is so easy and accurate. then i dub to dvd-r/ram. i never have any problems. the result is great dvd's in any speed i want. im assuming youre recording a program directly to a ram disc. why not just record it to hdd, edit that minute off using "divide title", then dub it . looking at it from your point of view this way is a hassle and twice as long. but youll come out with a great dvd. i suppose the way i look at it, is that since this recorder produces such great quality, that its ok if it has a couple of small problems, as long as i can get dvds that look really good. richard
Richard, You are right...the recorder works fine using your method...but I think that Panasonic should have caught this before releasing the unit. It is just annoying to make a recording to the DVD and not have it end up their all because of an problem with the firmware. The manual says that you can put an hour of XP or 2 hrs of SP on the DVD but due to this additonal 1 minute it cannot be done. I returned the unit for an exchange and the new unit seems to still have the same problem so far. Also Panasonic still has not answered me about this problem - their customer service is poor. Michael
Hi Guys On AV Forum there is a long thread on this. You mention 1 minute on XP, I have seem quotes of 9 m inutes on SP, I did a FR 180 today, that recorded 3 hrs 7 mins. It seems to be related to the VBR mode, whether thats fixed or not. I think that if the title is "busy" the megs may be a tad more than expected (VBR will vary the bitrate according to whats needed to maintain quality). This seesm to make sense from whjat I know from my DV camcorder encodes. On a les busy title, you may find the megs are less, which I assume the Panny will equate as minutes. On the positive side, if you can see a pattern from the type of titles you record, that would allow a few extra minutes. Just food for thought. CBR mode gives a certainty of filesize, but more megs per hour
