# Panasonic Ships DTV-Ready DVD Recorders



## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

*"Not incorporating any tuner at all (complies) with the
new law but...it's a real disservice to consumers."*

In an effort to quell consumer fears about buying soon-to-be-obsolete technology, Panasonic on Tuesday announced that its entire 2007 DVD recorder line will ship with future-proof digital tuners. The move means that the manufacturer has disregarded an FCC "loophole" that allows producers to sell products without digital tuners provided they also omit analog tuners.

"While many of our competitors have introduced barebones units to avoid the expense of putting digital tuners in their models, we decided not to take that route," said Alberto Reggiani, Panasonic's DVD marketing manager. "Not incorporating any tuner at all is an excellent way to comply with the new law but in the end it's a real disservice to consumers."

The news involves four of Panasonic's latest offerings -- the DMR-EZ47V DVD/VHS recorder/player, the DMR-EZ37 DVD/VHS, the DMR-EZ27 and the DMR-EZ17 DVD recorder/player -- all of which comply with the FCC's digital tuner mandate. The EZ47V and EZ27 also offer 1080p digital video up-conversion, HDMI 1.3 outputs and built-in SD card readers. All of the units feature DVI inputs and Panasonic's EZ-Sync HDAVI control for integration with the company's branded plasma HDTVs.

"Basically, we felt it was important for all Panasonic DVD and combo recorders to continue to offer record-and-watch, and cable-box-free recording capability," Reggiani said. "Another reason and benefit to have the digital tuner built-in is the improvement in picture quality that is synonymous with digital." - mediabizcorp.com


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