Panasonic DMRES20D

...and so I chose the Panasonic offering which was on sale for £179.99 at Richer Sounds.

---The Basic Specs---

The DRM ES20D is the most basic of Panasonics combined freeview/DVD recorders and it roughly equates to their previous basic model the ES50 with a few improvements. Whereas the maximum recording time on the ES50 was 6 hours, the addition of the letter D has boosted recording time to a maximum of 8 hours. Along ...
...No-one could ever accuse the Panasonic range of DVD recorders as being contenders in a beauty contest and this model is no exception. It has a larger than average footprint, think of the very first VHS recorders and you'll get an idea of the size, and it's a fairly hefty weight too. That saying, the silver casing does look quite stylish and is easy to keep clean.

---Set Up---

Unlike with some machines, a degree is not ... more

I've recently had to leave the domain of Sky television, and was getting extremely bored with the terrestrial offerings. I therefore decided to get a freeview box, but then decided I rather missed my old DVD recorder. I therefore decided to purchase a DVD recorder that incorporated freeview, not having a great deal of money to spend (<£200) I knew that a hard drive was out of the question, but I did want as much flexibility as possible and so I chose the Panasonic offering which was on sale for £179.99 at Richer Sounds.

---The Basic Specs---

The DRM ES20D is the most basic of Panasonics combined freeview/DVD recorders and it roughly equates to their previous basic model the ES50 with a few improvements. Whereas the maximum recording time on the ES50 was 6 hours, the addition of the letter D has boosted recording time to a maximum of 8 hours. Along with the increase in recording time, the ES20D gives greater flexibility in the type of disc that can be used for recording. Although previous models were described as "multi-format", we were confined to the use of DVD-R and RAM. With the new generation we can still use those formats, but also have the ability to use DVD+R and DVD-RW (although I have not attempted to use all of these formats), which means that the age old problem of having to buy different types of disc for different machines is virtually a thing of the past.

---The Styling---

No-one could ever accuse the Panasonic range of DVD recorders as being contenders in a beauty contest and this model is no exception. It has a larger than average footprint, think of the very first VHS recorders and you'll get an idea of the size, and it's a fairly hefty weight too. That saying, the silver casing does look quite stylish and is easy to keep clean.

---Set Up---

Unlike with some machines, a degree is not necessary to set-up the recorder, there is a plenitude of inputs, but all you really need is a scart to connect to your television and your existing aerial lead. On switching on for the first time, the recorder searches for digital channels, sets the clock and downloads the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide), there really is nothing to it. One disappointment (for me at least) was the lack of a DVD-RAM disc in the box, which means the recorder is not quite ready to go from the box, but otherwise connection and set-up is a simple enough procedure.

Although I don't own a Panasonic television and haven't been able to test it out, there is also a Q-Link function that allows the recorder to link up with other Panasonic equipment during set-up. The remote control can also be set to operate various other brands of television.

---Connections---

As I've previously stated there are a huge number of connection possibilities, it is easily possible to have a Sky box, game machine, VHS and camcorder all running through the machine, without having to unplug anything. There are SCART (in and out), RF (in and out), component, AV (in and out), S-Video and optical output. Everything you could possibly need.

---The Remote---

I must say that the remote control is a vast improvement of previous models I have owned. Gone is the slide down section and all buttons are immediately accessible and fairly well set out. I found the jog wheel a little difficult to get the hang of, but now find it a great addition to the remote. From fast forward and reverse to frame selection to menu navigation it seems to make my life easier.

---The Freeview---

For those that don't realise, Freeview is digital television that is transmitted over the airwaves. Very shortly, the "old fashioned" analogue signal will shortly be switched off leaving us forced to find some form of digital transmission. At the moment there are three mains ways of receiving digital television, satellite (Sky), cable (Telewest, NTL) and freeview (along with top-up TV). Of the three choices freeview is probably the easiest, with no subscription or installation charges, but it is also the choice with fewer channels and a big problem for consumers in certain areas. For example in my previous house I couldn't even pick up a standard transmission, let alone digital, and therefore freeview was completely out for me, so before buying this recorder please check that your aerial is capable of picking up Freeview. Another problem with Freeview is one that is common to Sky and that is that weather conditions can interfere with the signal quality which can often lead to pixalation, sound distortion and even a complete loss of a channel. A further innovation in Freeview is Top-Up TV, which allows you to purchase extra premium channels; this recorder is not, however capable of this function so you are stuck with the basic channels.

That's not to say that there isn't a reasonable selection in the channel line-up, because there most certainly is. There are times when I miss Sky, but they are few and far between. In actual fact there is actually one Sky channel in the line-up (Sky Three), and I have recently been enjoying recording and watching Tru Calling on this very channel. All the standard BBC, ITV and Channel 4 channels are available including CBEEBIES and CITV along with various music and entertainment channels, the shopping channels (why?), a single documentary channel, Film 4 and various radio stations. There's really hardly a point in time where there isn't something on for all tastes.

---The EPG/Timer recording---

As this recorder features freeview, it's pretty much a given that there is going to be a far simpler method of programming your timer recordings than entering start/stop times and channel number. And of course there is, the ES20D includes a programme guide (similar to what you would find on Sky), which while it does show what is due to be shown on each channel in the next seven days, is not as comprehensive as the guides on some standalone boxes. What is missing is a description of each programme, but never mind, you can't have everything.

When choosing programmes to record it is a simple matter to highlight the required programme and press select to enter the record menu, where you can add a buffer to the record time, and even decide to add subtitles. There is, however a limit to the number of programmes you can add to your record list, I believe it is around 25 in number. Once your list is complete the once more simple operation on pressing the timer button on the remote puts the recorder into standby.

---Recording Quality---

The quality of the final DVD depends on two main factors. The quality of the input signal and the recording quality used. There is little to say about the quality of the input signal, obviously the higher the quality the better the final result. You can, however, change the recording quality, from the highest of XP (1 hour/disc), down to SP (2 hrs/disc) through LP (4 hrs/disc) to the far more economical EP (8 hrs/disc). The longer the recording time, the poorer the picture quality, so XP gives far better results than EP. There is also the flexible recording setting that allows you to fit your programme exactly to the disc size. Personally I don't bother with the highest setting as I find SP gives me near perfect results and for programmes that I am only watching the once I use the EP setting, which I find perfectly acceptable on my diminutive 14" television.

---Why Use RAM? ----

Before I go into any detail into the compatibility of the final discs from this recorder, I'm just going to say a few words about why I like using RAM discs. Now these aren't the cheapest discs available, or the most compatible, but they do make full use of Panasonic's technology. It is by using these discs that you can take advantage of the "timeslip" function, which allows you to watch a previously recorded programme while recording another. It also allows you to edit adverts out of programmes and reclaim the lost space. This is due to the fact that RAM discs work in the same way as a hard drive and can be accessed in a non-linear manner.

---Compatibility---

By allowing the use of so many different disc formats the DVDs produced by this recorder are as compatible as you want them to be. If it's the recording flexibility you are after and you only want to watch your DVDs on the recorder then it won't matter to you that the RAM discs probably won't play on your (or your mates) computer and other DVD players (there are of course a number of players that do play DVD-RAM discs). If you want a disc that will play on other machines then I'm sure that one of the other available formats will play on the required machines, after finalisation of course. With all the formats available, the only difficulty is deciding whether to sacrifice flexibility for compatibility.

---Playback---

I've used the recorder to playback a variety of commercial DVDs, along with a few DVD-Rs that I've created on my computer, and I've had no problem with these. Playback is as smooth as I've come to expect from a Panasonic DVD player, with vibrant colour and good sound definition. Playback of VCDs (video CDs) photo and MP3 CDs is also possible, what is not available is the MP4/AVI format but for me this is not really a problem as such. Although I've not personally attempted to playback either DVD+R or DVD+RW, I would imagine that at least the former would be possible.

---Conclusion---

The DRM ES20D is certainly an improvement on my previous Panasonic DVD recorder, the addition of the +R and -RW recording formats is a welcome one which makes this machine truly multi-format. The improvements in the layout of the remote control are also most welcome as is the new longer recording time. Picture quality is acceptable at the lower end of the scale and exceptional at the upper, and the freeview facility means that there is no need for a separate box.

All is not, however, rosy in the garden; there are still a few problems. The freeview has a habit of losing signal (but that may be due to the area in which I live) and the EPG is not particularly comprehensive. But all in all I'm glad I picked this recorder, even though it wasn't exactly the cheapest that would do as I required, I could have bought cheaper, but I don't think I would have got as good a quality. So I am therefore whole-heartedly recommending this recorder, for those that wish to join the digital revolution but aren't quite ready to enter the HD market with all the pitfalls that contains.
 

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