Panasonic Blog

Sometimes you might not be able to catch television when it is being broadcast due to the demands of busy life or those unexpected interruptions crop up which may cause you to miss a crucial plot twist. Of course, we had a solution for that in past decades in the form of timed recordings on the VCR but there are more modern and efficient solutions such as the DMR-PWT520 Blu-ray disc player and hard drive recorder.

It’s never been easier or more convenient to record your favourite content for later viewing – something called “time shifting”. If you’re new to the concept of time shifting and never fancied yourself as much of a VCR expert then you might want to check out what a hard drive recorder can do for you in terms of simplifying content consumption.

Firstly, the PWT520 packs in a sizeable 500GB hard drive which will be plenty of space particularly for those starting out with their first recorder. You’ve also got the option to archive shows out to an external USB hard drive if you do find yourself running out of space or you want to preserve space in the recorder. One approach you might employ is to use internal storage for content that you will watch once and delete while your classic movies and TV shows can be stored on an external drive. However, it’s worth noting in this model in that you can only view recorded content transferred to an external hard drive via the recorder itself and not on other devices such as computers. Also, If you’re after the ability to archive to DVD or Blu-ray discs then you might want to check out the BWT720 or BWT820 Blu-ray recorders.

Another major feature of the PWT520 for newcomers to the hard drive recorder scene is its twin television tuners capable of Full HD recording. If you’ve faced the conundrum of choosing between two or even three overlapping shows to watch then this will be the solution to your problem. Being able to record two channels simultaneously through the recorder while watching a third channel directly through the television should help you navigate smoothly through most clashes in television programming with a few button presses of the remote. The seven day electronic program guide (EPG) will also help you make decisions as to what to watch and record in advance – a convenient way to line up your favourite shows for recording.

One thing that I have come to love about the PWT520 is being able to improve the efficiency of content viewing. By watching content shortly after it has been recorded you can make very light work of not just the advertisements but a lot of the filler in some television shows that aren’t essential to your viewing experience. Essentially, you can cover more content in the same amount of time. You’ve also got the ability to pause and rewind live television as well when viewing via the PWT520 – ideal when you get those unexpected phone calls or visitors at the front door.

Of course, the PWT520 features a Blu-ray drive capable of playing CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs which is a plus if you’re looking to consolidating devices in your home theatre setup while teaming up nicely with a 3D capable television when playing 3D Blu-ray discs. The built in Wi-Fi means that you have access to online content such as Yahoo!7, ABC iView and YouTube just to name a few in addition to content that may exist on your home network. Most bases should be well covered as the BWT520 supports a bevy of media formats including AVCHD, MKV, MP4, MPEG-2 and DivX for videos stored on a USB hard drive with a subset available over network connections.

In terms of aesthetics, the BWT520 follows Panasonic’s current design styling for its audio visual products which should blend in easily with most home theatres. Despite being quite a solid unit this recorder is refined and understated in its appearance such that it doesn’t draw undue attention to itself.

So if you’re looking to jump into the world of hard disk recorders then the PWT520 should be well worth of your consideration given its vast content capabilities.

Words: Panasonic Insider, Boyd Chan.

There are few things more relaxing than curling up on the couch and losing yourself in an amazing movie or TV show. Now you don’t even have to leave home to choose your favourite movies because BigPond Movies and Quickflix are now available on selected Panasonic Blu-ray models through our VIERA Connect platform.

You’ll have access to a vast library of all the best movies and television shows. It’s as simple as streaming movies and TV shows over the internet directly to your Blu-ray so you can watch what you want, whenever you want, with unlimited access for one low monthly subscription fee.

With content from Hollywood’s major studios including Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, and premium television series from HBO, the BBC & iTV, you’ll always have something enjoyable to watch.

Of course, with VIERA Connect you can already enjoy services like Yahoo! 7’s PLUS7, ABC iView, Skype voice and video calling and social networking, and now you can add a big world of movie and TV entertainment to that list.

Selected Models include:

• DMR-BWT82
• DMR-BWT720
• DMR-BWT520
• DMR-HW220
• DMP-BDT320
• DMP-BDT220
• DMR-BBT01

The Panasonic Insider Crew is a community of tech enthusiasts who get involved in sharing their product feedback and ideas, receiving sneak-peeks and are invited to events. Justin Martin, an Insider Crew member, won the opportunity to product test the Panasonic TH-P50ST50A TV. Here is his review:

I’ve had the pleasure testing the Panasonic TH-P50ST50A Viera plasma TV and putting it through its paces. I was also given a lovely Panasonic DMP-BDT320 3D Blu-ray player to ensure I could give it the works.

As a product tester and part of the Panasonic insider Crew, I wanted to be sure to take everything out of it and test every feature I could find.

As soon as I opened the box I was impressed with the design and how much lighter it was than my older plasma (It’s a lot more energy efficient as well.)

We already had most of the toys to test it out, tablets, server, wifi, consoles. But the 3D Blu-ray allowed us to see Viera link and the smart TV features, such as knowing when you insert a Blu-ray and switching the TV over for you.

So how did it go you ask? Well the display was crisp, bright and worked very well even in a brightly lit room with sunlight streaming in (something that is meant to be an issue for plasmas.) The refresh rate watching fast paced sport and games was everything you would expect in a quality TV. And it had all the usual colour/brightness adjustments, true cinema, dynamic etc. for those that like to tinker.

We had lots of family and friends over to try out the 2D-3D and 3D features in particular, and all agreed the 2D-3D worked surprisingly well. It’s been great for the Olympics as we can’t get the 3D feed in rural areas and other sport like the footy really came alive. The 3D was what really grabbed people’s attention though. Blu-rays popped and showed great depth while gaming added a layer of immersion that drew you in and really enhanced the overall experience. The 3D gaming for me was the feature that really grabbed my attention and I have so far devoted the most time to ‘testing’.

Panasonic have added some great little extras that should help this TV stand out from the rest. The photo slideshow comes with a set of tunes that can be played in the background. Mood music if you will. Featuring beachy, party or jazzy tunes to suit your photo album selection, it was an unexpected surprise. The addition of an external hardrive turns the TV into a personal video recorder and you can also play video, music and photos from a usb stick.

The wifi and net connection allow for a number of your favourite services to be delivered via the TV such as Youtube, Skype and Quickflix. While it also allowed simple connection to any server you may have to share your movies, music or photos around the house. The internet, Viera tools and media player are all accessed quickly and easily from the remote.

The app for tablets works fine as a remote but still needs some work for the other features. Hopefully this is just a firmware/app update and they can really show off the uses that integration with your tablet can bring. At the moment it is full of potential. You can see what CAN be achieved but Panasonic will need to tweak it to get it shining.

Final verdict? For its price it would be hard to beat the new Panasonic TH-P50ST50A. It’s sleek, has a huge number of extra features, interacts well with a large range of other products and above all is a great display. I had great fun testing it, so thank you Panasonic.

Over the years the adoption of Full HD televisions in households has continued to grow as older televisions have been replaced and the prospect of 3D viewing tempting some owners to upgrade from existing Full HD televisions.  Of course, Blu-ray plays an important complementary role in the Full HD ecosystem and offers a superior viewing experience particularly when compared to DVD.

It’s a big year for Panasonic in terms of its Blu-ray range with some notable features specific to its 2012 lineup.  One of the killer features is the ability to playback content from the BWT720 or BWT820 Blu-ray recorders on a tablet or smartphone independent of what is being viewed on a connected television. For a long time, the notion of a single connected display has been a bottleneck when there has been contention to watch different live and recorded content simultaneously. However, thanks to the twin tuners in the BWT720 and BWT820, both a TV and a smartphone or tablet can watch live TV at the same time. Otherwise, multiple devices on the same network can simultaneously play back recorded content from the Blu-ray recorder. This gives you the choice of when and where in the home you want to watch your favourite content – quite handy when events such as the Olympic Games are on.

Speaking of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, sports fans out there will have had an opportunity to capture catch some of the highlights in 3D this year. Having a Blu-ray recorder will ensure that you don’t miss out as you can record live and playback in 3D (on a 3D capable display) when it suits you.  All of Panasonic’s Blu-ray recorders include native electronic program guides (EPGs) with the BWT720 and BWT820 also offering the convenience of reviewing the EPG and scheduling recordings from your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet when you’re at home.

Naturally, it makes sense to take full advantage of the available resolution of your television but recording Full HD content can consume significant amounts of storage.  Even with the massive 1TB of storage available in the flagship BWT820 Blu-ray recorder you might fancy extra space particular for those television classics that you like to watch every so often or if you a notorious in falling behind in watching your recorded content! In these situations, the ability to archive content to up to eight external hard drives of up to 2TB storage capacity each is sure to be a hit in content hungry households. Otherwise, there is always the option to burn to optical disc if that is more convenient.

At the end of the day, content liberation has slowly evolved thanks to devices such as Blu-ray recorders from Panasonic and the ongoing innovations. Initially, we’ve enjoyed the ability to “time shift” content by means of recording and subsequent playback at a more convenient time. The next logical step is “place shifting” content in the form of being able to view your recorded content elsewhere from your primary screen and recording device. Panasonic is now leading the industry by empowering users to take this next step in their households.

Words: Boyd Chan, Panasonic Insider.
For more of Boyd’s tech reviews, go here.

Way back in 2008, Panasonic was the first company to release a Blu-ray recorder in Australia – just in time for the Beijing Olympic Games. As Olympic fever once again sweeps the world, it’s good to know that Panasonic is here again to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the action.

Even though Australia is on the other side of the world, there’s no need to stay up throughout the night to watch the action in London. Thanks to the latest in Panasonic Blu-ray technology, you can record all of your favourite moments in glorious Full-HD to watch at your leisure.

When it comes to recording your favourite event, you want to make sure you don’t miss out on the all-important final minutes. Panasonic recommends one of our generously sized 500GB HDD Full-HD Blu-ray disc recorders.

These machines are known as the BWT720 and the PWT520, and both options are effective all-in-one recorders. Plus, they also are 3D-ready, so it will feel like you’re actually at the event.

What’s the difference between the two Blu-ray recorders? Both are ready, willing and able to take on an Olympic sized challenge. However, the BWT720 model offers the added convenience of long-record mode and the ability to archive your recordings on Blu-Ray.

What if there’s another show (or two) you’d like to watch while the Olympics is on? No problem – both models also feature twin HD tuners. This means you can record two digital broadcasts simultaneously in Full-HD while watching a Blu-ray/DVD disc, or a third channel via your TV tuner.

A Panasonic Blu-ray disc recorder will bring the Olympic experience into your home like never before.