Good player, but not in all respects Top

I own the Panasonic recorder now for several weeks. I must say that I was on the verge of beginning again to send him back.
Reason: Many things (for me) positive, what my old Xoro HVR 5500 had, was with the Panasonic significantly different or sometimes worse.

Some frustration built up with me on through the instruction manual. The structure is confusing and to obtain specific information from it is an ordeal. If standing in it at all, what you want to know ...

Why on DVD +/- R, etc. No recording in 16: 9 format is possible, we are not told. If now something in 'genuine' 16: 9 receives and want to burn them to DVD, the unit is first occupied the next 2 hours. Reason is that it converts the film in the original speed in the supported format. This is in this clarity also not in the manual. (The first time was, I almost grabbed him again in the box.)
In defense is to say that the 4: 3 format compressed 16: 9 picture on the TV then at least like 16: 9 does ausschauen.
Therefore, you should, if you want to burn the recording onto standard DVDs, basically the format 4: 3. But then he also burns really really fast. The maximum speed can also be cut in half in the basic settings even what the dub draws a noticeably lower noise level by itself, and (in my opinion) certainly also the accuracy of the burned DVD will benefit.

Another major shortcoming - The time shift function is almost useless. Activates this is simply by pressing the pause button. So far so good. One can from this point before and rewind and pause as you like also. But all the other functions of the device are blocked during this time.
So it is not possible, while time-shifted looks a shipment to come in any menu, let alone anything 'fixed' to capture to disk. An example would be: You look at a program that phone rings, press the pause button, chatters a round, delayed viewing and further noted: Mist, the mission that has just now begun, would perhaps take worthwhile. Unfortunately, the device does not stand a chance. One must consider if you want to record something beforehand.

Passable alternative: Wenns phone rings, do not use the stupid shift function, but press the record button. While the recorder is recording normally, you can namely also coils at the same time in the recording back and forth. And you have the recording when it unexpectedly sent something interesting. (All this was the Xoro the way in every aspect much better!)

A smaller drawback is perhaps that the remote control has no eject button for the DVD tray. I have a whole long moment sitting in front of a loss (by the way otherwise very clear) remote until I realized that I have to run it to the device.
By mounted on top of the housing power and eject buttons it happens beyond ever that the box unintentionally starts when you subsequently still connect a cable to the back. (OK, that should be no problem during normal operation.)

But after all the bleating about the positive sides.

The device is not stingy with connections (2x SCART, 1x HDMI, optical audio output, front AV / SVHS, USB and much more)
Moreover, he writes on just about all DVD formats, which you can buy at present.
The analog TV tuner is excellent - in this he is superior to my old Xoro carrot hands down. The quality of the recordings is immaculate both in image and in sound.
Both HDMI and over (RGB) Scart the image of the recorder is super reproduced. (However, the menus flicker violently when the Panasonic hanging on a tube TV times!)

The program guide is also a nice touch. With a push of a button can be programmed so that broadcasts. Small drawback of this feature: The recorder will update the guide every night, interrupting possibly recordings that overlap with it. However, if I remember correctly, this can be avoided if the program guide (temporarily) off, so that no night-time update is done.
(In chronological overlap but it will be warned when programming.)

If you hang the recorder to a compatible Panasonic Viera flat panel, you can control both units. So the recorder switches, for example from the same time when you turn off the TV. Stupid, if that is not at all wanted only. Because it really only has annoyed me, I have the function deactivated again ;-)
Especially from home on the supplied remote a few basic keys are included for TV-control (on / off, AV, volume and channel changing). These are according to instructions will also work with other brands as Panasonic.

The trim recordings works equally great and is very easy! One can commercial breaks or other undesirable over the image cut out accurately.
The menu title can be very long and in the event that the title of the program is transmitted via teletext, the correct designation of the picture is taken automatically.

Ultimately, you can still decide if you can be on normal standby on the shelf the box, or whether to use the Eco mode. In the latter case Scart signals are not looped and he needs a whole corner longer to wake up. However, this mode requires significantly less power. (From normal standby it is the way in one second for recording. The start-up of additional functions required but even a few seconds more.)

My conclusion is therefore: An HD / DVD recorder, which unfortunately has presented a bit of potential.
The miserable Timeshift is personally the most serious point for me.
That said, it is all in all a very good player with very good picture and sound quality.
The price is also right for it. Therefore, from my very brief 4 stars.