Panasonic DMRES20D review

Features
As Freeview has been integrated into the box, recording and scheduling is much easier than it would be with a separate recorder and digital receiver. Hit the Guide button and the Panasonic produces a seven-day listing across all the channels, and you can select any of the programmes to record by pressing a single button. As if this wasn't easy enough, you can also enter VideoPlus+ codes from a listings magazine if you're more used to VHS recording. The recorder can hold 16 separate recording schedules up to a month in advance.

DVD recording capacity ranges from 1 hour to 8 hours depending on your preference for quality over capacity. You can select from a number of different levels, with the XP giving 1 hour, SP 2 hours, LP 4 hours and EP between 6-8 hours. While XP and SP are more or less indistinguishable from the original broadcast, LP and below introduces a VHS-like degradation to the image with less detail and blur during fast motion.

Support for the various disc formats is excellent, with only DVD+RW missing out on recording compatibility (although the machine will play these discs back). Of the various formats, DVD-R/RW is the cheapest, DVD+R is slightly more compatible when playing in standalone DVD players, while DVD-RAM is the most versatile. DVD-R/+R should be used for everyday recording, but DVD-RAM offers extra functionality such as timeslipping (or chasing playback), where you can watch a programme that is still being recorded. As usual, Panasonic presents this feature in the easiest way possible for the user, allowing you to see a Picture-in-Picture preview of the programme from the beginning and as it is being broadcast live.

The lack of support for DivX playback and the absence of an SD card slot are the most disappointing consequences of the budget price tag. The missing DV input for camcorders is also a problem, as the S-Video method is more fiddly and of a lower quality. You would need to spend another £100 to get a hard drive into this package, but its omission has the most detrimental effect on the recorder's practicality. The hard drive would have allowed more recordings to be made, plus you could hold and edit everything on the hard drive and backup the things you want to keep in high quality to a DVD-R/+R. Anyone seriously into the idea of an integrated digital TV recorder should seriously consider this option before buying.

Performance
At the XP and SP recording levels, the Panasonic DMRES20D produces video and audio that is indistinguishable from the original broadcast. The two-hour capacity of SP is just about enough for most films, but it's a shame to lose so much quality in order to fit a two-and-a-half-hour movie on one disc. The recorder captures everything in Dolby Digital 2.0, and while it's a step down from commercial 5.1 soundtracks, the box records a rich soundstage across all quality levels. You can also choose to use Dolby Virtual Surround if you want to fill the room out.

As a player, the ES20D cannot be faulted, providing high-quality DVD playback across component video and RGB Scart. The former is the best option for flat-screen owners, and while many standalone DVD players will upscale to high definition resolutions these days, the Panasonic does an excellent job of providing a rock-solid picture at 480p and 576p. The optical audio output gives high-quality 5.1 digital sound, but if you're just playing back recordings, the analogue outputs are just as good for rigging up to a surround system.

Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Nick Hide