any Panasonic G20 owners out there...?

kuro_man

Hi,
I am interested in a 42" G20B (freesat/freeview HD tv) and I have a few questions:

Any problems tuning Saorview (I presume not, because this is a freeview HD tv, not just freesat)?
I presume (to comply with freesat) that sat/dtt EPG's are seperate, can you confirm?
Have you tried recording via USB?
Can you record dtt and watch recording or sat or dtt channel on same transponder?
Can you record sat and watch recording or dtt or sat channel on same transponder?
Does timeshift/series link etc. work ?
Is EPG, USB menu easy to use (like a humax freesat box, for example)

Thanks for the time.

william

Any problems tuning Saorview (I presume not, because this is a freeview HD tv, not just freesat)? None

I presume (to comply with freesat) that sat/dtt EPG's are seperate, can you confirm?yes

Have you tried recording via USB? Yes, with a USB connected drive. Works fine. Only issue is that you cannot switch channels once recording.
Can you record dtt and watch recording or sat or dtt channel on same transponder? No
Does timeshift/series link etc. work ? Dont know what this is
Is EPG, USB menu easy to use (like a humax freesat box, for example) Yes. It is easier actually than the Hummy which I also have.

G20B TV is fabulous so far. SD Image is excellent - I had big concerns about this when choosing a TV. Sound is fine for me - some reviews comment negatively on this. Motion blur is non existant. Buzzing has mentioned as an issue in some forums but I don't notice anything. Gaming is very good also.

Finne1993

Don't have one of these myself (yet!) But I installed 3 of them recently and they're a fantastic set with too many features to mention on it!!
They're a great price too, they can be got for €850 nowadays.

Sam Russell

Finne1993 wrote: »

Don't have one of these myself (yet!) But I installed 3 of them recently and they're a fantastic set with too many features to mention on it!!
They're a great price too, they can be got for €850 nowadays.

Richersounds in Belfast have them for a lot less than that. Check them out, but you have to collect it.

Finne1993

Sam Russell wrote: »

Richersounds in Belfast have them for a lot less than that. Check them out, but you have to collect it.

Thanks for the info.
By googling a few forums I found their price, £599stg?? Their website is pretty poor, not much info or detail on it and I tried ringing them a few times today and no answer, I'll try again on Monday.

Finne1993

After finding it on a PDF on the Richer Sounds website, its £649.95 for the set and £64.95 for the 5 year warranty.
Thats £714.90stg which converts to €850 and you'll be lucky to get that exchange rate.
I was quoted €850 at my local Panasonic store including the 5 year waranty, I was thinking there could'nt be much in it as they're never far away with the prices.

watty

IMO not worth it.

You'd get a really Irish Compatible 42" HDTV for almost 1/2 that. Leaving nearly €400 for a very nice Freesat HD PVR. 10x as many channels on Satellite. You can use €10 to €30 USB DTT stick to record the odd Irish TV program, even on old PC with no HD or HDMI (you can play back file).

For €350 odd you can get a netbook with nVidia Ion that use €10 to €30 USB DTT stick and record and play perfect on HDTV in HD via HDMI.

The G20 is a nice idea. But madly overpriced. Really a Satellite tuner as well as DTT tuner in a TV should only add an extra €20 to price, not €400.

Sam Russell

I was going to buy a G20B, but got an LG 42LD490 for €460 instead. The G20B from Richersounds was £600 plus 10% for extra guarantee. Add the travel up and back, and the dodgy record of Panasonic and their disdain for the Irish consumer, so I went for the LG.

But if you want Freesat and Saorview in one box, the the G20B is the only product on the market to do it at the moment. Sony and LG have both dropped their TVs that did something the same.

I have a Huamax Foxsat HDR with the LG that works for me.

I have also put a lowcost Chinese STB onto my old Sony that works brilliantly. It ahs transformed the picture quality, particularly on RTE 2 (HD?)

Finne1993

Yeah, it is overpriced surely but its a great solution for someone who wants all the HD FTA Sat and HD DTT channels in the one unit, hang it up on the wall, no extra boxes, no mass of hanging cables, full 8 day EPG on Sat and DTT, one remote, 5 year guarantee and no hassle, you can record to USB and it has wifi capabilities also.
There are a lot of pluses in this TV but I can see why people would be put off with this price especially when you can get an MPEG4 42" for around the €400 mark but apparantly the G20 is selling really well in the local store here.

watty

I prefer a TV angled in a corner.

superleedsdub

william wrote: »

G20B TV is fabulous so far. SD Image is excellent - I had big concerns about this when choosing a TV. Sound is fine for me - some reviews comment negatively on this. Motion blur is non existant. Buzzing has mentioned as an issue in some forums but I don't notice anything. Gaming is very good also.

I second this!
The G20 is well worth the money for the image quality alone, which for me is the number one selling point of a TV, I have not seen a less expensive TV that comes anywhere close to the image quality of the G20.
It is an added bonus to me that it can receive saorview and freesat, but was not a selling point to me as I have SKY.

kuro_man

Thanks, G20 was bought. TV is not for me personally, but I'll let you know how we get on.

kuro_man

watty wrote: »

I prefer a TV angled in a corner.

but it makes the 5.1 set up harder

watty

We have the large centre speaker behind TV on same shelf. (sound reflects well of a bare wall) Sub woofer goes on floor in corner behind cabinet.
Proper size HiFi speakers, not the toy PC speaker style boxes that come with the "all in one" systems.

The rear speakers are on top of two bookcases at rear of room. L &R front are betweeen fire & TV on one side and just past door beside TV on the other.

Every room is different. Tastes in Decoration are different. The corner gives best viewing angle to most people. Over fireplace would face window, which is bad and be very bad view angle for two armchairs.

Really each room has to be considered separately, based on seating, doorway(s), window(s) etc. Someone somewhere probably runs a buiness telling people how to lay it out and the higher the price the more faith people have.

superleedsdub

watty wrote: »

Every room is different. Tastes in Decoration are different. The corner gives best viewing angle to most people. Over fireplace would face window, which is bad and be very bad view angle for two armchairs.

Really each room has to be considered separately, based on seating, doorway(s), window(s) etc. Someone somewhere probably runs a buiness telling people how to lay it out and the higher the price the more faith people have.

The sad thing is most houses built en masse in housing estates in the last 10 years all seem to have the same shape to them (well they do in dublin anyway). Which is not great for shaping a room for AV use...
I think most people in ireland would be familiar with the design - rectangular with french doors at the opposite end to the window, with a chimney breast & fireplace on one side.....(don`t get me started on fireplaces, hate the things:()

From what i`ve read over the years placing a TV in a corner is not the ideal placement for 5.1, mainly due to the angling of the front and rear speakers but sometimes you have to compromise based on the complete layout of a room and the previously mentioned personal taste etc.

championc

One thing you can do is record something while watching something else which was previously recorded.

There is also the Timer function where you can schedule up to 15 events - but obviously making sure that programmes don't overlap.

watterselectrical.co.uk just over the border i think are cheaper than RS and will deliver. Mind you, i think the G20 production is finished so it's only whatever stocks are left.


C

william

We have this TV about 7 months now and to date it has been excellent. Only 1 or 2 minor bugs which I'm sure firmware updates will sort in time - one being that when flicking through channels, one could be watching Network 2 while hearing the sound of RTE1 - anyone else have this?

Anyhow, main purpose of this thread is to inform people on the compatability of one USB portable hard drive - the WD elements SE 1 TB (€79) works perfectly with the set. Hope this is helpful to somebody.....

William

championc

I have the same problem sometimes when changing DVB-T channels quickly but I remember someone on here confirming why it happens and it seems to be one of those things. As for the USB HDD, I think any drives up to 1TB (or was that 2TB) will work. Once the drive is connected with USB, it will work irrespective of brand or size, or whether it's USB or External PSU powered.

I've recorded quite a bit of stuff on my USB powered 500mb drive and I've barely managed to use 10% even though I've even recorded HD plenty of stuff from BBC & ITV HD channels via Freesat. Adding the USB HDD was the best thing I did with this TV - it makes one hell of a complete package.


C

Laker04

Have that same error on my G20B, it only occurs when flicking between DVB-T channels, it seems to correct itself when it looks like occurring on freeSat, i.e. black image for a second with sound. A simple channel up then back down rectifies the problem but still slightly annoying. Makes you wonder why you can't watch one channel whilst recording another since it's obviously possible.

championc

I can honestly say that I only have this problem now and again and more seems to happen if I try to scroll up or down through the DVB-T channels Very Quickly.

It's a shame about not being able to watch one and record another at the same time. Mind you, I don't think the Sony (5810) or LG (7700) Combos were able to either.

Thank god for the +1 channels. Remember, with an attached USB drive, it's possible to record a program while watching another already recorded program - not much consolation I know.


C