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Review At first glance, Panasonic’s DMR-BS850 Freesat+ Blu-ray recorder is essentially identical in appearance to the DMR-XS350, it’s DVD version we reviewed recently. Actually, Panasonic offer two Blu-ray models with the £1000 DMR-BS850 featuring a 500GB hard drive, while the DMR-BS750 has 250GB drive and an £800 price tag. Shop around is all we can say to that.

Panasonic’s DMR-BS850: Blu-ray recording for the HD enthusiast

Compared to the DVD recorder, these twin tuner Freesat+ machines feature HD recording onto Blu-ray discs. Lest we forget, the blue light on the front panel to let people know you have something fancy on the sideboard. This also illuminates to indicate when an SD card is in the slot but, mercifully, can be extinguished too.

One other minor difference is that the VieraCast facility is a little more feature-rich than that of the DVD version, adding weather, Bloomberg market information and the Tagesschau German news service to the Picasa and YouTube offerings included on the DVD model. Annoyingly, there’s a chirp from the audio with each keypress when you’re using VieraCast on these units, and unlike on Panasonic’s TVs, you can’t turn it off in the options.

In terms of connectivity, case design and basic functionality there’s no major difference between the Blu-ray and DVD recorders – so rather than re-hash it all here, take a look at the DMR-XS350 review for our thoughts on the interface and day to day usage. Read the rest of this entry »

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Review Will users get carried away by epson‘s EH-DM2 portable projector that features an integrated DVD player and audio output?

First impressions are not good: this is not a curvy, sexy colour supplement-friendly machine. Think Volvo, rather than Ferrari. Yet if you’re a movie buff who wants high-end performance, this is definitely not the machine for you. It does many things quite well, but it really suits folk who want to watch big-screen movies occasionally rather than the home theatre crowd.

The projector itself has a tough exterior, with its own integrated lens cover for keeping dust away from the lens when not in use. Quite a few machines could take a tip here – integrated lens covers are definitely the way to go. The unit also comes with its own built-in carry handle and a padded bag that makes the projector easy to move around. It grants some protection, though the bag is designed to protect the projector only from minor bumps and scratches. Read the rest of this entry »