Panasonic DMP-BDT360 Smart 3D Blu-ray Disc Player Review
Panasonic DMR-PWT530EB Smart 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with 500GB HDD Recorder and Twin Freeview+ HD Tuners
First impressions are very favorable!
Mains input, RF in (aerial) and RF out via supplied leads, plus a not supplied HDMI lead were all that was required to get going. Select SETUP, answer the various questions about the region you live in (in my case central Scotland) and within a few minutes the machine had tuned itself in and was ready to go.
The picture quality:
The tuner (s) in the PVR both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) are to my eyes, indistinguishable from the normal broadcast TV…superb!
Setting up recordings of TV programs from the Electronic Program Guide was easy. I liked the feature that if the program was available in HD, you have the choice to use that or SD.
Two programs can be records at the same time, which is a big help when schedules clash! You can also delete viewed material and set up a second new recording while the first is still in use. This is a useful feature as previously (on the old machine) I had to wait until recording had finished before doing any of the above!
Pros:
Playback of recorded material is very easy too. Another useful feature I have found is that if you interrupt or stop a playback, next time you want to continue, the machine asks where to start the playback, “From the beginning” or “From when last played”. Very useful as I had to note the position counter in order to pick up where I left off in the previous machine.
Cons:
At first I was a little disappointed that a clock wasn’t displayed when the unit was in standby. Reading the comprehensive manual however, showed me where to change a setting from `automatic’ to `bright’. I now have a nice 24hr clock on display!
Conclusion:
DVDs and Blue Ray discs all play extremely well, as do the SD cards from my digital cameras. Previously I could only use 500Mb cards, now I have used 8Gb!
All in all, I am very please with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone contemplating purchasing a PVR.
We gave the Panasonic DMR-PWT530EB Smart 3D Blu-ray Disc Player