Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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216 of 220 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another top quality budget DVD recorder from Panasonic - you might want a hard drive as well though, 25 Aug 2008
Available in this all black or as silver/black, this is the third Panasonic DVD recorder I have owned. Disappointingly my Panasonic E55 DVD recorder has just packed up after recording a thousand or so DVDs over two years for the family, so I purchased this similar £140 model. Until it packed in, the E55 recorder was incredibly reliable at recording DVDs though. So I bought this Panasonic model as a replacement. This EZ28EB multi-format recorder works with DVD-RAM and DVD -/+ R/RWs and even dual layer [although these are still too expensive to be worthwhile using]. Only DVD-RAM offers full editing and the great time-slip/chase-play [sky+ type] feature - i.e. watch the recording from the beginning while the DVD is still recording the end of the program. The unit can't replay hi-def blue-ray or the now defunct HD format film DVDs. This DVD recorder can upscale standard DVD video to 1080 line HD TV but our TV is 4:3 PAL so we get no benefit. Likewise if you own a compatible Panasonic [HDAVI Control 3] TV, the TV remote can instant record and do other clever stuff via the VIERA link. Our TV is Sony and not VIERA compatible - although the DVD remote can still usefully control this TVs volume and channel number.
The player has a FreeView digital tuner built in, and we can record from a Sky box or another Digibox via the recorders AV1 and AV2 scart inputs as well [we use two nifty Vivanco SBX-94SE scart switching boxes]. The recorder Freeview can display the full FreeView program guide for all channels and the setup does a better job of ordering stations than my old Nokia FreeView box - however the FreeView program guide is nowhere as good as Skys. It does allow one-button auto-setup of the record timer for any selected program though. FreeView picture quality is typically excellent with a decent signal/aerial. There's also a standard analogue-in phono/S-video socket [AV3] on the front for your video or digital camera, and L+R audio-out phonos for the hi-fi [a video/audio three phono lead and RF coax cable is supplied with the recorder]. DVD output to TV is only via scart [or HDMI cable or 'progressive' component-out cables], there's no RF out for the TV via the co-ax aerial cable. There's a 4pin DV-IN port for video cameras - looks like a mini-firewire.
Picture & sound quality is very good at SP, but we always record in LP as this gives 4 rather than 2 hours recording time on a 4Gb DVD. If the source is top quality, LP mode is pretty good although you can detect a slight degradation in signal if you really look for it [but generally you never notice it]. Even EP [at 8 hours per DVD] isn't that bad for sound and image on our hi-black 21" 4:3 screen TV, particularly for the kids cartoons or programs you aren't keeping long on re-recordable DVD-RAM/RWs. There's also flexible record [FR] to fit the recording into the space left on the DVD [if there's room]. Push the front panel record button repeatedly and you can set an instant record time from 30 minutes to 4 hours, plus there's standard timed record for when you are out [up to 8 programs].
The DVD remote [batteries supplied] is a joy to use and you can actually read all the buttons, although I far preferred our older Panasonic remotes black lettering on silver and the addition of FreeView adds to the remotes complexity. In fact it's now a bit of a convoluted pain using the remote to do simple things like view or delete recorded programs from an unfinalised DVD [that used to be a couple of obvious button pushes on my old style remotes]. However recording DVD-Rs is very very reliable, although you can't use the time-slip function or edit the recording if you over-run. Once finalised, the DVD-R can be replayed on any DVD player/PC [some DVD recorders can't even replay their own recorded DVD-Rs - not so with a Panasonic DVD recorder]. To put a bookmark in a DVD-R you have to press stop and then record again, otherwise if you record an entire DVD in one go you will have to use `search' [1x to 32x play] to slowly move forward through the DVD-R. If you record say ten programs separately on a DVD-R, the finalised DVD-R menu will then have ten tracks on the DVD menu to select from [and jump between]. Expensive but very useful re-writable DVD-RAM offers lots more editing options - but you'd probably just record over the program rather than bother using these, particularly as DVD-RAM can only ever replay on a Panasonic DVD recorder [they can't be 'finalised'].
The recorder can replay PC MP3s & jpgs but only from DVD-Rs or CDs. Replay quality from film DVDs is superb [on our 21" screen] although the recorder is strictly region 2 only. However we have a large collection of region 1 NTSC DVDs of American shows [that you simply can't buy in the UK]. Fortunately you can convert this DVD recorder to play region free using a special infra-red command remote - we got one for under £15 from eBay, after which this Panasonic recorder will now replay Region 1 NTSC and Region 2 PAL DVDs - this has no effect on DVD TV recordings [which are in effect region free], just the playback of legal region encoded commercial DVDs. Our deceased Panasonic DVD recorder was region free and I do wonder if that had anything to do with it's demise [this model takes longer to switch off now it's region free] - more likely though the daily use for the kids just wore it out.
The only major downside of this DVD recorder is that it doesn't offer a hard drive for TV recording. We don't need this as we already have a [Region 2] Panasonic DMR-E85H with a 160Gb hard drive attached to the same TV [each Panasonic remote can be programmed to only operate one Panasonic DVD recorder]. We want to be able to record two channels at once or play back a DVD on one while recording on another. A hard drive is well worth having if you don't want to keep recordings, but just record, view and re-record over. Plus the hard drive starts recording almost instantly compared to the 20 second wait you get when sliding in a DVD-R. That said DVD-RAM offers similar capabilities to a hard drive, although with only 4 hours [LP] recording time rather than well over 100 hours with a hard drive. Have a look at the 160Gb hard drive equipped [£220] Panasonic DMR-EX768 if interested, that's identical to this 28EB model but with the 160Gb hard drive recording from 70 [SP], 140 [LP] to 279 [EP] hours of TV - adequate for most people. The hard drive allows you to watch one program while recording another [time-slip]. Another downside is that there's no zoom for letterbox films or DIVx support [the latter comes with more expensive models that also offer larger hard drive sizes]. Plus the DVD top menu colour is always the same blue [our more expensive hard drive model offers different menu colour schemes] and the kids get fed up with the same colour main menu each time on hundreds of DVDs. It is also 10cm deeper than my old models and the new DVD tray is far flimsier than theirs [this tray can take DVD-RAM cartridges]. Otherwise a great, reliable TV DVD recorder going for the price of few commercial DVDs.
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69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simplicity, style, brilliance, and performance!, 11 Sep 2008
This item is excellent! From unbelievably easy set up to recording accurately in less than 5 minutes!
Excellent interface, guide, intuitive control, superb picture performance and stylish slim design!
DVD RAM recording allows chase play (watch whilst still recording a programme, or watch one recording whilst recording another!
Sound too is excellent via optical digital out, and upscaled picture performance via HDMI is really very good indeed at this price point.
This machine replaces an ageing Panasonic DVD Recorder (DMR ES520 with Freeview but no HDMI or Upscaling), and it clearly is a vast improvement on that good machine in almost every area.
It serves as an extremely worthy extra digital recording option above Sky HD (my main system), and I can now record 3 digital programmes simultaneosuly! Will I ever get up off the sofa?
It responds much quicker too, so a faster processor is in evidence, which enhances and smooths the process of setting timers, playback etc.
DVD + or - recordings are easily 'finalised' for playback on other DVD's so no compatibility problems (other than with DVD RAM which is Panasonic specific and best used therefore for daily not to be archived recordings along with it's ease of use and facilities which are similar to Sky Plus)
Highly recommended! Panasonic deliver, and Amazon excel again in terms of price, delivery and customer service.
You simply can't go wrong with this machine, and this supplier!
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73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent DVD recorder from Panasonic., 11 Aug 2008
All i wanted was a simple DVD recorder with Freeview built in. This has every thing and more. It is only connected to an indoor aerial but the picture is outstanding.Recording a programme couldn't be any easier, highlight your choosen programme on the tv guide,press ok twice and everything is done. For the price i paid it is also excellent value aswell! Well done Panasonic.
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