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 Product Description
Record and watch all your favourite TV programmes with the Sony RDR-HXD890 DVD recorder/player. This device supports DivX files and features a hard drive with a 160GB capacity, so you can store hours of video. The RDR-HXD890 supports DVD-R/RW, DVD R/RW, and dual-layer DVD Rs in recording mode. Chasing Playback allows you to watch a DVD while simultaneously recording another programme.Other practical features of the RDR-HXD890 include a one-touch copy from the hard drive to a DVD, as well as a digital jukebox to store and listen to up to 999 songs.The RDR-HXD890 also includes one HDMI output and two USB ports - you can even hook up your camcorder to save all your memories to the hard drive! Make the RDR-HXD890 the next addition to your home cinema!
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
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Product Description
The Panasonic DMR-EX78 stores over 400 hours of programmes in EP mode. It?s equipped with a 250 GB hard drive and is compatible with DivX, meaning you can enjoy your favourite multimedia and get rid of bulky recording equipment. In addition to a 1080p upscaling function, the DMR-EX78 renders videos in Full HD quality using its HDMI connection, while its Juke Box function and USB port keep you entertained with sound and images. The DMR-EX78 also displays ID3 tag information and comes with a DV input that makes archiving data to a DVD extremely easy. Thanks to its Pause Live programme, you can even record an episode of your favourite TV series while watching the beginning of it. The Home Cinema experience is made accessible to all, thanks to the DMR-EX78!
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
QUALITY GEAR, 13 Nov 2008
Already owning a couple of Panasonic DVD Recorders I didn't hesitate in purchasing this model.
Alas there was a minor fault on the one I bought, but it was replaced by Amazon within 3 days.
I am very pleased with it and like most will not use all facilities on the recorder, but I do like being able to record a complete series by selecting the first episode and then just clicking a button.
HDMI upgrading of picture quality is superb
Very Pleased
A disappoining purchase, 02 Nov 2008
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.
dmr-ex78-k, 01 Nov 2008
Just read a reveiw from a Dr Walker on the dmr ex78 dvd recorder what a load if tripe what does he expect a trip to the moon as well, this machine is superb believe me because i can be critical,money well spent,
very good, 30 Oct 2008
this player is very good. Pause live TV works very well. Though the brochure mentions that pause live TV works with dvd own tuner, it even works well with ext link( satellite reciver). Very good editing- ease of use. If you also have panasonic Tv it makes life still more easier.Great buy - hurry
Top machine for the money, 29 Oct 2008
First of all top marks for amazon for being the cheapest price around by far for this machine,No one else can get anywhere near amazons price.
As for the machine well top marks again go to Panasonic for turning out a top spec machine and does mostley what you would expect a higher end dvd recorder to do,looks good as well.
Only had recorder for a few days but so far very impressed with what it does and what it can do.Basic setup was very easy, but have a good read of the manual for other functions.Was impressed with editing and copying functions,does alot more than my jvc machine used to do.
Cant see where previous reviewer said machine was very noisy,mine is very quiet, only time it is slightley noisey is when you do a top speed dubbing,
but then again you would expect that from most machines,if that annoys you that much you can change the copy speed to run slower and quieter but then you would defeat the object of high speed dubbing wouldnt you ?
Records onto all discs that i have tried in it,only discs i found not quite as good was r+ and rw+ as they will not do high speed copy,but not the end of the world.
Copied a two hour recording in standard play on the hard drive onto a dvd-r disc in eleven minutes,Pretty good i thought and the picture and sound quality was superb.
As i said only just got machine so still playing,but so far only good reports coming from me.
Hopefully i wont find any bad points,so once again well done Amazon and Panasonic.
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Product Description
You can record your favourite TV programmes without the hassle of bulky recording equipment thanks to the DMR-EX768. This DVD player/recorder is compatible with DivX and has a 160 GB hard drive for storing hours and hours of films. In addition to a 1080p upscaling function, the DMR-EX768 renders videos in Full HD quality using its HDMI connection, while its Pause Live programme allows you to record an episode of your favourite TV series while watching the beginning of it. With the DMR-EX768, you won?t watch TV in the same way ever again!
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
QUALITY GEAR, 13 Nov 2008
Already owning a couple of Panasonic DVD Recorders I didn't hesitate in purchasing this model.
Alas there was a minor fault on the one I bought, but it was replaced by Amazon within 3 days.
I am very pleased with it and like most will not use all facilities on the recorder, but I do like being able to record a complete series by selecting the first episode and then just clicking a button.
HDMI upgrading of picture quality is superb
Very Pleased
A disappoining purchase, 02 Nov 2008
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.
dmr-ex78-k, 01 Nov 2008
Just read a reveiw from a Dr Walker on the dmr ex78 dvd recorder what a load if tripe what does he expect a trip to the moon as well, this machine is superb believe me because i can be critical,money well spent,
very good, 30 Oct 2008
this player is very good. Pause live TV works very well. Though the brochure mentions that pause live TV works with dvd own tuner, it even works well with ext link( satellite reciver). Very good editing- ease of use. If you also have panasonic Tv it makes life still more easier.Great buy - hurry
Top machine for the money, 29 Oct 2008
First of all top marks for amazon for being the cheapest price around by far for this machine,No one else can get anywhere near amazons price.
As for the machine well top marks again go to Panasonic for turning out a top spec machine and does mostley what you would expect a higher end dvd recorder to do,looks good as well.
Only had recorder for a few days but so far very impressed with what it does and what it can do.Basic setup was very easy, but have a good read of the manual for other functions.Was impressed with editing and copying functions,does alot more than my jvc machine used to do.
Cant see where previous reviewer said machine was very noisy,mine is very quiet, only time it is slightley noisey is when you do a top speed dubbing,
but then again you would expect that from most machines,if that annoys you that much you can change the copy speed to run slower and quieter but then you would defeat the object of high speed dubbing wouldnt you ?
Records onto all discs that i have tried in it,only discs i found not quite as good was r+ and rw+ as they will not do high speed copy,but not the end of the world.
Copied a two hour recording in standard play on the hard drive onto a dvd-r disc in eleven minutes,Pretty good i thought and the picture and sound quality was superb.
As i said only just got machine so still playing,but so far only good reports coming from me.
Hopefully i wont find any bad points,so once again well done Amazon and Panasonic.
Ideal first DVD recorder, 13 Nov 2008
Have been looking around for a DVD recorder for quite some time and final decided to go with the Panasonic EX768EBK. Have had it now for about 3 weeks and am very happy with the results. Its easy to set up and although i am only using it with an old tv the picture is excelent. When i do eventualy upgrade the tv the recorder has enough features to be compatable with almost any hi Def TV with upscaling to match the performance. Recording is a doddle just select from the freeview listing and it even alows you to adjust the timings manualy if required. I am only in a medium signal strength for freeview but it is crystal clear and the pausing and play of live TV is great. Its a great piece of equipment and all for £175. Cant wait to get the new TV now.
A joy to use, 10 Nov 2008
I bought this to go with a Panasonic 42" Plasma. The upscaling on DVDs works well and I've no idea how blu-ray could be '4 times better'. The recorder is easy to use and there are significant improvements in this compared with an early model. I particularly like the 'series record' function and the way it saves all the episodes of a series in a group folder with just one click. I had a good experience with the free delivery from Amazon of both items - but had to shop elsewhere for a Cambridge HDMI cable - worth getting from Richer Sounds.
Ok as Freeview Recorder and DVD player but that's about it., 09 Nov 2008
I bought this recorder as an additional unit to my trusty Pioneer DVR-450HX and I must say that I have mixed feelings about the Panny.
Overall, the picture quality on Freeview is good. Quite a nice natural warm look to the colours. Playback from recordings are more than adequate and using the LP mode doesn't really reduce quality so overall I am happy with basic playback and recording. About on a par with my Pioneer.
As I have a Panny Viera Tv, the remote works with the tv and the viera link works well.
DVD Playback is excellent and upscaling works well enough to see a difference in the picture quality although the Panny TV has superb upscaling so this will be influincing the quality somewhat.
That's where the good stops and it all goes wrong.
With my Sky box, I can pad out the recording time in case of late running programmes but I can't figure out how to do this with the Panny. The result is that I regulalry lose the last 5-10 minutes of a programme. How annoying!!
I hate the remote with a passion. My Pioneer had dozens of extra facilities especially in the editing side which I use regularly. Having to press the options button every single time I want to edit is frustrating.
No eject button. What is this all about?? I need to go to the machine and press the button to open the tray and oh BTW, this can only be done when the machine is in full stop mode or in picture mode. If you have any on screen menu up, it doesn't work.
I'm also not impressed with the range of the infrared remote. Unless you are pointing it right at the machine, it doesn't respond.
Someone has decided to place adverts on the EPG which makes it look messy and reduces the amount of space left to view the guide.
The other frustrating thing is that everytime I stop playing a DVD, it switches my Panny TV back to HDMI 1 (Where my Sky HD Box is), then it switches to Freeview then back to HDMI 1 input so I have to manually switch it back to HDMI 2. I never had this with my Pioneer.
Overall, I have decided that as a standalone freeview recorder, it is ok (single tuner not withstanding) but as a fully fledged editing deck, I will either stick with my Pioneer or look at one of the new Pioneer machines.
Basic but good, 08 Nov 2008
After buying a Panasonic TV and not being able to receive Sky+ or Virgin+ I was looking for an alternative HDD recorder.
The Panasonic HDD/DVD is a good value buy. It has guide+ with series link and is easy to use and set up. When used with a Panasonic TV you are able to use one touch record and pause live TV which is very useful and in line with sky+/v+.
The only draw back to the unit is the Guide/programmer is extremely basic and poorly laid out. Luckily my TV has its own guide which is much better than the HDD/DVD one.
To surmise, if you have a Panasonic TV and are looking for a cheap and efficient HDD and DVD recorder this is a sound buy.
A mixed bag, 03 Nov 2008
I have had my new Panasonic DMR-EX768EBK for nearly a week now. Let me start off by saying that it was delivered promptly, is in good condition, and does everything it is supposed to do.
There are however, some strange and irritating features.
1. This is the first remote control I have seen with no evidence of a Mute button. Nor does Mute appear in the index of the manual.
2. It will record without subtitles unless you figure out how to, and tell it to do so.
3. Once you have recorded with subtitles, you cannot switch them off.
4. According to the manual, it has a high speed copy, but I haven't found out how to use it yet.
5. But the most irritating of all, is that there is an advert in the Guide screen. This is really annoying because:
5.1 This is not a cheap item, like my PVR which has a 2-week guide and no advert
5.2 the advert cannot be removed
5.2 The Guide is not as good as the PVR because the Advert takes up too much of the screen
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Product Description
This model combines VHS, DVD & a 160GB Hard Disk Drive Recoding & Playback! All this with a Analogue & Digital Tuner Too!
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
QUALITY GEAR, 13 Nov 2008
Already owning a couple of Panasonic DVD Recorders I didn't hesitate in purchasing this model.
Alas there was a minor fault on the one I bought, but it was replaced by Amazon within 3 days.
I am very pleased with it and like most will not use all facilities on the recorder, but I do like being able to record a complete series by selecting the first episode and then just clicking a button.
HDMI upgrading of picture quality is superb
Very Pleased
A disappoining purchase, 02 Nov 2008
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.
dmr-ex78-k, 01 Nov 2008
Just read a reveiw from a Dr Walker on the dmr ex78 dvd recorder what a load if tripe what does he expect a trip to the moon as well, this machine is superb believe me because i can be critical,money well spent,
very good, 30 Oct 2008
this player is very good. Pause live TV works very well. Though the brochure mentions that pause live TV works with dvd own tuner, it even works well with ext link( satellite reciver). Very good editing- ease of use. If you also have panasonic Tv it makes life still more easier.Great buy - hurry
Top machine for the money, 29 Oct 2008
First of all top marks for amazon for being the cheapest price around by far for this machine,No one else can get anywhere near amazons price.
As for the machine well top marks again go to Panasonic for turning out a top spec machine and does mostley what you would expect a higher end dvd recorder to do,looks good as well.
Only had recorder for a few days but so far very impressed with what it does and what it can do.Basic setup was very easy, but have a good read of the manual for other functions.Was impressed with editing and copying functions,does alot more than my jvc machine used to do.
Cant see where previous reviewer said machine was very noisy,mine is very quiet, only time it is slightley noisey is when you do a top speed dubbing,
but then again you would expect that from most machines,if that annoys you that much you can change the copy speed to run slower and quieter but then you would defeat the object of high speed dubbing wouldnt you ?
Records onto all discs that i have tried in it,only discs i found not quite as good was r+ and rw+ as they will not do high speed copy,but not the end of the world.
Copied a two hour recording in standard play on the hard drive onto a dvd-r disc in eleven minutes,Pretty good i thought and the picture and sound quality was superb.
As i said only just got machine so still playing,but so far only good reports coming from me.
Hopefully i wont find any bad points,so once again well done Amazon and Panasonic.
Ideal first DVD recorder, 13 Nov 2008
Have been looking around for a DVD recorder for quite some time and final decided to go with the Panasonic EX768EBK. Have had it now for about 3 weeks and am very happy with the results. Its easy to set up and although i am only using it with an old tv the picture is excelent. When i do eventualy upgrade the tv the recorder has enough features to be compatable with almost any hi Def TV with upscaling to match the performance. Recording is a doddle just select from the freeview listing and it even alows you to adjust the timings manualy if required. I am only in a medium signal strength for freeview but it is crystal clear and the pausing and play of live TV is great. Its a great piece of equipment and all for £175. Cant wait to get the new TV now.
A joy to use, 10 Nov 2008
I bought this to go with a Panasonic 42" Plasma. The upscaling on DVDs works well and I've no idea how blu-ray could be '4 times better'. The recorder is easy to use and there are significant improvements in this compared with an early model. I particularly like the 'series record' function and the way it saves all the episodes of a series in a group folder with just one click. I had a good experience with the free delivery from Amazon of both items - but had to shop elsewhere for a Cambridge HDMI cable - worth getting from Richer Sounds.
Ok as Freeview Recorder and DVD player but that's about it., 09 Nov 2008
I bought this recorder as an additional unit to my trusty Pioneer DVR-450HX and I must say that I have mixed feelings about the Panny.
Overall, the picture quality on Freeview is good. Quite a nice natural warm look to the colours. Playback from recordings are more than adequate and using the LP mode doesn't really reduce quality so overall I am happy with basic playback and recording. About on a par with my Pioneer.
As I have a Panny Viera Tv, the remote works with the tv and the viera link works well.
DVD Playback is excellent and upscaling works well enough to see a difference in the picture quality although the Panny TV has superb upscaling so this will be influincing the quality somewhat.
That's where the good stops and it all goes wrong.
With my Sky box, I can pad out the recording time in case of late running programmes but I can't figure out how to do this with the Panny. The result is that I regulalry lose the last 5-10 minutes of a programme. How annoying!!
I hate the remote with a passion. My Pioneer had dozens of extra facilities especially in the editing side which I use regularly. Having to press the options button every single time I want to edit is frustrating.
No eject button. What is this all about?? I need to go to the machine and press the button to open the tray and oh BTW, this can only be done when the machine is in full stop mode or in picture mode. If you have any on screen menu up, it doesn't work.
I'm also not impressed with the range of the infrared remote. Unless you are pointing it right at the machine, it doesn't respond.
Someone has decided to place adverts on the EPG which makes it look messy and reduces the amount of space left to view the guide.
The other frustrating thing is that everytime I stop playing a DVD, it switches my Panny TV back to HDMI 1 (Where my Sky HD Box is), then it switches to Freeview then back to HDMI 1 input so I have to manually switch it back to HDMI 2. I never had this with my Pioneer.
Overall, I have decided that as a standalone freeview recorder, it is ok (single tuner not withstanding) but as a fully fledged editing deck, I will either stick with my Pioneer or look at one of the new Pioneer machines.
Basic but good, 08 Nov 2008
After buying a Panasonic TV and not being able to receive Sky+ or Virgin+ I was looking for an alternative HDD recorder.
The Panasonic HDD/DVD is a good value buy. It has guide+ with series link and is easy to use and set up. When used with a Panasonic TV you are able to use one touch record and pause live TV which is very useful and in line with sky+/v+.
The only draw back to the unit is the Guide/programmer is extremely basic and poorly laid out. Luckily my TV has its own guide which is much better than the HDD/DVD one.
To surmise, if you have a Panasonic TV and are looking for a cheap and efficient HDD and DVD recorder this is a sound buy.
A mixed bag, 03 Nov 2008
I have had my new Panasonic DMR-EX768EBK for nearly a week now. Let me start off by saying that it was delivered promptly, is in good condition, and does everything it is supposed to do.
There are however, some strange and irritating features.
1. This is the first remote control I have seen with no evidence of a Mute button. Nor does Mute appear in the index of the manual.
2. It will record without subtitles unless you figure out how to, and tell it to do so.
3. Once you have recorded with subtitles, you cannot switch them off.
4. According to the manual, it has a high speed copy, but I haven't found out how to use it yet.
5. But the most irritating of all, is that there is an advert in the Guide screen. This is really annoying because:
5.1 This is not a cheap item, like my PVR which has a 2-week guide and no advert
5.2 the advert cannot be removed
5.2 The Guide is not as good as the PVR because the Advert takes up too much of the screen
overall great value, but..., 12 Nov 2008
It does all that it promises.
I know nothing of Sky + or whatever, so can't compare its recording function for ease-of-use. I've found it all easy to use so far. It's very quick and simple to set it to record to HDD a program by just choosing it from the daily listings on the Freeview menu.
However, as I think someone has pointed out on a forum here, I'm very surprised there's no way to record (to any format, VHS, HDD or DVD) one channel and watch a different channel at the same time. Yes, while recording TV you can watch an already-recorded medium (on VHS, HDD or DVD), but nothing live. This is especially odd as this machine boasts two TV tuners, one digital, one analogue. So what's the point if you can't use both simultaneously? (Of course while the machine's recording from a TV channel you can primitively switch your TV onto it's own (non-video) channel, but in the case of our old TV that's not good quality... And why should I have to find this poor solution with such a nice new video machine?)
My 2nd slight disappointment is I'm sure not unique to this brand or model, but I guess it's a similar story with any modern DVD recorders. One reason we wanted a VCR player and DVD recorder combi was to transfer a few of our much-loved well-played old video tapes onto DVD. Is this "pirating"?? Perhaps, but so be it; purely for our own personal use, before the (irreplaceable) video tapes finally snap. But even trying to dub from some VHS tapes the machine pipes up "copyright material - though shalt not copy". I dunno, these new-fangled machines are too smart for their own good sometimes...
These gripes aside, this is a super video recorder for a great price, and no qualms at all about choosing it.
So good - I bought another one!, 11 Nov 2008
Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With FreeviewAfter reading the reviews I bought one and its a fantastic piece of kit especially when you consider its below £200.00. Its really easy to use and contrary to another reviewer the remote functions without any issue even when far from the machine. Its very easy to set up - in fact it does everything for you and you can get rid of all the recorders, boxes and cables under your television and just have the one box. I really can't think of any bad points - although the instruction manual takes a bit of reading however its hardly worth bothering as the on screen instructions are so easy to follow and it appears to enhance all my TV programmes in fact its so good i'm going to buy another one!
Goodbye to tapes, 03 Nov 2008
Over the years I have accumulated seriously large quantities of video tapes from conventional VHS to mini dv's, these are distributed all around the house in cupboards, on shelves ...everywhere!. This piece of kit does exactly what it says on the box. I can transfer/edit to DVD reducing my piles of tapes to a much more manageable number of DVD's. The controls are simple and instructions are well produced and easy to understand. Overall a really first class buy and it arrived bang on time.
Worth Every Penny, 24 Oct 2008
This does exactly what it says on the box! A sophisticated little machine which I bought to supplement our Phillips set-top box and it works perfectly. Our area goes digital next June. Not as daunting to use/understand as some would have you believe and it has many innovative and welcome features that make using it and its operation a pleasure. Only slight niggle is that it is quite noisy (even when switched off and with a timer program waiting to spring into action). Only time it is silent is when completely shut down and not in timer mode. You get used to it though and for this price this is a very minor inconvenience.
Toshiba RDXV48DT Good but read the manual, 17 Oct 2008
I bought the product last week and looked forward to using it straight away. Being male and a technician I set to and connected everything up but it didn't work like I expected.
Reading the manual (which is not the easiest I have ever read) sorted the problems out and the results are very good. The worst problem was when I came to try to copy and edit some tapes. Unless you are very experienced at video editing you must read and constantly refer to the manual, so have it to hand. At 103 pages it is quite long and the people who wrote it must have assumed that the user is already knowledgeable. That is my only complaint..Could have been written better.
Other than that the picture quality is excellent, and the Tuner produces the best pictures I have seen. Almost glitch free viewing.
Fully recommended.
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Product Description
The Samsung DVD-V6800 not only plays DVDs; it also plays VHS tapes. It records to both formats too, so you can watch a film on a VHS tape while recording your favourite TV programme onto a DVD. The DVD-V6800 can also transfer films from DVDs to VHS tapes and is compatible with Dolby Digital, DTS and PCM. ItÂ’s even equipped with a full set of connectors, allowing you to get the best out of your favourite films and TV programmes.
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
QUALITY GEAR, 13 Nov 2008
Already owning a couple of Panasonic DVD Recorders I didn't hesitate in purchasing this model.
Alas there was a minor fault on the one I bought, but it was replaced by Amazon within 3 days.
I am very pleased with it and like most will not use all facilities on the recorder, but I do like being able to record a complete series by selecting the first episode and then just clicking a button.
HDMI upgrading of picture quality is superb
Very Pleased
A disappoining purchase, 02 Nov 2008
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.
dmr-ex78-k, 01 Nov 2008
Just read a reveiw from a Dr Walker on the dmr ex78 dvd recorder what a load if tripe what does he expect a trip to the moon as well, this machine is superb believe me because i can be critical,money well spent,
very good, 30 Oct 2008
this player is very good. Pause live TV works very well. Though the brochure mentions that pause live TV works with dvd own tuner, it even works well with ext link( satellite reciver). Very good editing- ease of use. If you also have panasonic Tv it makes life still more easier.Great buy - hurry
Top machine for the money, 29 Oct 2008
First of all top marks for amazon for being the cheapest price around by far for this machine,No one else can get anywhere near amazons price.
As for the machine well top marks again go to Panasonic for turning out a top spec machine and does mostley what you would expect a higher end dvd recorder to do,looks good as well.
Only had recorder for a few days but so far very impressed with what it does and what it can do.Basic setup was very easy, but have a good read of the manual for other functions.Was impressed with editing and copying functions,does alot more than my jvc machine used to do.
Cant see where previous reviewer said machine was very noisy,mine is very quiet, only time it is slightley noisey is when you do a top speed dubbing,
but then again you would expect that from most machines,if that annoys you that much you can change the copy speed to run slower and quieter but then you would defeat the object of high speed dubbing wouldnt you ?
Records onto all discs that i have tried in it,only discs i found not quite as good was r+ and rw+ as they will not do high speed copy,but not the end of the world.
Copied a two hour recording in standard play on the hard drive onto a dvd-r disc in eleven minutes,Pretty good i thought and the picture and sound quality was superb.
As i said only just got machine so still playing,but so far only good reports coming from me.
Hopefully i wont find any bad points,so once again well done Amazon and Panasonic.
Ideal first DVD recorder, 13 Nov 2008
Have been looking around for a DVD recorder for quite some time and final decided to go with the Panasonic EX768EBK. Have had it now for about 3 weeks and am very happy with the results. Its easy to set up and although i am only using it with an old tv the picture is excelent. When i do eventualy upgrade the tv the recorder has enough features to be compatable with almost any hi Def TV with upscaling to match the performance. Recording is a doddle just select from the freeview listing and it even alows you to adjust the timings manualy if required. I am only in a medium signal strength for freeview but it is crystal clear and the pausing and play of live TV is great. Its a great piece of equipment and all for £175. Cant wait to get the new TV now.
A joy to use, 10 Nov 2008
I bought this to go with a Panasonic 42" Plasma. The upscaling on DVDs works well and I've no idea how blu-ray could be '4 times better'. The recorder is easy to use and there are significant improvements in this compared with an early model. I particularly like the 'series record' function and the way it saves all the episodes of a series in a group folder with just one click. I had a good experience with the free delivery from Amazon of both items - but had to shop elsewhere for a Cambridge HDMI cable - worth getting from Richer Sounds.
Ok as Freeview Recorder and DVD player but that's about it., 09 Nov 2008
I bought this recorder as an additional unit to my trusty Pioneer DVR-450HX and I must say that I have mixed feelings about the Panny.
Overall, the picture quality on Freeview is good. Quite a nice natural warm look to the colours. Playback from recordings are more than adequate and using the LP mode doesn't really reduce quality so overall I am happy with basic playback and recording. About on a par with my Pioneer.
As I have a Panny Viera Tv, the remote works with the tv and the viera link works well.
DVD Playback is excellent and upscaling works well enough to see a difference in the picture quality although the Panny TV has superb upscaling so this will be influincing the quality somewhat.
That's where the good stops and it all goes wrong.
With my Sky box, I can pad out the recording time in case of late running programmes but I can't figure out how to do this with the Panny. The result is that I regulalry lose the last 5-10 minutes of a programme. How annoying!!
I hate the remote with a passion. My Pioneer had dozens of extra facilities especially in the editing side which I use regularly. Having to press the options button every single time I want to edit is frustrating.
No eject button. What is this all about?? I need to go to the machine and press the button to open the tray and oh BTW, this can only be done when the machine is in full stop mode or in picture mode. If you have any on screen menu up, it doesn't work.
I'm also not impressed with the range of the infrared remote. Unless you are pointing it right at the machine, it doesn't respond.
Someone has decided to place adverts on the EPG which makes it look messy and reduces the amount of space left to view the guide.
The other frustrating thing is that everytime I stop playing a DVD, it switches my Panny TV back to HDMI 1 (Where my Sky HD Box is), then it switches to Freeview then back to HDMI 1 input so I have to manually switch it back to HDMI 2. I never had this with my Pioneer.
Overall, I have decided that as a standalone freeview recorder, it is ok (single tuner not withstanding) but as a fully fledged editing deck, I will either stick with my Pioneer or look at one of the new Pioneer machines.
Basic but good, 08 Nov 2008
After buying a Panasonic TV and not being able to receive Sky+ or Virgin+ I was looking for an alternative HDD recorder.
The Panasonic HDD/DVD is a good value buy. It has guide+ with series link and is easy to use and set up. When used with a Panasonic TV you are able to use one touch record and pause live TV which is very useful and in line with sky+/v+.
The only draw back to the unit is the Guide/programmer is extremely basic and poorly laid out. Luckily my TV has its own guide which is much better than the HDD/DVD one.
To surmise, if you have a Panasonic TV and are looking for a cheap and efficient HDD and DVD recorder this is a sound buy.
A mixed bag, 03 Nov 2008
I have had my new Panasonic DMR-EX768EBK for nearly a week now. Let me start off by saying that it was delivered promptly, is in good condition, and does everything it is supposed to do.
There are however, some strange and irritating features.
1. This is the first remote control I have seen with no evidence of a Mute button. Nor does Mute appear in the index of the manual.
2. It will record without subtitles unless you figure out how to, and tell it to do so.
3. Once you have recorded with subtitles, you cannot switch them off.
4. According to the manual, it has a high speed copy, but I haven't found out how to use it yet.
5. But the most irritating of all, is that there is an advert in the Guide screen. This is really annoying because:
5.1 This is not a cheap item, like my PVR which has a 2-week guide and no advert
5.2 the advert cannot be removed
5.2 The Guide is not as good as the PVR because the Advert takes up too much of the screen
overall great value, but..., 12 Nov 2008
It does all that it promises.
I know nothing of Sky + or whatever, so can't compare its recording function for ease-of-use. I've found it all easy to use so far. It's very quick and simple to set it to record to HDD a program by just choosing it from the daily listings on the Freeview menu.
However, as I think someone has pointed out on a forum here, I'm very surprised there's no way to record (to any format, VHS, HDD or DVD) one channel and watch a different channel at the same time. Yes, while recording TV you can watch an already-recorded medium (on VHS, HDD or DVD), but nothing live. This is especially odd as this machine boasts two TV tuners, one digital, one analogue. So what's the point if you can't use both simultaneously? (Of course while the machine's recording from a TV channel you can primitively switch your TV onto it's own (non-video) channel, but in the case of our old TV that's not good quality... And why should I have to find this poor solution with such a nice new video machine?)
My 2nd slight disappointment is I'm sure not unique to this brand or model, but I guess it's a similar story with any modern DVD recorders. One reason we wanted a VCR player and DVD recorder combi was to transfer a few of our much-loved well-played old video tapes onto DVD. Is this "pirating"?? Perhaps, but so be it; purely for our own personal use, before the (irreplaceable) video tapes finally snap. But even trying to dub from some VHS tapes the machine pipes up "copyright material - though shalt not copy". I dunno, these new-fangled machines are too smart for their own good sometimes...
These gripes aside, this is a super video recorder for a great price, and no qualms at all about choosing it.
So good - I bought another one!, 11 Nov 2008
Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With FreeviewAfter reading the reviews I bought one and its a fantastic piece of kit especially when you consider its below £200.00. Its really easy to use and contrary to another reviewer the remote functions without any issue even when far from the machine. Its very easy to set up - in fact it does everything for you and you can get rid of all the recorders, boxes and cables under your television and just have the one box. I really can't think of any bad points - although the instruction manual takes a bit of reading however its hardly worth bothering as the on screen instructions are so easy to follow and it appears to enhance all my TV programmes in fact its so good i'm going to buy another one!
Goodbye to tapes, 03 Nov 2008
Over the years I have accumulated seriously large quantities of video tapes from conventional VHS to mini dv's, these are distributed all around the house in cupboards, on shelves ...everywhere!. This piece of kit does exactly what it says on the box. I can transfer/edit to DVD reducing my piles of tapes to a much more manageable number of DVD's. The controls are simple and instructions are well produced and easy to understand. Overall a really first class buy and it arrived bang on time.
Worth Every Penny, 24 Oct 2008
This does exactly what it says on the box! A sophisticated little machine which I bought to supplement our Phillips set-top box and it works perfectly. Our area goes digital next June. Not as daunting to use/understand as some would have you believe and it has many innovative and welcome features that make using it and its operation a pleasure. Only slight niggle is that it is quite noisy (even when switched off and with a timer program waiting to spring into action). Only time it is silent is when completely shut down and not in timer mode. You get used to it though and for this price this is a very minor inconvenience.
Toshiba RDXV48DT Good but read the manual, 17 Oct 2008
I bought the product last week and looked forward to using it straight away. Being male and a technician I set to and connected everything up but it didn't work like I expected.
Reading the manual (which is not the easiest I have ever read) sorted the problems out and the results are very good. The worst problem was when I came to try to copy and edit some tapes. Unless you are very experienced at video editing you must read and constantly refer to the manual, so have it to hand. At 103 pages it is quite long and the people who wrote it must have assumed that the user is already knowledgeable. That is my only complaint..Could have been written better.
Other than that the picture quality is excellent, and the Tuner produces the best pictures I have seen. Almost glitch free viewing.
Fully recommended.
Poor Results, 21 Oct 2008
Product purchased in July 2008 little used until now October 08 plays discs for 40 minutes and then breaks up.. changes picture size.. and returns to start.. NOT a good buy! Look elsewhere.
Alright if I were French, 10 Oct 2008
I just got my dvd player today and it's spot on. took me no more than a minute from taking out the box to having it set up on my TV (including switching it to multi-region). it was easy to set up which is a good thing considering all the instructions i got with it were in French and even the dvd player itself is set in French.
This is where i'm hoping somebody might be able to help me, am I able to switch the dvd play to english so i can understand the menus?
plus on a side note and this isn't really anything against the dvd player. when it was delivered today the packaging was shocking. it was all ripped to bits. If it wasn't for the fact that none of the holes in the bag were big enough to fit the dvd player though i would of said it looked like somebody had switched them.
Not so hot., 16 Sep 2008
The Samsung v6800 has a mediocre picture quality, and as S Roberts says, the remote is lousy at best. Several pushes are often needed just to FFWD, pause, stop or restart after pause.
This unit was sent as a replacement for an older unit that was under extended warranty when it died, I would not choose to buy one. As for Miss Hawthorn's all regions hack? No response at all! Nada, zilch, naff all.
So, overall, not so hot!
Great Bang for the Buck, 11 Aug 2008
The DVD and VCR that this replaced (from 6-10 years old) cost four times as much and yet this is superior to them both. I can't beleive that some expected a DVD Recorder was included at this price...give it a few more years at least, however the descriptions for the v6800 do vary depending which site is visited. The VCR definately has 6 heads and not 4. The DVD can become multi-region with the hack descibed by others on Amazon. If like me your TV only accepts Progressive Scan in NTSC format the DVD player won't output a PAL disc in NTSC format. NTSC encoded disks work fine. I didn't have any issue with the remote either although the dubious unbranded batteries could have caused that issue.
Decent DVD player, Terrible Remote Control, 08 Aug 2008
This DVD player will play more or less any disc I try and the quality of the picture is fairly decent. The main problem with this DVD player is the remote control which will not work unless pointed directly at the player, I have the DVD player situated about 3 foot away from where I sit so theproblem is not the distance. I had a DVD/VCR combi for 4 years before I purchased this item to replace it and the remote with that would work from around 15 foot away and even if the remote was pointed at the wall.
The description of the item also said Connectivity 1 x HDMI, the item does not have an HDMI port which was one of the reasons I bought the item.
Overall it is a decent DVD player let down by the poor quality of the remote control.
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Product Description
with 1-sec Quick Start, VHS Refresh Dubbing to DVD & Integrated Digital Tuner.
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo DH-6100P, which refuses to play NTSC disks, it's not a patch on my 4 year old £25 no-brand, which plays NTSC disks perfectly.
The user interface is not very easy to drive. Manually setting it to record a program via timer, is way too complicated. The Daewoo displays on screen were you can fill in all the details for your timer recording; with the Sony you have to fill in 5 different screens. The OSD for program info, is not very intuative either.
Very clear recordings but pants UI.
QUALITY GEAR, 13 Nov 2008
Already owning a couple of Panasonic DVD Recorders I didn't hesitate in purchasing this model.
Alas there was a minor fault on the one I bought, but it was replaced by Amazon within 3 days.
I am very pleased with it and like most will not use all facilities on the recorder, but I do like being able to record a complete series by selecting the first episode and then just clicking a button.
HDMI upgrading of picture quality is superb
Very Pleased
A disappoining purchase, 02 Nov 2008
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.
dmr-ex78-k, 01 Nov 2008
Just read a reveiw from a Dr Walker on the dmr ex78 dvd recorder what a load if tripe what does he expect a trip to the moon as well, this machine is superb believe me because i can be critical,money well spent,
very good, 30 Oct 2008
this player is very good. Pause live TV works very well. Though the brochure mentions that pause live TV works with dvd own tuner, it even works well with ext link( satellite reciver). Very good editing- ease of use. If you also have panasonic Tv it makes life still more easier.Great buy - hurry
Top machine for the money, 29 Oct 2008
First of all top marks for amazon for being the cheapest price around by far for this machine,No one else can get anywhere near amazons price.
As for the machine well top marks again go to Panasonic for turning out a top spec machine and does mostley what you would expect a higher end dvd recorder to do,looks good as well.
Only had recorder for a few days but so far very impressed with what it does and what it can do.Basic setup was very easy, but have a good read of the manual for other functions.Was impressed with editing and copying functions,does alot more than my jvc machine used to do.
Cant see where previous reviewer said machine was very noisy,mine is very quiet, only time it is slightley noisey is when you do a top speed dubbing,
but then again you would expect that from most machines,if that annoys you that much you can change the copy speed to run slower and quieter but then you would defeat the object of high speed dubbing wouldnt you ?
Records onto all discs that i have tried in it,only discs i found not quite as good was r+ and rw+ as they will not do high speed copy,but not the end of the world.
Copied a two hour recording in standard play on the hard drive onto a dvd-r disc in eleven minutes,Pretty good i thought and the picture and sound quality was superb.
As i said only just got machine so still playing,but so far only good reports coming from me.
Hopefully i wont find any bad points,so once again well done Amazon and Panasonic.
Ideal first DVD recorder, 13 Nov 2008
Have been looking around for a DVD recorder for quite some time and final decided to go with the Panasonic EX768EBK. Have had it now for about 3 weeks and am very happy with the results. Its easy to set up and although i am only using it with an old tv the picture is excelent. When i do eventualy upgrade the tv the recorder has enough features to be compatable with almost any hi Def TV with upscaling to match the performance. Recording is a doddle just select from the freeview listing and it even alows you to adjust the timings manualy if required. I am only in a medium signal strength for freeview but it is crystal clear and the pausing and play of live TV is great. Its a great piece of equipment and all for £175. Cant wait to get the new TV now.
A joy to use, 10 Nov 2008
I bought this to go with a Panasonic 42" Plasma. The upscaling on DVDs works well and I've no idea how blu-ray could be '4 times better'. The recorder is easy to use and there are significant improvements in this compared with an early model. I particularly like the 'series record' function and the way it saves all the episodes of a series in a group folder with just one click. I had a good experience with the free delivery from Amazon of both items - but had to shop elsewhere for a Cambridge HDMI cable - worth getting from Richer Sounds.
Ok as Freeview Recorder and DVD player but that's about it., 09 Nov 2008
I bought this recorder as an additional unit to my trusty Pioneer DVR-450HX and I must say that I have mixed feelings about the Panny.
Overall, the picture quality on Freeview is good. Quite a nice natural warm look to the colours. Playback from recordings are more than adequate and using the LP mode doesn't really reduce quality so overall I am happy with basic playback and recording. About on a par with my Pioneer.
As I have a Panny Viera Tv, the remote works with the tv and the viera link works well.
DVD Playback is excellent and upscaling works well enough to see a difference in the picture quality although the Panny TV has superb upscaling so this will be influincing the quality somewhat.
That's where the good stops and it all goes wrong.
With my Sky box, I can pad out the recording time in case of late running programmes but I can't figure out how to do this with the Panny. The result is that I regulalry lose the last 5-10 minutes of a programme. How annoying!!
I hate the remote with a passion. My Pioneer had dozens of extra facilities especially in the editing side which I use regularly. Having to press the options button every single time I want to edit is frustrating.
No eject button. What is this all about?? I need to go to the machine and press the button to open the tray and oh BTW, this can only be done when the machine is in full stop mode or in picture mode. If you have any on screen menu up, it doesn't work.
I'm also not impressed with the range of the infrared remote. Unless you are pointing it right at the machine, it doesn't respond.
Someone has decided to place adverts on the EPG which makes it look messy and reduces the amount of space left to view the guide.
The other frustrating thing is that everytime I stop playing a DVD, it switches my Panny TV back to HDMI 1 (Where my Sky HD Box is), then it switches to Freeview then back to HDMI 1 input so I have to manually switch it back to HDMI 2. I never had this with my Pioneer.
Overall, I have decided that as a standalone freeview recorder, it is ok (single tuner not withstanding) but as a fully fledged editing deck, I will either stick with my Pioneer or look at one of the new Pioneer machines.
Basic but good, 08 Nov 2008
After buying a Panasonic TV and not being able to receive Sky+ or Virgin+ I was looking for an alternative HDD recorder.
The Panasonic HDD/DVD is a good value buy. It has guide+ with series link and is easy to use and set up. When used with a Panasonic TV you are able to use one touch record and pause live TV which is very useful and in line with sky+/v+.
The only draw back to the unit is the Guide/programmer is extremely basic and poorly laid out. Luckily my TV has its own guide which is much better than the HDD/DVD one.
To surmise, if you have a Panasonic TV and are looking for a cheap and efficient HDD and DVD recorder this is a sound buy.
A mixed bag, 03 Nov 2008
I have had my new Panasonic DMR-EX768EBK for nearly a week now. Let me start off by saying that it was delivered promptly, is in good condition, and does everything it is supposed to do.
There are however, some strange and irritating features.
1. This is the first remote control I have seen with no evidence of a Mute button. Nor does Mute appear in the index of the manual.
2. It will record without subtitles unless you figure out how to, and tell it to do so.
3. Once you have recorded with subtitles, you cannot switch them off.
4. According to the manual, it has a high speed copy, but I haven't found out how to use it yet.
5. But the most irritating of all, is that there is an advert in the Guide screen. This is really annoying because:
5.1 This is not a cheap item, like my PVR which has a 2-week guide and no advert
5.2 the advert cannot be removed
5.2 The Guide is not as good as the PVR because the Advert takes up too much of the screen
overall great value, but..., 12 Nov 2008
It does all that it promises.
I know nothing of Sky + or whatever, so can't compare its recording function for ease-of-use. I've found it all easy to use so far. It's very quick and simple to set it to record to HDD a program by just choosing it from the daily listings on the Freeview menu.
However, as I think someone has pointed out on a forum here, I'm very surprised there's no way to record (to any format, VHS, HDD or DVD) one channel and watch a different channel at the same time. Yes, while recording TV you can watch an already-recorded medium (on VHS, HDD or DVD), but nothing live. This is especially odd as this machine boasts two TV tuners, one digital, one analogue. So what's the point if you can't use both simultaneously? (Of course while the machine's recording from a TV channel you can primitively switch your TV onto it's own (non-video) channel, but in the case of our old TV that's not good quality... And why should I have to find this poor solution with such a nice new video machine?)
My 2nd slight disappointment is I'm sure not unique to this brand or model, but I guess it's a similar story with any modern DVD recorders. One reason we wanted a VCR player and DVD recorder combi was to transfer a few of our much-loved well-played old video tapes onto DVD. Is this "pirating"?? Perhaps, but so be it; purely for our own personal use, before the (irreplaceable) video tapes finally snap. But even trying to dub from some VHS tapes the machine pipes up "copyright material - though shalt not copy". I dunno, these new-fangled machines are too smart for their own good sometimes...
These gripes aside, this is a super video recorder for a great price, and no qualms at all about choosing it.
So good - I bought another one!, 11 Nov 2008
Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With FreeviewAfter reading the reviews I bought one and its a fantastic piece of kit especially when you consider its below £200.00. Its really easy to use and contrary to another reviewer the remote functions without any issue even when far from the machine. Its very easy to set up - in fact it does everything for you and you can get rid of all the recorders, boxes and cables under your television and just have the one box. I really can't think of any bad points - although the instruction manual takes a bit of reading however its hardly worth bothering as the on screen instructions are so easy to follow and it appears to enhance all my TV programmes in fact its so good i'm going to buy another one!
Goodbye to tapes, 03 Nov 2008
Over the years I have accumulated seriously large quantities of video tapes from conventional VHS to mini dv's, these are distributed all around the house in cupboards, on shelves ...everywhere!. This piece of kit does exactly what it says on the box. I can transfer/edit to DVD reducing my piles of tapes to a much more manageable number of DVD's. The controls are simple and instructions are well produced and easy to understand. Overall a really first class buy and it arrived bang on time.
Worth Every Penny, 24 Oct 2008
This does exactly what it says on the box! A sophisticated little machine which I bought to supplement our Phillips set-top box and it works perfectly. Our area goes digital next June. Not as daunting to use/understand as some would have you believe and it has many innovative and welcome features that make using it and its operation a pleasure. Only slight niggle is that it is quite noisy (even when switched off and with a timer program waiting to spring into action). Only time it is silent is when completely shut down and not in timer mode. You get used to it though and for this price this is a very minor inconvenience.
Toshiba RDXV48DT Good but read the manual, 17 Oct 2008
I bought the product last week and looked forward to using it straight away. Being male and a technician I set to and connected everything up but it didn't work like I expected.
Reading the manual (which is not the easiest I have ever read) sorted the problems out and the results are very good. The worst problem was when I came to try to copy and edit some tapes. Unless you are very experienced at video editing you must read and constantly refer to the manual, so have it to hand. At 103 pages it is quite long and the people who wrote it must have assumed that the user is already knowledgeable. That is my only complaint..Could have been written better.
Other than that the picture quality is excellent, and the Tuner produces the best pictures I have seen. Almost glitch free viewing.
Fully recommended.
Poor Results, 21 Oct 2008
Product purchased in July 2008 little used until now October 08 plays discs for 40 minutes and then breaks up.. changes picture size.. and returns to start.. NOT a good buy! Look elsewhere.
Alright if I were French, 10 Oct 2008
I just got my dvd player today and it's spot on. took me no more than a minute from taking out the box to having it set up on my TV (including switching it to multi-region). it was easy to set up which is a good thing considering all the instructions i got with it were in French and even the dvd player itself is set in French.
This is where i'm hoping somebody might be able to help me, am I able to switch the dvd play to english so i can understand the menus?
plus on a side note and this isn't really anything against the dvd player. when it was delivered today the packaging was shocking. it was all ripped to bits. If it wasn't for the fact that none of the holes in the bag were big enough to fit the dvd player though i would of said it looked like somebody had switched them.
Not so hot., 16 Sep 2008
The Samsung v6800 has a mediocre picture quality, and as S Roberts says, the remote is lousy at best. Several pushes are often needed just to FFWD, pause, stop or restart after pause.
This unit was sent as a replacement for an older unit that was under extended warranty when it died, I would not choose to buy one. As for Miss Hawthorn's all regions hack? No response at all! Nada, zilch, naff all.
So, overall, not so hot!
Great Bang for the Buck, 11 Aug 2008
The DVD and VCR that this replaced (from 6-10 years old) cost four times as much and yet this is superior to them both. I can't beleive that some expected a DVD Recorder was included at this price...give it a few more years at least, however the descriptions for the v6800 do vary depending which site is visited. The VCR definately has 6 heads and not 4. The DVD can become multi-region with the hack descibed by others on Amazon. If like me your TV only accepts Progressive Scan in NTSC format the DVD player won't output a PAL disc in NTSC format. NTSC encoded disks work fine. I didn't have any issue with the remote either although the dubious unbranded batteries could have caused that issue.
Decent DVD player, Terrible Remote Control, 08 Aug 2008
This DVD player will play more or less any disc I try and the quality of the picture is fairly decent. The main problem with this DVD player is the remote control which will not work unless pointed directly at the player, I have the DVD player situated about 3 foot away from where I sit so theproblem is not the distance. I had a DVD/VCR combi for 4 years before I purchased this item to replace it and the remote with that would work from around 15 foot away and even if the remote was pointed at the wall.
The description of the item also said Connectivity 1 x HDMI, the item does not have an HDMI port which was one of the reasons I bought the item.
Overall it is a decent DVD player let down by the poor quality of the remote control.
Multi-region??, 28 Sep 2008
So far, I've no complaints with the DVD/Video combo. It's pretty easy to use, and produces decent quality pictures on my 37" HDTV. It does take a painfully long time to change drive from video to DVD and vice-versa, but I can live with that, I guess.
Anyway, does anyone know a multi-region hack for the DVD?? Thanks.
Very good but not great, 04 Aug 2008
I bought this recently so have not seen its full potential.However,playing DVDs and old videos, produced very good results and in the old videos I saw lots of detail I had previously missed on my old sony VCR player.I watched Pan's Labyrinth on it recently, through my panasonic 37 inch plasma and I was amazed at the colour and depth ,it was at times almost 3D. Overall I am very pleased it and I wanted a combi because I still have a big collection of VCRs, I've just not yet replaced with DVD.If I was paying for A DVD recorder only, at this price, I would however expect more.
disappointing kit, 30 Jul 2008
I bought this expecting a high quality freeview dvd/vhs recorder. It seemed exactly what I wanted and I like Panasonic dvd products. It replaced my JVC vhs recorder/dvd player and a Pansonic DMRES freeview/dvdrecorder, both excellent. The new Panasonic box had very poor image quality, lacking details and with very washed out colours. I hope this box was defective and it does not represent the quality of Panasonic's new offering. Amazon's excellent customer service took it back. I would advise seeing one of these in action before buying.
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Product Description
The Panasonic DMR-EX88 stores over 700 hours of programmes in EP mode. Its equipped with a 400 GB hard drive and is compatible with DivX, meaning you can enjoy your favourite multimedia and get rid of bulky recording equipment. In addition to a 1080p upscaling function, the DMR-EX88 renders videos in Full HD quality using its HDMI connection, while its Juke Box function and USB port keep you entertained with sound and images. The DMR-EX88 also displays ID3 tag information and comes with a DV input that makes archiving data to a DVD extremely easy. Thanks to its Pause Live programme, you can even record an episode of your favourite TV series while watching the beginning of it. The Home Cinema experience is made accessible to all, thanks to the DMR-EX88!
Customer Reviews
Excellent, 17 Nov 2008
Having had a bad experience with a cheaper no name product, and fighting tooth and nail to get a refund I decided to up my budget and get a named brand. Had a DVD recorder from Sony for about 4 years before it gave up the ghost, so felt comfortable with my purchase. As stated before the instructions can jump about abit but having mastered Sony's style before this was fairly straight forward to set up and get recording. Have had recorder for 4 days and am still finding options that will probably never use. If you just want to record digital TV to disc then this will do just fine. I have tried the usb port for playing music and viewing pictures very easy to work.Only niggle is when connected with HDMI cable mine gives a reduced screen size on some channels i.e. not wide screen as set. Have switched to using a scart lead and this solves screen size problem with no noticable change in picture definition.
Better than my previous HDD machine, 06 Nov 2008
Excellent!
It could be a bit tricky to set up if you look at the vast array of set ups in the manual but in reality it was fairly easy if you just logicaly follow the various inputs and outputs. Once set up it is easy to use. The EPG is OK and works fine and makes recording programs easy.
My machine is not in the least bit noisy in fact it is much quiter than my previous HDD machine (a Liteon).
Only problem I have is that it rejects DVD+RW discs! Any body else have this problem?
Very versatile, 04 Nov 2008
I bought this to replace a Samsung which cost nearly the same but was very disappointing. The Samsung dvd/hdd suffered from a lot of picture freeze and interference, and the programme menu was so frustratingly slow to respond you don't think the instruction has registered. This Sony couldn't be more different; it feels high quality as soon as you take it out the box, the instructions are relatively straightforward if you persevere, and operation is easy when you get the hang of it. What doesn't come across in the specification is the great editing function for your dv or hdd camcorder, and as I have a Sony model this is a huge bonus. Using an I-link connection the dvd/hdd remote operates the camcorder whilst playing and editing, and you can edit frame by frame. I can't believe I am doing this within a few days! The tuner gives a much better picture on my new Samsung tv than the built-in tuner, it is virtually free of interference and the screen display responds as soon as you press the key. Brilliant.
Sony RDR HXD890, 31 Oct 2008
Got the recorder yesterday and I have to say, i have made the right choice. I only had 1 problem and that was me putting the arial cables in the analogue section and not the digital, 1 quick change over and voilla. Anyway, onto the important stuff. Recording and putting it onto the dvd is so simple. just choose where you want to record to the recording quality and you're away. I've also connected the VCR and recorded 1 of my dad's videos and put it to DVD, no problems what-so-ever. And because it has so many recording modes, it can manage to fit it to a disk at a good quality. All of the features are good on this are good; the pause Tv records to the hard drive so you can go back to it at any time and skip the adverts in seconds. The only criticism of this is the remote which seems a little OTT, but you can get used to it in a short amount of time. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone, it is nearly perfect. Just 1 question to people who own it though. If the program over-runs, does the recording extend to account for this.
NTSC plays in black & white, 27 Oct 2008
The machine can be hacked to be region free, but NTSC disks only play in black & white. While this is an improvement over the Daewoo D | | |