Panasonic DVD Video Recorder
If you are recording from a TV
and the DVD recorder’s output is hooked up to the same TV
Do Not adjust any settings on the DVD recorder
or bring up any menus
If you do not follow these cautions, the output from the TV will include those menus, thereby ruining your recording. Also, this can create a very nasty visual feedback loop that could harm the TV and/or DVD recorder.
Getting Started
Check the Connections
First, to verify that the DVD recorder is/will record(ing) successfully/properly, make sure that the RCA (Yellow, Red, and White plugs) OUTPUT connections are hooked up to a TV’s INPUT connections.
Second, ask yourself a simple but important question: I wish to record from …?
If you have a VHS tape, then the VCR would be appropriate
If you wish to record a TV program, a TV will be needed
etc
Hook the OUTPUT from the device you wish to record from (VCR, TV, etc.) into the INPUT on the DVD recorder. INPUT 2 is located on the front left of the DVD recorder, under a panel that flips down.
There are Two Types of DVDs
Now that the connections have been verified, insert a blank DVD into the recorder. There are two primary types of recordable DVDs:
DVD-R(W) is the standard type
and DVD-RAM (also available in rewritable)
The difference/benefit of the –RAM type is that you can watch (access) previously recorded pieces while recording at the same time! This allows you to perform your own instant replays of things, without having to stop the recording process.
Lights, Camera, and Action …
Now that you have inserted the blank media, you are ready to record.
Queue up the portion of the video that you wish to capture (fast forward or rewind as necessary if you are recording from tape)
Simply press Record on the DVD recorder remote, and press Play on the video source (if you source is a live broadcast, pressing Play is a moot point!)
As always, it is extremely beneficial to give yourself a bit of extraneous video at the beginning and end of the clip. These can be easily edited out later
But NOT, however, if you are using a non-rewritable disk
When the portion you wish to record has finished, simply press Stop on the DVD recorder remote to stop the record process.
What if you cannot “stand by” while recording? If you press Record more than once, you will “preset” a fixed recording time. This is sometimes called One Touch Recording, but is not the same as Timed Recording (see next section). The number of presses sets the time as follows:
Pressing the Record button 1 additional time will set the timer for 30 minutes
Pressing it 2 additional times will set it for 1 hour
Pressing 3 additional times will set it for 1 hour 30 minutes
Pressing 4 additional times will set it for 2 hours
Pressing 5 additional times equals 3 hours
Pressing 6 additional times equals 4 hours
Pressing 7 additional times will turn off the timer
To view the amount of time remaining, slide down the cover on the bottom of the DVD recorder remote (on the side with buttons; it’s just covering up the really advanced buttons). Pressing the Status button will display the remaining time until the recorder stops recording, if you have initiated the timer.
Timed Recording
Timed recordings are used most often when you want to capture a live broadcast such as your favorite TV show.
Press the Functions button, located to the lower left of the four arrow selection buttons on the remote
Select Timer Recording, which is the middle, left selection (press enter, the button in the center of the four arrow selection buttons to make a choice)
If you have no other timings set up, then the top spot will be available to input a time
If you have other timed recordings already set, arrow down to an empty spot and press enter.
In the screen that is then pulled up, enter the channel you wish to record from (arrowing up or down will allow you to select the Line In options, but why you would want a timed recording from them is beyond me.)
Once you have entered a channel, arrow right once to get to the date option.
Select the date you wish the recording to take place on; the default is today.
Using the up and down arrows will allow you to set the date to “every Saturday” or whichever day you choose, or to record every weekday, weekend, or weekday + Saturday. There are several options; arrow through them and pick which one is best for your needs
Arrow right when you have chosen a date.
The next box is the start time, that is when should the recording start.
I recommend starting approximately 5-10 minutes before the event you wish to capture, depending on the importance of the event. The reason for this is that you may disagree with the broadcast company as to the current time, so your show might start a minute or two before you think it should.
The default “on” time is the current time
Arrow right when you have entered the appropriate time
The next box is the time to stop time
For the previously mentioned reasons, I recommend selecting a time 5-10 minutes after the event you wish to capture
Arrow right when you have selected an appropriate time.
The final box is the quality you wish of your video capture. The higher the quality, the better the playback, but the more space it takes up on the DVD. Below is a chart illustrating the number of hours of video various DVDs can hold at the different qualities:
Mode/Disc type
DVD-RAM
DVD-R(4.7 GB)
Single-sided(4.7 GB)
Double-sided(9.4 GB)
XP (High Quality)
1
2
1
SP (Normal)
2
4
2
LP (Long Play)
4
8
4
EP (Extra Long Play)
6
12
6
FR (Flexible Recording Option)
There is an additional option not mentioned in this list, FR. If this option is selected, the recording process will automatically adjust the picture quality to give you the best possible quality for the remaining space on the DVD
SP (standard play) should be good enough for any and everything, hence the reason for it being the default
Press enter when you have chosen the quality. To delete a recording time, arrow to the selection you wish to delete, and press enter to open it. Press the cancel button located to the left of the zero button. This will erase that time. Press enter to exit the now-deleted time.
Exploring the Contents of the DVD
Once you have recorded something (or while you are recording something, if you are using a DVD-RAM) you may navigate the contents of the DVD using the Direct Navigator button, located to the upper left of the arrow selection buttons. In the menu that this button brings up will be a list of the recorded programs, with a red circle next to the one that is currently recording.
To edit any of these programs
Arrow up or down to highlight the desired program
Arrow right to select the program
NOTE: you cannot edit a program while it is being recorded
You now have six options
Erase program, which does just what it says
Enter title, which pulls up an onscreen keyboard that allows you to name a previously recorded program
Properties, which will tell you
the number of the program
the date/time it was recorded
the length of the clip
and the channel it was recorded from
Protection, which allows you to protect the program from being deleted, or to remove that protection
Shorten segment, which will remove a selected chunk from the clip
Divide program, which will divide your program at the desired point
I recommend using Divide program instead of Shorten segment if you wish to remove a chunk starting at the beginning
Shorten segment requires you to press the enter button to select the starting and stopping frame, while Divide program requires only that you pick the point to separate the two portions.
If you use the Direct Navigator menu, and wish to begin recording again, the Direct navigator menu must be closed before the DVD recorder will allow you to record anything. If you are recording something using a DVD-RAM, and press the Direct Navigator button, it will begin previewing your previously recorded programs while still recording whatever it is you are recording. You can even preview the program you are recording while you record it, with a thirty second delay between record time and preview time. To exit the preview, press the stop button once. If you press it twice, you’ll stop the recording process.