Panasonic DMR-E85H: Use it as TV-Tuner! It works!

[JoachimS]

Wanna know how?

In case you have timer recording on, turn this mode off.

Press 0-ENTER simultaneously and you can see the tuner picture. Do the same to turn the TV mode off again.

Enjoy using it with your LCD beamer. I hope it will not go to power save after a certain time. I will investigate further.

I own the Europen/German version, so if it does not work with the US version, don't blame me

Please post your experience with other models as well.


Cheers,

JoachimS

P.S.: Credits go to the German Panasonic support!

[handyguy]

I dont really get what you are talking about. Dvd recorders have tv tuners & you can use any of them to watch tv with their tv tuner.

[JoachimS]

You do not have the Panasonic do you?

Because if you did, you would be quite annoyed not being able to use the built-in tuner with a beamer. The manual does not give you any hint on how to do it.

All the recorder can show you is:
- Recorded Material
- DVDs
- Status Screens

Press the "Display" button and you can watch TV but a permanent status window is shown too.

0-ENTER is not documented anywhere.

Cheers,

JoachimS

[lordsmurf]

What's a beamer? I don't understand what you're getting at either.

[canadateck]

beamer= Remote?

[oldfart13]

I was trying to figure out what he was saying using my E80H. No idea. No cable TV or off-air TV on mine anyway. Satellite TV (2 inputs) and VHS/Beta input only...

[JLDVD]

In European term, LCD beamer = LCD projector

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.holme.com/nec-beamer-pr...l%3Den%26lr%3D

[JoachimS]

beamer = LCD projector. It's in the dictionary.
remote = remote control

Seems like I'm too stupid or you must really own such recorder to get the point.

It is so simple: The recorder does not feed the tuner signal from the built-in analog tuner to an LCD projector (AV or RGB). At least officially.

Any VHS recorder can be used for that purpose (Just turn it it on and switch the TV to AV-in).

In other words, take this recorder hook it up to an LCD projector and watch analog TV.


0-ENTER solves the problem.

Cheers,

JoachimS

[lordsmurf]

Still doesn't make much sense.
The projector is just another output device, like the tv set.

[JLDVD]

beamer = LCD projector. It's in the dictionary.
remote = remote control

Seems like I'm too stupid or you must really own such recorder to get the point.

It is so simple: The recorder does not feed the tuner signal from the built-in analog tuner to an LCD projector (AV or RGB). At least officially.

Any VHS recorder can be used for that purpose (Just turn it it on and switch the TV to AV-in).

In other words, take this recorder hook it up to an LCD projector and watch analog TV.


0-ENTER solves the problem.

Cheers,

JoachimS

In USA, we don't use "beamer" for "projector". In USA, "beamer" = BMW

My Panasonic E80 (USA version) can send TV tuner signal directly to AV (composite/S-Video) out, not a problem to use the E80's built-in TV tuner with a projector (beamer).

European Panasonic DVD recorder may have SCART/RGB output which may deactivate TV tuner output by default.

[JoachimS]

@JLDVD

You made my day.

How do you activate tuner output on SCART? Is there a button on your remote? Does 0-ENTER do something on your recorder (Displays also -TV- or -DVD- on mine)? What if you have a digital set-top-box connected? My recorder feeds the signal right through to the TV (all RGB mode). You'd propably have to turn off the digital box to see the signal from the analog tuner.

Wondering why Panasonic keeps it a secret easter egg for Europe.

We have strange custom fees anyway. A camera with DV-in is considered a video recorder, thus import tax is higher. I cannot imagine what it means not having the tuner output feature. Maybe some TV-reception device is different from a recording device? Crumbs.

Cheers, maybe my hint helps others with a European Panasonic DMR-E85E.

JoachimS

[JLDVD]

Sorry, I don't have any AV components with SCART. AFAIK, SCART is an established European AV connection standard (maybe Australian as well).

For folks who don't know what SCART connector is, a SCART connector combines all connections for analog audio (L/R), composite video, S-Video video, RGB signal and an I/O control bus signal, all in a big rectangular connector:

SCART Reference:
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/eprebel/SoundAndVision/Engineering/SCART.html

U.S.A. A/V components still use separate connectors for analog L/R audio (2 RCA connectors), composite video (1 RCA connector), S-Video (4-pin round connector) and RGB Component video (3 RCA connectors).

[handyguy]

'beamer' is not even in my Websters dictionary.

[oldfart13]

Wasn't the beamer the calling device for Robbie the Robot in Forbidden Planet?

[oldfart13]

I think I know what he's getting at though...I used to have an old 1990 vintage Sony Trinitron that would not accept the cable TV as well as the composite inputs being connected at the same time. This makes it a pain to use as a display device for the DVD player as well as being able to use the cable TV input. Too bad that device has no special button presses to disable one and activate the other...

[JoachimS]

And SCART also has a control signal for the TV:
The TV would switch to AV-in as soon as you hit PLAY on your remote control. All European AV devices have SCART and RCA (Cinch) connectors

My TV (16:9 model) accepts RGB (DVD Recorder and Digital Receiver) and FBAS (VHS recorder) alternatively.

But this was not the original problem (How do I get the recorder's tuner signal into the TV? The recorder won't let me...).

Cheers,

JoachimS