Panasonic DVDR DMR-EX98VEB

Member 323300 · 15-11-2008, 1:00 PM

Hi all

Would members mind if I sent a pretty long post?
I'm in a pickle with a new Panasonic DVDR just bought, wondering if I have something completely unsuitable for the situation I'm in.

New to the forum and also a novice to digital and DVD. It got lengthy as I thought it best to explain the background of how/why I ended up buying this DVDR, what I was wanting it to do (or do with it), and details of what I'm attempting to hook it up to. Then advice or suggestions about what to do now.

Someone willing to help might need more detail anyway, hence the explanations so you have all the info -- but didn't want to post something long without someone saying it was OK!

Many thanks.

**Gavtech** · 15-11-2008, 1:14 PM

Welcome to the forum.

Post away ... but before you do, after giving the background , if it is relevant, try to break up your post into distinct sections dealing with distinctly separate problems so they are easier for members to address. Thanks.

Member 323300 · 15-11-2008, 2:32 PM

Thanks for the welcome Gavtech, and for the 'permission'

You were one of the people I was hoping was here, after finding an old thread as you'll see further down.

The reason for being a novice this far into the digital age is I've still been happily living in VCR/tape-land.

I record a great deal to keep, rather than watch and discard. Always thought one day when I'm "old and grey" (not so very far away now) I'd get round to watching everything again sometime. Not very realistic considering the mountain of tapes after about 25 yrs since my first VCR, but hey, you never know!

Current setup till two days ago

The main TV is pretty old but has two Scart sockets. With it, a very old Amstrad double-decker VCR. Amstrad? -- yes really, that old! Dates from roughly 1992 and been hammered, but it's been a fantastic machine, incredibly reliable apart from a few tape jams and the odd maintenance problem.
The attraction originally was easy editing/re-recording tape-to-tape, to select exactly what I wanted to cut out and keep.

I still do a lot of that, and want to continue the same sort of thing with DVD, or probably a mix of tape and DVD initially till I get more familiar with the new (to me) technology.

Separately there's a secondary combi TV/VCR/DVD-cum-CD player, about 3 yrs old and my first experience of DVD. While the VCR is used a lot, the DVD player only rarely.

Both TVs have their own aerial. Analogue reception not always great, difficult area, varies with weather and night/day (also the two vary from each other, with one or two channels always better on one than the other). Both aerials about 6 yrs old, maybe a bit more, and there's been a signal booster on the main TV aerial.

Have only ever been able to get the first 4 channels on both: BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Ch4.
Didn't bother with conversion for Ch5 on the old TV; but the combi (new long after Ch5 came in), can't get it either... sometimes a ghostly flicker.

Trying digital

Last January I attempted to go (partially) digital with Freeview on the combi only, getting a set-top box.

It was always more a case of wanting digital for a better quality for the handful of still-terrestrial channels, rather than a lot more channels to choose from. It wasn't a success -- got virtually all the channels on very first test, then they disappeared next day and no amount of re-searching got them back over the next couple of weeks, so I gave up on it. Till yesterday -- now it gets BBC1 and BBC2 but ITV and Ch4 are not found, so still need analogue for these. I imagine the same or a similar situation would be true with a set-top on the main TV, though I haven't yet tried it.

For the main TV I intended doing some research (given I know so little) sometime before switchover in Nov 2009, and get a whole new digital TV/DVDR setup.

Unexpectedly early DVDR purchase

But on Wednesday my ancient but beloved Amstrad jammed with a tape in Deck 1, so power's cut after a few seconds and means Deck 2 is out of action too; though there wouldn't be a problem with that as it would work independently once the tape in Deck 1 was out. I'm pretty sure Deck 1 is terminal. Not a surprise -- and I do realise the machine's been on borrowed time for years!

But the failure was sudden and I'd been hoping it would just last out till next year for re-recording etc. It caught me on the hop before having done any of the homework I'd intended before changing equipment. Unexpectedly I needed something else, so next day off to the local store. But except in very broad terms I had no idea what I wanted or what would integrate with what I already had, and knew nothing of the ins and outs of either DVDRs or digital, having virtually no experience of either.

All I had in mind was a DVDR with VCR to:
1. Work with the current analogue signal, but
2. Be ready for the switchover next year (in recording terms, though obviously still need the new TV at some point).
3. Still be able to record onto tape, and also tape-to-tape (by hooking up with Deck 2 on the old Amstrad as an external device if possible)
4. Start becoming familiar with DVD recording, and move over to that.
5. Possibly in the future start transferring past taped recordings to DVD.
I can't afford to buy the new TV as well at this time -- it must wait till next year as planned.

After about half an hour with a salesperson (who I thought had grasped what I had and didn't have at the moment, and what I wanted to do), and by asking what I hoped were fairly sensible questions given my limited knowledge, what I came out with was the Panasonic DMR-EX98VEB. Costly, well maybe, but went for it over a cheaper Panasonic because of the hard drive size and, as I thought, some useful features... possibly more than I'll ever actually use though, having now seen the manual!

Setup: cannot tune to analogue channels

Last night I set about connecting it up, and now I'm stuck.
I couldn't get it to work, and only then did I see on the front cover of the manual,
"This unit does not have an analogue broadcast tuner."
Which is probably why it doesn't work!??

I believe I followed the 'Basic Connections' instructions correctly. This is with the main/older TV and for the moment I haven't introduced either the older VCR into the setup (for tape-to-tape recording, as not working right now anyway) or the signal booster, as I wanted to get it up and running with the Panasonic as a basic setup before adding in other elements.

So I had:
1. RF coaxial cable from the aerial lead (into the house), to RF IN on the Panasonic.
2. RF coaxial cable from RF OUT on the Panasonic, to RF IN on the TV.
So far basically the same as the old Amstrad, plus
3. Scart cable (not supplied, bought separately) from AV1 (TV) on the Panasonic, to Scart 1 on the TV.

After switching on, DVB Auto-Setup ran (reading from the manual here for the proper terms), then the display read 'No stations found'. That was when I began frantically scanning the manual for clues and came across the phrase quoted above about no analogue tuner... and thought uh-oh!

I removed the Scart cable. This was 'extra' to what I'd been used to -- there were only leads between the TV and the older Amstrad, so my non-digital mind wondered if this was something which, with analogue only, I either couldn't use or didn't need if I only wanted it to work as before.

Without the Scart there's a very "snowy" and hissy BBC1 (unwatchable basically) but nothing on the other three basic channels at all except 'noise'. Not yet having the booster back in the loop may make some difference, but not sure. It was always fairly poor reception, even with the booster, when not working through the old VCR.

(Have now looked up what DVB is by the way, and realise why no channels were found.)

An unsuitable buy? -- and an old thread here

I searched for some help about whether (at the moment, while still analogue) the Panasonic was an unsuitable buy, but nothing seemed useful till searching for that phrase "This unit does not have an analogue broadcast tuner". One result to the forum here, at the following thread:
http://www.avforums.com/forums//showthread.php?t=662641
The actual page wasn't found, but was in Google's cache so still able to read comments made by yourself Gavtech, and john renard, MuksC, and foneman about another Panasonic DVDR which sounded reasonably similar (thread began 2 Dec 2007).

From thinking I'd have to return the Panasonic, some of the comments in the older thread made me wonder if there is a way of getting it to work with analogue... but because I don't really understand any of this I'd really appreciate those contributors or others to walk me through some very basic stuff, please.

Solutions?

If there's no analogue tuner, presumably the Panasonic won't find the 4 basic channels automatically??

Is there any way I can tune it manually to the analogue channels? I'm assuming not. Maybe missed it as there's so much to digest, but at the moment I see no instructions about how to do it.

On the other hand, in the older thread quoted above, 'john renard' said in one post:
Word of warning. If you decide to keep your old analogue telly after all, this DVDR - and many others - won't work with it. You have to go digital.

Gavtech responded:
There should be no problem with it working with any TV? The only requisite is that Freeview can be received at the intended user location.

And John replied:
My manual says: "This unit does not have an analogue broadcast tuner." Also (as you point out): "This DVD recorder is for viewing and recording free to view channels only . . . etc."
I know what I have done. I have fallen into the old trap of subconsciously believing that the machine records what is on the television, rather than depending on its own tuner.

Which has me wondering if there is a way? Although 'foneman' then made further comments, which with such limited knowledge I didn't really follow. What I'm not understanding (among other things!) is the concept of each piece of kit having its own tuner, as the thread mentions.

Questions revisited

Basically I need to know if the Panasonic can be tuned to the old TV and work purely as the old Amstrad did, recording from an analogue signal, or not. If so, how? And if not, will a set-top box and going digital enable it?

But then... if digital channels found for the older TV turn out to be the same as for the combi, I may not be able to get even the 4 basic channels I want, so it might need to stay analogue till the switchover.
In that case, is this Panasonic completely the wrong piece of kit for the situation I'm trying to shoehorn it into?

If that's a yes, guess I'll need to take it back. Or, depending on your opinion of the model, would it be worth hanging on to it for use in a year's time, and get something else really cheap to tide me over meanwhile? VCR only maybe, if such a thing exists these days?

So sorry for the length, and very grateful for any help with this.

**Gavtech** · 15-11-2008, 4:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cottager

Questions revisited

Basically I need to know if the Panasonic can be tuned to the old TV and work purely as the old Amstrad did, recording from an analogue signal, or not. If so, how? And if not, will a set-top box and going digital enable it?

But then... if digital channels found for the older TV turn out to be the same as for the combi, I may not be able to get even the 4 basic channels I want, so it might need to stay analogue till the switchover.
In that case, is this Panasonic completely the wrong piece of kit for the situation I'm trying to shoehorn it into?

If that's a yes, guess I'll need to take it back. Or, depending on your opinion of the model, would it be worth hanging on to it for use in a year's time, and get something else really cheap to tide me over meanwhile? VCR only maybe, if such a thing exists these days?

Hi cottager.

I will try to go into more detail later about some of the issues you have raised.. but basically the solution for this will depend entirely what can reasonably be expected to receive at your location.

If it can be arranged that you could get Freeview received and working satisfactorily then this would be the best solution for you. If you have been used to watching degraded analogue then you would find digital reception very good... IF it can be made to work satisfactorily.
I am encouraged that you have at some time been able to receive at least part of it sometimes.
That will probably require some attention to your aerial installation.

Obviously, if as you say you cannot receive the basic four channels and cannot get Freeview to work which is you only option with this unit, then it is not suitable for your purposes.
The salesman unquestionably should have been more certain that you can receive it.

So - firstly, could you send me your postcode via Private mail [ Click on my name to the left and it will provide you with that option. ] ... so that I can look into which transmitter you receive from and see what kind of reception may be expected... and we can go from there.

Can you also tell me if the booster you refer to is external [ on the aerial pole ] or is it internal.