Weaknesses
The positioning of the buttons on the front of the unit is somewhat illogical. Over by the disc tray is the power button, and right over the other side of the unit is the eject button. This means that from time to time you'll end up powering the unit off when you want to eject the disc.
The menu system isn't much better, either. The menus aren't particularly attractive and we found them difficult to use. When you press the 'Function Menu' button, we expected to be taken to the player setup menu. In actual fact, you're taken to a menu that has different options depending on what state the player is in. At the bottom is an easily missed option entitled 'to others'.
Hard-disk based recorders are popular because they can be used to buffer live television -- they enable you to press pause, get up, have a toilet break, make a cup of tea and return to the programme without missing a single second. This is a fantastic feature, which unfortunately isn't present on this recorder.
In addition, this machine has only one tuner, which probably won't be a problem for people with a TV that has built-in Freeview or a set-top box, but for those using the EZ27EB as their main Freeview receiver, you're stuck watching whatever it is you're recording.
Conclusion
There's nothing terribly wrong with this product, and you can get some glory from the 1080p badge, but the time of dedicated DVD recorders has been and gone for most people.
If you do want to record a lot of content, you'd probably be better off going for a hard disc/DVD recorder, like Panasonic's own DMR-EX85 or the DMR-EX75, especially when the latter can be bought online for just £60 more than the EZ27EB.
If you do just want to record the odd programme to DVD, however, maybe as a favour for a friend or relative, the EZ27EB will be more than adequate for your needs.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
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