Performance
Formatting a new DVD-RAM disc takes only one minute, and the unit presents two failsafe warnings ("Are you sure you want to do this?") to help prevent you from accidentally erasing all data on the disc; you also get two failsafe warnings when finalizing a DVD-R disc. The selected record mode is indicated in the front-panel display, but it's too small to see from across the room; I wish it appeared on the screen briefly when you select it.

Unlike the Pioneer and Philips DVD recorders, there's no way to preview the image quality of the selected record mode. In other words, the input signal does not seem to pass through the MPEG-2 codec (coder/decoder) directly to the output, making it impossible to gauge the results of the record mode before actually recording something.

I started by recording three test patterns from Video Essentials—Frequency Sweep, Multiburst, and SMPTE Resolution Wedges—on a DVD-RAM disc using all four record modes. Interestingly, there was virtually no difference between XP and SP on all three patterns. The Frequency Sweep and Multiburst patterns revealed that the output bandwidth began rolling off at 4MHz and was gone by 5.5MHz. The SMPTE Resolution Wedges showed that horizontal resolution disappeared not far above 400 lines per picture height. Also interestingly, there was essentially no difference between LP and EP; in both cases, there was a sharp rolloff starting at 2.5MHz. The signal was completely gone by 3MHz, with a faint reappearance around 5MHz. With the SMPTE Wedges, there was no horizontal resolution above 250 lines per picture height. This clearly indicates that there is no reason to use the XP or LP record modes; use SP for high-quality sources, and EP for low-quality sources (such as VHS tape) to fit the maximum time on each disc.

During the course of this review, I recorded a wide variety of program material onto DVD-RAM in the SP and EP modes, including my cable feed, VHS tapes, and the "Montage of Images" from Video Essentials. As expected, there was no significant difference in image quality between SP and EP when recording VHS tapes, which are notoriously poor quality to begin with. Sadly, the image quality of cable varies widely from one channel to another; on the best channels from my cable provider (Charter Communications), SP looked significantly better than EP, but there was less difference between the two modes on poor-quality channels. SP was clearly better on the "Montage of Images"; in this case, EP was distinctly softer with less detail, but it was certainly no worse than VHS. Overall, the recordings provided an excellent reproduction of the source image (as long as the record mode was selected to match the source quality), with rich and well-saturated colors.

While recording on DVD-RAM, I tried the Simultaneous Play and Record, Chase Play, and Time Slip functions, and all performed as expected. All of these functions are disengaged simply by pressing the Stop button.

I was particularly interested in comparing DVD-R recordings made on the E50 and the Pioneer DVR-7000 to see if there was any difference between variable and constant bit rates. Because the Pioneer is limited to a maximum of two hours on DVD-R, I set both units to their two-hour mode. Then, I connected them to the same cable feed from a distribution amp and started recording as close to the same time as I could. I recorded a variety of material from the cable channels with the best signal quality, including some very colorful clips from the Home and Garden TV channel and fast action scenes from Xena: Warrior Princess on the Oxygen channel. I also recorded the "Montage of Images" from Video Essentials.

For playback, I selected the most neutral picture presets in both machines and passed both S-video and progressive-component outputs through my Yamaha RX-Z1 receiver, which let me easily switch between them for comparison. I tried to cue up the clips on both machines and start them as close to the same time as possible.

Starting with the component outputs, the first thing I noticed was that the Pioneer's black level was a bit higher than the Panasonic's. Also, the Pioneer's color saturation was slightly less than the Panasonic's. Using the Pioneer's extensive picture controls, I was able to bring it very close to the Panasonic. From the S-video outputs, the Pioneer's nominal black level was fine, but I still had to boost the color saturation to match the Panasonic.

Once the pictures were balanced, there was very little difference between them. The images were sharp, with good color rendition, especially flesh tones. Both units handled fast action quite well, with very little image breakup or other artifacts. I could see no difference between the Pioneer's constant bit rate and the Panasonic's variable bit rate.

To test the compatibility of the Panasonic's DVD-R recordings, I played the disc I'd made in all the DVD players I had on hand. It played with no trouble in two Panasonic players (as you would expect), the Pioneer DVR-7000 (again, as you would expect), a Philips DVD+R/RW deck, a Hitachi DVD player, and even my Macintosh PowerBook G4 laptop computer. It did not play in a first-generation Sony DVD player, which is not surprising.

To test the progressive-scan capabilities of the E50, I played the 3:2 pulldown version of the Snell & Wilcox Zone Plate test pattern from Video Essentials, which reveals how quickly and consistently the deinterlacer locks on to 24fps material. I also played the 24fps Flag Loop (waving American flag) from the Faroudja/Sage test disc, which is one of the ultimate torture tests for any deinterlacer. Finally, I played the same clips on my Panasonic DVD-RP56 DVD player, which uses the Faroudja DCDi deinterlacer that is my reference standard for this particular function.

As expected, the E50's Auto1 and Auto2 settings locked on to the Zone Plate equally well, while the Video setting did not. The E50 locked on more slowly and less consistently than the RP56. Also, the Flag Loop didn't look as good on the E50, with obvious jaggies between the red and white stripes; as always, the RP56 looked fantastic playing this image. Why did Panasonic stop using the DCDi chipset after the RP56? I wish I knew (and I wish they would start using it again).

Conclusion
In terms of DVD-R capabilities, the differences between the Panasonic and Pioneer recorders balance each other pretty evenly. The Pioneer DVR-7000 limits recordings to 30-second chunks, while the Panasonic records just the time you want. On the other hand, the Pioneer has many picture controls that allow you to tweak the recording, while the Panasonic has only a few picture presets and a black-level control. But the Pioneer lists for $2000, so it had better offer something not available on the $500 Panasonic. Once the Pioneer's picture controls were tweaked, the picture qualities of the players were very close.

The Panasonic's big advantage is that it can record on DVD-RAM discs as well. With the ability to simultaneously record and play, DVD-RAM is like a PVR with infinite capacity, as long as you have available space on one or more discs. However, the E50 has no PVR-like electronic program guide (EPG); it must be programmed to record like a VCR. The Panasonic DMR-HS2 ($999.95) adds a 40GB hard disk for more PVR-like functionality (although it does not have an EPG), and material can be copied from the hard disk to DVD-RAM or DVD-R and vice versa.

I found myself using the DMR-E50 mostly as another PVR, which, with myTiVo, allowed me to record two programs at the same time. The picture quality in EP mode was better than TiVo's low-quality mode, with virtually no pixelation during fast scenes. It's not quite as convenient as a real PVR (you have to program it to record like a VCR, and you have to erase some or all of the disc, or change discs, after no more than six hours of recording), but overall, it's a whole lot better than a VCR for time-shifting. When you add DVD-R capabilities, you have an excellent, reasonably priced DVD recorder that can serve several purposes quite well.