Thoughts...

My brain is pretty busy, sometimes so is my mouth. Most of the time my friends and family dare to care about what I am whittering on about, so maybe this page can act as some kind of therapy for that...

Below are various thoughts about various products and services (related to technology), some of them could be understood as some kind of consumer advice - a "review" almost... but I wouldn't lend too much value to any of it.

If you want to discuss any of my thoughts below, feel free to email me via the address on the Contact page.

Audio Visual

Panasonic DVD/HDD Recorders

Covers the models DMR-ES15, DMR-EX75, DMR-EZ27, DMR-EX768. Last updated 8th May 2025.

I have a fair affection for these little devices. Well I say little, almost every single one of them has the footprint of a late 1990s DVD player. Large, wide and relatively heavy and cumbersome; but they are genuinely one of my favourite audio visual products.

As I've probably discussed elsewhere on this page, I've not had the best experience with the world of video digitisation; specifically getting analogue formats into digital formats - and with every different approach I try, I always come crawling back to using my little DMR's.

I currently have 4 of these devices, 3 of which are working and one which has simply lost the plot (we'll get to that).

The venerable Panasonic DMR-ES-15.

I started with the ES15; I recall picking this model up when I was in college from the local charity shop that sold an assortment of your grans old sofa, a gaggle of hostess trolleys and questionable white goods. Prior to this I had been using a Philips branded DVD recorder which had since retired from its duty as a cheapo Sky+ alternative (actually it was retired because it was indeed replaced by a Sky+ box!). I always liked the ease of use DVD recorders gave, you could simply stick in a blank DVD (-R or -RW), select your input and hit record, that was it - simple as really. No faffing around with this decoder, or that software, or this setting or anything like that. Anyway, something about this lonely DMR-ES15 shouted "buy me! buy me!" and its price was certainly enticing (I recall it begin around £15 all told, but it was over a decade ago now). So 5 minutes later I'm lugging the cumbersome beasty back to campus, because of course I still had lessons to attend to but I'll be damned if I was losing out on this purcahse. A film-nerd friend (who's name is since lost to time) was in awe of the machine, regarding it as a "fantastic deal". I don't really know why I had purchased it, it did pretty much everything that the Philips could do at home with the exception that this could use DVD-RAM discs, "oooh fancy" my brain went (I was intensely gullible to technobabble at the time).

My ES15 was put to work almost immediately, digitizing VHS tapes of course! For some reason I had also convinced myself I MUST use the DVD-RAM discs the manual mentioned and record everything in "XP" quality, regardless if the tape itself was a wonky LP recording. I soon realised that DVD-RAM discs are a a funny old beast, and aside from a rather neat looking read-side - the benefits (not needing to finalize the disc, better rewrite capabilities) weren't really worth the cost (also considering you'd need a DVD-RAM compatible DVD-ROM drive in your PC). DVD-RW discs were at their cheapest, and if you don't really care for the environment you could also make good use of disposable DVD-R discs from the local cheapo shops.

DVD-RAM possibly one of the best writable disc formats, but overkill for my needs.

Fast-forward about 10 years or so to 2021(ish), the ES15 is still with me but kind of relegated to being part of the general AV stack, getting occassional work digitising this and that (often as me remindmg myself just how easy they are to use!). One post-COVID night I'm performing a routine ritual of looking on Facebook Marketplace for cheap electronic tat, and my eyes are drawn to someone selling a DVD recorder! A Panasonic one! Nice! I look a bit closer and its in working condition and this one is a fancy model, with a built in HDD for recording purposes and a nifty HDMI output! A few days later and a quick trip to a village just out side of my hometown and I am blessed by my new friend a DMR-EX75.

The DMR-EX75 is in my opinion the bee's knees; it takes everything great about the ES15 and enhances it. I of course look to see if there is a manner in which I could in theory rip the video content directly off the internal 160GB PATA drive but alas at this point there doesn't seem to be a confirmed method; darn! Oh well, I can at least still copy my digitisations to DVD. Sure it's not the best workflow as it's adding yet another level of transcoding to the mix (video source > HDD > DVD > whatever I choose in Handbrake) but the HDD does give me a lot more flexibility. You see when you record directly to a DVD-R/RW (and this applies to all models in this section) you have to pre-emptively choose your quality; XP, SP, LP and I think there's another one worse than LP that no human with working eye-sight should EVER be using. These quality levels have hard limits of how much data they can store on your standard 4.7GB single-layer DVD disc; XP is just over an hour, SP is just over 2 hours and I think LP is somewhere in the region of 4 but the quality of LP is dog-poo so I've never used it. This is tricky for content that either doesn't list its runtime or straight up lies ("approx 60 minutes", tee-hee its actually 65, see-ya later credits!). When you record to HDD however, you can avoid this tech "range anxiety" and simply set it to the best quality going (XP) and let it roll. That's not to say the 160GB PATA drives can't run out of space, absolutely not - it's more that they often can record in the region of 20+ hours in XP mode.

This isn't a DMR-EX75 instead this is the EX85 - very similar however.

Recording to HDD also has the benefit of avoiding media issues. If you recall from just a few sentences ago I kind of gave up on DVD-RAM discs and I now (3 house moves later) have no idea where any of them are, and if I do find them I guarantee you they've not been suitably "stored"; so since 2018-ish when I last recall seeing one of these discs I have been using a variety of DVD-RW's I have acquired - and because I am el cheapo many of these come from charity shops and have undetermined age and use put upon them (although I do prefer sealed copies when possible). Don't get me wrong DVD-RW's are pretty resilient so long as you ensure to format them properly each time in the DVD recorder's settings menu, but much like any recordable disc they seem ever prone to scratches or other weird damage. This damage might not become an apparent issue until you're half-way through recording to the media when the ol' Panasonic gives a "uh-oh write error" message on screen, meaning you've got to probably start again. Luckily ISObuster can often recover the data recorded up to that point, and I have used it for a DVD-RW that managed to record like 58 minutes of content in XP mode and then decide it would rather a life as a beer coaster. At least with recording to HDD you can just record the VHS (or any other) content to the internal drive, and then use the copy function to then move it to the DVD; if it fails then you can simply change the disc and start the copy process again. And because it's a copy process you can leave it to its thing while you do something else productive.

So you can tell, I've got the DVD HDD Recorder bug, but what else does the DMR-EX75 do that makes you swoon. Well the HDMI output is very handy indeed in this modern day of 2025; still one of the most commmon video connectors available this means you can in theory view analogue content on a computer monitor, a modern smart television or anything else that can accept a HDMI input. And because the DMR-EX75 has inputs for SCART, Composite and S-VIDEO the options are nearly endless. I'm not sure how much lag you'd get connecting a video games console through it however, but it definitely works for videotape watching. Even with that the DMR-EX75 can also output over SCART or Component, which is useful if you're wanting to connect it to other era-appropriate devices (the menus look really nice on a CRT television!).

Along with the convenience of both a HDD destination and a HDMI output, these DMR units have fully detachable powercords, a really nice remote control (although maybe a bit too big when compared to modern remotes) and a pretty simple UI. This means that if you wanted a "portable" digitising solution then this might be your best bet so far, you could in theory bring the DMR-EX75 + power cord + remote + hookup cables and then connect your grandads VCR to it and begin digitising your home videos without needing to use a computer! Not to mention the internal circuitry of these devices includes a TBC (time base corrector) which helps even some really crappy signals look half-way decent. Oh and the DVD-upscaling to HDMI isn't half bad either, although maybe not as good as what you can achieve with a respectable Blu-ray player.

So what are the downsides. Well first of all forget trying to digitise commercial tapes with pesky Macrovision, as soon as the Panasonic even gets a whiff of such protections it will stop the recording and scold you on screen for being a naughty pirate! To that effect the output (regardless if its HDMI, composite or component) also has some level of Macrovision present, regardless if the content you're showing on screen never had it in the first place. This means that connecting the HDMI output to an "off-the-shelf" capture card/capture box that system will tell you no way jose and likely scold you for being a naughty pirate again.

Along with annoying copy protection, these systems are genuinely SLOW AS MOLASSES to boot up, certainly if they're "cold" (i.e. been off for a while). The tension that builds while the front panel displays WAIT... PLEASE... and then finally HELLO for about 5 minutes is rather uncomfortable. This is because of a very big problem with these DMR units...

When dear ol' Panasonic built these machines, people believe they might have under-specced some of the core capacitors. You see if you look around online you'll find a lot of people with these wonderful machines asking for help due to their machines powering off and never powering back on, or coming up with mysterious (and downright useless) error codes like "U81". If you look a bit further, you can find YouTube repair videos (as recent as this year) of electronic fixer-upper types diagnosing these machines and finding various capacitors on the assorted mainboards inside have popped their tops. Sometimes it's just one capacitor that needs replacing, sometimes a few more and at worse it also means replacing additional components like IC's that have taken a decent WHACK of electricity straight to the dome and killed them off.

This actually is what has taken my dear DMR-EX75 out of comission for the meantime, although popping the case off I can't see any capacitors popping their top; which means testing all of them with an ESR meter to find out who's responsible.

The dreaded U81 error.

So because I am terribly lazy, I haven't actually fixed it yet but simply put it aside. I don't know if I will actually toss the device, as I think once repaired it would likely have a good few more years in it before the internal PATA drive bites the dust (to which I'm not sure how well you can replace them, although they all use a pretty standard 160GB Seagate model from memory). What I did instead do was just buy more, duh.

Since buying hte ES15, my hometown has opened up a few more charity shops that take on and sell electronics of dubious condition. I jest (although some of the stuff they do have on the shelves is probably ready for a skip) as a few weeks prior to the EX75 running out of steam, I had ventured into one of these stores to actually look for VCR's (seperate section on this page!), and was instead greeted by FOUR (yes FOUR) Panasonic DMR units, of varying condition and abilities. However they were all obviously newer models than what I already had as they were finished in a fancy black finish versus a very Y2K brushed silver.

When I did revisit the store, they had surprising (to me only) sold none of these units; but more importantly someone working there hadn't said "these old DVD players aren't selling, put them in the skip Nigel!". Anyway I reviewed my choices and first picked up a unit which looked to be in pretty good condition (this store does have a good returns policy regardless) and seemed to have a remote. Well I get to the till and somehow this one doesn't have a remote, so I am informed to return to the stacks and find another one. I pull out my next choice and the volunteers manage to locate its remote.

£35 lighter, I am heading home with my new friend a DMR-EZ27. Now to those of you playing at home who know better have probably twigged "that doesn't have a HDD you idiot", and indeed as I would find out plugging it in at home, waiting an eternity for it to boot up I press the "DRIVE SELECT" button on the remote for the unit to respond "Yes? DVD!.... DVD!..... DVD!". Yes, sadly the volunteer who likely tested these units has seemingly mixed up the remote and the unit as I seem to have a remote for the HDD model that they couldn't find the remote for.

Before we continue with this madness, the DMR-EZ27 is a pretty capable little unit. But strictly speaking it doesn't do anything (except for output in HDMI) better than my old venerable (and still working!) ES15. It does look a bit nicer though.

Now I don't want to come across as a dick, but I knew that if I tried to return this unit to the store explaining that the remote sold to me actually went with the other unit the heads of the volunteers would likely explode. So instead I simply swallowed my pride, walked back to the stack and lo-and-behold there is the other unit, which since finding that it has No Remote is now a measly £10. I double check and indeed this is a model with a HDD.

The king of the castle, the DMR-EX768.

The DMR-EX768 is now the king of the Panasonic DVD recorder castle, it brings me all of the features of the now dead EX75. Amazingly there isn't really much else to say about what has changed with these subsequent models, I believe the DMR-EX768 can output a slightly better picture (1080p vs 1080i) and only supports Freeview digital television (if for some reason you care about that in 2025). It also drops support for the whacky DVD-RAM format, but as mentioned previously I simply don't care about DVD-RAM for my needs. Amazingly I did find out through all of this that all of the DMR remotes are generally compatible with each other, the remote for the lowly ES15 will work with the EX768 just won't allow you to access all the features of the unit; while on the note of remotes although the remote sold to me is definitely close it's definitely not entirely the right model as it has a Netflix and Freeview Play button which do nothing on the unit (unsurprising as none of these units have any network connectivity); a bit of a quick search and that function was reserved for the really high-end Blu-ray based models, which you can sitll buy new for nearly £300!

So as of writing this I have 4 of these devices, there is still one at the local charity shop but I hope that unit (which I believe is just a DVD recorder only) will find a new home with someone else; I do not however hold out much hope for the Goodmans branded DVD recorder also in the stack. The DMR-EX768 is currently in my stack and has already been taking on digitisation work like a champ, I will also likely look to renewing my license for ISOBuster as this could possibly open up avenues to rip the content directly from the HDD and avoid faffing about with DVD-RW discs entirely. But for now the workflow remains the same, and I have two other (non-HDD) backups.

This is a polite reminder that I do not have a problem and I am simply saving these poor old relics from being flung into a skip! :P

On a serious note, the Panasonic DMR range is in my opinion one of the best DVD recorders available, HDD models are definitely my recommendation but you'd get a lot of mileage out of the disc only models. Buying tips are: test the unit before you buy, make sure it powers up, dead displays or strange error codes could indicate a lot of work involved in repairing. I wouldn't pay more than £10 for a faulty unit. You really want the original remote as well, although the earlier DMR models (like the ES15 and the EX75) have a lot of panel buttons on the units themselves, the menus contain essential functions relating to recordings and disc management. I would find it hard to believe you'd be able to achieve much with a universal remote. For a working model in 2025 I think paying around £40-50 for one is a fair price, I would only pay £50-100 for a model that was new in box, or had additional functionality like Blu-ray playback. As mentioned there are a number of units available brand new on the market even today, but I don't know if by the Blu-ray generation if Panasonic had figured out the capacitors issue or simply stuck their heads in the sand for the pennies they were saving.

Miscellaneous

Top Gear Related Merchandise

Ordered by the order when I have encountered the items. Last updated 14th May 2025.

I'm not saying I'm the automotive brand's #1 fan - but as a casual petrolhead I definitely have fond memories of watching the show, namely during it's most successful period from 2002-2015 helmed by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May (I know there was that other bloke at the start). With that in mind I do like to pick up the occassional bit of Top Gear "multimedia" when I see it about, luckily for such a popular British establishment a lot of the content can be found on the secondhand market for pennies, if sometimes entirely for free. However not all of it is really worth your time, so in the same way the trio would give various bits of dubious consumer advice on motoring - I'll do the same to the various products they have produced that have blessed my possession.

Top Gear: Apocalypse (...also on Blu-ray).

This single disc release is (according to the internet) the second direct-to-video release that was fully tied Top Gear (as many prior DVD's of similar ilk were solo projects by one of the trio); however with that knowledge this feature only stars Richard and James, Jeremy being absent as he was filming that years festive solo video feature, The Italian Job. Apocalypse comes in just over an hour long and showcases various scenarios that one may encounter in a world-ending (or world-ended) environment such as commuting during a Nuclear Winter, keeping the spirit of motorsport alive with a dwindling population and what cars you might want to drive with the seemingly very finite resource of petrol available. Although I definitely enjoy Hammond and May's content normally, this whole production feels as if it was written with a different audience in mind; a much younger one to be honest. As you would imagine for such a direct-to-video feature, much of this is scripted but in so much of a way that a lot of the adlibbed charm of the main show is lost here. For that reason the whole feature is kind of meh, I think the best part was the Ferrari F40 feature and the big robot wars segment was also halfway decent.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who have memories of opening this on the morning of Christmas 2010 and getting a fair bit of entertainment out of it, but I'd be surprised if there was much merit on repeat viewing of the content within. To that effect this feature doesn't really demand a high resale value.

Verdict: Not recommended

Top Gear: Greatest Hits (DVD)(... also on Blu-ray).

This 2-disc set might just be the best Top Gear DVD in the world... as what you get is over 5 hours of Top Gear entertainment without dull moments, news segments or largely forgotten celebrities doing laps of the track. In the 5.6 hours approx. runtime you the viewer are treated to watch many of the best challenges, races and moments from the show including the Peel P50 (and later the P45), the celebration of British Made cars, both the Reliant Robin spaceshuttle and the Reliant Robin special, the amphibious car challenge, the race across London (car vs. bike vs. public transport vs. boat) and so many more golden moments. It may not have your personal favourite bit, certainly if your favourite bit is a particular car review or interview segment; but I guarantee you there is something within this duration that is worth owning it. Even if this is the only Top Gear home media you own, you've done yourself a grand service. For those who might not be overly familiar with Top Gear, maybe you are from 10 years in the future and think that Jeremy Clarkson is a grumpy farmer, James May peddles gin on the internet and Richard Hammond buys automotive sheds to fix - the content within this disc is enough to demonstrate just how and why the show was so widely enjoyed, by an audience that far exceeded the typical petrolheads that automotive television was generally aimed at.

Checking today, you can pick either the DVD or the Blu-ray up for less than the cheapest medium meal at McDonald's, and I can confirm that this purchase will not only last longer than the satisfaction of that fast food but very likely be a lot better for your general health considering how much laughing I expect someone to enjoy from watching the content here.

The only slight downside one could pick is that the release of this compilation in 2015 really did book-end the end of this chapter of automotive television, and strongly demonstrate just how difficult any trio that would follow in trying to host such a momumental program. Writing in 2025 the BBC have simply given up with the show, which for many is a shame - but I can confirm that many of my petrolhead peers simply did not care for the show under any of the new crews, and what I have personally watched of the new content has felt underwhelming at best. Really petrolhead content has moved entirely online now, with a wide variety of content producers of different sizes and qualities, creating content that covers even the most niche of interests. For that reason it is definitely difficult to imagine Top Gear ever returning to the traditional format we once knew.

Verdict: Highly recommended