Panasonic DVD Recorders

plasmaman77

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Hi,

On the Panasonic range of DVD recorders and DVD+Hard Disc recorders, how do you record a program - does the recorder have an EPG or do you have to set the time like on old videos??!!

If the DVD recorder has no EPG, how about if you have a Panasonic TV (TH42PE30) that has an EPG built in? Can you record a program on the DVD recorder direct from there?

Cheers
 
1. Your set the timer as on a VCR, no EPG.

2. External Link via the Scart lead should work, it does with Sky and Freeview boxes. But if a programme starts early or ends late you will miss part of it as there is no facility for padding. Also the recordings would be in Composite Video. So the timer option (1) gives the most options.
 
Some of them have an EPG by TV Guide. Check out the Panasonic website for info:

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...51&catalogId=11005&langId=-1&catGroupId=11058

However, if you don't get a model with the guide option or you can't receive the guide data where you live then you just program them like a VCR. The main difference is that you can also enter a title for the program when setting the timer, using the remote to move around a screen of letters, numbers and symbols. Optionally, you can enter (or change) the title after the program is recorded.
 
Fred - you're right I'm in the UK. From your comment no 2 does this mean that with the Panasonic TV the recoreder will record programmes from the TV's EPG (but with the drawbacks you mention?)

If I record anything from freeview (no matter what the method) would this not be in composite anyway?

Guess I'll maybe have to just just go for a Thomson HD recorder box with EPG and wait for Panasonic to get their act together...!
 
The TV should be able to control a suitable recorder.
Personally I would use an IDTV for it's main purpose which is to watch TV. I would get a DVDR with HDD and a seperate FV box (only about £40). That way you can watch and record if required at the same time and record in RGB.
 
Hi Fred, thanks.

I actually have a Freeview box I don't use already so this may well be a good suggestion.

So if I use the seperate Freeview box I should be able to record in RGB? I thought that the Freeview box would only output a composite signal even through a scart because that is what it receives - am I wrong?

Cheers again
 
If your FV box has two Scart sockets use the TV Scart to the recorder that way you should get RGB if the FV box menu is set to output RGB. The FV boxes VCR Scart socket will output composite and or S-Video depending on the box and menu settings.
 
A Freeview box takes an RF input, decodes it, and then outputs the video. Most Freeview boxes support RGB out. If it has more than one SCART, it is usually RGB on the main “TV” SCART only, and not on the additional “VCR” scart.

Mark
 
Ahh, now I understand thanks guys! Its just a shame the Panasonic DVD recorders don't have a tuner/EPG built in or I would buy one right now!!
 
plasmaman77 said:
Its just a shame the Panasonic DVD recorders don't have a tuner/EPG built in or I would buy one right now!!
You never know when that might be on the cards. Sony are doing a Freeview DVD recorder (the only ones to do it so far, I think), so we can always hope other manufacturers will follow suit.

Now if only someone would include a hard drive as well.....
 
Yeah, that one's not quite so versatile. It's more of a STB with hard drive than a hard drive recorder with digital tuners, if you get my drift.

What this means is that it records the digital stream exactlyas it comes in, resulting in recordings indistinguishable from the original, but there are some downsides:

1. You can't choose different recording modes (SP, LP etc), trading off bitrate for disk space.

2. You can't record from an external source (Sky, Cable etc).

It does have two tuners though, so you can record one channel while watching another. It's ideal for people who don't have Sky or cable, but for those who do, the Freeview DVD/HDD recorder (that nobody makes yet) is a more flexible option.
 
Cheers Rojo - I'm sure we'll get something soon! You would think that once Panasonic have sorted the software for their Freeview hard disc recorder, they will be able to make a DVD recorder and DVD+HD recorder to follow.....fingers crossed!
 
They're releasing the DMR-ES520D in July. Multiformat DVD recorder with HDD and both digital and analogue tuners. There's a vey small writeup on it in this month's Home Cinema Choice, but other than that I can't find any info on it. I believe it's going to be based on the DMR-EH50.
 
They're releasing the DMR-ES520D in July. Multiformat DVD recorder with HDD and both digital and analogue tuners
It's going to be called the DMR-EH60D - i.e. the same code as the international model with the addition of a 'D'. The DVB ES10 is going to be called the DMR-ES20.

They will be against the new Sony range: RDR-XD910 and RDR-XD1010.
 
Now that's very interesting. Rasczak, do you know whether the machine will offer different recording bitrates, for material from the digital tuner (that is, on-the-fly reduction of the original stream's high bitrate) ?
 
do you know whether the machine will offer different recording bitrates, for material from the digital tuner (that is, on-the-fly reduction of the original stream's high bitrate) ?
Panasonic are keeping details close to their chest at present. Whether the recording process will be all digital or just Digital>Analogue>Digital remains to be seen. Regardless it will almost certainly follow Sony's example and continue to use recording modes rather than direct DVB>DVD conversion of the MPEG stream. It works OK on the Sony (at least in HQ and HSP modes) so that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Annoyingly the release date for the EH60D seems to have slipped until September. :(

Hopefully Panasonic will have learnt from Sony's 'mistake' and have included some sort of 'guard' time to enable complete recordings to be made with the EPG!
 
Rasczak said:
Annoyingly the release date for the EH60D seems to have slipped until September. :(

Dagnabbit!! :suicide:

What about those two Sony models you mentioned? Anywhere I can find a review of them? Release dates? Anything?
 
Hmmm... Dual Layer, too. Niiiice. :thumbsup:

I'm assuming with all these machines you can watch a DVD while recording something else to the hard drive?
 
Rasczak said:
They will be against the new Sony range: RDR-XD910 and RDR-XD1010.
Hi Rasczak, has Sony ironed out all the previous flaws that scuppered their earlier recorder ranges? :confused:
Will Pioneer's impending new recorders be anything special compared to Panny and Sony models? :(
 
Will Pioneer's impending new recorders be anything special compared to Panny and Sony models?
I haven't seen them in action yet so would rather not comment. But on paper the specs look quite 'average'. However a 'killer' feature for some will be the JukeBox ability of the HDD/DVDR combis. You will be able to copy MP3s to the HDD and play them. Not sure if they will rip CDs or not. Should know more in the next few weeks.

has Sony ironed out all the previous flaws that scuppered their earlier recorder ranges?
The addition of a 2hr 30min recording mode is a major step forward. They are now on the same level as Toshiba/Pioneer for full resolution recording. The editing still isn't as slick as Panasonic models but is good for many. The addition of playlist editing on the HDD is a major capability upgrade.

Although obviously it depends on individual requirements I would still hold the current Panasonic and Toshiba HDD/DVDRs to be superior (for a number of reasons) to the current Sony range. However the Sony has easily displaced the Pioneer range in the desirability stakes and will be ideal for many users.

My personal opinion is that when the Freeview HDD/DVDRs arrive in September/October I believe Sony will triumph over Panasonic. Sony have an excellent Freeview Interface which will decimate Panasonic if they keep the awful the UI seen on the TUCTH100.
 
Another question, that's sort of related to the watching a DVD-while-recording-to-HDD question:

Will these machines allow you to watch Freeview while recording via SCART (from cable or satellite, for example)? Conversely, will they pass the SCART signal through to the TV while recording from one of the internal (digital or analogue) tuners?

I know I'm probably asking a lot of stupid questions, but the main reason I want a digital tuner is so that if I'm recording cable while watching terrestrial, I don't have to watch analogue terrestrial. Yes, an iDTV would be neater, and I used to have one, but I sacrificed that in favour of Loewe quality. I can upgrade the telly but that doesn't come cheap. I could buy a freeview box but that would be yet another box in an already overcomplicated system. With a Freeview-equipped DVD/HDD recorder I can ditch my existing DVD recorder and DVD player, but only if it offers the flexibility described above. Since the only reason I keep the VCR is for copying recordings to lend to other people, I'll be able to ditch that too. This will free up space, power points, electric spaghetti, and hopefully enable me to eliminate the hum that keeps turning my subwoofer on.

Oops. Rambling. Sorry.
To sum up then:

SCART passthrough while recording from tuner(s)?
Watch Freeview while recording something else?
Watch DVDs while recording?
 

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