We bought a Panasonic DMR-EZ475 DVR/VCR combo about three months ago, and if asked whether we'd do it again, we'd have to say "no." The main problem involves scheduled recordings on the DVR side -- it sometimes decides it's not in the mood, and it records no indication at all of what went wrong, ie, damaged disc, insufficient disc space, no or low OTA signal, etc. It also has an occasional habit of "freezing" prior to the start time, so no show gets recorded. I've reduced how often this happens by using the "flexible record" option, meaning one can't record more than one thing on each side of the DVD-RAMs we use (while the machine has a navigator menu of up to six separate recordings per disc), and hitting the reset button before each scheduled session, making sure not to use the deck prior to the start time. Even with all that, I've only managed to raise its "batting average" from about .400 to maybe .800.
The Panny only records in 480i and then upconverts, but you do get widescreen and surround sound, and the PQ is as good as any commercially produced DVD.
Its VCR is absolutely flawless, but since that side is analog, it can't record digital sources. Therefore, it's only going to be useful for playback after the transition next February.
If you're always there when you want to start recording to DVD, this machine might be fine since you'll be there to iron out any problems. Having its own ATSC/NTSC tuner, you can record one show while watching another channel on the receiver, and that's a nice feature to have. But when you've scheduled recordings during the wee hours or while working, as we have, it's aggravating when you discover it didn't record anything and won't tell you why not.
