just purchased the panasonic to replace my humax hdr box.i must say the quailty is what we would expect from panasonic but miss a few of the features from the humax.

1-you cant rewind live tv
2-cant record from now/next banner
3-no info for what you have recorded(program details).
4-setting programs to record takes a few more clicks.

all in all a great box,the picture quailty is really good and would recomend.

Perhaps all those features will be in the next model with a 2Tb drive as now on sale in Japan.

Automan.

i thought rewind live tv was freesat+ spec

According to wikipedia the spec hasn't been released to the general public


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freesat%2B#Features

Bought mine from Hughes Direct (via Play.com) still looks best price at £795.90. New to all this HD and satellite stuff (ex-Freeview user)!
All the basic stuff works OK as far as I'm concerned but still wrestling with what channels are there and which have disappeared (Dave, Yesterday, the Five "extras").
I paid the premium for BS850 (because I'm not likely to use Bluray recording) for the apparent integration with existing Panasonic TV. But in my naivety assumed HDMI cable would completely replace need for SCART. But after long tim eon phone to (helpful) Tech support guy, I find that "Direct TV record", "pause Live TV" and use of TV timer to record all require fully wired SCART cable in addition to HDMI. There goes my carefully organised cable management!
I also confirmed my finding that I can't move DivX file from USB to HDD ("legal problems" according to the engineer). Also, despite claiming to be able to read/copy AVCHD files this will ONLY work for such files from a Panasonic camera, not ones created on PC.
VIERA Cast is very limited (no sign of Amazon "Video on demand" talked of elsewhere on Internet and - according to engineer - no known plans). HDD not "visible" to PC on network so can't use that to transfer files.
So, despite them saying "this is the only box you need in your lounge", I'll still need my Netgear EVA8000!

If you visit the Freeview & Freesat websites they have channel lists which you can use to compare. The ones you quote from Freeview seem to be frequent surprises to people coming from Freeview to Freesat

I don't have one of these Panny boxes, as you can tell from my gear on the left, but these functions should be internal within the box, between its tuners and its HDD, it should not need a Scart. Once you've Paused, Timer Recorded etc., any supported cable to your TV should show the output.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the issue, here.

Rgds.


Les.

Thanks for your comments, Les. Might have not expressed myself clearly! No problem viewing anything on HDMI cable. But starting off a "Direct TV record" (for instance) - i.e. using the Freesat box to record a Freeview programme I'm watching on TV - can't be done with ONLY an HDMI connection (I'm now being told).

I looks like I did misunderstand then.

Are you saying you can record on the Panny's HDD, a programme from your Freeview TV? Also, that you can Pause the Live TV Freeview signal on the Freesat box, and can set a timer on the box to record from your Freeview TV.

I didn't know it could do this, i.e. record etc., from an external source.

Rgds.


Les.

Yes, I can with SCART cable. I'm a novice on these things but Panasonic guy explained that HDMI can only carry video/audio "one way", whereas SCART has 2-way communication.
Not sure how useful it is because the Freesat box takes so long to fire up that by the time "Pause Live TV" has kicked in the caller will have left/hung up or you bladder will have given way!
Timer record would be useful (on any channel on Freeview but not Freesat) except I've got the TV on an Intelliplug to save the planet so when it goes into standby the power goes off completely. Not thought that one through yet!

Thanks for confirming. That prompted me to go on the Panasonic website and have a quick look at the User Manual - it is using the "Viera" integration with your Panasonic TV to do all this which, as you said, is why you paid the premium price for it.

Rgds.


Les.

I too was baffled and the error message given when pressing Direct TV REC with only an HDMI cable connected is most unhelpful.
Both HDMI and SCART are needed - pages 10 and 114 of the DMR-BSx50 manual show both HDMI and SCART connected.
My TH-42PZ81B manual spells it out more clearly with a table which shows that Direct TV ane Live TV aren't available with an HDMI cable alone.

Excuse my typos in last sentence- corrected version:
I too was baffled and the error message given when pressing Direct TV REC with only an HDMI cable connected is most unhelpful.
Both HDMI and SCART are needed - pages 10 and 114 of the DMR-BSx50 manual show both HDMI and SCART connected.
My TH-42PZ81B manual spells it out more clearly with a table which shows that Direct TV REC and Pause Live TV aren't available with an HDMI cable alone.

The panasonic freesat recorders are currently unique (excepting the TIVO). They are the only twin tuner pvrs that have analogue to digital conversion and real time mpeg encoders, as a result they can record from an external SD source and from a HD source generated by a panasonic HD camcorder.

No device can record from a hdcp hdmi connection (that's the whole point of hdcp).

On short they can't record a HD source in HD other than non copyright material you have shot yourself on a suitable camcorder

Pressing Direct TV Record on either the PZ81B or BS850 remotes will record exactly what's showing on the TV. It doesn't matter whether you're watching HD or SD. When the recording is replayed it will appear exactly as it did when the programme was being broadcast. Being able to immediately grab what's showing on the screen saves precious seconds that would otherwise be wasted on selecting the BS850 to the correct channel or AV source.

Correction. I was mistaken in thinking that Direct TV Record would record an HD prog being shown on screen. I realised I hadn't actually tried it out in practice - I was too pleased to get the function working to be objective at the time. Checking it out this morning I realise that in my situation the recorder always selects AVI (SCART) and hence the recording is SD only.

after 2 weeks with the bs850 and a few lock ups i have sent it back,the product cant match the price.

Having thought I'd cracked it once, it never seemed to work again and I eventually sought Panasonic help again.

Their response: "...connect the units using AV1 of the television to AV1 of the blu ray recorder as well as HDMI from the TV to the blu ray recorder, then in the television settings you will need to set AVI to monitor."

I always wondered what that "monitor" setting did. Now orks fine. Mind you, the length of time the BS850 takes to crank into life makes "Pause Live TV" less than wonderful. But at least I can now use TV for timed recordings of Freeview channels.

I have had trouble with mine missing recordings occationally. the pause light comes on but the recording sometimes does not start.

Anyone else found this?

Sorry to be slightly off topic.
Yes I wondered what the "output to monitor" setting did...To save me getting behind my tv again I presume the "direct tv record" will only work if the source is connected to the tv by scart and not just an HDMI cable.I just have a Panny hdd rec that outputs from a hdmi cable,it is not hi def.....