295wv05 Panasonic DMR-ES30VEB
On test
Panasonic
DMR-ES30VEB
David Smith finds out if Panasonic’s latest DVD/VHS
combi recorder offers the perfect blend of old and new
HS may have been on its
V last feet for some time now,
but it keeps getting propped
up by DVD players and recorders –
the very things which landed
what should have been the
knock-out blows.
If this was a boxing match
there would be cries of a fix, but
that wouldn’t be entirely fair.
The standalone VCR may have
limited appeal now, but it still has
a place in a combi such as that
on test here – Panasonic’s £300
DMR-ES30VEB.
That’s because of the vast
collections of VHS tapes that many
people have built up over the years.
Transferring them to DVD is
desirable from a space-saving
standpoint (the discs take up far less
“Excellent picture quality and an
easy solution for those needing
basic VHS-to-DVD dubbing”
space than the tapes, especially if
you use those dinky slimline cases)
and a durability standpoint – old
VHS tapes have a habit of
degenerating alarmingly.
looks & features
The VHS part of this combination
dictates that the deck will look
Key connections
Component video output
Delivers progressive scan
images
060 I What Video and Widescreen TV I Issue 295
4/5/05 10:57 am Page 060
DVD recorder/VCR combi
Approx price: £300
rather clunky and old-fashioned
when compared to slimline
DVD players and recorders.
The front panel houses S-video,
composite video and stereo inputs,
but no Firewire port for digital
camcorder users.
At the rear the highlight is the
component video output for
progressive scan, backed up by a
pair of Scart sockets that can accept
and deliver RGB signals.The lack
of HDMI or DVI outputs is a shame
and the only digital audio output
is an optical one – there’s no
electrical counterpart.
There can be few complaints
about the features, though.The DVD
recorder accepts DVD-RAM, DVD-R
and DVD-RW (in video mode only)
discs and can record in four modes:
XP (1hr), SP (2hr), LP (4hr) and EP
(either 6 or 8hr), as well as a free
rate mode for when your material
doesn’t fall neatly into one of these
brackets.The VCR can record in
standard, long-play and extended
play modes.
There is a timer, for up to 16
programmes in a one-month period,
Optical audio output
Carries digital audio to an
amplifier so you can enjoy
crystal clear 5.1 movie sound
a super-fast ‘jet rewind’ feature for
the VCR and the usual raft of
playback options (slow motion,
frame advance and high-speed
search).
Editing options are available
for DVD recordings, including
creating/combining chapters
and dividing/erasing titles. On
a RAM disc non-linear editing
is possible – you can erase
a number of sections of the disc
and have the saved space available
for re-recording en masse.This is
not the case with DVD-RW discs
as they can only be recorded in
video mode, not the more flexible
VR mode.
RAM discs also open up the
possibilities of playlist editing,
whereby you can rearrange the play
order of a disc’s chapters.
And don’t forget the main
selling point of this deck – the
ability to dub from VHS to DVD.
You can also dub from DVD to
VHS, which is less useful, but may
come in handy if you want to
share home video footage that you
have stored on DVD with someone
who does not have a DVD player.
You will not be able to record
Scart input
The DMR-ES30’s Scart input
happily accepts RGB,
offering great picture quality
Details
FEATURES
Recording formats: VHS, DVD-RAM,
DVD-R, DVD-RW (video mode)
Recording modes: 5 (DVD); 3 (VHS)
Max. recording time: 8hr (DVD)
Non-linear editing: yes (DVD-RAM)
TV tuner: yes
Timer: 16-event, one-month
GuidePlus/VideoPlus: yes
Set-top box control: no
Dimensions: 430(w) x 89(h) x 352(d)mm
Weight: 5.6kg
DISC PLAYBACK
DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW (Video and VR
modes), DVD+R, DVD+R (Dual Layer),
DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD, CD-R,
CD-RW, VCD, MP3, JPEG, Dual Disc
SOCKETS
Front: S-video input; composite
video input; stereo audio input
Rear: component video output;
2 Scart sockets (RGB in and out);
S-video output; composite video
output; optical digital audio output;
stereo audio output; RF aerial in/out
CONTACT
08705 357357
www.panasonic.co.uk
TEST DATA
For a full explanation of test data,
please see page 118
PLAYBACK
Video jitter: 6ns (good)
Video S/N ratio: -61.4dB (average)
Chroma AM/PM: -70.4dB/-69.3dB
(excellent/excellent)
Frequency response @ 5.8MHz
(composite): -0.9dB (very good);
(S-video): -0.9dB (very good);
Audio jitter: 168.0ps (excellent)
RECORDING
Chroma AM/PM: -66.5dB/-58.9dB
(excellent/very good)
Frequency response:
XP @ 4MHz: -0.9dB (very good)
SP @ 4MHz: -0.8dB (very good)
LP @ 4MHz: -0.9dB (excellent)
LP @ 2MHz: -0.1dB (very good)
EP @ 2MHz: -1.2dB (good)
295wv05 Panasonic DMR-ES30VEB 4/5/05 10:59 am Page 061

Also Consider >> LITE-ON LVW-5045 JVC DR-MX1

Trade the VCR for a 160GB hard- VHS, DVD and HDD recording, but
disk drive (at no extra cost) and twice the price of the Panasonic
still enjoy excellent recordings model and no RGB input
Reviewed: Issue 291 Reviewed: Issue 291

Remote
A well thought out
remote that offers onscreen menu, setting a specific
easy control over all length of time for the dubbing
the DVD and VCR
functions to continue.
Looks In both cases you can easily
 interrupt the process, but it is
Layout not possible to simply pause
 it and then restart, which
Labelling means you cannot monitor the
 dubbing and stop recording fast-paced action like a tennis
during commercials. match displaying zero artefacts and This deck offers a great solution to
those who want to digitally
copy-protected DVD movies on to Make sure also that the recording no motion blur. preserve their VHS tapes
VHS, of course. mode you have selected for your Flipping through the modes,
DVD provides enough capacity to it’s quality all the way.You start
ease of use store the contents of your VHS tape. to get evidence of artefacting in
Overall ease of use is enhanced Obviously, this is rather less the four-hour LP mode, especially
by an effective remote that wears versatile than dubbing to a on moving objects, but it is far
both of its hats with aplomb. hard-disk drive, which would from intrusive.
The onscreen menu is the usual allow subsequent editing before In the eight-hour EP mode there
elegant Panasonic design and transferring to DVD, but it is an is a hint of the strobe effect on
operation is straightforward. In easy method of getting your tapes things like speeding tennis players,
fact, we would have liked to onto disc. but it is absent on more static
see things made a bit more material.You could record soaps
complicated with some extra performance and sitcoms in this mode with few
editing options during dubbing! First of all, a quick word about complaints, but if you want eight
Dubbing is activated using the playback. DVD images are pristine hours of sport you would probably
dubbing control on the fascia. It isn’t through the component video be better off using the VCR in LP
made clear in the manual, but you output and darned good through mode – the image is less detailed
press the ‘DVD’ button to dub from the RGB Scart. Movie soundtracks but the strobe effect on DVD can
VHS to DVD, and the ‘VHS’ button are also very good. be distracting. Ratings
to dub in the other direction. You VHS pictures are good, but look VHS dubbing to DVD works well,
can also set up horribly jaded compared to DVD – and you can even record NTSC
dubbing via the however did we put up with this tapes to disc, so long as you set the
Fact file for so long? unit’s video output to NTSC in the
WHAT’S GOOD
Excellent DVD recording and

VHS/DVD recorder On to the more important set-up menu. playback; easy dubbing

Progressive-scan output recording performance. Recordings The two-hour SP mode captures

16-event timer made directly to DVD via an RGB all of the VHS quality, but you start to WHAT’S BAD
Scart input are extremely good. In get degradation in LP mode.This is Lack of dubbing flexibility

VHS-DVD-VHS dubbing
the one-hour XP mode the signal is where editing functionality would

DVD-RAM/-R/-RW recording Picture 
captured in its original glory, with have been handy – the ability to
chop out adverts to reduce the Sound 
length of a long recording would Features 
be priceless in terms of preserving
Ease of use 
picture quality.
Value 
conclusion
Still, this remains an impressive OVERALL VERDICT
performance.The DMR-ES30VEB A tempting deck for those with large
is a versatile deck offering VHS collections – and an excellent
excellent picture quality and an DVD recorder as well


easy solution for those needing
basic VHS-to-DVD dubbing

Issue 295 I What Video and Widescreen TV I 061