First, let me say this - There is no perfect "basic" DVD recorder. (at least not for under $200) Different models have pros and cons which need to be weighed carefully. But I think this Panasonic is the best of the bunch.

I bought this recorder after trying out the Samsung DVD-R135. (which I would say is this players closest competitor.)

The DVD-R135 was very nice (great DVD menu creation!)but I just couldn't get past the lousy LP recording mode. Many programs I record are longer than 2 hours (like football games) so I HAD to have a recorder that captured decent quality into the 4 hour range. So after reading other reviews, I gave the Panasonic a try.

Lets get the bad out of the way first:

1.) No power light (its tough tell if the unit is on or not)

2.) No "time remaining" - so you can't tell how much time is left to watch during a movie

3.) No "Open/Close" button on the remote

4.) Couldn't use the... Read more

This lightweight and inexpensive component is incredibly powerful and capable given that the price would have gotten you only a barebones DVD player just a few years ago. My primary goal is that of transcribing a videotape collection now several decades old to DVD for better archival storage and ease of transport when moving. The DMR-ES25S has a variety of other features, such as the SD Card Slot input, which I've not taken advantage of.

First: Setup is a breeze. Plug it in, hook up your choice of outputs to your preamp, your choice of inputs from your preamp, and you're good to go. There's no question that this is potentially complicated for an A/V novice but Panasonic makes it easy by allowing a simple RF (coax) cable input and output so that the unit will essentially replace a VCR in a simple VCR/TV setup. That is, you can take the cable from the wall, plug it in to the back of the DVD-R, then take another cable and run it to the TV, and you're done. This type of setup... Read more

The video quality is phenomenal when viewing uupconverted standard resolution DVDs through the HDMI connection at 1080i or even 720p. This unit has all the features I needed, including Dual Layer recording and SD card picture viewing and slideshow recording. It is easy to set up and burns all of the media I have tried on it, from expensive archival quality to throw away cheap DVD-R disks. The Quick Start recording feature is fantastic, taking no more than 1 second to go from off to recording. All of the features operate as advertised which is a breath of fresh air in this day of overhype marketing. I highly recommend this item.

I never had the problem with audio via HDMI cable as the previous reviewer reports.