The DMR-ES10 is a slim-line unit, and the two tone black/silver finish allows the machine to blend with the other components in your system, whether they are black or silver or a combination of both. The LCD readout is large and easy to read, much larger than those found on most other DVD players and recorders. The front of the DMR-ES10 is simple and uncluttered, with buttons for only Play, Stop, Record, Eject and Power. A flip-down cover in the centre of the unit hides a set of composite video and S-Video inputs, as well as stereo analogue audio inputs.

Connectivity on the rear of the machine is fairly comprehensive: component video output (outputs PAL and NTSC progressive signals), two Scart connections that are RGB-compatible for both input and output, S-video in/out, composite video in/out and digital optical out. An analogue tuner is also built into the DMR-ES10. If you’re looking for all the features that this machine has to offer but require a hard drive as well, both the Panasonic DMR-EH50 and DMR-EH60 are well worth a look.

You’re not just limited to recording off the internal tuner of the DMR-ES10. Those multiple video and audio inputs on the back of this unit allow you to hook up and record from sources such as Foxtel, digital set top box and VCR.

Initial setup is quick and easy, as when the machine is first turned on it walks you through a basic setup procedure. The remote control is easy to use with well placed buttons that are colour coded – it’s one of the simplest remotes I’ve used recently. The on-screen display is also well set out.

The standout feature of the DMR-ES10 is its ability to record onto several DVD formats. Most DVD recorders only record onto one format, or two at most, but the DMR-ES10 supports DVD-RAM (Panasonic’s own recording format), DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+R. The unit will play back all the formats listed above, plus DVD+RW, the 2-channel soundtrack on DVD-Audio discs, MP3, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD and JPEG.

The flexibility that multiformat recording offers is especially handy if you loan your recorded DVDs to family and friends, as you can record on a format that will play back in their DVD player. This is not as much of an issue with the most recent DVD players on the market, but most stand-alone DVD players over 12 months old usually only support either the +R/+RW or –R/-RW format.

One of the more thoughtful usability features incorporated into the DMR-ES10 is a one second record function, which, as the name suggests, allows you to press record on the remote or the front of the unit, and within one second recording commences. Those of you who have used or owned any other DVD recorder/s will appreciate this, as you can wait up to 10 seconds for some of them to start recording.

The DMR-ES10 has five recording modes (recorded on a 4.7GB disc):

XP naturally gives you the highest picture and audio quality, while SP is not that far behind. Both these recording modes are suitable for recording from a standard definition digital set top box or Foxtel digital, and will look and sound practically the same as the original broadcast. A slight loss of detail and sharpness around edges is apparent in SP mode if you run a display larger than 125cm, but you’ll have to be looking pretty close to notice these imperfections.

LP recording mode does see a more noticeable drop in video quality but is still quite watchable, especially if the source you are recording from is not of the best quality. For example, if you are looking to archive home movies from VHS onto DVD, LP mode will be quite acceptable. In fact, Panasonic is one of the only DVD recorder manufacturers that still preserve the full number of horizontal lines in its 4 hour recording mode – most other manufacturers halve the horizontal resolution in their 4 hour recording mode.

EP recording mode still produces reasonable quality recordings, but asking for 6 or 8 hours of perfect picture quality from a single layer DVD is pushing the friendship. There is noticeable blocking around edges, especially during quick-moving scenes, and the image is noticeably softer and colours less vibrant. In saying this, programs recorded in this mode are still easily watchable on TVs 86cm or less, and audio quality, even in the 8 hour recording mode, is well preserved. All depends on how many beers you’ve had as to whether you’ll notice the shortfalls or not…

Perhaps the recording mode that you will find yourself using the most is the FR (flexible recording) mode. This mode varies the bit rate so that the specific running time of a program can be spread over one disc. For example, if you wanted to record a 100 minute program and selected FR recording mode, this would result in a better quality recording than SP (2 hour) mode, as you are utilising all the storage capability of the disc for a program that is less than two hours.

The type of disc that you record on is ultimately up to you, but DVD-RAM affords the greatest flexibility in terms of recording and editing material. DVD-RAM has a cool function called Time Slip, whereby you can start playback of a program that is still being recorded. For example, if you’ve programmed your machine to start recording the news at 6pm but don’t arrive home until 6.15pm, time slip allows you to start watching the program from the beginning, while still recording the rest of the show. DVD-RAM also enables you to watch a program that you recorded earlier while recording another program at the same time.

Adding, erasing, combining titles/chapters, creating/editing playlists, removing ads to maximize disc space, setting protection – all of these editing functions are available on DVD-RAM. Unfortunately some of this functionality is lost when recording to DVD-RW on the DMR-ES10. Therefore, I’d recommend using DVD-RAM if editing is your thing, DVD-RW for programs that you will record and then erase, and DVD-R/+R will be most useful for recordings that you wish to keep – i.e. home movies that you wish to transfer from ageing and deteriorating VHS tapes.

As a DVD player the DMR-ES10 performs as well as any other $300 stand-alone DVD player. Colour and detail on pre-recorded DVDs is excellent, and enabling progressive scan, if your TV or display supports this feature, increases image sharpness and stability. The advantages of progressive scan become most obvious during fast motion scenes, as the on-screen action flows more smoothly and appears less pixilated and blocky. This increase in overall picture quality is best illustrated on a larger display, such as a projector. Try the first chapter in Austin Powers: Goldmember as a good tester. Sound through the digital optical connection is similarly impressive, although what you actually hear is much more dependent on your A/V receiver’s decoding capabilities and the quality of your speakers.

Complaints? Well, you do pay a little more for DVD-RAM discs compared to DVD-RW, but the added flexibility that DVD-RAM provides does go some way to justifying the added expense (three DVD-RAM discs come provided with the machine). If you’re not one for editing what you have recorded, you can record on the cheaper DVD-RW format anyway. And for the life of me I was unable to display both the chapter number and elapsed time on the LCD readout at the same time while watching a pre-recorded DVD. Picky, I know.

Flexible format recording and playback ability. Diverse recording modes and editing capabilities. Easy to use. Affordable. These few words sum up the DMR-ES10. If you’ve been contemplating purchasing a DVD recorder but have been put off by the expense and potential complexities of such a machine, you no longer have an excuse.

The DMR-ES10 is a machine that you will quickly learn to master, and it’ll make you wonder why you didn’t buy one earlier. I speak from experience, because I bought one after I completed this review! Go on, throw out that VCR and join the revolution!

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Product: Panasonic DMR-ES10 DVD Recorder

Website: www.panasonic.com.au