Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Positive first impressions...but nothing amazing., 27 Sep 2008
What to do when you want a high quality upscaling DVD player? Blu-ray players do this and obviously play...Blu-rays. HDD/DVD recorders also upscale, and offer the advantage over Blu-ray players in that they can obviously...record. I chose this Pioneer because my PlayStation 3 already provides Blu-ray playback, and the Pioneer upscales to full 1080p, the 250GB HDD is easily hefty enough to accommodate music, TV recordings and home movies, it has a built-in Freeview tuner and...it's multi-region hackable (via a remote controller hack).
First off, TV recording is easy for both analogue and digital reception (there are separate Antenna Ins and Outs for each mode). One touch recording works fine, as does the Gemstar/Videoplus option. With 109 hours recording in Standard Play mode, there is more than enough memory to go round. HDD and DVD-R modes (each signified on the unit by blue and red lights respectively) can be switched quickly via a button on the remote control. There is USB type A and B provision for cameras and USB sticks, a CI slot for Freeview Top-Up, and a DV in for camcorders, all on the fold-down front panel. Unfortunately, the USB does not seem to support an external SATA hard drive.
Full 1080p upscaling comes via a solitary HDMI connection, and there are two component connections, a composite and two Scarts. As for the upscaling facility, it is the same old story: if the DVD is of a high quality in the first place, it will improve the quality of the image, but it is essentially a makeover of the image, meaning that poor-quality DVDs will not be noticeably improved.
I was surprised to find that the unit is itself made in the U.K., almost uniquely for a high-end electronics product. The build quality of the unit is good, but the overall design has a slightly dated look, as if it has stepped out of an early 90s hi-fi stack system. Having said that, the design is far more compact (if considerably heavier) than my 2003 Sony DVD-only recorder, which this model replaces. The remote control, however, is another matter. The SmartJog dial that forms the centrepiece of the remote is terribly flimsy and clunky and looks like it is about to part with the remote unit altogether. The screen interface is quite ugly, but it does the necessary job.
Overall, I would say that the pioneer is a perfectly reasonable piece of kit. However, products such as the Panasonic DMR-EX78EB-K offer much the same features for 85-£90 less, so I do not feel I can give this product the full five stars.
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