The DVD/VCR recorder combo has been a savior of those who have massive collections of TV shows they recorded onto VHS tapes during the 80s and 90s. The Panasonic DMR-EZ485v is a bit on the expensive side for these machines at $300, but not that still is not nearly as outrageously expensive as some. This Panasonic does all the things that you would expect from a machine on which you can record and play on both DVD and cassette tapes. This versatility is the primary reason why people by a DVD-recorder and VCR combo. But that $300 for this Panasonic brings a whole new level of versatility that is quickly becoming a necessity in the world of 21st television viewing. Wait till you find out what this machine can do!
It is no secret to anybody who was alive during the 50s through the 90s that 21st TV is television at its worst ever. Frankly, once you get past The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and maybe Ugly Betty, there really just is not anything worth setting aside your time to watch. As a result, there has been a need for the ability to tape (or record to DVD, whatever that’s called) like never before. The television networks and movie studios are cracking down on illegal downloading as if that is what is drawing viewers away. What are people illegally downloading? All those movies that are never aired on any network (or only Turner Classic Movies) and all those old classic TV shows that don’t fit on the new TV Land schedule dedicated to 40 year old morons enjoying a class reunion or pretending they are models. Illegal downloading (or even legal downloading; as if there were any difference) exists only because despite the fact that there are 200 channels available, they keep showing the same fifteen movies and Law & Order episodes every month. Of course, there is a problem with downloading movies. Most of us have to burn them to DVD in order to watch them. Well, not with the Panasonic DMR-EZ485v.
If you are tired of first having to download a movie or TV show and then having to burn it (which means you might as well not even try doing anything else on your computer while the burning process slows your computer down to a crawl) you should consider either this Panasonic DVD-recorder/VCR combo or one just like. How would you like to be able to download a movie or TV show, or copy an .avi file you created onto a USB drive and watch it? Watching some movies and most TV shows on this machine is as easy as that. Just copy from your computer onto a flash drive, pop the drive into the machine, and watch. You’ll notice I italicized the word some. Let me explain. I’ve been using a 1G flash drive and I’m not sure if it has to do with the size of the disc in comparison to the size of the movie or what, but a few movies simply will not play from the flash drive. An even fewer number of TV episodes won’t play. I’ll probably try a bigger flash drive to see if that fixes the problems, but until then I can assure you that there is something absolutely uplifting about not having to wait until you burn a movie or TV show to watch it. As I have written about before, I’m less than impressed with DVD technology. In fact, I think VHS tapes are preferable in terms of how long they last. As for watching a movie or TV show on a flash drive, I can also attest to this: the quality is better than what you get from a less than high quality DVD burn.
