Panasonic DMR-EX88 review

If you don't have a PVR yet, you won't have discovered the pure joy that comes with pausing and rewinding live TV or even skipping adverts by delaying a programme by 15 minutes.Of course, the biggest selling point of a PVR is recording your favourite shows at the touch of a button.

Panasonic has a great track record with these devices -- we've reviewed other models in the DMR range and always been impressed with them. The EX88 brings a new range of features including a DVD recorder and a truly massive 400GB hard drive, so is it a good choice? The Panasonic DMR-EX88 is available now for around £350 online.

Design
There's not a massive amount we can criticise about the EX88's styling. It's quite a sturdy-looking device, it's not at all ugly, and it will fit in well if your existing AV equipment is black.

The sensible design carries over to the remote control. It's small, but without having stupidly tiny buttons. The controls are sturdy and have a positive, responsive feel.

The front of the machine is reasonably clutter-free. The disc tray is concealed under a large flap, which is designed to make the EX88 look a little sleeker. On the right-hand side there's a display which gives you the time and other operational information. Beneath the display you'll find another flap. This one conceals a DV port, an SD card socket and a USB connector, as well as S-Video and composite inputs.

The real business obviously happens around the back of the machine. There you'll find an aerial input and output. There's the usual single HDMI output, as well as component, Scart, S-Video and composite outputs. No matter what TV you've got, you can connect this machine to it.

Features
The Panasonic DMR-EX88 is full of features, but it is missing one thing, in our opinion, and that's a second TV tuner. You can't record one channel and watch another, so it's likely to suit people with a TV that has a built-in Freeview tuner. That's really the only shortcoming of any note, however.

The EX88 can play DivX and Xvid -- a brilliant addition. We've also fallen in love with the ability to play MP3s, JPGs and video files from a USB device. We've always felt this was something missing from products such as this.

The 400GB hard drive is a real boon too. Sure, it's unlikely anyone will need to record as many hours of video as this enables you to -- over 700 at low quality -- but it's comforting to know you can save a few movies to watch later and pretty much every episode of Big Brother too, if you were so inclined.

We also rather like the Panasonic's cross-product integration. Although this will be pointless if you don't have all Panasonic hardware, if you're someone who likes to stay with one brand your digital camera will work with this machine, and your Viera remote control will manage the whole thing via the HDMI CEC system.