HD Recorder - Panasonic DMR-EX87 vs Sony RDR-HXD970 - help!

[admin_exported]

OK, so I'm picking up a Panasonic TX-32LXD700 (thanks for the help on this WHF!) and I'm after a HD recorder to go with it, preferably one that up-scales well so I can make the most of the HDTV.

So, the Panasonic DMR-EX87 vs Sony RDR-HXD970?

The advantage of the Panasonic is the fact that I can use the one remote that'll come with the TV. The advantage of the Sony is the USD input as I get a lot of movies/US shows on divx and burning them to a DVD is more of a pain that sticking them on a USB stick.

I have a few questions though for both these players:

1. Am I right in thinking that the Pany doesn't support divx but the Sony does?

2. With either can you just record one station at a time? If they have 2 receivers is that so you can watch one, record another, or, say, can you record one program to HD and another to DVD at the same time?

3. With the Pany I don't think I can play moviews from an sd card but can I play movies from a usb drive on the Sony?

4. Which one wins going just on the upscaled dvd picture quality?

Thanks,

Steve.

 

[Anonymous]

As an aside, how do the 160GB versions of these two players stack up?

 

[Anonymous]

I have the same questions, with the additional one of whether one is better at CD playback. Prior reviews suggested the Sony had the edge, but the latest awards mag suggests there is little in it. Since I am going for a Pana LCD, that may make a difference in my choice.

 

[Anonymous]

...and finally, should I be more concerned about matching the brand of the DVD recorder to the amp rather than the TV?

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone out there who can help?

 

[Anonymous]

I have recently purchased the DMR-EX87 (multi-region) for use with a TH-50PX70, connected via an Ixos HDMI cable.

The 1 tuner in the DMR, I use for recording, the1 tuner in the TV can then be used to watch a different channel if req'd.. If not recording/watching like this then I always watch freeview from the DMR - upscaled to 1080p - the quality is very good - as it is on DVD playback.
The SD card input (only) plays jpeg or mpeg 2 - so great for the camera/camcorder! - suits my needs fine.
Quality of recorded programs (even on SP) is also very good.
Overall, a really great machine - it has a great freeview tuner , records/copies, plays back my camera/camcorder stuff, and upscales to the max of my TV - all in 1 box ! - and a common remote control function with the TV...

I haven't any experience of the Sony , it get good reviews- I guess it depends on yr exact needs...
Good Luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I have owned the Sony 970 for about 2 months after the initial positive review in What Hifi but unfortunately I'm about to send it back because it keeps losing recording data when programmed from the EPG. I agree with What HiFi that the 970 produces great images and is a very flexible unit being able to store music with a USB port and also has a pict bridge compatible connection; it's more like a media bank. The unit also is meant to be freeview playback compatible but the logo appears nowhere on the box or in the literature; there is a series link function which has failed me twice but I think this may be a freeview info stream issue as it has been a rare occurrence. On the downside I find the menus drab, dated and hard to navigate when compared to those on my Panasonic LCD. I opted for the Sony mainly for the extra analogue tuner which I thought might be a possible connection for a Freeview HDTV box should one appear in the near future but I understand that these may be sold with built in PVRs if freeview utilise night-time bandwidth to broadcast in HD.

The fault is very annoying and has been the subject on an AV forums thread for 33 pages! Basically if you program too far into the future via the EPG then the Sony 970 will lose the recording details and you will miss the recording. There is a work around which is to use the epg link to store the details then turn it off and "pad" the recording by a few minutes just in case it's not on time ( the EPG link should of taken care of this for you).

The post from Mr Freeview confirms that his machine has been on holiday with Sony in Hungary (assembly point) for a month and they still can't fix the EPG fault!

I am looking to replace with the Panasonic 87 (it's just won an EISA award) but I am concerned about connecting Freeview HD in the future.

Sorry for long post, hope it helps!

 

[Anonymous]

Does WHF have a response to this? Is the panasonic better quality/more reliable?

 

[Clare Newsome]

The 160GB Panasonic (the same other than the hard-drive) certainly loses out to the Sony on sound and picture performance - though it's still a sterling five-star product.

We are planning a full test of the 250GB DMR-EX87 before Christmas, where it'll be pitted head-to-head against the Sony. And yes, we will be running two-week EPG tests and the whole shebang...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I swapped the panasonic EX77 for the Sony due to dual tuners, but it is normal for the machine to be so noisy when either downloading the EPG data or during payback? Once you hear the noise, you can't get it out of your head, and hence I'm now thinking of retuning it. In you tests, was it noisy?

 

[Anonymous]

Sony appear to have a fixed firmware upgrade for their HXD*70 series of recorders. The new version appears to correct the vanishing recording details when programmed via EPG. AVForums has the details on their long running debate on the problems including unofficial downloads (some people have been sent the update on a CD with instructions!). The forum also states that the update will be available on Sony's website as a download on or after 5th December.