Info and forum posts by 'Kenji'

Imported Hardware

Having previously decided on a Panasonic E50, I have just been reading about new Sony HD models being released in Japan.

Does anyone know how difficult it would be to get one to work in the UK?

Im in Japan in May and could quite easily bring one back.

Which Hack? (Panasonic E50)

When delivery improves, I am hoping to get a Panasonic E50. My problem is that depending on where you order it, the cost of "Mulit-regionalising" it varies. Techtronics.com charge an additional £10, Panasonic showrooms charge £20 and our local Sevenoaks charge £30.00

The total cost at all of them comes in around the £300 mark.

Does anyone know if there is actually a difference in what you get? Techtronics site mentions RCE and the ability to skip FBI warnings along with the usual region compatibility and seem to suggest that an additional "Enhancer Scart" could be worth buying.

***Title edited by Moderator***

This item was edited on Sunday, 25th January 2004, 19:17

RE: Sony VS Panny...which would you choose?

Against the Panasonic E50 or E60, the Sonys with their newer technology can maybe compete but even then I went for an E50. Against an HS2 with its HD, there is simply no contest. Panny every time.

RE: What Scarts?

I love the thought of getting QED scarts and I will be using RGB across all 3 leads. But £128 for 3!!!!! Thats 1/2 the cost of the E50! (which seem to be as rare as the proverbial rocking horse s**t!)

One queiry though, the site you point to says:

"RGB video connection only. All unused connections are removed to maximise picture quality. Full data connection provided. No audio transmission. The QED AV41 is directional. (I assume this means bi-directional)

Other sites imply that their £25 scarts are good because they are "Fully wired"

Which are best. Fully wired or RGB only cables? though either way I will never be able to afford £128 :(

I think you must be loaded James, which would seem to be confirmed by the size of your DVD collection!

This item was edited on Wednesday, 21st January 2004, 17:56

RE: What Scarts?

Although I have a crappy TV at the moment, It is the next in line for upgrade now I have Sky+ and a Panasonic E50 (odd upgrade order I know :) ) so even though I may not notice much differance now, I dont want to have to replace the leads again later.

I like the idea of flat leads and the ones at Beyondhifi, are still on offer Bowfer. £14.40 for a 1.5m lead. That makes a total of £58.56 for 3, inc delivery! (S**t, if the wife ever finds out i`m toast ;) )

I did come across a 3 pack of Trilogy+ leads here for £66.65 inc delivery. They are only 1m long so should hopefully be a little tidier. What do you think?

What Scarts?

Hi

This may be a dumb question but there are so many scart leads out there ranging in price from £5.00 to £100.00

Any thoughts on what I should go for or even what sort of price range I should be looking at would be greatly appreciated.

My setup will be/is Sky+, Panny E50, TV (2 scarts in) and from what I gather I will need 2 RGB scart cables.

RE: Help on increasing Sky + Hard Drive

I know what you mean. (Any who don't, take a look at http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/t/101131/ds.html)

However, there must be people who have upgraded without problems. Just like there must be a "happy" Phillips user out there, despite the number of complaints you see about them :)

Hopefully I will be one of the lucky ones!

Having said that, I will be keeping the original 40 GB HD, just in case. I will also be backing up all the "important" programs I make to DVD-RAM (assuming I manage to find a Panasonic E50 sometime this week). If it does start developing the 17min bug, I can always swap back.

RE: Sony or Panasonic DVD Recorder

Thanks for the advice all.

I have come to the decision that the E50 is the one. The rewritable RAM disks will only ever be used on the E50 itself, the -R disks being the ones I will sometimes use in my Toshiba.

Now I need to know the best place to get a multiregional E50 from. I had heard that Richer Sounds had them on sale for under £250 but our local shop had sold out and the salesman had no idea when or even if they were getting more. Their "Special" is now a Phillips DVDR75 :/

Ace post Jimbo! It comes as a pleasant surprise to come across an Electrical Retailer who knows what he is talking about and is prepared to sell products based on that knowledge! Or have I just become bitter and disillusioned, trying to get intelligent sound out of the staff in the usual high street outlets?

On the pro and cons of combined + and - recorders. The more I think about it, the more I think it is just a sales gimmick aimed at the impulse buyer.

You get two types of buyers. The "researcher" who will check out the formats before buying and the "impulsive" that will walk into a store and buy from the selection that's on offer.

The "researchers" will decide on the format first and will not want to pay for a second format that they will never use. The "impulsive", on hearing about the "format wars" from the sales staff will pay the extra for peace of mind. Back at home they will invariably chose one or other of the formats, for whatever reason, and then stick to it, building up a nice little DVD library that will in effect tie them to their choice for good.

So, it would seem that I become just one more nail in the coffin of the rabid diehards over in DVDplusRW.org land ;)

Thanks again all

Kenji

RE: Help on increasing Sky + Hard Drive

Hi

My Sky+ is being installed next Saturday 24th. I have a Maxtor 120Gb drive (DimondMax Plus 9 - Model 6Y120L) ready and waiting for it and warranty or not, its going in about 30 seconds after the installer leaves :)

For all the information you could possibly need on Sky+ HD upgrades, Methanoid created a superb thread at:

Http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/t/30514/ds.html

The contributors realy know their stuff and its worth reading all replys from start to finish before deciding whether or not to do it or which disk to go for.

Have fun

This item was edited on Saturday, 17th January 2004, 15:36

RE: Philips DVDR75

Having just bought Sky+ and about to buy a DVD recorder, I just cant afford a W/S set yet :( However I have found that if I sat on the floor, 2 inches from the screen with the sound turned up it was just like watching Eastenders at the Cinema!!

Well - it was until the wife caved the back of my head in with a shoe and I smashed my nose into the tv anyway >:( (Bl**dy Eastenders eh!)

RE: Sony or Panasonic DVD Recorder

Thanks all for the replies.

As I said before, I need to be able to record to -R and it would be useful to be able to use re-recordable disk of some form or other. As I do not intend to share the re-recordable disks I use, any of the formats out there will do.

As I don't have a camcorder at all, the E60 is out (thanks Snafu).

I have come to the conclusion that RAM would be the most useful. This, together with the price should point me to the E50. However, as Chuck says, the Sony is a newer machine and although is does not have RAM, and "a bit of a gimmick" or not, it does have + and - RW which if nothing else, should give me the hours of fun trying to prove for myself once and for all which is the best!

As the Sony is newer, is it technically better internally? Clearly both are within my budget so I can effectively ignore cost and simply select the best bit of kit possible. I don't want to throw money away but I would prefer extra functionality in the recorder to a £100 saving.

Hi Telboy10. I discounted the JVC as I heard that it didn't have the RGB input that I will need for my Sky+

As an aside, if Sony's multi-format answer is the way all DVD manufactures go. Will "joe public" then realise that there is not really that much difference between + and - after all! They will then rush out and buy the cheapest disks out there, effectively killing the dearer format and ending all the fun.

Sony or Panasonic DVD Recorder

I am looking to buy a DVD Recorder. I am getting Sky+ installed next week and already have a Maxtor 120Gb ready and waiting for it! I also have a Toshiba SD-100E DVD player. Having done a little research on the Toshiba (which I'm keeping), it would seem that it is only able to play -Rs. This, together with a budget of £400 leads me to either a Sony RDR-GX3 or a Panasonic, maybe the DMR-E60.

I am after a little help with the Panasonic range which seems very confusing! Within my price range are the E50 and E60 as shown on Panasonic's Website, then there is the E30 which seems to be widely available in the UK and the E80 which even has a HD but seems to be an "import" job. I would love the DMR-HS2 with its HD but at over £500 it outside my price range :( Help!