Hi Don,
The unfortunate answer is to buy another DVR other than a Panasonic of course. Here is my review that I have been posting on a few site to relieve some of my frustrations with Panasonic and save others some grief:
One Line Summary
Beware! This DVR broke after only 1 1/2 years.
Pros
Recorded and played well. (While it worked)
Cons
This unit has a bad track record. If you Google Panasonic DMR-ES15 and U61 error code you will get at least 222 results!!! It looks like I am not the only one who has had problems with this unit.
Bottom Line Summary
I would not recommend Panasonic electronics to anyone, and especially this unit! When I first shopped for a DVR this unit seemed to offer the best features for the money. Panasonic burned me once before back in the VCR age by one of their VCRs. The VCR like my DMR-ES15 unit failed shortly after a year and was not repairable. Reluctantly I gave Panasonic anther chance with this DVR. This is the 2nd time I've been burned by them and there won't be a 3rd! BUYER BEWARE!
PLonchar
December 2009