Panasonic DMR-EZ28

Author's product rating:   

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

Advantages:	Good range of supported formats, good quality recording, easy to use
Disadvantages:	Strange "staying on" issue, no HDMI input

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I brought this DVD player a year ago when moving into a new flat with my partner. It records several DVD formats and can play back DVD's and CD's. It can also be used as a Digital Tuner if the TV does not have its own.

I was looking for a DVD player that was going to be most compatible with recording and playback of different disc formats whilst also featuring a digital tuner. I have used it to record onto DVD-RW and DVD+RW with the same high quality results from each. If necessary you are reminded when you eject that some discs will need finalizing before being used in other players, this is great if like me you would otherwise forget if you'd recorded something for a friend. Other supported formats include: normal CDs (normal audio and mp3s), DVD RAM discs, DVD-R, DVD+R. Some notable formats which are not supported are photo-cd's and DivX video discs.

This unit is around average size for a DVD recorder (430x330x60) and fits in a standard TV unit.

It is nice to look at and has smooth look to its front but does not stand out unnecessarily.

In addition to recording from the tuner the unit can record from its numerous inputs which include SCARTS, DV in (For camcorders etc) and s-video etc. I have not used these features yet. The only missing input I would have liked to see is a HDMI input. However, as this is a DVD recorded and not a Blue Ray player, I can understand the omission.

I used it quite a lot over Christmas to record programs when I was off visiting relatives and it produced excellent recordings every time. The timer record function is brilliant with a simple “choose from the program guide” style interface, and it even tells you if there will be enough space left on the disc so that you can make a note of when you might have to stick a new one in. You can even select the quality of the recording to be High Quality (roughly an hour on a normal DVD) or Long Play (roughly 8 hours on a normal DVD). It also has a Flexible Recoding option which attempts to give the best quality yet still fit the program onto a single disc.

The program guide on the unit which is shown when planning recordings or just using the unit as a digital tuner is very easy to use, and can be changed between several views depending on what you are used to on your other devices. It functions quickly, is intuitive to use and also goes many days into the future.

Deleting programs from the discs can be done very easily to allow further programs to put onto re-recordable discs.

The remote control is pretty standard, it does not feature an eject button but I guess this stops people leaning on it and then snapping the disc tray off by not noticing that it is out. The response to the remote is quick and It seems to be picked up from almost anywhere in the same room as long as you can see the box.

The Operating Instructions which are provided are excellent, most information is in a table so that the relevant pages can be found quickly and the steps in order to do different things with the box are explained well and in plain English.

The only issue I have had with this unit so far is that occasionally it will get into a state where it will not turn off. I do not know if this is me putting it into a strange state or a slight issue with the unit. Either way it goes away if I unplug from the wall then plug it back in again.

Overall this is an excellent unit, it was on offer at Argos when I purchased it so it was about £130 which at the time was a very good price for a DVD player with the number of features this one has. I am very happy with the unit and would recommend it to anyone. The features make it good for technically minded friends when its ease of use makes it suitable for those who usually find technology difficult.