I currently have a Panasonic E50 DVD recorder which I am really pleased with, but I am thinking of buying either a Panasonic HS2 or a Panasonic DMRE100. My question is, as these contain a hard drive, do they make any noise. I know from PC experience that some hard drives like Maxtor can be very noisey, whiles other like Seagate Barracuda are near silent. Does anyone know what hard drives the use and is it possible to upgrade them if necessary. Sorry if this has been asked before, but I don't like things making noises. My current E50 is silent eacept for a whir of the cooling fan when it first starts up. Look forward to your replies guys
No discernable noise from the DMRE 100. Its a fantastic bit of kit. Definatly worth considering Big Al
I've got an HS2 and I've never noticed any noise. So far I've only used the Hard Drive for recording TV progs for later viewing. No more scrabbling for a tape when a programme comes on, just hit record ! Next thing is to buy some DVD RAM discs for backing up old videos. Cheers Simon
I have just upgraded an E50 to a HS2. It is one of the best decisions I have made. The hard disk is totally silent and the fan hasn't switched on yet. I really like just having the ability to press record rather than finding a RAM. I still use RAM to dub from the hard disk and edit the recordings on the computer. The hard disks cannot be upgraded. I am happy with just 40GB as it would be a nightmare sorting through a big list of recordings when having a bigger hard disk. I do like the spec of the upcoming E95 HDD model though.
The HDD can be upgraded to a quieter model, you just have to ensure the power consumption is the same or less otherwise there can be issues writing to media due to lack of power for the laser. It can't see more tham 40gb though.