Customer Reviews
Seems to be working ok. 
2008-05-09
We got this particular brand because it had a digital tuner. We don't have cable and would have had to buy a converter box anyway.
It's a very complex piece of machinery compared to a VCR and like a computer it can sometimes take a while to process different commands and occasionally has to be rebooted. The manual covers the basics but there a lot of ways you can do things wrong and they don't give you any on-screen messages to figure out why things aren't working the way you want. Plus, the terminology on the remote is not intuitive, so I always have to have the manual nearby (why is the button I use to watch my shows on DVDs called "Direct Access?").
I definitely am liking the concept of digital recording over videotaping tv shows. It's easier to find the particular show you're interested in and there's not as much worry about accidentally recording over another show. My preference would have been getting a machine with a hard drive, but TiVo is the only real option and I don't want to pay a subscription fee.
I'm old enough now to be flustered by new technology but now that I seem to be getting the hang of it, I'd say it was working out fine.
Junk=my 3rd Panasonic DVD recorder 
2008-05-02
(note: my interest= a DVD Recorder with a Built In tuner)
3 EA. Panasonic DVD Recorders
Somehow they don't last....the EZ37 lasted 1 month only then it froze up-i tried everything. My 2nd one lasted a little longer, about 3 months then it froze. My 1st one lasted about 9 months before freezing. Maybe its the economy but there doesn't seem to be that much interest in DVD Recorders for some reason, hence, its the make'em cheap & send them out attitude. I admit i didn't try Sony or Toshiba yet but from what i read from they're reviews its not really that earth-shattering too. Maybe i should try the cheap Phillips ones, who knows? maybe it'll last at least 1 year, ha.
Now, If only that OPPO guys made a DVD Recorder with a built in tuner since their reviews are Always Fabulous.
(i saw the OPPO dvd recorders here in Amazon but they Don't have one with a built in tuner, just a dvd recorder) Pretty soon gonna throw in the towel=so currently its back to using the Old-School VHS Recorder and IT WORKS PERRRFFFEEECCCTTT!!!.....that one, OVER SIX YEARS AND STILL RECORDING GOOD!!! Help!! I'm going BACKWARDS!!!
ATSC Tuner Doesn't Allow VCR Recordings 2008-04-20
I got this hoping to have my final component for the digital transition next year - a digital tuner in a VCR/DVD recording combo. With an ATSC tuner, I thought you could record digital programming to VHS tapes as well as to DVD. WRONG! You are only allowed to record analog stations to VHS tapes, which means VCR recording will be useless in 2009. It'll only be useful to play back previously recorded tapes.
Other than this issue, the unit works fine. It's simple to use once you get the hang of it. Just keep the manual nearby at first.
Very good 
2008-04-12
This unit records VHS and DVDs from the TV or you can copy from one to the other. Playback is quiet and there's no annoying hum like some machines have. It's easy to operate (although I did find the set-up instructions confusing.) Programming scheduled recordings is simple and if you do make a mistake, a message pops up to tell you what's wrong.
The buttons on the remote are clearly marked and easy to use. This is a reliable machine and I'm pleased it, but I recommend shopping around; it is priced much lower elsewhere.
Panasonic 2008-04-07
I am very pleased with this product. Everything has worked well. Quality or recordings and playback are both very good. I was especially glad to find a good instuction book with it. It is very detailed and is good at referring you to other pages if you need more info. I took a simular unit from a different manufacturer because I couldn"t get it to work properly. Instruction book was poor.
Good when it worked 
2008-07-07
I have used the DVR daily for just over a year.
Pros:
DVD RAM format superior to +/- R
Digital Tuner
Overall features
Cons:
No HDMI on this model (some have it)
Slow (annoyingly so) to change channels
Unreliable
Prone to lock-ups requiring resets
Who should buy this unit? Avoid this unit, especially used ones.
The unit regularly crashes requiring a reset. It does this about once a month. This was okay to deal with. Just after a year of owning it the unit refused to eject a cassette I had checked out from the library. I searched the internet and found this was a common problem. I opened the DVR and manually ejected the cassette and it was fine, turned out it was a jammed cassette (I don't know why it couldn't eject it instead of throwing error codes).
A week after the cassette problem, the unit failed to eject a DVD. Same problem, looked on the internet and saw this was a fairly common problem. No electronic device should be this much fuss, especially one that cost me $280 new.
DVD Recorder 2008-06-01
Delivery was prompt and quality was like new. The unit is solid and sturdy and works fine. You may not get all the bells and whistles, but it gets the job done.
works well for me 2008-05-31
The downconverted video that it records doesn't look like HD, but it is a noise free, ghost free recording, which is what I expected.
Just FYI, it will not allow you to record any digital broadcast to VHS.
Item didn't work! 2008-05-19
The combo would be great if it didn't come broken. I have since tried another one and it too is broken and the company that sent this one, Outlet, in L.A., sold this one to me as a brand new one and it also is broken. I cannot reach Outlet as their phone # is NO LONGER IN SERVICE. Just great! Panasonic has agreed to fix this one for me. Although I will be without it for a month while it is being fixed, I am hopeful that I will get one that works and will be able to rate it's preformance. I hear they are good. This is my only reason for trying to get one that works. I am hoping for the best.
Good bargain 2008-05-11
The DVD/VCR Recorder has performed excellently. With its many features it offers many useful items to get great recordings. I still have more to learn which will only improve its value.
It has done everything it said it would do and what I needed it to do, plus more.
The price for the (rebuilt with warranty) Panasonic DVD-VCR Recorder was real bargain. I paid 1/2 of what I would have paid at a retail store for the same item.
Its integration with my Panasonic TV was easy and quite effective.
Wonderful picture quality. Easy programming to record various channel at various times. Easy labeling of recorded programs.
Very Pleased
