Panasonic DMR-EZ27
30 JUL 2007
Launch price
from £free
Stuff says
It may not have a hard drive but the DMR-EZ27 has everything else inside, and it’s all top quality too. Get rid of your Freeview box and your DVD player and sling this under your telly instead
*
*
*
*
*
Stuff.tv hot buy
Looks don’t always pass down the generations. You just have to call up a mental picture of spud-alike Harry Redknapp standing next to his ‘Spice Boy’ son, Jamie, to know how true that is.
Thankfully, Panasonic’s latest DVD recorder follows the Redknapp tradition and is a distinct aesthetic improvement over its forebears. The affordable DMR-EZ27 is by no means pretty, but the moody black styling telegraphs this player’s serious credentials.
Simple but clever
Unlike its more ambitious siblings, the EZ27 doesn’t have a hard-drive, deciding instead to record to DVD. It does, though, sport a Freeview tuner, and boasts a number of improvements over previous generations of Panasonic players.
It’s a very well built and the remote’s improved too, with the logical button arrangement helping you to whiz through Panasonic’s simple menu system. This means quick, one-press access to important features like the Electronic Programme Guide.
Things get even simpler if you’re lucky enough to own one of Panasonic’s many fine sets. Viera Link allows you to link TV and recording functions and access everything you need through one remote.
Feature rich
And if all that wasn’t impressive enough for a list price of £200, upscaling all the way up to the heady heights of 1080p, HDMI connectivity and an inbuilt Freeview tuner is almost more than we deserve.