Panasonic DMR-PWT550EB Blu-Ray Player and HDD Recorder with Freeview Play, Black

Product Information

As we said when discussing the remote control, the DMR-BWT850 has some nice ‘time slip’ features. You get minus 10 second and plus 60 second buttons and a dedicated TIME SLIP button, allowing you to enter user defined segments of time to move around, in increments of one minute up to the total duration of the programme; for instance, you might have recorded a music festival but know that the band you want to watch didn’t start for an hour in to the programme, so just press the TIME SLIP button and enter 60 to jump straight to it. A top quality Blu-ray player and fully networked digital set-top box all in one - the Panasonic DMRPWT550EB is a versatile performer. Display of interlaced content always provide more of a challenge to players and it’s here that we often see what a video processing engine is made of. Setting the player to 1080i and loading up both edge and source adaptive deinterlacing tests from the Spears and Munsil and the HQV discs revealed the Panasonic DMR-BWT850 was a more than capable performer. The player fared very well in edge adaptive deinterlacing where fine details were largely retained under movement with just the merest hint of jaggies. Of course a lot of that is academic if you have a 1080p display and set the BWT850 to output accordingly. By registering TV programmes such as dramas with the TV Series Recording function, they can be automatically recorded and stored each time they are broadcast. This eliminates the possibility of forgetting to record each programme, and lets you watch the programmes at any preferred time.

The BWT850EB is better able to deal with timer clashes than pre-2016 Panasonic PVRs. Now, if you attempt to schedule more than two concurrent events, you will be flashed a warning screen giving you the opportunity to alter or delete one of the overlapping timers. It’s not got to the point where the software will offer you alternative broadcasts of the same show – like some PVRs do – but at least the warnings are in place. It also would be good if the software would warn you when you’ve set up a standard definition recording and an HD alternative exists, although the information is displayed at the top of the programme guide by the text ‘SD>HD’, that's not especially clear and certainly not fool-proof. With the newly supported Freeview Play function you will be able to watch TV programmes from the last seven days. You can watch drama, news, sports and other programmes that you missed while you were away from home, without even having to record them. They're ready for you to watch when you're ready to watch.Before deciding on whether, or not, you should avail yourself of the multiple capabilities of the Panasonic DMR-BWT850, you first need to ask yourself the question – do I plan to keep, or later archive, the recordings made from the Freeview HD tuner on disc? If that answer is in the negative, move on to something else as really this box is overkill – and expensive – for your needs. On the other hand, if that is one of your requirements, the BWT850 is probably the leading contender on the market. Requires broadband internet. * May not work over unstable networks or with some content. * Only works on one device at a time outside the home. This is an issue that isn’t going to go away, but as we’re being pushed into streaming here in the UK, both for live linear TV viewing and catch-up, the mess is only going to get worse. A TV, for a lot of people, is a serious investment, and when they buy nowadays, it’s a given that the device will be ‘smart’. But when an app. is discontinued or is updated such that the new version no longer runs, manufacturers hide behind the fact that the apps. are nothing to do with them. That may be so, but they’re quite happy to sell their products emphasising ‘smartness’.

ITVX coverage certainly isn’t universal. There’s no native app. on my 2022 Sony Android TV, but there is on my 2019 LG. It’s also there on my 2019 Panasonic TV. No settings required] No complicated signal settings are required, just insert two AAA batteries and you can use it immediately. From children to the elderly, all operations such as turning on / off the LCD TV, adjusting the volume, switching the input, and changing the channel can be easily accessed. * Batteries are not included. With the newly supported Freeview Play function you will be able to watch TV programmes from the last seven days. You can watch drama, news, sports and other programmes that you missed while you were away from home, without even having to record them. They''re ready for you to watch in your free time. The new generation of Panasonic’s are better at dealing with timer clashes than the older PVRs. In the event you try and schedule more than two concurrent events, you will be transported to a screen where you have the opportunity to alter or delete one of the overlapping timers, or even just keep it as is, and have one curtailed before it has ended. In an ideal world, as with at least some of the Samsung PVRs, you would be offered alternative times but at least you will be given adequate warning by the PWT655. As per YouView, and possibly others, we would also like to see the Panasonic recognise when a standard definition recording has been scheduled and offer up an HD alternative, should one exist. There is a little box at the top of the EPG that shows you the text ‘SD>HD’ but it’s hard to see and a pop-up message would be much better. Since it has two tuners, the PWT-550 can record two different programmes at once. So there’s no need to worry about missing anything when two programmes overlap.

Design, Connections & Control

Easy to operate] large buttons that are easy to operate are used, and characters are distributed on the buttons in an easy-to-understand manner, reducing the strain on the eyes and realizing comfortable operation. It has a sense of stability that makes it easy to push even when it is placed, and you can operate it by pinching it, grasping it, and operating it while it is placed. * Some functions may not be available depending on the model.