Panasonic EH60D (Freeview) & EH80

[Rasczak]

The UK Panasonic website now has details of it's two new models: the EH60D (UK's first HDD/DVR/DVB combi) and the EH80V:

Panasonic EH60D
200GB HDD/DVD-RAM/-RW/-R/+R Recorder with DVB

Panasonic EH80V
200GB HDD/VHS/DVD-RAM/-RW/-R/+R Recorder (twin analogue tuners)

...for those interested in the EH60D it's worth reading this thread to get a feel for how the UI vary between this and the upcoming Sony models.

[sjw]

Is that a late change of spec? 200GB..??..
Do you think we could be seeing the EH60 before September then?

[Rasczak]

Is that a late change of spec? 200GB..??..

Not AFAIK - Panasonic have always said it would "at least 160GB". Looks like it might be shipping quite soon - Panasonic wouldn't have uploaded to their website otherwise (when they did this for the ES20D it shipped 10 days later).

[sjw]

Thanks :-)
I'd not seen the 'at least' bit before.
(thought the review on the programming was great. When you've not used one before it's good to see the actual way the machines are programmed.)

[Joe Pineapples]

good news, and one step closer to me entering the HD-DVD-DVB market. Hope that 10 days or so is right this time too.

[ash]

Great news!!!

So this is the first HD-DVD-DVB "confirmed" apart from Sony ones which cost too much anyway. BIG hard drive, sounds good. Any news on price, someone could ask there local Panny store? Also any news on competition, competition is healthy, well good for the wallet if you know what I mean.

I was looking to buy a DVDR-DVB-VCR combi(2nd TV), shame the Panny didnt choose to include Freeview in the DMREH80V.

[Rasczak]

Any news on price, someone could ask there local Panny store?

Looks like it has a RRP £499 - so that means about £450 to start with from online retailers.

Also any news on competition, competition is healthy, well good for the wallet if you know what I mean.

The next HDD/DVDR/DVB combi will be the Sony RDR710 - around the same price.

Hope that 10 days or so is right this time too.

I should point out this is a guess on my part based on previous Panasonic policy!

[ash]

Originally Posted by Rasczak

Looks like it has a RRP £499 - so that means about £450 to start with from online retailers.

I'll be buying my DVD HDD Recorder around September, so I hope I have more choices by then, BUT its a decent price if you think of it. Normal PVR's are £180 for 80gb HD, and this is £160. And the DVD Recorder with HDD and 160gb HD is £300+ so allround good deal. Is it dual twiner DVB? So you can record and watch differenct channels?

[Rasczak]

Is it dual twiner DVB? So you can record and watch differenct channels?

I would have thought not - odds are it's just going a HDD version of the ES20D (i.e. a DVB-T and Analogue tuner).

You can virtually guarantee that if you wait until September it will be around the £400 mark...

[sjw]

Have there been any UK reviews of the EH60 yet? Considering it's out within a month or so.
Mind you I remember a review of the EH50 saying how it had an EPG etc..

[liteswap]

Shame they don't have dual layer recording. I want to replace my Tosh RD-XS32 with a device that can do that plus a nice-to-have would be HDMI output. Only Pioneer has dual-layer right now, I think...?

[Rasczak]

Only Pioneer has dual-layer right now, I think...?

...and the Sony RDR510. DVD-R DL isn't that compatible though which makes it nice but hardly essential on the Pioneer's, whilst the Sony doesn't support DVD-ROM bitsetting and thus, like the Pioneer, is largely incompatible.

The best way to create dual layer discs at present is to use a PC!

[Joe Pineapples]

I should point out this is a guess on my part based on previous Panasonic policy!

thats ok, i wont hold you to it

actually if that price tag is right - £450 - £499, i wont be able to afford it for a few months anyway, but at least the reviews and such will be there to read.

[Rasczak]

I think ten days might have been optimistic The official response I had from Panasonic following an equiring about it's release date was "we anticipate the release of this product towards the Autumn,
although we do not have a confirmed release date as yet". September as planned then

[liteswap]

Originally Posted by Rasczak

...and the Sony RDR510. DVD-R DL isn't that compatible though which makes it nice but hardly essential on the Pioneer's, whilst the Sony doesn't support DVD-ROM bitsetting and thus, like the Pioneer, is largely incompatible.

The best way to create dual layer discs at present is to use a PC!

Agree! If only more of them had Ethernet ports so I could suck whatever's on the recorder's HD and pour it onto the PC's -- life's too short to muck around copying onto DVD-RAMs or whatever, and then combine two separate files. Not elegant at all.

Until then, I guess we wait until the dust settles...