Panasonic DMR-EX 85

Author's product rating:   

Picture Playback	Excellent
Sound Level	Excellent
Ease of Use	Very Easy
Range of Features	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Ease of use, Picture quality, flexibility .
Disadvantages:	Instruction manual could be clearer but you get to know in the end .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

With all the high quality digital tv that is around now, the old faithful video recorder is struggling, the quality of a video recording of your favourite tv show can be grainy and no where near the quality of the tv program, well that was until now.

The Panasonic DMR-EX85 allows you to recorder tv in digital quality and I defy anyone to be able to tell the difference in quality from the original program and the recording of it, yes the quality is that good. The Panasonic DMR-EX85 has a 250GB hard disc drive that can hold 57 hours in XP recording mode (THIS IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY SETTING) SP recording mode 115 hours, LP recording mode 230 hours, and finally EP recording mode which gives 460 hours. I cannot tell any difference between the XP and SP so I always use the SP mode, I have tried the LP mode and again I could not see any difference in picture quality.

You can also playback and record to the following dvd formats,

dvd-ram these can be written to over and over again (this is the most flexible type of disc has it records and works just like the Panasonic DMR-EX85 hard disc drive, be aware that not all dvd players will play this type of disc, so if you are prominently wanting to use this format of disc check to see if the dvd player can actually play this format) I use a cartridge type dual sided Panasonic dvd-ram disc. The cartridge type means that the disc is incased (but it can be easily removed to use it in other dvd player/recorders) so as the disc is protected from finger prints dust etc, you can get ones that are just a disc, but I find the cartridge type are better for me.

dvd-r (these can only be written to once this is the norm for this format)

dvd+r (same applies)
dvd-rw (these can be written to over and over again)
dvd+rw (same applies)
dvd-r dual layer (double the recording/play back space compaired to dvd-r)
dvd-rw+rw dual layer (same applies)
You can view JPeg picture discs and listen to MP3 music discs

After the recordings are on the DMR-EX85 hard disc drive you can then transfer these to dvd disc, there is a feature called HIGH SPEED COPY which allows you to transfer recordings at a higher speed than the playback speed, for example I transfered a 10 minute long program in around a minute, after you have done this the Panasonic DMR-EX85 asks you to finalise the dvd disc, this is to ensure playback on other dvd players/recorders. I tested transfering recordings at normal speed (basically the length of the recording is the transfer time/speed) and then tested using HIGH SPEED COPY and I could see no difference what so ever in picture quality, the Panasonic DMR-EX85 really is that GOOD !

The Panasonic DMR-EX85 also has a built in DVB digital tv tuner which allows you to record freeview channels, be aware though that the Panasonic DMR-EX85 does not allow you to record pay for tv or encrypted channels, if you want to do this you would have to buy a DVB digital tv set top box and connect it to the Panasonic DMR-EX85. I have connected to my Panasonic DMR-EX85, a Sky tv digibox, which connects to the Panasonic DMR-EX85 AV2 scart socket. If you are going to connect things i.e Sky digi box etc to the Panasonic DMR-EX85 and then to a tv by a scart socket, then please do not use cheap scart leads, most people think that a scart lead is a scart lead, but I have found this to be untrue, cheap ones DO NOT give as sharp a picture, the colours are not as vivid plus I used to suffer interference from other connected products, but since purchasing the Monster video 3 scart lead, the picture is greatly improved, colours are really vivid and the interference has completly dissapeared, this can only be due to the Monster video 3 scart leads high quality materials and construction, the Monster video 3 scart leads are not cheap, at around £60 per scart lead, but if you are serious about quality, which you obviously are if you purchase a dvd recorder of this caliber then buying the Monster video 3 would be a wise purchase to get the most out of your system.

The front panel of the DMR-EX85 is very uncluttered with only six buttons, which are, on/off, open/close disc tray, drive select (this allows you to select either to record to dvd or the built in hard disc drive), stop (self explanitory) play button (self explanitory) record. There is also a little pull down flap which has inputs for, dv input (such as digital camcorder) S video, video in, audio left right inputs, button for external link recording (I use this feature for recording from my digibox), basically you store in your digiboxs program planner the programs that you are wanting to record, then you select the autoview option in the digiboxs planner, then what happens when you have put the DMR-EX85 into external link mode is that when the digibox switches itself on at the time the program starts, the DMR-EX85 detects this and starts recording, then when the program has finished and the digibox switches itself off the DMR-EX85 does the same, with my Pace digibox I need to choose on the DMR-EX85 external link option, the external link 2 option.
Also on the front panel is a SD memory card slot, which can be used to read/write pictures, video clips to and from the SD card and the DMR-EX85.
You can also use the TV guide that is built into the DMR-EX85 to set the timer for recording as well.

Connections on the back of the DMR-EX85 are,

RF In RF out= Aerial input and output

Optical, digital audio output= This is to send the Dolby digital or DTS surround sound to another unit that is capable of decode these signals into the appropriate sound.

HDMI AV Out= This is basically one lead that transfers high quality digital audio and video without interference.

S Video out

Video out

AV1= This connects the DMR-EX85 to the tv via a scart lead.
AV2= This connects the DMR-EX85 to a Sky digibox or set top box or similar.

Component video out (Progressive/Interlace)

Audio out

The first time the DMR-EX85 is connected up and switched on, it will search for any available tv stations and store them in its memory. The remote control I find it clear and not too cluttered.

Once you have recorded a program on to the hard disc drive, you press the Direct Navigtor button on the remote control and this shows you the name (if available) of the recorded program, date and time and also the remaining recording time left on the DMR-EX85 hard disc drive, also you can see a small moving picture with sound of the recorded program, if you press enter the selected program will start to play, also from in the Direct Navigator you can edit a program, eg remove adverts, divide the program, delete it. You can also from in here transfer recordings on to a blank dvd disc. You can also name the recordings from in here.

In the setup menu of the DMR-EX85, you have the following options,

Tv aspect= tells the DMR-EX85 what type of tv you are connecting it to, 16:9 is widescreen tv and 4:3 is the standard tv type.

Progressive= this is for high picture quality when using the Component video out.

TV system= Pal or NTSC, these are to set your picture type depending on the country you are in.

HDMI settings

AV1 output (scart)= video with component, S video with component, RGB 1 without component, RGB output is available all the time while the DMR-EX85 is switched on. RGB 2 output is available only during playback or on screen display.

AV2 settings= AV2 input: RGB/Video when receiving or recording RGB output from an external source.
RGB, video, S video, the input is switched to the selected signal.

Ext link,
Ext link 1: for digital receivers that send a special recording signal like the F.U.N. receiver.
Ext link 2= External recording control from satelite receivers, you can use this with the tv planner and the auto view option on sky digiboxes.

Remote control= you can alter the DMR-EX85 remote control so as you can operate two nearby Panasonic products without one interfering with the other. You can also with the DMR-EX85 remote control, operate a vast amount of different brands of tv by the means of entering a code.

Sound settings= This is used to tell the DMR-EX85 what connections you are using, i.e optical digital cable. There is also options to tell the DMR-EX85 if you are outputting DTS or Dolby digital to the appropriate decoder.

VSS= which gives a simulated surround sound affect if you are only using two front speakers.

Dialog enhancer= this is a handy funtion if you have a centre speaker for speech/dialog and you sometimes can find that if there is a lot of noise/action in a movie that you can sometimes struggle to hear what is been said, with the dialog enhancer the volume is incresed for the centre speaker to make it easier to hear.

And basically thats about it. I really love the DMR-EX85, from its ease of use to its excellent list of features to its excellent picture quality, the DMR-EX85 has to be the best dvd/hard drive recorder available at present. If you are in the market for a dvd/hard drive recorder then DMR-EX85 should be at the top of your list, I cannot recommend the DMR-EX85 enough, buy it, YOU WILL CERTAINLY NOT BE DISSAPOINTED.