Performance
We really ejoyed the picture quality of the EX88. A large portion of
what you get out will depend on the incoming broadcast signal, however,
and it's fair to say that Freeview's sometimes less than perfect.
Using the EX88 is nice and easy, for the most part. Setting a timer is a simple matter of going into the programme guide and selecting the show you want to record. After you've done this you can adjust where the machine will record to, either DVD or the built-in hard disc. You also select the recording quality at this stage.
We would strongly advise staying clear of the lower-quality record modes. We recorded Family Guy from BBC Three in EP mode, and the quality was pretty horrific. Stick to SP or XP for the best results.
Playing back pre-recorded DVDs was no disappointment either. The quality of the output was everything we would expect from an upscaling DVD player. Our much-loved copy of X-Men had all the colour and detail we'd expect from a high-end machine such as this.
Audio quality too was great. The best results will be had if you hook the player up to an external surround-sound system or other external speaker system, but our Philips TV positively sang with the sound of mutants kicking several bells out of each other.
Conclusion
The EX88 is a good machine -- we liked the picture quality a great
deal. It's pretty flexible and serves as both a Freeview tuner,
recorder, DVD upscaler and even a limited DivX/Xvid player. It's a
little on the pricey side at around £350, but for what you get, it
should replace a few boxes under your TV.
There isn't much we'd suggest that beats this machine, purely because it does everything. There are better upscaling DVD players and more versatile Freeview recorders, but there isn't much that does it all. Ultimately, we think the Panasonic DMR-EX88 is a very good choice and we can't see anyone being disappointed with it.
Edited by Nick Hide
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len1207 16 May 2009
Good: The storage capacity of 400GB
Bad: Very basic remote - Not very user friendly - difficult to operate
Comment: The Panasonic DVD Recorders are not user friendly. The remote is very basic and If for example you want to do an OTR recording, you can’t do it from the remote, but have to go the recorder and press record for 30min, 60min, 90min etc. The remote does not have a one touch copy facility to copy from a DVD to the HDD. When you press chapter mark, instead of showing a mark you loose the picture for about a second or two & you are asked OK, which is a waste of time & affects your enjoyment.
I tried to copy a finalised DVD on VR Mode & also on Video mode recorded from a Pioneer DVD recorder & the Panasonic could play it but could not copy it. The navigation screen does not show how long the recording is. The remote does not have a one touch copy facility to copy from a DVD to the HDD. When you press chapter mark, instead of showing a mark you loose the picture for about a second or two & you are asked OK, which is a waste of time & affects your enjoyment. If for example you want to do an OTR recording, you can’t do it from the remote, but have to go the recorder and press record for 30min, 60min, 90min etc. I tried to copy a finalised DVD on VR Mode & also on Video mode recorded from a Pioneer DVD recorder & the Panasonic could play it but could not copy it. The navigation screen does not show how long the recording is.
I managed to exchange this for a Pioneer 250GB HDD with SD tuner which is extremely user friendly, except that the remote does not have a chapter mark facility. However, it does remember on the HD where you stopped watching a recording - For the Pioneer probably the only DVD HDD Recorder that does not have a chapter mark or bookmark facility!!
Tropi 8 August 2008
Good: What it does, it does very well
Bad: It doesn't do half enough! Any recorder with only a single tuner is a waste of money - at this price, it is a ridiculous waste of money
Comment: I wouldn't touch a single tuner recorder with a barge pole, at any price and certainly not at £350! In addition to which, I do not believe it is possible to archive the recordings to a PC hard drive, without first having to record to a DVD, then read that with the PC, and only then then store the contents where you wish. It's annoyingly time consuming and it degrades the quality. Of course some people might not care, but a lot do.
In those two respects, this type of recorder is so fundamentally limited that they are always poor value, just how poor value depends on the price. At a £100, it might be worth the limitations, but not for me. It's shocking that manufacturers cripple these machines by omitting a second tuner that would cost them buttons to build in.
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