dmr-bs850
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Panasonic justifies Blu-ray recorder cost by asking "How much are memories worth to you?"
Apparently blissfully unaware of how much the Engadget staff has paid for the events of the last CES to be forgotten, Panasonic is promoting the UK launch of its FreeSat+ compatible series of Blu-ray recorders (£999 for the 500GB DMR-BS850) by promising to archive ones most valuable memories. Is that enough for you to navigate the various copy protection flags towards Blu-ray disc archival, or will you risk the family Christmas video (worth £542) on something less than a 50GB Blu-ray disc?
Panasonic DMR-BS850 Blu-ray DVR gets reviewed
Infuriatingly restrictive DRM aside, Panasonic's FreeSat+ Blu-ray burning DVR brings some new capabilities to the UK, apparently enough to impress Home Cinema Choice. A few downsides, like ITV marking its HD broadcasts Copy Never preventing any disc backups, and an inability to connect to other devices on the network didn't take away its DVR features, h.264 compression capabilities and solid Blu-ray playback. Of course the entry price for the DMR-BS850 is high, but take a look at the rest of their notes before deciding whether or not all those arrows and padlocks are worth the trouble.
BBC breaks down the new DRM rules for Blu-ray recorders
The reason Blu-ray recorders have migrated from Japan to the UK recently -- and why you'll likely never see them in the U.S. -- is all about the copyright holders. Danielle Nagler, head of BBC HD, hit the blogs to break down the wheres and hows of the DRM changes associated with bringing FreeSat disc HD DVRs like the Panasonic DMR-BS850 and Humax FOXSAT-HDR to market, basically meaning users are allowed one HD copy of a show, which can be played back on protected devices and connections only (transfer to portable players is planned to the future.) Follow the flow chart for the details, and figure out if it'd be worth it to make your own BD-R DVR backups so easily.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Panasonic's Blu-ray burning FreeSat+ DVRs due in June
Blu-ray archiving DVRs have been a staple in Japan since the format was still in protective cartridges, and now we have more details on the new Panasonic HD Everything lineup launching in the UK. All three boxes can convert recorded programs into h.264 to save disc space, and beyond their FreeSat+ twin tuner DVR capability, support Panasonic's VIERA Cast internet hookups to pull in video and pictures from YouTube and Picasa. The DMR-BS850 and DMR-BS750 support BD-Live enabled Blu-ray playback and recording in HD, while the DMR-XS350 serves as an HD DVR on its hard drive, but falls back to SD for disc archiving on old school DVDs. No word on a price, but while the British ponder Panasonic vs. Humax we're already willing to trade in proposed tru2way boxes to have a shot at these.[Via TechDigest.tv]Update: TrustedReviews came through with some better pics, specs, and most importantly, prices for these joints - The DMR-BS850 has a 500GB HDD for £999, the DMR-BS750 has a 250GB HDD for £899 and the DMR-XS350 clocks in with a 200GB HDD for £699.
Panasonic showcases UK-bound DMR-BS850 Blu-ray recorder
While the results in our most recent poll were decidedly mixed, those over in Britain will soon have the option of procuring their own Blu-ray recorder thanks to Panasonic. The DMR-BS850, which was recently showcased across the pond, will sport a dual FreeSat tuner and will rival the heralded Humax FOXSAT-HDR. Details beyond that are few and far between, but we should hear more during the run-up to its late 2008 release. Check the read link for a few more looks.
