Compare Prices : Panasonic DMR-EX77

Pros: Simple and easy-to-use recording, great inbuilt editing tool

Cons: Some noise and chromatic aberrations when upscaling DVDs, lacks a HD tuner despite HD upscaling

Verdict: The DMR-EX77 seems to be having a hard time deciding what kind of device it wants to be. Although it upscales DVDs to high definition, it can't decode high-definition TV. Apart from this little contradiction however, it's generally a functional and ...

Review summary: The EX77 shares the same plain black styling and impeccable build quality of the EX87

Pros: Recording and playback quality ; Exhaustive list of features

Cons: No WMA, DVD-A or series recording feature

Verdict: When shopping, bear in mind though, that Sony's RDR-HXD870 costs the same, but also includes USB and Series Recording

Review summary: It's bursting with other useful features, such as a Freeview tuner with seven -day EPG and an HDMI output with 1080p upscaling, which works with recordings as well as DVDs. It's the only deck in the group test to sport an SD card slot for playing back ...

Pros: Loads of features, superb recorded picture quality

Cons: No DivX playback, dull design

Review summary: If your TV's demanding a DVD recorder with a hard-drive you could do far worse than Panny's latest 160GB model

Pros: Great performance. Digital tuner. 1080p upscaling

Cons: No dual analogue tuner. Smallish hard disk