Any ideas what might be wrong with my Panasonic DMR-EZ25?

[gobstopper]

I have a Panny DMR-EZ25 recorder which has served as a faithful companion to my 4-year-old DMR-EH60D for just over two years, but of late it seems to have developed a rather strange problem with it's sound. However, the problem does not appear to be consistent with any one source or indeed with a particular output which has left me scratching my head...

I have tested the recorder with it connected separately via HDMI and Scart. What's making things more confusing is the fact that in certain cases it doesn't matter if the unit is connected using scart or HDMI and in other cases it does.

When connected via AV1 (scart) to TV the sound is horribly distorted if the source is:-

• The analogue tuner (which I use a lot in order to record programmes from the 2nd RF output from my sky box - the recorder is actually located in one of the bedrooms).
• A source connected to AV2 on the recorder
• A DVD - not only is the sound of the source distorted in this case but it there is also evidence of the sound from whichever TV channel (analogue or freeview) selected bleeding over the top - also distorted.

Things get more confusing if I swap the scart cable from AV1 to AV2 on the recorder. This was something which I did simply as a test. As far as I can work out, this shouldn't work at all as everything in the instructions suggested that AV2 in an input, rather than an output. But when connected in this fashion not only is there a perfectly clear picture on the TV, the problem with DVDs (as described above) goes away and they play without any sound bleed or distortion of any kind. However, if the source is one of the analogue channels the sound is still up the swanny.

Sound is OK when the recorder is connected to the TV using the HDMI connection and the source is a DVD. But if I connect a source to AV2 on the recorder, select channel AV2 and try to watch it over the HDMI connection the sound is distorted.

The only thing that I find works consistently is when the unit is tuned into a freeview TV channel. Regardless of the chosen connection method between the recorder and the TV, freeview channels do not exhibit any sound distortion at all.

I'd love to know what's going and if it's viable to try and get it fixed?

I chose the Panasonic recorders largely for DVD-RAM usage, but also because they all sported digital and analogue tuners - therefore allowing me to record something on this recorder over RF from my Sky box if my primary recorder was busy doing something else at the time. Of course Panasonic have long-since dropped the analoge tuner from their range, so if it didn't turn out to be worth the repair I'm at a loss what to replace it with. It is also (as is my DMR-EH60D downstairs) a multi-region unit as I have a number of R1 discs.

Any thoughts or ideas would be gratefully received.

 

[bikemad]

I used to have the EZ25 actually quite an old model now so it would be uneconomical to repair it Iv seen them sold off for around £60 payed near £200 for mine new cant say whats wrong though
With scart connections Iv found this out with mine & others when plugging in thought they should not work but seem to be 2 way anyhow ? Id recommend a Sony RDRHXD890 160G HD has twin tuner's & picture quality is whey better than panny also upscales dvd superb too

 

[Gavtech]

I have a Panny DMR-EZ25 recorder which has served as a faithful companion to my 4-year-old DMR-EH60D for just over two years, but of late it seems to have developed a rather strange problem with it's sound. However, the problem does not appear to be consistent with any one source or indeed with a particular output which has left me scratching my head...

I have tested the recorder with it connected separately via HDMI and Scart. What's making things more confusing is the fact that in certain cases it doesn't matter if the unit is connected using scart or HDMI and in other cases it does.

When connected via AV1 (scart) to TV the sound is horribly distorted if the source is:-

• The analogue tuner (which I use a lot in order to record programmes from the 2nd RF output from my sky box - the recorder is actually located in one of the bedrooms).
• A source connected to AV2 on the recorder
• A DVD - not only is the sound of the source distorted in this case but it there is also evidence of the sound from whichever TV channel (analogue or freeview) selected bleeding over the top - also distorted.

Things get more confusing if I swap the scart cable from AV1 to AV2 on the recorder. This was something which I did simply as a test. As far as I can work out, this shouldn't work at all as everything in the instructions suggested that AV2 in an input, rather than an output. But when connected in this fashion not only is there a perfectly clear picture on the TV, the problem with DVDs (as described above) goes away and they play without any sound bleed or distortion of any kind. However, if the source is one of the analogue channels the sound is still up the swanny.

Sound is OK when the recorder is connected to the TV using the HDMI connection and the source is a DVD. But if I connect a source to AV2 on the recorder, select channel AV2 and try to watch it over the HDMI connection the sound is distorted.

The only thing that I find works consistently is when the unit is tuned into a freeview TV channel. Regardless of the chosen connection method between the recorder and the TV, freeview channels do not exhibit any sound distortion at all.

I'd love to know what's going and if it's viable to try and get it fixed?

I chose the Panasonic recorders largely for DVD-RAM usage, but also because they all sported digital and analogue tuners - therefore allowing me to record something on this recorder over RF from my Sky box if my primary recorder was busy doing something else at the time. Of course Panasonic have long-since dropped the analoge tuner from their range, so if it didn't turn out to be worth the repair I'm at a loss what to replace it with. It is also (as is my DMR-EH60D downstairs) a multi-region unit as I have a number of R1 discs.

Any thoughts or ideas would be gratefully received.

I do not have the circuit for this model so cannot be exact, but all the symptoms, that you neatly describe, point to a problem with an audio routing switching chip, sometimes referred to on these machines as the audio processor.

On the bench it should be easy enough to trace the problem exactly but it requires a fixer who will work down to these component levels and has the facilities to deal with these multi-legged devices.

 

[bonzobanana]

Sounds like a reset to factory settings is in order. These sort of problems can have many causes from audio feedback loops to faulty cables plus the more annoying hardware faults. You need to connect a minimum amount of cables perhaps just the aerial in and just 3 phonos out, composite and 2 audio connections to the front of the tv or preferably another tv and explore all functions of the recorder to see if you are still getting sound distortion. If you are with such a simple connection then it puts more weight to it being a hardware fault. Do the factory reset before trying this though and check sound first with your existing connections.

Scart are by nature 2 way for audio which can lead to audio feedbck loops sometimes it can help to make some cables 1 way if you don't need the two way nature of scart on that connection by snipping a few connections in the scart plug. As well as eliminating audio bleed from other sources it can eliminate audio feedback loops. Obviously you have to be careful though what you are doing.

 

[gobstopper]

I do not have the circuit for this model so cannot be exact, but all the symptoms, that you neatly describe, point to a problem with an audio routing switching chip, sometimes referred to on these machines as the audio processor.

On the bench it should be easy enough to trace the problem exactly but it requires a fixer who will work down to these component levels and has the facilities to deal with these multi-legged devices.

I do have access to a fixer. It's a case now of deciding whether it's financially viable to do so.

The fact that I bought it multi-region is a relatively minor point (it just ensured that it matched up with the other machines in the house). It's the RF tuner which is the major point as I use it to be able record from the RF2 output of my Sky box along with the DVD-RAM support -which allows me to dub anything I've recorded to the hard drive of my '60D' downstairs. There don't appear to be many left with all of these functions (manufacturers are going Freeview only, for obvious reason, or are assuming that the source will be connected directly to an AV input).

 

[gobstopper]

Sounds like a reset to factory settings is in order. These sort of problems can have many causes from audio feedback loops to faulty cables plus the more annoying hardware faults.

Hmmm, interesting. I wonder if there is such an option on my EZ-25.

The idea of simplifying the connections is a good one two. I had reduced myself to an aerial cable into the recorder and a single scart cable from the recorder to the TV, but it didn't occur to me to try the yellow/red/white composite connection.

Will have to check later - thanks for the tip.

 

[bonzobanana]

I don't know what a full reset for your model is. There was an older model that you ejected the tray and then held play and record for 5 seconds or more but that is probably out of date. I think they keep changing it. On some models I think you would turn it off for 10 minutes and then hold power button for a while when its switched back on.

Generally the first port of call is the reset procedure in the menu's though. I think its in the 'other' settings and its default settings. I suspect though if a chip has been set wrongly perhaps the AGC is set high or something you would need a fairly aggressive reset procedure to cure it if at all but always start with the lighter less risky options.

Best of luck.

 

[gobstopper]

Just to report further:-

The EZ25 doesn't seem to have a low-level reset option. There's an option in the set-up menus to allow all tuning information to be wiped and re-scanned (Initialize as the option was called). This didn't seem to do much (aside from re-tune the unit) and so I resorted to your other suggestion of connecting it to the TV using the most basic composite connections to see if this could point towards a specific scart-related problem. But, behaviour was consistent, and so I can only conclude that Gavtech's conclusion regarding the audio processor is the most likely now.

Pay to get it fixed or jump onto eBay, I guess is the next option.

 

[Gavtech]

Pay to get it fixed or jump onto eBay, I guess is the next option.

It may be worth enquiring of a fixer that IF the problem is as believed, what they would charge for for replacement of the said chip.
It may make your decision easier.

Incidentally, F.Y.I. this failure mode commonly occurs because of static discharges being delivered when connecting external leads to the various inputs.

 

[gobstopper]

Thanks again for your response, Gavtech. Point regarding static discharge duly noted. I do generally switch things off first, but that's not to say that I've not forgotten to at some point...

As I mentioned earlier, I do have access to a fixer and based on his previous work he is very good and will (if I ask) assess and quote before proceeding. However, I've got a fair idea that I could probably get a 2nd-hand replacement for a not-too-dissimilar amount of money.

 

[bonzobanana]

See if you can get the same model on ebay with a duff dvd drive and swop your dvd drive over. Assuming you can get one for minimal money. Panasonic's seem to fetch reasonable money on ebay even faulty ones but you also get bargains.