Panasonic Dmr-bw780 & Bw880 - Bluray Recorders,

[sns]

Hi all. I'm wondering whether these models (780/880) will be firmware upgradable to 3d in future? Or must I wait for even newer models?

Cheers, Dom.

3D over HDMI is part of the HDMI 1.4 spec (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_comparison) however the wiki does make some exceptions for 1.3, the 780/880 currently outputs HDMI 1.3a (user manual page 98), although I reckon it might still also comply with 1.3c looking at the changes that were made.

Would they do a firmware upgrade or release a new model with the feature, I'd be putting my money on a new model. There is no money in a firmware upgrade.

[Basil1503559642]

The unit has replaced a 3yr old DMREX75 with a dead HDD. If that unit had HD/BluRay then I might have been more willing to seek repair. As it is the improvements over this new BW780 are vast and most welcome.

Slightly OT,friend(of a friend) has had the same problem,looks like the HDD is dead and is sending it to me to have a look as not worth getting repaired,they are going to buy a HD Panny this weekend.

Point of post has anyone in their travels around the net seen instructions for replacing the HDD on...ANY...of the Panny DVD & BD Recorders?,apparently you need a Panny. installation CD to format the new HDD .TIA

[dvdnovice]

I'm looking to get a BW880 to suppliment my XW450 (and still working EX78).

Does anyone know if the relatively slow menu response in the XW450/350 and BW750/850 is any quicker with the BW780/880?

Also, is there is a problem with playing back Blue Ray Discs created on the BW780/880 on the PS3?

Many thanks

[BJ Boy]

Thanks for 3D replies. I can wait for a while as the next machine will replace my DSE6200 which served (Won't record now) as a backup to my 2 Wiz' S1 & P1. Maybe I'll go a 5492 & get a BD player since I have a BD burner on computer.

Now to work out what works with what .

[diesel]

Does anyone know if the relatively slow menu response in the XW450/350 and BW750/850 is any quicker with the BW780/880?

Also, is there is a problem with playing back Blue Ray Discs created on the BW780/880 on the PS3?

Can't see menu response being any quicker - same underlying FW i'd imagine.

The initial BW500 review I read listed the discs burnt on the machine would only play on fellow Pana gear, and when they tested a PS3, it didn't work. maybe nboth sides haver released FW updates since that may help resolve this issue.

[sns]

Too strong of a signal is just as bad as a weak signal.

A $10 attenuator from DSE or Jaycar maybe worth a try

TV guy came today. Problem fixed , too strong a signal coming out of the wall for the BW880 to handle. He changed over one of the wall plate taps and put in some inline attenuators for both outlets. It explained why my 42px70a had bad reception as well, to the point that it was better to not connect it to the wall and just have the coax on the floor pick up the signal.

Edited June 3, 2010 by sns

[taffy62]

Taffy62, the main differences are that the newer models support DNLA and SDXC cards

I think they may have some new more efficient codecs for transcoding on the fly, but other than that they are pretty much the same as the older models.

Thanks for that

Even though my Mum and Dad have a Full HD Pana Plasma, I ended up getting the DMR-XW 380 for them, as they said they wont watch blu-ray and only wanted to record free to air tv then erase after watching, so they were happy with this and saved some money.

I would like a Bluray recorder for myself, but it would be good one day if they will bundle this with a surround sound system, instead of having only players with them, as my old surround sound does not have HDMI ports

[tricam]

Hi, can anyone help?

I put down a deposit on a bw880 today at Harvey Norman in Cannington for approx $998.00 and forgot to ask whether or not it was region-free / unlocked. Rang back and the response was to google for the unlock codes. Not helpful .

After about 1 1/2 hrs searching I got've:

1) Can't be done

2) Panasonic unlocks everything in Australia by default

3) Depends on the seller and their agreement with Panasonic

4) Ring Panasonic - there was nothing on their Australian website but the implication was they'll do it if pushed

5) Get the model chipped.

I'm relucant to do anything to void the warranty but could someone please clarify what the actual situation is here? I'd rather not keep my old DVD player just to play the few Region 1 (not and never to be available in Australia) DVDs I have. I've no Blu-ray disks as yet.

Thanks

Edit: I read everything except this thread it seems . It says that Panasonic supply the earlier models region free for DVDs but locked for Blu-ray. Does anyone know what the situation for the BW880 is?

Edited June 5, 2010 by tricam

[diesel]

I believe Panasonic DVDR and BDRs are region free for DVDs but region locked for Bluray. If you want to get region free mod for Bluray, you need to speak to www.gattiweb.com

[tricam]

I believe Panasonic DVDR and BDRs are region free for DVDs but region locked for Bluray. If you want to get region free mod for Bluray, you need to speak to www.gattiweb.com

Thank you so much .

[BigBad64]

I put down a deposit on a bw880 today at Harvey Norman in Cannington for approx $998.00

If they're selling the 880 @ $998 (RRP $1199), do you know what they're selling the 780 (RRP $999) for?

HN Frankston VIC still had the 780 ticketed at the $999 RRP price last time I checked.

Maybe it's a store by store decision.

[tricam]

If they're selling the 880 @ $998 (RRP $1199), do you know what they're selling the 780 (RRP $999) for?

HN Frankston VIC still had the 780 ticketed at the $999 RRP price last time I checked.

Maybe it's a store by store decision.

No I don't - sorry. The only reason this happened is because I was doing the rounds of the stores (JB, Retravision, The Good Guys, etc) to find out the prices on the BW880 and when they would be receiving stock.

The shop assistant said that they had 18 ordered and 4 already allocated. I questioned the price as I thought he'd found the wrong product and he showed me the Harvey Norman stock listing on the computer which was listed at the RRP and with the discount.

[BigBad64]

I was doing the rounds of the stores (JB, Retravision, The Good Guys, etc) to find out the prices on the BW880 and when they would be receiving stock. The shop assistant said that they had 18 ordered and 4 already allocated. I questioned the price as I thought he'd found the wrong product and he showed me the Harvey Norman stock listing on the computer which was listed at the RRP and with the discount.

Apparently HN are doing a special of $998 on the 880 till the end of the month.

I went to HN Frankston VIC this morning and the 780 was ticketed at $999 and the 880 at $1199 (RRP's). I asked the sales assistant why with their "Half Yearly Stock Clearance" & "Red Hot Sale" that was happening there wasn't any reduction on RRP?

He looked at the computer and told me about the special on the 880. Why wouldn't you alter the sticker price so people know about it?

I then asked if there was a similar special on the 780 to give people some incentive to buy that. He said no there wasn't and I remarked that they obviously didn't want to sell any 780's if they were $1 dearer than the 880.

He then told me "You don't understand, people want more storage."

I'm afraid he's right, I don't quite get their sales method.

Don't change the ticket price to show your special, and have the special undercut your smaller capacity unit which you're also trying to sell, by $1.

[holden caulfield]

Damn, I find this out now, haha. I would have been keen to get the 500GB version. Especially at that price. I only had a quick look at the HN store near me and they had the BW780 with a sticker price of $999, marked down to $949.

There were no BW880s on display and I didn't ask about them. D'oh!

[BigBad64]

Has anyone in Melbourne got a good price on the 780 at a bricks and mortar store?

holden caulfield's $850 in Canberra seems to be the cheapest so far?

[sns]

Grrrr, the time on my bw880 is now out 1/2 hour. I remember reading about this problem in the earlier model threads. What makes it strange is my Panasonic TV shows the correct time.

I did a shipping conditions reset on the bw880 and it still the same. Part of the initial setup, before the bw880 displays any TV stations, is to setup the clock but it is wrong.

[BigBad64]

Grrrr, the time on my bw880 is now out 1/2 hour. I remember reading about this problem in the earlier model threads. What makes it strange is my Panasonic TV shows the correct time.

I did a shipping conditions reset on the bw880 and it still the same. Part of the initial setup, before the bw880 displays any TV stations, is to setup the clock but it is wrong.

Just a few things to try;

Re the clock,

Have you got the time setting on "Auto"? Have you got the correct region selected? Daylight Saving setting correct?

What happens if you set the clock manually?

Re being 30 minutes out, I gather you mean the EPG times? Re-scan the channels again from scratch and see if that corrects it. Worked at one stage for me on a DMR-XW300.

[diesel]

Grrrr, the time on my bw880 is now out 1/2 hour.

Make sure you're not on Auto time but manual, and being in Sydney, make sure you didn't pick Adelaide timezone.

[sns]

Make sure you're not on Auto time but manual, and being in Sydney, make sure you didn't pick Adelaide timezone.

On the bw880, you select the zone by state. It was correct. For some unknown reason yesterday, it got the time wrong.

I am aware that the turning off of the automatic time has been suggested for other earlier models. Had hoped that Panasonic may have fixed this anomaly.

Today I tried changing the zone to a different state, QLD then Vic, but no change. Then set it to SA. The bw880 then updated the time correctly, so back to NSW and update time again, now it is showing correctly.

[diesel]

I am aware that the turning off of the automatic time has been suggested for other earlier models. Had hoped that Panasonic may have fixed this anomaly.

The reason I suggested changing time from auto to manual is that occassionally (usually around Daylight Savings changeover time) the broadcasters send the wrong time in their broadcasts and the device just assumes it's right. It's nothing Panasonic can do to fix - the unit is operating as it shoulkd. It's the broadcasters that occassionally get it wrong.

[bassface]

BW880 ...$870.00 Myers Highpoint

[sns]

The reason I suggested changing time from auto to manual is that occassionally (usually around Daylight Savings changeover time) the broadcasters send the wrong time in their broadcasts and the device just assumes it's right. It's nothing Panasonic can do to fix - the unit is operating as it shoulkd. It's the broadcasters that occassionally get it wrong.

Thanks, I had a look later and the time, it had gone back to 1/2 hour earlier . The procedure that I stated above worked again, but then I found out there was a firmware update (V1.15) for the BW880 available to download. After applying that, the time no longer corrects itself, not even if I set it for WA time. So it always shows the SA time. Not sure if they are related as the release notes for the update do not mention a change in the time handling.

Anyway the time difference is also shown in the EPG data. So the time on the BW880 is shown as 1/2hr early, but so does the start time of the programs, the end result is a recording would start at the correct time even though the time on the BW880 was wrong.

Disabling the auto time and setting the time on the BW880 to the correct time would cause the recording to start and finish early.

So if the TV and the BW880 get the time and EPG data from the same source, why does one show the correct information and the other does not? I think that is a question for Panasonic.

[steve_i]

Hi All,

Is there anyway to connect the 780 or 880 to the internet using wi-fi? Anyone tried it? I was under the impression Pana were gonna release newer recorders with wi-fi capability. I know they have a regular BD Player that is wi-fi capable, but it appears not a BD Recorder.

Tried searching for the answer to my question, but couldn't find anything:(

Stephen

[bassface]

hi all got the bw 880 and im just learning it....so far i cant work out how to burn a tv show directly to dvd i.e. by pass the hard disc, is this possible if not its a ludicrous omission?...thanks

[Gomster]

hi all got the bw 880 and im just learning it....so far i cant work out how to burn a tv show directly to dvd i.e. by pass the hard disc, is this possible if not its a ludicrous omission?...thanks

You cant burnt direct to a DVD, you have to copy from HDD to DVD