 |
I own seven, one's video output has died. In a word, they're indispensable, especially given the FREE connectability to whatever service provides the local listings for my cable provider (as well, I note they're also handling the sat guys and AT&T U-Verse). No fee like TiVo. Yes, the hard drives can be cranky. They're not well ventilated and will fail over time, but as pointed out in another review, they're easy to find (including pre-formatted ones on eBay). The only other beef that most users of aware of is the low-quality original remote control which will lose its 'select' button over time. Replace it with a One-for-All which emulates most of the codes. And yes, they're not HDTV-compatible, but these are old designs. They're perfect for ordinary 480 line analog TV. The other thing I like is the ability to use them to record off a DVD player (as input using manual recording) and then use their superior forward/backward/freeze/slow play controls for viewing.Read full review
I use this product for a very different purpose than most anyone else buying this Panasonic PV-HS2000 Showstopper. The intended purpose is to record broadcasts of shows live from their televisions or Cable, to watch at a later time or recording one show while watching another, using all the special features to inhanse the viewing, like slow motion or instant replay. Even programming the unit to record automatically at a certain time or recording randomly from a name or title of a show or movie. What I've read this unit performs well except on digital broadcasts which it does not record because the simple fact digital was not broadcast when this unit was made. I am the videographer of a AA Hockey team, for the last 3 seasons.I record the game to two DVD recorders one for the Master to make two additional copies one for the other team's coach and one for the officials. The back up I keep for my copy unless something goes wrong with the master. But then why, you may ask do I record the game to the Show stopper. Well first I shoot more than the game. Pregame activities,period intermissions and special events all are recorded, but not on the DVDs. The coaches and officials do not want to look through all of that to view and study the game plus there's to much info to put on a disc in the SP 2 HR mode. So all the extra recording can be recorded later on additional DVDs. The main reason the Showstopper is used is while the game is being recorded anybody wishing to play back a goal, fight or penalty,can instantly view it again while using rewind, instant replay and slow motion, while not affecting the on going live recording. Then also it's a good back up especially if power is lost during recording. It doesn't keep recording with no power but it retains what happened prior to the power loss, which the DVD recorders do not. The showstopper I just purchased has been upgraded from the original 30 gig,to 120 gig,which gives me an extra 20 hrs of recording time in higher resolution not HD but good quality video. For the price I paid for this unit it's unbeatable. For the purpose I use this unit for, I could not find another brand that was comparable. I did purchase a TIVO unit which has turned into a large paper weight to me, because it does not record live performances without being connected to a cable service. In my eyes it is useless. If any body is interested in it, just let me know, you can have it cheap. The Panasonic PV-HS2000 Showstopper has served me well using it for a versatile but nontraditional use of this unit, even the instruction manual does not mention using the unit in this way. There is really nothing I dislike about this product. Recommend it highly.Read full review
The Panasonic Showstopper is probably the Best DVR ever made due to it's incredible durability, with the BIG exception of the IR blaster durability. Unfortunately it has the old style analog tv tuner "The Elephant in the room" that no one mentions to unsuspecting buyers, so it will not receive and record the new digital signals with it's built in tuner. The Showstoppers do have IR blaster capability that will control some Digital Tuner "Set Top Boxes" if the IR blaster port works. I own 6 Showstoppers and only 2 have working IR blaster ports. When I have asked sellers if the IR blaster port on their unit works, so far not one has said yes, most do not have a clue what an IR blaster is or where the corded IR transmitter is that came packaged with all new Showstoppers. When the IR port fails you can hook up a Digital Tuner "Set Top Box" tuned to 1 station and let the Showstopper record that 1 channel. The best news is that with the exception of replacing hard drives as they have failed, my 6 Showstoppers have been running 24/7 for 9 YEARS. Replacing and upgrading the hard drives, old style IDE interface, the largest drive it can control is a 137 GB, is not rocket science, but takes some computer know how and web searching to acquire the right drive and software image that must be installed on all replacement drives.Read full review
Undoubtedly the best DVR ever...too bad they're not made any more but these units just keep going and going. The best and most intuitive interface, easy to program and if you upgrade with a larger hard drive, well what could be better?
This DVR is unsupported (unusable) anymore...
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVRs, Hard Drive Recorders
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVRs, Hard Drive Recorders
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
