Panasonic DMR-EX77

ianflo · 02-01-2008, 20:00

Was thinking of getting a Panasonic DMR-EX77 for living room (ditching vcr), does anyone have one of these?

Does it have freeview playback compatibility?

Will it get updated for series record?

Most importantly are they easy to operate and any good?

Thanks for any advice

(Did a few searches on forums with no joy)

Ianflo

ianflo · 02-01-2008, 20:04

When searching must have put wrong letter in front of 77 as have now found some posts, apologies

.

Would still value opinions though.....

bobcar · 02-01-2008, 20:11

It does have Freeview, I'm not sure what you mean by Freeview playback.

Like any DVD recorder it's not that easy to use, though the HDD makes it easier than a plain DVDR.

For general use in timeshifting etc you would be far better off getting a PVR, I assume you don't have Sky/Virgin so a dual channel Freeview PVR would be a good idea.

skinj · 02-01-2008, 20:12

Really good machine, easy to use and gives good picture qualty on pre-recoreded DVD's too.
Is not freeview playback, as this came out after the machine was released into the market. It does however allow you to playback while recording to either a dvd-ram or the HDD. It does not have a live pause/rewind feature though.

bobcar · 02-01-2008, 20:23

What's Freeview playback please?

skinj · 02-01-2008, 20:26

Essentially Freeview version of Sky+.
Instant buffering of the station you are on allowing a rewind of "X" amount of time with a live pause feature built-in too. I Have only used the Humax PVR9200TB so far but it works really well. Check out http://www.freeview.co.uk/products/dtr

ianflo · 02-01-2008, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by skinj

Essentially Freeview version of Sky+.
Instant buffering of the station you are on allowing a rewind of "X" amount of time with a live pause feature built-in too. I Have only used the Humax PVR9200TB so far but it works really well. Check out http://www.freeview.co.uk/products/dtr

If EX77 has a HDD, can Panasonic not do a OTA software upgrade to make it playback compatible?

As its a newish bit of kit I'd have thought panasonic would have looked into this?

As well as thinking of the EX77 to replace my dvd player and vcr (sick of all the cables), I was also contemplating a Humax 9200ts but am a bit put off by the glitches that seem to fill the DS forum page on Humax.

How tempremental are the Humax pvr's? Is it just an unfortunate few who have problems or a regular thing??

skinj · 02-01-2008, 21:11

The 77 has been out since May 07 so is due for replacement in March/april this year probably. Would think that freeview playback could be a feature of some new panasonic DVD recorders this year. Alternativly they may include freeview playback into the TV's and leave the DVD/HDD recorders the way they are. Have heard nothing from Pana' about any ota upgrades at all.
The Humax seems ok to us and have been historicallly good for us also. Bit early for me to comment to much as we've only ben doing the latest version for a couple of months.

ianflo · 02-01-2008, 21:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by skinj

The 77 has been out since May 07 so is due for replacement in March/april this year probably. Would think that freeview playback could be a feature of some new panasonic DVD recorders this year. Alternativly they may include freeview playback into the TV's and leave the DVD/HDD recorders the way they are. Have heard nothing from Pana' about any ota upgrades at all.
The Humax seems ok to us and have been historicallly good for us also. Bit early for me to comment to much as we've only ben doing the latest version for a couple of months.

Do Panasonic always update every 6 months??

Humax do OTA updates which have meant their box has lasted from 2005 (lots of software upgrades though).

Stuck between which product to go for. Have panny STB for tv, but Humax would mean just 2 boxes under tv (humax and dvd player) reducing cables and tidying place up.

EX 77 would enable me to burn onto disk but humax appears more flexible with twin record etc.

stvn758 · 02-01-2008, 22:11

I have one, the thing is though Sky+ means it spends more time gathering dust.

It's got an update button in the menu so you can upgrade the firmware. HDMI is nice and the remote is a good size and well laid out.

It's quirky, and can be confusing to use, when you stop watching a DVD it seems to just have a screensaver rather than the traditional method of switching back to the TV picture. It will automatically finalise a DVD after you have copied even a small clip from the hard drive - you have to copy through the advanced menu to prevent it.

It has just about everything you could want in a DVD recorder and is a nice black.

Also.. just looking at my remote there are Time Slip and Direct TV Record buttons, so I'm assuming you can do some Sky+ stuff with this one.

bobcar · 02-01-2008, 22:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianflo

EX 77 would enable me to burn onto disk but humax appears more flexible with twin record etc.

It would be just as cheap to get a PVR (Humax is just one choice) and a non HDD DVDR as to get the EX77. I would rather have an HDD DVDR than one without but not at the cost of not having a PVR.

I think just about all PVRs and some HDD DVDRs do Freeview playback (I didn't know the term which was why I asked).

Paul T · 08-01-2008, 14:54

I have a panasonic ex77, but I can't record from VCR to DVD-RW. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong please?

bobcar · 08-01-2008, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul T

I have a panasonic ex77, but I can't record from VCR to DVD-RW. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong please?

The first thing is to check that you can record from VCR at all. Can you record from VCR to the HDD? If not then the connection/input selection will be wrong - if the input is set to RGB for instance it will not record.

Usually it's easier to record to the HDD and than on to DVD because it makes editing easier. You can then high speed copy on to DVD.

David (2) · 08-01-2008, 21:19

I have the DMR EX77....good machine. Very good picture on Freeview, recordings, and DVD playback.

Got the HDMI socket as well - but I cant test it (no tv with a HDMI socket).

Very well built - especially the remote control.

Very quiet operation.

You can copy from hard disc to dvd's.

The book says some content needs to be recorded to the hard disc first, before burning it to blank dvd (or maybe VHS) - cant remember the exact wording and situation for this.

Just remember its only got 1 Freeview tuner inside...
and this machine since the 2007 revamp has no analogue tuner card - so it cant record analogue tv channels.

Dave

Gilson · 08-01-2008, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobcar

I think just about all PVRs and some HDD DVDRs do Freeview playback (I didn't know the term which was why I asked).

Iam also confused by the term Freeview Playback - Is it what I call rewind live TV? If so its not necesarily a freeview feature. Its on Sky+ and VM+ boxes for starters.

As you say most PVR's will do this but the only HDD DVDR's that I know do this are Philips but they dont have Freeview tuners only analogue..!

I have a Sony 870 (equivalent of Panny 77) and you can at least pause live TV on this and I suspect the Panny does likewise

Nigel Goodwin · 08-01-2008, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilson

Iam also confused by the term Freeview Playback - Is it what I call rewind live TV?

As far as I'm aware it's a FreeView only term, and a specification that's been many years in the coming (and it's a bit 'iffy' if it's here yet?) - it's main function is to replicate the Sky+ series link, which FreeView PVR's don't have.

Apparently the latest Humax 9200's meet the spec?, and updates for the older ones are either available, or due soon.

Tony Hoyle · 12-01-2008, 20:55

Freeview playback machines all have:

Dual digital tuners
Series link via freeview extended EPG
Ability to handle record conflicts by rescheduling
Ability to record related programmes
Accurate recording (inc. schedule changes in standby)
Chase play/pause/rewind, watch whilst recording, etc.

Plus there's a bit in the spec regarding guaranteed functionality for fast forward/rewind and some other technical stuff.

Most pre-playback PVRs don't meet the spec. Playback is quite nice - better than Sky+ (which handles recording conflicts by deleting the series link, for example). Worth shopping around for a box that supports it - so the EX77 is off my list.

bobcar · 12-01-2008, 21:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Hoyle

Freeview playback machines all have:

Dual digital tuners
Series link via freeview extended EPG
Ability to handle record conflicts by rescheduling
Ability to record related programmes
Accurate recording (inc. schedule changes in standby)
Chase play/pause/rewind, watch whilst recording, etc.

Plus there's a bit in the spec regarding guaranteed functionality for fast forward/rewind and some other technical stuff.

Most pre-playback PVRs don't meet the spec. Playback is quite nice - better than Sky+ (which handles recording conflicts by deleting the series link, for example). Worth shopping around for a box that supports it - so the EX77 is off my list.

Well you wouldn't expect the EX77 to meet your needs when it's DVD recorder and you're looking for a PVR.

Scorpio · 12-01-2008, 21:54

....and beware of the 'Dual digital tuners' tagline..............not all can record two channels simultaneously - some can only record one while watching another, pretty basic compared to the best on the market.

Rgds,
Scorp

GOGGS75 · 13-01-2008, 19:04

Hi,

I purchased one of the above DVD recorders recently and have been impressed by it.

There is one minor point I have noticed when setting this up that I am a bit unsure about. This is the display on the equipments front panel. Is it optional to display the time, counter or channel number when it is switched on or is the equipment fully in control of what is on display ?

It only shows the channel number when watching a digitial channel although the instruction booklet says to check the time on the unit before manual recording.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers

Googs75

stvn758 · 13-01-2008, 20:33

I dislike the way it shows a counter when watching a DVD, haven't figured out how to shut that off.

Would prefer just the clock on the display.

bobcar · 13-01-2008, 21:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOGGS75

Hi,

It only shows the channel number when watching a digitial channel although the instruction booklet says to check the time on the unit before manual recording.

It will take it's time off the signal anyway so there's no need to worry.

02-01-2008, 20:00	#1
ianflo Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Durham. Posts: 259	Panasonic DMR-EX77 Was thinking of getting a Panasonic DMR-EX77 for living room (ditching vcr), does anyone have one of these? Does it have freeview playback compatibility? Will it get updated for series record? Most importantly are they easy to operate and any good? Thanks for any advice (Did a few searches on forums with no joy) Ianflo

13-01-2008, 19:04	#20
GOGGS75 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 16	Panasonic Dmr Ex 77 Hi, I purchased one of the above DVD recorders recently and have been impressed by it. There is one minor point I have noticed when setting this up that I am a bit unsure about. This is the display on the equipments front panel. Is it optional to display the time, counter or channel number when it is switched on or is the equipment fully in control of what is on display ? It only shows the channel number when watching a digitial channel although the instruction booklet says to check the time on the unit before manual recording. Thanks for any help. Cheers Googs75

02-01-2008, 20:04	#2
ianflo Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Durham. Posts: 259	When searching must have put wrong letter in front of 77 as have now found some posts, apologies . Would still value opinions though.....

02-01-2008, 20:11	#3
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	It does have Freeview, I'm not sure what you mean by Freeview playback. Like any DVD recorder it's not that easy to use, though the HDD makes it easier than a plain DVDR. For general use in timeshifting etc you would be far better off getting a PVR, I assume you don't have Sky/Virgin so a dual channel Freeview PVR would be a good idea.

02-01-2008, 20:12	#4
skinj Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,206	Really good machine, easy to use and gives good picture qualty on pre-recoreded DVD's too. Is not freeview playback, as this came out after the machine was released into the market. It does however allow you to playback while recording to either a dvd-ram or the HDD. It does not have a live pause/rewind feature though.

02-01-2008, 20:23	#5
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	What's Freeview playback please?

02-01-2008, 20:26	#6
skinj Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,206	Essentially Freeview version of Sky+. Instant buffering of the station you are on allowing a rewind of "X" amount of time with a live pause feature built-in too. I Have only used the Humax PVR9200TB so far but it works really well. Check out http://www.freeview.co.uk/products/dtr

02-01-2008, 20:54	#7
ianflo Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Durham. Posts: 259	Quote: Originally Posted by skinj Essentially Freeview version of Sky+. Instant buffering of the station you are on allowing a rewind of "X" amount of time with a live pause feature built-in too. I Have only used the Humax PVR9200TB so far but it works really well. Check out http://www.freeview.co.uk/products/dtr If EX77 has a HDD, can Panasonic not do a OTA software upgrade to make it playback compatible? As its a newish bit of kit I'd have thought panasonic would have looked into this? As well as thinking of the EX77 to replace my dvd player and vcr (sick of all the cables), I was also contemplating a Humax 9200ts but am a bit put off by the glitches that seem to fill the DS forum page on Humax. How tempremental are the Humax pvr's? Is it just an unfortunate few who have problems or a regular thing??

02-01-2008, 21:11	#8
skinj Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,206	The 77 has been out since May 07 so is due for replacement in March/april this year probably. Would think that freeview playback could be a feature of some new panasonic DVD recorders this year. Alternativly they may include freeview playback into the TV's and leave the DVD/HDD recorders the way they are. Have heard nothing from Pana' about any ota upgrades at all. The Humax seems ok to us and have been historicallly good for us also. Bit early for me to comment to much as we've only ben doing the latest version for a couple of months.

02-01-2008, 21:57	#9
ianflo Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Durham. Posts: 259	Quote: Originally Posted by skinj The 77 has been out since May 07 so is due for replacement in March/april this year probably. Would think that freeview playback could be a feature of some new panasonic DVD recorders this year. Alternativly they may include freeview playback into the TV's and leave the DVD/HDD recorders the way they are. Have heard nothing from Pana' about any ota upgrades at all. The Humax seems ok to us and have been historicallly good for us also. Bit early for me to comment to much as we've only ben doing the latest version for a couple of months. Do Panasonic always update every 6 months?? Humax do OTA updates which have meant their box has lasted from 2005 (lots of software upgrades though). Stuck between which product to go for. Have panny STB for tv, but Humax would mean just 2 boxes under tv (humax and dvd player) reducing cables and tidying place up. EX 77 would enable me to burn onto disk but humax appears more flexible with twin record etc.

02-01-2008, 22:11	#10
stvn758 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 17,338	I have one, the thing is though Sky+ means it spends more time gathering dust. It's got an update button in the menu so you can upgrade the firmware. HDMI is nice and the remote is a good size and well laid out. It's quirky, and can be confusing to use, when you stop watching a DVD it seems to just have a screensaver rather than the traditional method of switching back to the TV picture. It will automatically finalise a DVD after you have copied even a small clip from the hard drive - you have to copy through the advanced menu to prevent it. It has just about everything you could want in a DVD recorder and is a nice black. Also.. just looking at my remote there are Time Slip and Direct TV Record buttons, so I'm assuming you can do some Sky+ stuff with this one.

02-01-2008, 22:14	#11
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	Quote: Originally Posted by ianflo EX 77 would enable me to burn onto disk but humax appears more flexible with twin record etc. It would be just as cheap to get a PVR (Humax is just one choice) and a non HDD DVDR as to get the EX77. I would rather have an HDD DVDR than one without but not at the cost of not having a PVR. I think just about all PVRs and some HDD DVDRs do Freeview playback (I didn't know the term which was why I asked).

08-01-2008, 14:54	#12
Paul T Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1	I have a panasonic ex77, but I can't record from VCR to DVD-RW. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong please?

08-01-2008, 15:21	#13
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	Quote: Originally Posted by Paul T I have a panasonic ex77, but I can't record from VCR to DVD-RW. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong please? The first thing is to check that you can record from VCR at all. Can you record from VCR to the HDD? If not then the connection/input selection will be wrong - if the input is set to RGB for instance it will not record. Usually it's easier to record to the HDD and than on to DVD because it makes editing easier. You can then high speed copy on to DVD.

08-01-2008, 21:19	#14
David (2) Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: S.West England. Posts: 18,037	I have the DMR EX77....good machine. Very good picture on Freeview, recordings, and DVD playback. Got the HDMI socket as well - but I cant test it (no tv with a HDMI socket). Very well built - especially the remote control. Very quiet operation. You can copy from hard disc to dvd's. The book says some content needs to be recorded to the hard disc first, before burning it to blank dvd (or maybe VHS) - cant remember the exact wording and situation for this. Just remember its only got 1 Freeview tuner inside... and this machine since the 2007 revamp has no analogue tuner card - so it cant record analogue tv channels. Dave

08-01-2008, 21:54	#15
Gilson Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 1,145	Quote: Originally Posted by bobcar I think just about all PVRs and some HDD DVDRs do Freeview playback (I didn't know the term which was why I asked). Iam also confused by the term Freeview Playback - Is it what I call rewind live TV? If so its not necesarily a freeview feature. Its on Sky+ and VM+ boxes for starters. As you say most PVR's will do this but the only HDD DVDR's that I know do this are Philips but they dont have Freeview tuners only analogue..! I have a Sony 870 (equivalent of Panny 77) and you can at least pause live TV on this and I suspect the Panny does likewise

08-01-2008, 23:37	#16
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Gilson Iam also confused by the term Freeview Playback - Is it what I call rewind live TV? As far as I'm aware it's a FreeView only term, and a specification that's been many years in the coming (and it's a bit 'iffy' if it's here yet?) - it's main function is to replicate the Sky+ series link, which FreeView PVR's don't have. Apparently the latest Humax 9200's meet the spec?, and updates for the older ones are either available, or due soon.

12-01-2008, 20:55	#17
Tony Hoyle Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 1,703	Freeview playback machines all have: Dual digital tuners Series link via freeview extended EPG Ability to handle record conflicts by rescheduling Ability to record related programmes Accurate recording (inc. schedule changes in standby) Chase play/pause/rewind, watch whilst recording, etc. Plus there's a bit in the spec regarding guaranteed functionality for fast forward/rewind and some other technical stuff. Most pre-playback PVRs don't meet the spec. Playback is quite nice - better than Sky+ (which handles recording conflicts by deleting the series link, for example). Worth shopping around for a box that supports it - so the EX77 is off my list.

12-01-2008, 21:49	#18
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	Quote: Originally Posted by Tony Hoyle Freeview playback machines all have: Dual digital tuners Series link via freeview extended EPG Ability to handle record conflicts by rescheduling Ability to record related programmes Accurate recording (inc. schedule changes in standby) Chase play/pause/rewind, watch whilst recording, etc. Plus there's a bit in the spec regarding guaranteed functionality for fast forward/rewind and some other technical stuff. Most pre-playback PVRs don't meet the spec. Playback is quite nice - better than Sky+ (which handles recording conflicts by deleting the series link, for example). Worth shopping around for a box that supports it - so the EX77 is off my list. Well you wouldn't expect the EX77 to meet your needs when it's DVD recorder and you're looking for a PVR.

12-01-2008, 21:54	#19
Scorpio Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerset Posts: 3,048	....and beware of the 'Dual digital tuners' tagline..............not all can record two channels simultaneously - some can only record one while watching another, pretty basic compared to the best on the market. Rgds, Scorp

13-01-2008, 20:33	#21
stvn758 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 17,338	I dislike the way it shows a counter when watching a DVD, haven't figured out how to shut that off. Would prefer just the clock on the display.

13-01-2008, 21:33	#22
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	Quote: Originally Posted by GOGGS75 Hi, It only shows the channel number when watching a digitial channel although the instruction booklet says to check the time on the unit before manual recording. It will take it's time off the signal anyway so there's no need to worry.

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