Description: · Fully Automomatic Setup
· Wide Screen Switching
· 80GB Hard Disk Drive
· 300Mhz CPU
· Connections: Twin SCARTS/SPDIF (digital optical out)/RCA
· Recording features: View Live TV service while recording same or alternative service, Live TV pause/resume/search at various speeds, View Recorded Service while recording live service, Playback of recorded service at +/- x1, x3, x12, x24, and x300 speed, Ability to swap between playback and live service without stopping playback, Archive HDD content and view live service
· TV Guide - Shows currently available terrestrial services
· Categorisation for Genre/User Profiles and 24hr/7 day event list as in iDTV
· Disc Navigator - Lists content of HDD by programme name, indicating un-watched and currently recording content. Also gives the user archiving feature and lock for precious recordings.
· Banner Navigation - Program information banner (Now and Next only)
REVIEWS
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Weaknesses: Both units I had suffered from some hardware / software / firmware problem that made recording hit and miss. When left on the unit would clearly start recording but afterwards fail to register the recording. When left on standby it would often 'lock-up' in a recording and the only solution was to disconnect / reconnect, thereby losing the recording.
The second unit suffered less from this serious problem (but again did to a certain extent) but its main problem was its awful Czech build quality.
From the minute I turned it on - (gently!) when the on/off button went into the casing!, it would start to cycle upwards through the channels unless and until the 'down channel' button was pressed.
Audio leaked from Channel 4 into other watched channels and recordings such that in quiet passages of other programmes / recordings you were treated to advert 'jingles'!
Finally, hard drive access was very slow and lacked smoothness - occasionally locking into the display the programme information bar!
Overall: Treat with extreme caution. SONY may be expensive but the quality is so much better!
Weaknesses: recordings are not guaranteed to happen. epg recording selection will miss start and end of programmes if transmission not to exact scheduled times. You must alter the start and finish times through the timer menu. Often programmes do not record or record only part of what you have requested. Fan seems to be on even when in standby.
Overall: Panasonic web site offers no info on these problems. Customer service tried to tell me that my aerial was not good enough, but I told them that I had just spent £200 on a new installation. Another engineer rang back and admitted the software was faulty. Promised an over the air upgrade 14th. November 2005 or said I could return the product for a refund. Fingers crossed! Terrible advert for Panasonic.
Performance
40%
Build
60%
Value
20%
Overall Rating
40%
MY REVIEW
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Average Rating: 3 out of 5
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