I have been using a digifusion FVRT100 for a while now and now want to buy a new DVR with DVD recorder .

I have been reading good things about the panasonic DMR-EX77EB and judging by the small number of posts about it here it probably is. Would you reccommend this machine? Reliable?

Many thanks,

Julian, London

Hello Julian.

I would recommend it without hesitation.

Without question it is one of the best machines you can get.

Excellent. It looks great. Many thanks.

I have a Panasonic EX77 HD dvd recorder and after reading about the toshiba losing the HD - Blu ray war, how will this affect me, would i still be able to buy HD dvds, would blu ray dvds work in my Dvd Recorder

Hate to be the one to break this to you, but the EX77 is a hard drive (HD) and DVD recorder (usually HDD - hard disk drive). It is not a HD-DVD recorder and specifically does not play back or record high definition. It will not play back or record on either HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray discs.

(I always thought Hi-Def was a better abbreviation than HD because of the confusion with hard disk!)

I was looking at this model too as my previous panasonic dvd recorder has finally given up. I was all ready to purchase it and then the Toshiba announcement was made and i don't really understand about HD v Blu-Ray (not very technically minded).

I'm looking at spending approx £200 on this machine and want it to last for a few years, am i going to run into problems because of blu-ray? I only own standard def DVD's so nothing Hi-def yet. Obviously i want to spend right now so i don't have an obsolete machine 12 months down the line Any advice would be very helpful

Bluray is going to remain a niche product only, for the forseeable future... and you cannot buy Bluray DVDR's anyway.. because there aren't any... and the reason is because they are largely pointless at the moment and will remain so until unlocked recordable high definition material is broadcast by the Public Service Broadcasters via the traditional terrestrial route .. which will be some time in coming.

So don't worry about the bluray issue.

Standard DVDR's are going to be with us for some time yet.

Presumably, you meant in the UK? Panasonic have several BD Recorders available in Japan. While these are currently unavailable in Europe, they do exist and it's only a matter of time before they arrive here.

Yes I did mean the UK. It is a matter of time -- but it is not likely to be soon because there is nothing to drive the need... and even when they arrive they are not anticipated as being anything but niche systems for some time.

The Japanese market is a radically different market from here.

They have machines out there with 7! tuners in them when we still struggle with one - is just another typical example.

The Japanese have a different attitude to consumer electronics and are prepared to dig deep in their pockets in large numbers for hi tech products. That is not true in the UK.

The questioner is concerned at spending £200 on a machine now.
I doubt he would entertain spending the five to six and half times that price that the first BD DVDR's will cost when they first appear.


HD content is currently only available on closed locked systems such as sky HD. [ ... and minimal content coming soon on Freesat ]

Dunno but DMR-E(H)85 machines are rubbish.

Many people have had probs. I had two.. Both locked up from time to time and took some-unlocking. Now one has solidly locked up and the other wouldn't power up half the time. No that one has failed altogther. Panasonic want silly money for their repair.
What would be the point if they are unstable and unreliable and likely to fail again.

I have bought an LG machine and so far it has performed without a prob.

It has put my right off Panasonic.

Thanks for all the replies but I am not interested in Hi-Def. I just want to watch freeview in the uk and sometimes backup to DVD. Most importantly is the Panasonic DMR-EX77 a twin tuner enabling me to record one channel whilst watching another?

Jsykes, UK

No, it's not, and my understanding is that there are no twin tuner DVDR's in the UK.

However, you can definitely record one channel on the EX77 while watching another on your TV (the TV uses its own tuner).

And, in case you are not aware, you can play back a recording while simultaneously recording another programme onto the hard drive. Or play back a recording while the remainder of the programme is still being recorded.

As Gavtech said earlier in this thread, the EX77 is a really great machine - highly recommended. Amazon had them at the very reasonable price of £209.99 including delivery the other day (which means Richer Sounds and perhaps others should price-match).

Hope this is useful.

The EX77 does not have twin tuners. In fact there isn't a DVD Recorder on sale in the UK which has twin tuners.

The EX77 has only a Freeview tuner (but is also able to record from external sources, such as a Sky box or a camcorder).

So if you wish to record one Freeview channel whilst watching another, you will need either a TV with built-in Freeview or a Freeview set-top box.

Alternatively, you can choose a PVR. These are available with multiple tuners (but, of course, no DVD Recorder).

Many thanks for the reply.

by multiple tuners, 625 means a max of 2 at the moment, if considering one of these be warned, although dual tuner, not all will record two channels at once. Some only record one while the other tuner is for watching.
Dave

this applies to PVRs not DVDRs - as previously stated there are no dual record DVDRs available in UK - apparantly there is no demand (although numerous posters on this and other forums would indicate ther was)

Actually I deliberately said multiple tuners rather than dual tuners because of the Virgin V+ box which has three tuners in it.

Also, what I hinted at but wasn't explicit about was that PVRs can record from their built-in tuner(s) to their built-in hard drives, but can't usually record from an external source, such as a VHS player or camcorder.

Sorry 625, never used the virgin system so didn't know they had 3 tuners but I sure wish there were multiple tuner dvd/pvr recorders out there for use with freeview.
Dave

Thanks for the info about the EX77. I am seriously considering replacing my E55 with this machine so that I can record without the problems I have had recently. (Mentioned in another thread on here).

I went to Currys to have a look at the Panny and the sales assistant said that it doesn't record from analogue. Is this true? Not that it actually matters.

It is true in the sense that it does not have an analogue tuner... only a digital tuner.
In other words you need to be able to receive freeview to use it effectively.

But it will record any analogue source that comes in via the other inputs. [ as opposed to the analogue 'channels' which is what I think you were referring to. ]

Thanks Gavtech. I have decided it might be better to buy a new DVDR rather than have the problem I am having with the E55. It works OK but as you now know I have difficulty recording now.

It seems that the EX77 will do just what I want - record at the touch of a button (or two). And it has a hard drive + discs.

Best of luck with it.

I think you will like it. It's quite a step up from the E55.
Fun to use.

Thanks. I can get it for £209 from Amazon which is £40 saving on Curry's price.

I'll let you know how I get on.

I took the plunge and sent for the DVDR from Amazon. They say it will take about two days. £5 postage which isn't bad really.

I told my friend about getting a new recorder and she says that another friend of hers has recently had her VCR die on her, so I might have a buyer for the old one!