DVD-RAM Video: Don't Ditch Your VCR

Someday, DVD-RAM may dominate the video recording realm. But Panasonic Consumer Electronics' gleaming DMR-E10 DVD Video Recorder--the first consumer-oriented DVD-RAM digital video recorder (DVR)--isn't ready to occupy the throne. The $3995 DMR-E10 offers all the utility of a high-end VCR, plus such benefits of a digital recorder as easy deletion of commercials and instant location of material. However, digital video recorders using competing and incompatible formats--Pioneer's DVD-RW, and DVD+RW from Sony and Philips--are expected to hit the market later this year. The coming battle royal among these rival formats could trigger consumer flashbacks to the bad old days of VHS versus Betamax videocassette standards.

The DMR-E10 records video using MPEG-2 compression--the same high-quality format that DVD movies use. The unit can record 1 hour of super-high-quality MPEG-2 material at 10 MBps, and 2 hours of high-quality video at 5 MBps; both modes produced excellent recordings on the shipping unit I tested.

At 2.5 MBps, output quality declined noticeably but was still on a par with the output of an upper-end VHS recorder. The $35 removable DVD-RAM cartridges record 4.7GB per side. One major caveat: Although the DMR-E10 can play DVD movies and audio CDs, current consumer DVD movie players can't read the DMR-E10's media.

I'd give the DMR-E10 an A+ for recording quality. But until hardware and media prices drop, it's for the affluent only. Hard-drive recorders like the one bundled with the TiVo digital recording service offer a similar experience for a fraction of the cost--a much better fit for most users.

If you want to avoid becoming a casualty of the impending format fray, don't buy yet.

SUMMARY

DMR-E10 DVD Video Recorder PRO: Excellent recording quality. CON: Prohibitively expensive. VALUE: Other recorders offer better value for most consumers. List price: $3995 Panasonic Consumer Electronics 800/211-7262 www.panasonic.com