Panasonic DMR-EX78EB-K - 250GB HDD - DVD Recorder with Freeview Black

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

ONE STEP BELOW HI-DEFINITION

This is a versatile and intuitive DVD player with a superb 1080p upscaling digital tuner and hefty 250GB hard drive. The whole package is well built, looks cool in black, and is simplicity itself to set up. When you get around to the more advanced features, check out the jukebox facility (the recording of albums onto the hard drive), which comes with a nifty database listing every track - easily updated via the memory stick included as part of the package. Flexibilty is also second-to-none if you like archiving material to disc as all formats are covered and partial editing in DVD-RAM is especially useful for knocking out commercials or any non-relevant material. But to get the very best out of the DMR-EX78E-K you need to use the HDMI output and attach a compatible LCD or Plasma TV, 5.1 amp and surround speaker system - what comes then is going to guarantee in an instant that this beauty won't be up for replacement in a hurry. And check out the price above, it's getting cheaper all the time.

I've got three DVD/HDD units on the go at present - one is a home cinema in a box which I now use solely as my amp and speaker setup, the second is a multi-region player for imported DVDs, and the above is my pole-position kit. All Panasonic.

Put simply, this is unpretentious 'high-end' technology - without the accompanying 'high-end' prices. Put even more simply, the DMR-EX78E-K delivers the goods - time after time - and has exceeded my expectations in just the same way. The only step up from here is the step up to Hi-Definition.


VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

(4 out of 5)

It's good but not perfect

As a DVD player and Recorder it is excellent, if we stopped here it may be a 5/5. I feel a real opportunity has been missed to make this device a superb media centre, the way it manages music files and connects to alternative devices really limits what it can achieve.

The USB connector is a let down - it won't recognise an external hard-drive which is a shame because I had hoped to plug mine in and benefit from the music and movies/TV shows I have on my computer without either burning to disk or copying to a USB pen drive. Flash-pen drives work fine, my product even came with a 1gb pen drive in the box including some sample files.

The option to save .jpg and .mp3 file to the HD is good but again the device isn't perfect - when listening to your saved .mp3s or a CD the screen displays the song name/album info, it does not have an option to turn the screen black or to display clouds or a swirly image or something. Attention to this rather than the gracenote database (which seems alright) would have been a benefit. Also as you navigate around menus the music stops.

The above may well be unfair as I don't think other products by alternative manufacturers offer these functions.

The size of the hard disk is good and the quality of the recordings I have made so far (on the highest setting) are better than expected. You have options for changing the quality of the recoring you want to make - so you could extend the hours of programmes you can fit to the Harddrive if you don't mind lower quality for certain programmes.

Recording to a DVD from the hard disk is straight forward, not lightning quick though - I couldn't say how it compares to other devices in this respect. The upscaling picture quality of DVDs, so that they look better on an HDTV is also better than I expected.

The next thing to say is that this device can ONLY deal with digital signals, if you are in an area where the only signal you can currently get is analogue - this product may not be for you...

If you can't get freeview and don't have a satellite dish this product will only really be any good for upscaling your current DVDs to look better on your HDTV while you wait for the digital switchover.

Having said that I can't receive a digital signal - no freeview at all - but I do have freesat (the sky one not the new BBC/ITV HD one). My Sky box plugs into this device which plugs into the telly. This machine records the signal from my Sky box and I don't have any problems.

Without digital reception the pause live TV function doesn't work and neither do the TV guide functions (now and next, etc), I can see what's on next from the sky box anyway.

Because my analogue reception is so poor anyway none of this is really a concern to me - whatever product I bought I was going to have to rely on my satellite reception.

Amazon chose City link to deliver my item, they left it with a neighbour I don't even know and didn't even ask him for a signature. Unless you know and trust your neighbours you should pay for delivery that will arrive on a specified day and will require a signature.

(4 out of 5)

A Worthwhile Machine to Own

I bought the Panasonic DMR-EX78EB-K on Friday afternoon and received it by 08:30 the following morning - excellent service.

I've had it for two weeks now and when I opened the package I took the manual out and started reading it - a little confusing for someone who `doesn't do manuals' but I persevered, and then gave up, but for techies who like to have all this information it is a very comprehensive manual.

Following that, I installed the machine and like magic, it started finding and loading all the channels etc.

The machine was ready to go within a few minutes - very impressive.

I started recording onto the HDD within minutes of the installation and then played back what I recorded - the picture quality is of a very high quality, even in extended play. I've recorded on all the formats and have been happy with the results.

I've copied from DVD to HDD, from HDD to DVD and it was a `piece of cake'. The two downsides that I have discovered so far is that when you copy it is in `real time', so if you have a one hour programme, it will take you one hour to copy it. I thought that there might have been a `quick record' mode, but maybe I just haven't found it yet! The other downside is that when you are programming it to record, everything goes silent so you cannot follow verbally whatever is on the television whilst you are doing this - so it is best to do this when you are not following a programme.

The TV guide is excellent and you can series link with the touch of one button, very handy.

Overall I am very pleased with this product and hoping to learn more about what it can do as time goes on.

I deliberated a long time before buying this product and I regret it - I could have had this machine weeks ago and my life would have been easier for it. Better late than never though.

If you are considering buying such a machine, I would say do it. It is a worthwhile purchase.

10.10.2008

I didn't realise, but this machine also pauses live tv. I thought that this was only something available to SKY, but I have used this facility a couple of times and it is a really worthwhile 'extra' to have. However, the downside is, if you are going to watch another programme straight after the one you paused, then you will fall behind on the programme following the 'paused' programme by the same amount in minutes as the pause was - I hope that makes sense!

Great machine.

[ASIN:B0015M0MXM Panasonic DMR-EX78EB-K - 250GB HDD - DVD Recorder with Freeview Black]]

(2 out of 5)

Usability still not good enough

If you've come from a video recorder then this product is going to seem amazing...but i haven't and i'm disapointed. Technically, it is beyond reproach. The picture quality is superb and so is the sound, looks smart too, but as usual with electronics manufacturers (and the magazine reviewers who don't have to live with these things day to day and whom, I notice, never print any pictures of the interface) all that counts for nothing if its clunky slow and akward to use - which this is. And this is supposed to be one of the better ones, which I don't doubt, but it's a poor indictment on the current state of the art!

Scenario #1 - i'd like to record something. Ok, go to the guide, which is in low res graphics, doesn't fill the 16:9 screen and is further restricted by adverts for BBC programmes. Click to the prgram you want (which requires twice as many clicks as cursor movements due to its unresponsiveness). Hit record - wait, then wait, ah, here's a menu. Ok, everything fine, click ok, then wait, wait some more, and it's done. Except is it? There's a conflict (so the menu says). But where? And with what? Press another button to take you to a list of programmes set to record, doesn't respond. Oh, you got to press 'back' every time because you can't go through the interface sideways, you've always got to reverse out of where you've been in order to go to where you want. Here we are - a long list of programs where the conflicting program is highlighted but its still not clear what its conflicting with. Tiresome - the whole point of computers is to sort this bureaucracy out for me!

Scenario #2 - i'd like to copy a program from the hard drive to the disk using the high speed dubbing. Insert disc. Disk not readable? Why? Not formatted. How do I format? It doesn't do it automatically so have to go to the manual where I discover that it's going to take up to 75 minutes - not so high speed after all then.

Scenario #3 - pause live tv. Press pause - nothing happens. Screen flickers - message appears which I don't understand (something about timer record operation) - screen flickers again and an annoying logo appears on the bottom of the screen - picture finally pauses. Rubbish.

Scenario #4 - I want to any one of these and other things but because the device is recording I can't. More frustration.

This just isn't good enough - sorry. I'm happy to fiddle about with it and read the manual but my wife certainly isn't so it's failed the critical test. What I can't understand is why, despite 50 years of user centred design research out there, Panasonic (and most of the other big brands) have simply ignored it. It's a familiar tale - it's got every bell and whistle going, a tick in every box of the various comparison tables of features, yet still it's a pain in the back side to use. Now, most other reviewers here evidently disagree with me - fair enough - but i'm on my second PVR now because I refuse to accept that you can't design something like this which is intuitive, slick, speedy and a joy to use (Humax seem to manage it - so do apple with their iPod). This isn't and it's going back. Potential buyer - try before you buy!

(2 out of 5)

A disappoining purchase

After researching the various models on the market I decided to buy this HDD DVD recorder based largely on the good reviews it has received. I was however very disappointed with what I received. The Electronic program guide is very slow and nowhere near as usable as the one on my Samsung TV. The recording quality on anything other than standard compression is very poor; and the navigation through recorded programs is painfully slow. It groups programs that are recorded weekly together, but does not allow you to manipulate this grouping.

In its favour the device runs very quietly compared to the Sony I used to have.