135 replies to this topic

[wesilg]

Hi,

  I'm new to this world, but bringing our av into the new century.  I do have a question tho: we recently bought the bwt820 and a WD live TV. I've had no luck getting the WD to play recorded TV on the HDD of the 820 - it can see the programs OK, but takes forever to start playing, then is extremely broken up - maybe changing the picture every 5 seconds or so, and no sound.
  We seems to be able to stream fine to the Panasonic Tablet app, so the wifi connection seems to be fast enough (we can also see iview OK on the Panasonic), so is this related to the final converted format for the recordings on the Panasonic, or is there a setting on the WD that makes this work?

  Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

  Cheers,
    Geoff....

[DieselOB]

smeg888, on 06 January 2013 - 06:05 PM, said:

Something really,really weird just started happening to my 720.  The picture on SBS1 is stretched so that the logo is almost at the right hand side of the screen.  Doesn't happen on any other channels, even SBS HD is fine. SBS is fine on Foxtel and HTPC.

Can't think of any logical reason for this. Rescanned the channels, still the same.

Appreciate any bright ideas.

thanks

Hi Smeg88, Mine is doing the same thing on SBS1. Did you find an answer?

[diesel]

wesilg, on 15 March 2013 - 09:24 AM, said:

so is this related to the final converted format for the recordings on the Panasonic

This.

[KiZ84]

gsd

[KiZ84]

Vent: why would Panasonic not give you the option of 'comparing' product features on their site??


Since Sony decided to kill the PlayTV off on their last firmware update, I am now in need of a replacement combo unit. As I have a Samsung smart TV, I wanted to go with one of their units, but looking at the reviews, I think I will be replacing one buggy piece of plastic with another, more expensive, one. I have read all the posts here and cannot see a direct spec comparison between the three units in question. From what I can work out the BWT820 might be the flagship, but for the extra 300 clams, all you are getting over the BWT720 is an extra 500gb of storage!?! $300 for half a terabyte, really Panasonic??
Then, priced $200 less, there is the PWT520, which is still a 500gb unit, but you lose the ability to record onto BluRay discs (not a feature I am interested in). You also lose the tablet/smartphone app, which does sound useful (especially in a future proofing sense), so I guess the question is, is one feature worth an extra $200 to me?

[diesel]

Have a look at their new range - their prices have come down a bit.

[KiZ84]

I went with the PWT520, but I am going to return it and go with separates.

Big issues:
*Can't play 3D BluRay content while recording TV.
*Doesn't remember where you left off on a BluRay or DVD if you switch back to TV mode. This is a major problem if watching a TV series on DVD.
*Doesn't seem to want to connect to internet. This could probably be overcome with some time, reading and swearing a lot...

Little issues:
*Remote is top heavy and very un-ergonomic.
*Switching between TV and BluRay player takes minutes, LITERALLY MINUTES.

Things I like which probably mean I will end up with a Panasonic stand alone PVR:
*60-second time shift for skipping ad breaks.
*UI is clean and simple.
*Image is fantastic.
*Sleek design is complementary to other components.

That's about it off the top of my head.

[diesel]

KiZ84, on 15 April 2013 - 08:13 PM, said:

Big issues:
*Can't play 3D BluRay content while recording TV.
*Doesn't remember where you left off on a BluRay or DVD if you switch back to TV mode. This is a major problem if watching a TV series on DVD.

Those are two doozies, though both are surprising.
* I imagine that the extra grunt needed for recording two HD streams as well as decoding a 3D bluray stream is just too much for the chip(s) inside the unit - built to a price I guess.
* No bookmark or resume play? That sounds odd, as standalone Panasonic BD players certainly offer this.

KiZ84, on 15 April 2013 - 08:13 PM, said:

Little issues:
*Switching between TV and BluRay player takes minutes, LITERALLY MINUTES.

I wonder if this is because if you start a BD player from scratch they can take a minute or more, but I would imagine having the unit already on in PVR mode would negate some of this start-up time. Really does seem a machine of compromises....

Wonder if the units like the BWT-720 or 820 have the same limitations?

[KiZ84]

diesel, on 16 April 2013 - 10:51 AM, said:

Those are two doozies, though both are surprising.
* I imagine that the extra grunt needed for recording two HD streams as well as decoding a 3D bluray stream is just too much for the chip(s) inside the unit - built to a price I guess.
* No bookmark or resume play? That sounds odd, as standalone Panasonic BD players certainly offer this.

Yeah, it seemed strange that it didn't resume, can't offer any more than my own experience on that one. Panasonic called me back based on a feedback email I sent them and confirmed the 3D issue. As for build to a price, I totally agree, though I returned it for a full refund based on the fact that this was not stipulated. I ended up buying the two equivalent Panasonic separates and (though it cost me an extra $100 to do so) am extremely happy now!

diesel, on 16 April 2013 - 10:51 AM, said:

I wonder if this is because if you start a BD player from scratch they can take a minute or more, but I would imagine having the unit already on in PVR mode would negate some of this start-up time. Really does seem a machine of compromises....

Wonder if the units like the BWT-720 or 820 have the same limitations?

I tried it more than once, so don't think that was the issue. Definitely a machine of compromises, probably great for the occasional user, though I needed something that could do it all, any time!
I would be very interested to hear any 720 or 820 owners feedback re: same issues or not...

[diesel]

KiZ84, on 18 April 2013 - 05:47 PM, said:

I ended up buying the two equivalent Panasonic separates and (though it cost me an extra $100 to do so) am extremely happy now!

Which two out of interest?

[KiZ84]

diesel, on 23 April 2013 - 09:35 PM, said:

Which two out of interest?

The BluRay player is the DMP-BDT220 and the PVR is the DMR-HW220.

A week on and I am still extremely satisfied with both units

Edited by KiZ84, 25 April 2013 - 11:10 AM.