can anyone recommend which is the best value and has the best features etc.(uk)

Would i be able to transfer my old vhs movies to DVD ?

Thanks for any help.

The Panasonics are considered by many to be the best as far as the Standalones are concerned. Yes you should be able to transfer VHS movies to DVD with one. Just keep in mind that the quality is going to be the exact same as the VHS tape so don't expect to have 500 lines of resolution DVD Quality just by transfering it over. The good news is that unlike your tapes the quality won't get any worse (provided that you take care of your discs of course ;) )

thanks for the help.
There is a Phillips model i was looking at but as i know nothing about these recorders i'm not really sure what the good and bad points are on either the phillips or panasonic.
The best price i've seen is about £250 for either of the two.

I've got alot of video footage of my children on vhs which i would like to transfer onto DVD in order to preserve the quality.

I bought a Panny DMR E 30 lat year and it's terrific. It will copy VHS tapes - if they are commercial you will need a macrovision disabler - and the best way is to put them onto dvd-r as its cheaper.

Have a search here (http://www.avforums.com/) there's plenty of info about both formats so you can make up your own mind.

One of the best features with dvd ram is timeslip - being able to watch the recording from the start while the recorder is still recording which the DVD Rw format cannot do.

I looked at the Panasonics.The hard drive versions were tempting,but I have no need for the HD.I ended up going with the Sony RDR-GX7.It is,like their burners,dual formats +/-.The RW+ format is almost as versitile in editing as RAM.The discs are a whole lot cheaper though! The picture quality in a side by side test with the Panny E80,has the Sony the clear winner.It also has the firewire conection.As for time-slip,that is not of any interest to me.I would rather record the whole thing,and watch it at a time I choose!

epinions.com has opinions on most of them as does amazon.com & circuitcity.com

Philips are definitely not the way to go. Lots of bad reviews on them. Panasonic's on the other hand are pretty much leading the standalone industry.

thanks for the replies and help.
i'm now looking at the Panasonic DMR-E50 and the Panasonic DMR-E60.
They appear to have the same features accept that the DMR-E60 has got a smart card slot and i-link.
I've got a digital camera and camcorder so these extra features would be useful,although the £100 price difference does make me favour the DMR-E50.

I got a Panasonic e30, then I got a Panasonic dvd player with it free after rebate & then I got a Panasonic dvd writer for my computer. That way they are are compatible :-)