Panasonic quality wins again

This DVD recorder is a basic model without a hard drive (but including a Freeview tuner) and a sequel to the award winning DMR-EZ27. It is an ideal accompaniment to another device such as a Sky Plus box etc. which has a hard drive built in. It is slim and compact and copes with the full range of DVD formats including DVD RAM. The upscaling function is effective (although you will need to buy an HDMI lead to use it) and in my view the"deep colour" electronics and Viera link work very well indeed. The remote is well set out and particularly useful if you already have a Panasonic TV. The only downside being that I'd like to have seen a built in SD card slot which is sadly absent. Overall though, a high quality product both in construction and output, again, evidencing the adage -"you get what you pay for".

excellent all rounder

I previously had a liteon dvd recorder but the timer packed up so started searching for a replacement with more features. decided after reading loads and loads of reviews of various makes and models to go for this phillips unit. I certainly made the right decision, what a fabulous piece of kit. Very versatile, plays divx seemlessly from hdd, usb or dvd and you can transfer the file between any of the formats.picture quality is excellent, set up and use very easy, not crashed at all as mentioned in prevoius review and the response from the remote seems very normal not slow at all. money well spent and you would be hard pressed to find a better unit for the price.

Very disappointed

I bought this machine to complement my new Samsung Blu-Ray player even though the SH855 model seemed to have some variable reviews. I wish I'd taken heed of those bad reviews! The unit initially set up very easily but then the problems started. It was extremely slow to react to the remote and some functions didn't work at all, in particular, the tv programme guide. This wouldn't load properly so that there were always gaps in the grid listings. The picture and sound were out of sync constantly so it seemed there was a fault in the receiver. I have a Samsung series 6 40" TV so I knew it wasn't a problem with the incoming signal. After a week of trying, I finally gave up and returned the unit to Amazon who very promptly refunded my money without quibble.
I'm very disappointed as the unit looked great and matched my Blu-Ray player, and I really wanted a hard drive recorder with HDMI connection which the hard drive only recorders don't seem to have. I wonder if there is just too much technology here for the money or was I just unlucky?

Avoid this poduct at all costs

The spec of this prouct sounds fantastic... However it just doesn't live up to its own hype.

As mentioned by the other reviewers, the remote is not at all intuitive and the manual is not helpful. The EPG is extremely slow, much slower than the cheapo Freeview box I used previously.

Videoplus recording only works on analogue channels and the timer record function only works with the unit is switched off. Worst of all, the playback quality is extremely poor, as the sound goes off frequently for several seconds and the picture freezes repeatedly, to the point where it's impossible to watch a recording.

This is an extremely poor quality product that just doesn't do what it's supposed to. Avoid at all costs.

Decent budget DVD recorder

I bought this DVD recorder primarily for its HDMI connection and it's upscaling capabilities. (I have a Liteon 5006 DVD recorder which still works fine but has no HDMI - for my Sony HD ready TV).

Firstly my gripes;
I'm struggling to notice any difference between normal and upscaled pictures.
On some upscaled DVD's i've also noticed some digital lines at the edge of the picture.
Whilst 1 and 2 hour recordings are spot on - the 4hr long play has proven unwatchable in most cases - with images starting blocky with fast moving action - and then sharpening up when the action dies down.
(The Liteon 3hr recordings - whilst grainy - are always watchable)
Shame Samsung didn't include a 3hr recording option which usually fits most British TV series on and longer films.
It has a flexible recording mode - but all this appears to do is change to different recording modes depending on space left on dvd. ie. don't expect 2hr 15mins recordings to be near 2hr quality - they are recorded in 4hr Long Play
The Samsung does support dual layer disks - i've used Datawrites +R discs - but these are write once only - and are twice the price of +/-RW disks.
(I struggled to see if this can be made Multi region through the remote - bought mine elsewhere where it was chipped.)

Now the good;
The operation of the player is relatively quiet and a massive improvement on my noisy Liteon
It is inexpensive
With it being super format - most PC's will be able to read the disks making copying, editing and the like easier
(My Liteon recorded +RW disks will not play on my PC - but the Samsung +RW ones play perfectly)
The Samsung has a number of editing functions - which differ depending on disk type - but with +RW you can insert chapters manually and then hide them during playback (so it skips adverts etc)

All in all this is a decent recorder for the price - which attempts a lot of things - and does them OK.
Look elsewhere - and perhaps upping your budget for better HD upscaling

Nice picture - terrible everything else!

This machine give a great picture through the HDMI, and plays Divx very well. That's about it for the good stuff.....

I've had the dvdr5500 about a month now, and I'm less than impressed. It freezes very easily, doing the simplest things such as turning the machine on or off or going to the Home menu, and the only way out is to cut the power at the plug, which means you lose all your settings (e.g. HDMI output level). That is the biggest problem.
The interface is also VERY slow to respond, taking seconds to respond to even one button push, which frustrates you in to pushing more buttons which - you guessed it - causes it to freeze up!
Apparently the machine keeps the disc spinning when left in the tray, even when turned off, which means the motor burns out quickly. This is just what I've heard, but the `Eco' mode you can turn on presumably stops/reduces this, but means the machine takes a full minute to load up (its not exactly snappy when the Eco mode is off either though).
Recording is sporadic - not a single recording I have made using the TV guide has worked properly, always missing either the beginning or the end of the programme. The aspect ratio is always messed up as well.
A final thing is the standby light, which is so incredibly bright that I have to have it covered when watching TV in a darkened room or else it is very distracting!
In all, this is going back to Richer Sounds. It's the only machine I have found which does everything I want, but unfortunately it is a typical Philips in that it is very poorly made. The remote is so cluttered and ill-though out that you are always pushing the wrong button or thinking you've pushed something when you haven't.
DON'T BUY THIS!!!!

Update: I repeatedly tried to update the firmware on the machine in the hope that it would solve the MANY problems. However, after trying with several disks (including TWO that Philips themselves sent me!) I gave up, as the recorder simply wouldn't accept the update. I sent it to Richer Sounds for a repair, but it was returned 'non-repairable'. So that was that. After a brief stop gap at an equally-shoddy Samsung, I am now awaiting the delivery of a more expensive Sony DVDR & HDD combo unit, the RDR-HXD870. This has had much better reviews and fingers crossed it won't drive me up the wall!

Disgusting waste of money

For starters we nearly didn't get this dvd recorder because the 3rd party company that amazon jipped us into buying from didn't leave a second 'failed delivery' slip so they nearly got away with our money and no product. As for the recorder? Well its aweful. I own a panasonic 5.1 surround sound with dvd recorder. Its awesome, quick recording and so many brilliant functions. My parents used it and decided to get one instead of sky plus. I looked on here and recommended this one as it had great reviews and it sony. You'd think that would be enough? Turns out this recorder is one of the worst i've ever come across. When you turn it on it takes forever to load the disks. The remote is aweful and navigating the menus becomes a drawn out affair. It takes about 2 mins to write to disk if you record for more than half an hour and decided it doesn't like recording on the timer and sometimes skips record times. It doesn't even support JPEGS!!! It doesn't support all disks so i really can't see why you would pay £119.99 for it. Its quite horrific so just stay clear.

Quality multi-format player at a good price

HDMI upscaling, 7.1 channel output, SACD, DVD-Audio, DivX, XviD, you name it - this plays it.

Not only that, but with extensive menu features to fit whatever type of setup you have - from a simple 4:3 stereo TV to a widescreen monster with a multi-channel amplifier in-between - practically all configurations are catered for.

And the killer feature? A USB connection so you can transfer .AVI movies straight from your PC to the player. No need to convert or burn to CD anymore.

Oppo have really come up trumps with this one. Don't be concerned if you haven't heard of them before, this is a well built piece of kit. And as formats change (such as DivX) the DV-980H can be firmware upgraded via Oppo's website.

DVR-950S(PAL) Dual

I've had the box for 6 months and the hard disk drive fails several times a week and this often stops the DVD from working; sometimes it also stops the physical buttons from working too & I have to unplug it from the wall to turn it off.
Annoyingly it always boots from the DVD and I can't find a way to stop this, so make sure you never leave any DVDs in the machine after use or you have to wait a minute or two for it to load up during this time I get white noise since you can't change the source during the boot up sequence.

Also you can't specify the start-up source, so once the box has loaded I have to press the source button five times to skip through the options until I reach scart (you would have thought that scart would be near the top of the list for sources - but alas, no).

The lip-sync is often out for periods of a recording, but it soon syncs up again and I only record on the lowest quality so this could be the issue.

On a positive note, the pause live TV function is great and it stores hours and hours and hours of recordings on the HDD (but this is only if you get the chance to watch them before the HDD corrupts). The copying function from HDD to DVD is brilliant, though it would be good to copy multiple items into one chapter on the DVD. It is also an excellent price and looks really nice.

Good performance for the money.

Was a little but nervous before buying as the technical details were a little bit sparse and the reviews mixed.
I am, however, very pleased with it. It does have scart ports (although no cable is supplied) and it does record digital (once you change the setup, the default is analogue hence the complaints from others).
It does record to all formats (including dual layer) which is a big plus and the interface is relatively easy to use. The only downside is that the appearance is a bit dated but overall fantastic value for money!!!

DO NOT BUY!!!!

I bought this a while ago, the first one I got didn't even switch on so they replaced it. The second one worked ok for about 5 months and I have nothing but trouble with it since....it only records when and if IT feels like it - it has no consistancy it reads a disk fine one time and then put the same disk in 2 mins later and it says disk is not compatable! It's a very expensive DVD PLAYER NOT RECORDER unless you only want it for 5 months. Please save your money a buy a decent one - that's what I've had to do!!!

No time-slip play back

This machine seems to work quite well. However there are some"expert" reviews stating that this machine can use DVD RAM discs to achieve time-slip, playing a recording whist recording. This is not so. After some time trying to do this and reading the manual I called Samsung and was told quite categorically that this machine cannot do this. If, as I did, you wanted the DVD RAM recording functionality in order to do time-slip, this machine is not for you.

Fantastic Machine, Buy One!

I've owned the 160Gb version of this machine (EX77), and sold it to upgrade to the 250GB EX87. It's fantastic. It has great functionality, is very easy to use, plenty of hard disc space and great picture quality in all but the lowest quality mode.

I don't see how a previous reviewer can criticise it for not being multi-region. NO, i repeat, NO DVD players or recorders are multi-region from the factory, so it's unfair to point it out as a negative for this one. Those bought ready-modified have been made so by the retailer, and in the process has voided the 1 year Manufacturer's Guarantee, so keep that in mind when buying one. If it stops working or completely dies as a result of being modified, you can't complain to the manufacturer, but it is the responsibility of the retailer to repair or replace it for you.

As long as you have a good aerial and live in a good area regarding digital broadcasting, the freeview reception is superb, with a very easy to use EPG (it has none of the glitches present in the equivalent Sony models or the absolutely shocking Samsung 853/855 recorders).

Please be aware, this machine has a Time Slip function, but this IS NOT the same as a Pause Live TV function. Time Slip is just a name Panasonic have given for the ability to skip through a recording in 10-minute increments (or however many you want), instead of sitting there fast-forwarding through it to find where you want to watch it from. It is NOT like Sky+ which automatically records whatever channel you are watching.

You can simulate Sky+ by recording the programme yourself, then you can pause or rewind it while it continues to record so you don't miss the programme (useful for sporting events so you can go back and watch something again immediately). This is called Chase Playback.

If you know these things before buying, you won't be upset when you find out it doesn't have"true" Pause Live TV, so a little research before buying can be very useful.

And before anyone complains that it doesn't have twin digital tuners (which would allow you to record one freeview channel while watching another), don't. No DVD recorders outside Japan have more than 1 digital tuner, so again, don't criticise the Panasonic, none of its competitors have them either.

And if they are advertised as having"twin tuners", only 1 of them is digital, the other is analogue, which will become redundant when the analogue signal is switched off over the next couple of years anyway, so is not necessarily worth having. If you want twin digital tuners, then buy a PVR instead, or buy this type of machine, and also buy a separate £20 Set-Top Box, so you can record one channel from the recorder's own freeview tuner, and watch something else on the STB.

Overall I can't fault it and would recommend it to anyone (as long as you don't need to play divx material (avi files), as the UK-spec machines have had this feature removed due to licensing issues. European machines can be imported because they do play divx, but the digital tuner might not work properly in the UK, so it's a risk you have to weigh up).

Avoid!!

Ill get straight to the point, this is an AWFUL bit of kit, its painfully slow, records only when it feels like it and even then if it does record what you want it may just decide to randomly delete it at any time. Its also quite prone to freezing if you ask something complicated like changing channel to quickly. Oh and finally the picture quality is honestly so poor i don't know how it passed quality control!!

DMR-ES20DEBS - Disappointed

Bought as 2nd recorder to allow some recording/playing of DVD's & freeview in the bedroom. This seemed to be the ideal solution for my needs, picture quality and recording quality are both excellent, however, the following issues mean that I am very dissapointed with this purchase
1. Freeview guide is very slow to respond and frustrating to use. The lag in the response means that you often 'overshoot' the station you are looking for.
2. Cannot see additional info for programs on the freeview guide so need a TV guide to find out what an interestingly titled programme actually is.
3. Cannot unfinalise a disk once finalised, which would allow additional programs to be recorded. Have to re-initialise the whole disk to record on it.
4. Takes a long time to start up when a disk is already in the machine.
5. Takes a long time to read disks.
6. Have to use a timer-record button to put the recorder into timer mode (which switches the machine off). Having a record request programmed will not on it's own mean the programme will be recorded. This is frustrating and inconsitent with the manner in which other recorders work.
7. Can only record in certain modes, FINE/SP/LP/XLP. This means that a 2hour 10 min film can only be recorded using LP quality.
8. Switches itself on to update the program guide at 3 am, when a disk is in the machine this is read when the unit turns on, which makes enough noise to wake me. As using in bedroom this means I don't leave disks in the machine overnight and I don't record overnight.
9. Can't dim the display, annoying when using this is the bedroom, but wouldn't be a problem elsewhere in the house.