JVC SR-DVM600 (40 GB) DVD Recorder / HDD Recorder

I purchased this unit to replace my dieing Panasonic DMR-T3040. Within the first 5 minutes of use I knew I had a much better product.

Ease of use
Recording from mini-dv to the hard drive was simple as could be. The intuitive on screen display and front buttons made everything a breeze. After dubbing a mini-dv tape to the HDD, a few simple buttons allowed me to burn this video to DVD. The DVD quality was superb and was better than expected.

Primary use
I have this unit installed in an auditorium for recording various meetings and events. I use it as my primary recorded and store everything on the HDD. At the conclusion of the meetings, I am able to use the high speed dubbing option to provide a DVD to host within minutes.

Connections
This unit has a slew of connections - just about any and all connections you could want in a semi-pro setup. It does not have HDMI, thought I do not see where it could benefit from one. Among the connections, the IEEE1394 "firewire" connection operates as both an input and output. This is a bonus to people that edit with NLEs.