Panasonic DMR-HW100 review

The new DMR-HW100 is Panasonic’s latest attempt at a PVR with integrated Freeview HD tuners – the 320GB hard disk inside should be large enough for around 85 hours of high definition television, but that isn’t its only highlight. With DLNA media streaming and online content support, it could be a welcome addition to your home cinema setup.

Panasonic’s set-top boxes are rarely renowned for their style, and the DMR-HW100 is no different. The angular black plastic fascia folds down to reveal the front-mounted USB port and SD card reader, as well as the single line LCD display. You can close the front flap when an SD card is plugged into the front, but you’ll need to leave it open when a USB flash drive or hard disk is connected. You can always use the USB port round the back to avoid this. At the rear, an HDMI output, an aerial input and passthrough and optical S/PDIF and stereo phono audio outputs cover the connection basics.

You’ll need to run a network cable to the rear Ethernet port if you want to use the PVR’s DLNA media streaming and online content features, as the wireless dongle is sold separately (part number DY-WL10E-K, £67 from www.amazon.co.uk). Once set up, we had no trouble connecting to the networked PC containing our test files over DLNA. Unfortunately, file format support is limited, both over the network and from a USB drive. Although we could play DivX and XviD (with the native .divx and .xvid extensions) and MKV files, MP4, MOV and AVCHD files weren’t recognised. Only JPEG images and MP3 audio were supported, so you’ll have to convert any other file formats before viewing them through the player. You can’t copy recorded programs off the player onto external storage for backup, either.

As a Freeview HD receiver, the HW100 was surprisingly basic. It starts up in a leisurely 25 seconds and takes around 1.5 seconds to change channels. The on-screen programme guide lacks picture-in-picture, covers the entire screen and cuts all audio, so you won’t be able to choose another programme without missing out on the one you’re currently watching.

We had no problems using the system thanks to a sensibly laid out remote control. All the critical buttons are within easy reach, which makes it easy to browse through the very basic menu system – there are very few options to control audio or image quality.

Thanks to the PVR’s twin HDTV tuners, we could record two high definition channels at once. When recording two channels you’re limited to watching those two channels, but you can also record one channel while watching whatever other channel you want. You can also play back pre-recorded programmes no matter what the current recording configuration. Pausing live TV and time shift playback worked smoothly, and although there’s currently no way to test it, Panasonic say the HW100 is ready to record 3D content when it finally makes its way to Freeview.

You’ll have to stop all recording to access Viera Cast internet services, but considering how limited these services are, we doubt this will be a major concern. Streaming video from YouTube and Daily Motion, movie rentals from AceTrax, news, weather and social network access to Twitter are the highlights, but there’s no catch-up TV such as iPlayer or a web browser. It does support Panasonic’s Skype camera, but again this is something you’ll have to buy separately (part code TY-CC10W, £129 from www.amazon.co.uk).

At £270, the DMR-HW100 is relatively inexpensive for a dual-tuner Freeview HD hard disk recorder. If you’ve resisted buying a Sky or Virgin package, but still want a dedicated PVR to keep on top of your programmes, the DMR-HW100 is a good way to do it, but the basic interface and limited online portal count against it.