Panasonic DMR-BWT955GL

Just setup the device replacing my failed Beyonwiz recorder (RIP). So far so good, however one puzzling aspect is where I can turn off the TV and recorder with the touch of one button I cannot turn both on the same way. I need to push two separate buttons Show details ·  1

At this stage I am far from disappointed (for once). This is my third Panasonic Video Recorder, the second Blue-ray. I wanted 3 tuners and a bigger disc (old one was only 500M). It stared setting itself straight upon connecting, and automatically turned the TV on...a pleasant surprise. All settings were by default my normal choices except for a… Read more ·  4

few recording timers. It also has a lot of interesting new feature like remote operation that I have to learn. My last recorder must have been at least 10 years old, it will now be used on the Rumpus Room TV. I will report back after a period of operation.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY OF TV VIEWERS RESISTING STREAMING SERVICES (posted 13 December 2025, revised 16 December 2025). In my two previous reviews of Panasonic's DMR-BWT955GL (see appendices below), I've somewhat missed the pressing point. Sure, I give a detail rundown of what is so good about the Blu-ray recorder, but I have not highlighted the… Read more ·  2

essential context for the existence of the BWT955GL in the first place, its raison d'etre (its reason for being).

The machine is your weapon in resisting having to subscribe to a streaming service such as Paramount+, Netflix and Disney+. When free-to-air TV is manageable, it can become a worthy competitor to these services (when unmanageable, free-to-air viewing is, for want of a better word, "yuk").

This is where the BWT comes in. It gives you total domination over free-to-air channels. Tape up to three shows simultaneously. Edit taped shows to rid commercials and boring bits for more enjoyable playback. There's keyword recording (enter the name of the show and the BWT will search for it and tape it). You may transfer taped shows to a blank disc such as a DVD-R or a BD-R; and thus create your own external library of wonderful shows and movies.

When you first use the BWT, it automatically creates chapters of taped shows. I found this feature irritating (as too often it's hit-or-miss); I like to manually create my own chapters in order to delete commercials and boring bits.

Do this to stop auto-chapter creation:

1. press the Function Menu button on the remote control;

2. click Set Up;

3. click Basic Settings;

4. click HDD/Disc/USB HDD;

5. click Settings for Recording;

6. click Chapter Creation > select OFF.

Another thing to do at the start is to connect your BWT to your TV in a way that gives you more control of the TV via the BWT. On page 20 of the manual is a table of TV brands. What you do is press the TV button (second from the left, top row of buttons on the BWT remote control) and hold down, during which you press the number relevant to the brand. For example, my TV is a Sharp, its code is 18. While holding down the TV button, I press 1 and 8. Done. Now when I switch on the TV, the BWT automatically is switched on too. A two-way connection between the two machines has been established.

Another consideration is switching off REWIND LIVE TV. When on, the BWT will automatically tape the TV show you're currently watching, thus giving you the ability to view a previous scene in the show. I believe this may overwork the HDD (hard disk drive). The choice is, of course, up to you.

Finally, check your machine has the latest version of the software/firmware, which is 1.32 (correct as at 13 December 2025). To find out if you have the latest version, please follow the 13 steps shown in my earlier review (see Appendix 1). It's crucial you have the latest version as it rids the bugs mentioned in my first 2018 review (see Appendix 2).

Okay, let's get back to topic. If you're happy with free-to-air TV -- and over time many good shows and great movies are broadcast -- and don't wish to make subscription payments every month to a streaming service or two -- then BWT955GL is the management system you need. It gives total control. It is unbelievably powerful. (There is one proviso: to get the most out of the machine, you must read the relevant parts of the 115-page manual).

But times change. When there was a great movie or interesting show I wanted to watch but free-to-air TV wasn't showing it for some time and appears it's not going to show it anytime soon, I would go to JB HiFi and buy the DVD or Blu-ray disc. But now JB HiFi and other brick-and-mortar retailers (eg, BigW) no longer showcase such, en masse, on their shelves. I now go online ... and eBay and amazon.com seem to come through for me most of the time (here, generally, DVDs and Blu-ray discs must be in the correct format for viewing in Australia: region 4 for DVDs and region B for Blu-ray discs).

It's close to 10 years that I've been watching free-to-air channels with my faithful companion, the BWT955GL. There is irony at play: I find I tape so many good-enough shows that I just can't watch them all. It's another way of saying free-to-air TV (complemented by YouTube offerings) meets my everyday viewing needs.

If you wish to join the community of TV viewers resisting going over to paid streaming services, you are unlikely to go wrong purchasing the BWT. It truly is a wonderful accompaniment to dedicated free-to-air TV viewing. I would go as far as to say: "it's a must". For me, the ratio of watching taped TV to live TV is 99:1. In other words, I almost never watch live TV; nearly all my TV viewing is pre-recorded from my fantastic Panasonic DMR-BWT955GL Blu-ray recorder.

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(APPENDIX 1. REVIEW POSTED MARCH 2024)

In the nearly seven years I've been using the triple tuner Panasonic BWT955, certain perspectives have come to the fore.

BWT955's three tuners are fantastic if your primary viewing experience is confined to free-to-air TV. You can record three TV programmes simultaneously. Furthermore, you can store up to 2TB of movies and shows within BWT955's hard-disk-drive (HDD), which programmes can then be transferred to blank Blu-ray discs (BD-R) and DVDs for a nigh-endless collection of terrific films and wonderful shows.

However, in the nearly seven years since I've written the first review, streaming services have grown astronomically: not only can one now subscribe to Netflix, Stan and some, but a dozen others. And the number of subscribers has also grown astronomically. The difference between then and now is that one no longer has to create one's own collection ... streaming services provide instant libraries for you — in many, if not most, cases, for a small monthly fee. If you're into streaming but still wish to record the occasional free-to-air film or show, then the Panasonic UBT1GL-K, with its two tuners and true 4K, may just be the trick (if you don't have a smart TV, UBT1GL-K enables streaming).

This perspective may explain why Panasonic has given UBT1GL-K, its latest model, only two tuners. Panasonic picked up on the trend towards streaming and did away with a third tuner. So, what was a shock for some of us seven years ago — the reduction from 3 tuners to 2 — may now possibly be justified. When Netflix can budget huge amounts of money for content creation (films and series), one perhaps need look no further for evidence of the enormous success many streaming services are having.

So, it comes down to this ... If you are happy with the content provided by free-to-air TV stations and are happy with DVD and Blu-ray recording and playback, then BWT955 is an incredible machine to have (once you have it, you'll truly, truly wonder how you could have done without it). On the other hand, if you subscribe to a streaming service or two and desire 4K playback and recording, but nevertheless still wish to copy on occasions, to the HDD, worthy films and shows from free-to-air TV stations, then UBT1GL-K may just be all you need.

Right or wrong, I've stuck to free-to-air TV. The 16 or so stations (in Sydney) I have selected as default offer plenty of viewing for me — even if for stretches of time what is offered may not be the most exciting programming — but, in the long run, pearls and gems abound (look no further than the true-crime documentaries offered on 7Bravo). If I have an urgent wish to view a film — sort-of "on demand" — I'll buy it either as a DVD or as a Blu-ray disc, usually from JB HiFi stores (though the Eastgardens branch no longer stores them). It is my belief BWT955 is the ultimate managerial system over free-to-air TV viewing.

But friends and relatives swear by the virtues of on-demand viewing via streaming and would never go back to a reliance on only free-to-air TV. In this case, UBT1GL-K may do just fine.

SOME OTHER OBSERVATIONS ...

• SINCE UPDATING FIRMWARE THERE HAVE BEEN NO BLACKOUTS. By the bye, the channel blackouts I wrote about in my review seven years ago — and hazarded the guess as being attributable to BWT955 — has for the last six-and-a-half years been virtually non-existent. I did update the software around six-and-a-half years ago and, barring the element of coincidence, this action appears to have fixed the problem. The update has also rid the instances of the almost endless red "REC" light blinking mentioned in my review of seven years ago.

• "NO DATA". The "No Data" entry for listed Series Timer Recordings normally pops up when a TV station no longer is running a series. However, "No Data" may appear for a series still running, thus the disappointment when the next episode is not taped. In this case, as opposed to channel blackout, I believe the fault lies with the TV stations. My belief is that the signal sent out by the TV stations accidentally contains metadata indicating a series has come to an end — when it hasn't. Or no metadata is sent out to let BWT955 know the series is still continuing. The only solution I can provide is be vigilant. Check the Timer Recording list regularly, making sure that when a series is tagged "No Data" that it actually has come to an end.

• KEYWORD RECORDINGS. Another perspective if I may ... I now, seven years later, more-often-than-not use Keyword Recordings as merely secondary. What I mean by this is that I keyword-record shows which I don't mind if they are recorded or not, placing primary importance on Timer Recordings. What I'm telling the machine is If there is a spare tuner, go ahead with the Keyword Recording; if not, no matter. If I want more certainty, I will convert a Keyword Recording to a Timer Recording.

• SERIES TIMER RECORDING. Future recordings of a Series Timer Recording may not all have the red square marker next to them. First impression is to think that those episodes won't tape, but, more often than not, they will. The way to be sure is to click the OK button on the remote for the episode that doesn't have a red square marker. If the dialog box highlights "Single Timer Rec" and the other three options are greyed-out, the episode will normally be recorded — OR it has already been recorded and therefore this one, being a repeat of an episode already recorded, will not be taped. If uncertain, simply tape it, anyway.

• THE REMOTE CONTROL. If I may make the suggestion ... If buttons on your BWT955 remote control start to lag, which some may do after using the remote for a year or two, don't put up with it, have it replaced — if you can afford to, of course. In the seven years I've been using BWT955, I've replaced the remote three times. A new remote — with refreshingly responsive buttons — makes me feel I have a new BWT955 machine. The first two I bought from a retail outlet, but it went out of business by the time I wished to purchase a third one. If you haven't found a point of purchase of your own, try Statewide Appliance Spares (statewideapp.com.au or ring 1800 005 220). Search or ask for part number: N2QAYB001039.

• REWIND LIVE TV. When you view live TV via BWT955, the machine automatically tapes whatever channel you happen to be watching without you knowing — as long as one of the three tuners is available. So, if there is a segment you wish to go back to, you can ... by simply pressing the Rewind button. It's like time-travel. However, I've decided to — almost from the start — to disable the feature. My feeling is I may be overworking the HDD because I'm already taping up to eight programmes a day — if not sometimes more.

• YOUTUBE. Two ways to view great YOUTUBE content on your TV is to connect your laptop, via HDMI cable, to the TV or, better still, connect BWT955 to your NBN (see BWT955's manual for the how-to*). Once the machine is connected to the internet, I can't see why you shouldn't also have access to other streaming services, such as Paramount+, on an ordinary TV as long as an account has been set up with each of the fee-paying services. In this respect, BWT955 enables an ordinary TV to simulate a smart TV.

• ALL IS GOOD. I wish to say that for the past seven years, my BWT955 has been working great. All my Blu-ray discs and DVDs play back as expected (as long as they have the correct region code — in Australia, "4" for DVDs and "B" for Blu-ray discs). Some discs of vintage films in which all the characters appear wide-bodied may need a change in the aspect ratio say from 16:9 to 4:3 ... the trick here is to do this from the TV's remote, not from BWT955's remote. The few problems I've experienced, I fixed by switching both the machine and its power point off -- sometimes, I even unplug the cable from the power point. After a few minutes, I plug the cable back into the power point, switch the power point on and then turn the machine on. This "electrical refresh" worked for all the kinds of problems I've encountered to this day (8 March 2025).

Seven years on, I feel incredibly privileged to own a Panasonic DMR-BWT955GL. Though I could, I would rarely ever watch TV without it. It's been around since 2015 and for a piece of technology — that has had little need to change — to survive that long is saying something.

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* In order for me to update my BWT955's software (aka "firmware") from 1.15 to 1.24, I did the following to first set-up up an internet connection ...

1. press FUNCTION MENU

2. click Setup

3. click Basic Settings

4. click Network

5. click Network Settings

6. click LAN Connection Mode

7. choose Wireless

8. click Wireless Settings

9. click Connection Settings

10. click "Search for wireless network"

11. select the name of your particular NBN network

12. enter the "encryption" code (your NBN access password or passcode)

13. click Set

(To disconnect the machine from the internet ... in step 7 choose Wired).

(13 December 2025 update. Please note: CURRENT SOFTWARE/FIRMWARE version is 1.32. Once your machine is updated to 1.32, the problems mentioned in the review below no longer exist).

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APPENDIX 2: MY REVIEW FROM SEVEN YEARS AGO (abridged) (first posted April 2018; last updated 4 August 2018)

Silly me to have waited for so long to upgrade from my twin-tuner Panasonic XW450 when the DMR-BWT955GL has been available since 2015. Because in 2015 the XW450 worked perfectly (in basic terms of recording and playback) I didn't have the excuse to spend the money ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it"). Well, come April 2018, the XW450 still works perfectly, but far too many times the twin-tuner system has been a let-down when three fascinating or at least promising TV programmes are on at the same time – when it rains, too often it pours. The BWT955's triple-tuner capability makes for a most handy umbrella.

The limitation of pre-recording 32 programmes at any one time with Timer Recording (TR) is somewhat overcome by Keyword Recording (KR), a search-and-record feature. Wow, I can record, say, "Father Brown", shown on two channels (ABC1 and 7TWO – correct as at mid-April 2018), just by inputting "Father Brown" in the keyword field and clicking Set. It's done. BWT955 will find all the episodes of the series and – most likely – record them, without adding to the 32-limit TR list.

"Most likely" because Keyword Recordings are not guaranteed. They are powerful but delicate. To be sure check for the blue marker next to the programme in the TV Guide. The problem is KRs are peripherals. If there is overlap between three Timer Recordings and a KR, the KR will be dismissed without warning, which is why regular checks must be made for the blue marker. If a TR overlaps a KR on the same channel, even by one minute, the KR will not record. There's also "cannibalism" among KRs. If there are two TRs in the same time slot and two KRs are vying for the third spot in the slot, the higher priority KR (higher in the list) will "eat up" the blue marker of the (lower) other. So, for example, a half-hour KR clashes with a four-hour KR (say a live telecast of soccer's World Cup), and we forget to lower the half-hour KR on the list, in relation to the four-hour KR, no part of the World Cup telecast will be recorded. With KRs it's all or nothing. If you wish for greater certainty of recording, convert the KR to TR. Then at least should it clash with three other TRs a dialog pops up to give you a chance to decide which one of the four competing programmes to remove.

Another example of KR's power is future-spotting. I've keyword-ed "The Relic", a film I have a hazy recollection of but would like to see again. BWT955 will search all free-to-air channels for the title with the intention to record it. However, as it is not presently listed in the TV Guide (true as at 23 May 2018), BWT955 will wait until the scheduling of the title comes within the TV Guide's 7-day range, even if it takes presumably months (or years) – as long as I don't delete the keyword. KRs are workhorses, saving humans doing repeated and laborious manual searches.

There's also future-proofing. Some time ago I keyword-ed "Dog with a Blog" expecting two episodes one after another to be recorded. Lo and behold, to my surprise, three episodes were recorded: 7flix at the last moment decided to run an additional episode. KR captured the moment wonderfully.

Like anything powerful, use KR judiciously. I keyword-ed "Everybody Loves Raymond" (Channel 11) and up to 48 episodes (as at mid-April 2018) were listed for recording in the next seven days, most of them repeats of repeats. "Everybody Loves Raymond" may be better suited for Series Timer Recording, a function that intelligently senses and excludes repeats of repeats.

Generically BWT955 is a PVR (personal video recorder), but it's also a Blu-ray disc recorder. Not only can BWT955 playback Blu-ray discs and DVDs but also export TV-sourced shows and movies from its HDD to blank BD-Rs and DVD-Rs for archiving. High-definition recordings can be copied from the HDD straight to BD-R discs, without the need to downgrade quality. (Warning: though BWT955 will copy to DVD+RW, it will not do so in high speed).

The machine is versatile. No better is this shown when it is busily recording three programmes simultaneously, during which a user can playback a film from a Blu-ray disc or DVD or listen to music from a CD or watch a previously recorded programme from the HDD or – by accessing the TV's tuner via BWT955's remote – watch any fourth channel or, finally, playback any one of the three recording programmes.

Picture quality? Watch playback of what has been a live broadcast in high definition of Channel 90's night-time rugby league and few will doubt the superb reproduction of true-to-life colours – and in remarkable detail, such as glints on sweat from close-ups of players' foreheads.

The colour scheme for dialog screens has improved from XW450's, with the use of light grey background now highlighting the active (brighter – usually yellow) areas of an interactive dialog. Many dialog buttons are beautifully coloured in gradient yellow, but not all, those left out look bland.

Changing the name of a programme or entering text in a field is now efficient with the revamped "typing" screen.

Operations in BWT955 are snappier than they were in my XW450, with only few functions remaining a touch slow, those few mostly involving redrawing of thumbnails.

The BWT955 allows awesome control of one's viewing of free-to-air-sourced programmes. Once a programme has been recorded to the HDD, you can edit-out (by inserting chapter marks) commercials and boring bits for more enjoyable replays.

In the nearly sixteen weeks since purchase, the red "REC" light blinked seemingly endlessly seven times (not to be confused with the normal one-or-two-minute blinking prior to a recording). The first two instances have been fixed by switching off Guide Link from the programmes on the TR list that had this function active. The last five instances were due to "No Signal" messages on blank screens (channel blackouts). At first, I thought cause lay at the point of signal transmission, ie with the TV stations, or along transmission lines, eg by inclement weather. However, cause may sometimes lie with BWT955: I'm thinking here a certain background operation takes place in BWT955 that interferes with the TV signal. Because these events appear to be random and unpredictable, my feeling is that Panasonic engineers may have not yet identified BWT955's possible role in blacking out a TV channel. Once identified, a software fix may be on the way. Whatever the cause, thank goodness it's rare.

Last year's release of Panasonic's beautiful-looking truly 4K-capable DMR-UBT1GL-K (heir apparent to the BWT955) is disappointing because of this spec: twin-tuner. First casualties will be free-ranging but vulnerable Keyword Recordings (even TRs have difficult moments with two tuners, for unrestrained and un-monitored KRs it will be a massacre). Though there is a trend in watching programmes by way of streaming (eg, Netflix) and because programmes obtained by such may not conflict with Timer Recordings and KRs, the reversion to two tuners may have been Panasonic's accommodation to the trend. Still ... I'm confused. How many of us enjoying three tuners would want to go back to two? A re-modelling of Panasonic's top-of-the-line audio-visual hub may one day see it become a 4K-UHD disc recorder, with four tuners and with the 32-limited list for TRs lifted to 48, perhaps doubled to 64. Instead, with UBT1GL-K, we're offered one step back (3 to 2 turners) and one step remaining on the spot (32 TR limit) for only one step forward (true 4K capability). A wayward product evolution if ever there was one.

DMR-BWT955GL should be a market winner for those not committed to true 4K viewing because of the incredible power it puts at your fingertips – and, of course, I can't over-emphasize the importance of those three tuners for the survival rate of Keyword Recordings. Having used the machine for nearly 16 weeks, I continue to be impressed by how everything has been put together. Except for BWT955's suspected involvement in some of the rare channel blackouts, in almost every other way it’s an improvement over my XW450. My one regret is not having bought the triple-tuner in 2015 when it first came out.

END OF MY REVIEW OF 2018.

I have 3 three Panasonic PVR's...ranging from 500g - 1T - 2T (3 Tuners) – My progressive buying has been from $2000 - $900 whilst the weight and build quality has changed...my love of these machines hasn't wavered. The 3T machine (around 5years old) the first of its kind, is used everyday...wonderful friend! It has 'Never' let me down... Show details

Absolute Rubbish – I bought Panasonic VCR to DVD recorders x 2 and both tuners failed within several years. BUT I believed in Panasonic and went back and bought TWO x Digital Blu Ray recorders. One failed just today after 18 months. You guessed it. The same fault as previous models the damn Tuner. No picture or sound through the aerial loop to the TV. Absolute… Read more

rubbish and 18 months old out of 12 month warranty. You need to get your your stuff together Panasonic, I notice you got out of TVs. Give Panasonic a wide berth. Twice bitten now. Absolute rubbish.

A good recorder but an unreliable disc burner – This is my fifth Panasonic DVR, and the 5th one to fail with the DVD burner. Fortunately (?), this one was within the 12 month warranty, so I was able to take it to HN for repair, but here I am, 7 weeks later, still with no DVR, still waiting. (The only repairer Panasonic use is in Seven Hills, way too far from me to get to, and I keep getting… Read more

excuses like the driver forgot to collect it, or they maybe didn't have a part.) And I'm told they will wipe the hard drive of all my recordings, and won't copy them first, so I will lose everything I've recorded.

Timer recording is pretty easy, and recording is usually reliable, though I have had glitches when using all 3 tuners. Remote recording works well, although in the app, which is a bit flakey, you can't specify the quality of the recording and they can use a lot of space very quickly, but 2Tb is good. You can also put shows you've recorded onto an external hard drive, but it must be dedicated to the particular unit, and can't be removed and played on another DVR or a computer, probably as a copyright protection, but it's odd that you can't use another Panasonic unit, which would be helpful when the unit breaks down.

Also you can watch shows you've recorded when away from home which is pretty cool.

Editing programmes to delete ads is relatively straight forward, but each new model has changed the title writing for the worse. My first one had a memory of 20 most used titles so you didn't have to laboriously type each one in over and over again. Mysteriously this was deleted from the next model in favour of a screen keyboard of upper & lower case letters to select - a step backwards but not too bad. With the 955 though, the keyboard screen was reduced to just the letters arranged like a computer keyboard with upper and lower case switched by a key. This is a real pain writing a title, as the first letter has to be changed to upper case, write the first letter, then go back to the case key to change case, then use lower case for the rest of the word, etc, so you really end up using all lower case or all upper case.

Recording free-to-air programs is the way to go with this unit, as it's quite straightforward, but if you burn to disc, I wouldn't recommend these units as the burners don't last, and my experience is that Panasonic's repairer's service is woeful.

I found it a good machine ( I would have added a half a star, if I could) – I have for the past thirty years only purchased Sony and Panasonic machines (be they VHS recorders/video cameras/radios/amps, ete..) and they did good work (indeed any machine that wasn't manufactured in China was good for me). Since Sony has seen fit to stop manufacturing DVD recorders, I've depended solely upon Panasonic for reliable DVD… Read more

recorders and they have not let me down (thus far). Indeed over the past three years I have acquired 3 DMR-BWT955L machines (replacing my XW-385's); the only negative things I can say about them is the lack of multiple in/outlets (i.e. SVideo etc..) and the inability to actually watch the program that is being recorded to disk (which I loved about the XW-385's). Strange because this ability was available in all previous Panasonic DVD recorders. All in all I have not been disappointed. Having said that, I cannot comment on the Youtube/netflx/iview capabilities as I have never needed to use these.

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!! DO NOY BUY PANASONIC!!! – Useless piece of crap and no answers from Panasonic technicians having reached out several times...avoid all all costs!!! Save time, money and your personal mental well-being and buy a different “reputable” brand with aftercare!!! Show details

DMRBWT955GL - transfer of data – had this unit for many years. recently its starting to drop channels requiring 're-tuning' and sometimes followed by power off reset - the message is 'invalid channel'. This also happens when there are scheduled recordings resulting in just a blinking red light and nothing else. if multiple recordings you may end up with one of three being… Read more

recorded. NOT GOOD. you have to stop recording, manually re-tune and start recording which results in significant missing material. I am considering a new unit but am at a loss of how to transfer the recorded material. I know you can add an external USB drive, but this drive is locked to the unit and you cannot copy material from it. Can it be linked to a new DMRBWT955GL so i don't lose the recordings? I rang Panasonic and ended up talking to someone (obviously not a technician as they had a significant lack of knowledge) and would not transfer me to a person with the requisite knowledge. Furthermore I emailed Panasonic tech support and after almost TWO weeks have not even had an acknowledgement let alone a reply. The question now is, since Panasonic doesn't seem to care, is how can I transfer the recordings, or should I abandon the unit an get a more modern PVR system (not Panasonic). Fetch Mighty has very bad reviews, what is there to turn to. what about a raspberry Pi media centre?

I'd give a negative score if I could – Panasonic still sell this quite expensive and seemingly high featured dvr, but they have not updated its now very old network apps. The browser does not support the https protocols used almost exclusively now on the internet. This means you can not even update to a different browser using play store as play store will not accept login from an… Read more

insecure, ie http, browser. So I can't get any of the catch up tv channels that want a user login because they too want https . This expensive pvr has other bad features. I regret ever buying this pvr and will never buy another Panasonic product again, and I'm happy to tell everyone what I think of Panasonic's contempt for its customers. The are many cheaper, better pvrs.

Way overpriced – Sometimes when I set it to record programs it just flashes the red "rec1" constantly rather than actually records but the really annoying thing is the blu-ray player will not put out any volume on blu-ray series. No problem on blu-ray movies but nothing for the series. Picture, no sound. I've called Panasonic about this and they "helpfully" got me… Read more

to turn the unit off and on about a dozen times and then suggested I take it to a Panasonic tech who is miles away from me. Useless! So, yeah, one of the main reasons I bought this unit and it doesn't even work. Won't be buying Panasonic again.

Disappointed in this unit especially as it cost so much and it's only two weeks old – The most annoying feature on this unit, (apart from the cost) is that when you are using YouTube, ABC iView and other internet streams the picture appears to be shrunken or cropped with a surrounding black border of 2-3 cm depending on the size of TV screen. Mine is 40"/100cm. My $50 Roku box works so much better and I'll probably keep using it. Show details

Hopeless for managing a video library – First the good - high capacity, multi-tuner recording, network connectivity, blu-ray. USB-HDD additional storage was promising, but unreadable by a PC. All of our recording comes via AV from a STB, but there is no way of categorising the recordings, like FTA recordings. But even for FTA, you are stuck with the Program Guide category - the… Read more

category can't be edited!

When naming a recording, the older Pan. PVR had a user list of 20 titles we used for Series titles. For a new recording you selected from the saved list, then just add ep. no. and sub-title. The 955 doesn't have this functionality any more.

The older Pan PVR allowed sorting the list of recorded titles, which made it a bit easier to find a title. The 955 doesn't have this functionality any more. In fact finding a title amongst 100 pages (700 titles) stored in order of date/time recorded is pathetic. It really needs some form of search function. What's the point of very large storage if its unmanageable?

Addendum: I need to take a bit of this back, since I have just discovered "Grouping" (after 12 months of use) accidentally whilst Dividing an extended recording (both parts of the division are put into a Group under the name of the original recording). Grouping, unfortunately is NOT described in the manual. When multiple recordings are selected, the "Create Group" option become available, but the Group Name is still the name of the first recording in the group - there is no option to name the group at the time of creating the group. Still no sorting within the group - just in the original recorded date-time sequence. At least now I can put all episodes of a series into a single group and cleanup the clutter. Still no facility of sub-groups, so I can't have a sub-group per individual series number within a group of the whole show.

The older Pan PVR allowed high-speed copying to DVD with simultaneous conversion/compression. The 955 doesn't have this functionality. For Series, I used to down-size to XP to fit 4 hours recording on a DVD. Now down-size and record can only be done at normal playing speed.

As a DLNA server, Windows Media Player won't play Panasonic videos (streamed from the 955) recorded format. But as a DLNA client, videos streamed from a Windows media server, are listed alphabetically, plus listed separately by categories of Actor, Genre and storage folder - everything I would have expected the 955 to provide.

Overall, I'm a bit disappointed. For the price, it seemed to promise so much, but under the hood, there has been loss of previously available functionality.

Updated from my old Panasonic SD Twin Tuner – I bought this two weeks ago to replace my trusted Panasonic SD Twin Tuner because I wanted to record programs in high definition. So easy to set up and has the same style remote control as my previous one which makes life easier. I installed the updated firmware as this often corrects any bugs that may have existed. It also gives you the option of… Read more ·  1

switching off network connection. I love the new look menu list which is comparable to all the the latest new tvs. Recording two programs at the same time went without any hitches from the tv guide. Haven't used any other of the fancy options like pausing live tv yet. Very happy the unit starts up quicker than my previous Panasonic recorder which was a little frustrating if you want to record something at the last minute. Overall, very happy with it so far.

25/6/2019 Another week has passed and I had the opportunity of taping three programs at once. Once I choose the three programs through the TV guide, I switched off the recorder and watched something else on my tv. All three programs played back perfectly the next day. So pleased with my purchase. Thanks Panasonic for a great product.

Good Performer but slightly Over Priced by some retailers – This Unit has replaced an older TOPFIELD DVB and the Panasonic is equivalent in all aspects and can handle the New Formats of HD TV and the Differing Digital Sound Outputs of each Station, MPEG, AAC, Dolby Surround. The Only problems encountered initially were that the Unit Initially produced bad picture jitter on the connected TV but after I did… Read more ·  1

a software Update as per the Operating Instruction Book, Page 92,95 the jitter reduced on the cheap 10yr old BAUHN 47" 100hz HD TV. The DVB Operating Menu takes awhile to get used to after a TOPFIELD unit but it all works quite well, with a few minor problem areas such as trying to re designate recorded programs and the fast forward function on recorded programs isn't as good as Topfield because this unit doesn't show how much more of a program is left. Netflix and UTube works well via WiFi and that is better than TopField.

The Programming and Recording of Channels is very good in both SD and HD TV.

Overall the Unit is quite Good but you need to shop around to get the right price.

Advertising Agencies Hate This Device – Given the frequency, length and inane content of TV commercials it is impossible to watch commercial TV in Australia without one of these devices. We record all programmes on commercial TV that we want to watch and, the moment the ad break looms, we hit forward to the next chapter mark and you're back with the show having skipped the dog food /… Read more ·  4

nappies / shampoo etc. etc.

We bought this Panasonic to replace our aging Sony unit which did not receive all the HD channels in the new format. Never really bought much Panasonic gear before but am really pleased with this unit.

The set-up is easy and all menus are intuitive.

Given it's advanced features I am able to watch recorded shows remotely via my smart phone due to the units interface with my home wifi network. I am also able to set up record, delete programmes etc in a similar method.

I can also use Windows Explorer to drag and drop recorded shows from the Panasonic to my PC for archiving purposes if required. Although in tts format they can be watched via VLC player or converted to a more common format with Handbrake or similar software.

The unit also performs well streaming video via a DLNA device on your home network and handles other video streams (YouTube / Netflix) well, provided you have NBN or a fast ADSL connection.

The only issue I have come across with an otherwise top notch piece of kit is that the sound on playback occasionally stops for no apparent reason. It will then restart again but is out of sync with the video. I haven't yet been able to isolate the cause of this and it may well be an issue with my amp. If I determine that it is the Panasonic I'll return it under warranty to resolve this issue. At present the workaround is to stop play, restart the unit and then click on "play from last stop point".

Aside from this annoying sound issue I can highly recommend this unit.

A great recorder, but some Manual info a bit sketchy – The straight forward stuff is well explained and easy to follow. I love it. However some instructions are a little hard to find or follow. Recording a programme on every Monday to Friday I know is possible, but have yet to discover how to set it. For the moment I'm working around that and my overall impression is favorable.  Show details

It works but overall disappointing for a premium priced product – I got the DMR-BWT599GL as a replacement for my old Humax 4Tune which gave up the ghost. The Humax had 4 Tuners and with it's 3 tuners, this Pana was the nearest thing easily available. Based on past brand experience, I was prepared to be blown away by the refinement of the Panasonic, compared to the Humax. Well, that didn't happen!! General sound… Read more

and picture quality is good but I keep seeing this comb pattern at quick changes of video content (reminiscent of badly done bob & weave deinterlacing). C'mon, Panasonic!

But surely, the Panasonic refinement of the user interface will shine, I thought. Nope! I thought the Humax could've done with some improvements but the DMR-BWT599GL seems decidedly clunky, restrictive and generally not very well thought out. It does work, it's just not very good and has some frustrating quirks. You probably wouldn't notice it so much if you haven't seen something better. ;-)

The Panasonic feature list looks really good on paper but the problem is that there are fine print conditions attached everywhere. Yes, it has a 4K logo but all it does is some upscaling. Yes, it has 3 tuners but once you are recording 3 programs (not out of bounds in prime time) than you can only watch one of those 3 programs. What the...?! Being restricted to 3 TV stations would be understandable but I was hoping the Pana could pull out programs from other subchannels on the same station. I could go on.

Programming is not as easy as on the other PVRs I have used. There is a lot of clicking required to access features and guessing where some features may be. Then, there are the inconsistencies. As one example, when you set your prerecording and you switch the unit off while recording is active, that's fine, you don't lose anything. However, if the program is running and you select live recording and you switch off, it terminates your recording. You can't just easily add time buffers to recordings. Sometimes it lets you, sometimes it does but limits how much you can add and sometimes outright refuses it. This means a lot of missing ends of programs. I know that stations supposed to mark programs accurately, but at least in Sydney, this is not always so. There is heaps other annoying stuff. In hindsight, my much derided old Humax UI runs circles around the Pana...

The remote is OK...ish. It's weirdly balanced though. Both my partner and I often grab it in the dark back to front. It's to do with the shape and weight distribution of the remote. Not a big deal but I've never had the same problem with other remotes (including Panasonic ones.)

I must give to Panasonic that they have one brilliantly good feature (also present in previous Panasonic products). In the slowest fast forward mode, you can hear sped up sound while preserving pitch accuracy. It's like fast talking but doesn't sound like chipmunks. I often use it to run through less interesting bits of programs and not missing anything.

Ultimately, the few strengths are not enough to outshine the weaknesses. This may be acceptable at budget gear, but the Panasonic DMR-BWT599GL commands premium price where such weaknesses are unacceptable. I probably would've stretched the rating to 2 1/2 stars, had it been possible. It's just not worth 3 stars.

Overall, I'm quite disappointed!

Edit: During the 5-6 weeks since I got it, I had some strange shutdowns. The unit would be motoring along happily, recording a program, us watching a program and it would just power off by itself with no user input. It only happened a couple of times and I can't reproduce it at will. Very annoying. On one of the occasions, I had trouble restarting it. It would power up and go right off. Puzzled, I waited a couple of minutes and it was fine again. At least, the background recording was OK, no interruption occurred.

Another black mark from me!

Near perfection. Without something like this, watching commercial TV is plain impossible – Quality speaks for itself, this is why I have Panasonic. First I had the DMR-XW480 (2 channel DVD recorder w/o blue-ray). Already great. But since it could not play blue-ray, and since the DMR-BWT955GL's HD is way bigger, I bought that one, too. The remote controls of both units are identical, and on the same frequency, thus I had to design a… Read more

"high-tech"-solution ;) ... to be able to control one but not the other at any one time: A bit of cardboard in front of the infrared-receiver of the recorder, which I do not use at the moment...

Great huge storage space!

Great quality of the recordings.

Unit does not miss a beat, i.e. always works.

Can't remember which of the 2 recorders plays up once in a blue moon. Solution: Pull the plug, wait 30 sec. and plug in again (just like in IT-Crowd... ;)

Watching live-commercial-TV would be simply impossible without a device like this.

If the only way to watch TV in Australia would be to watch it live, I would not have a TV at all and my life would be totally different...

The coolest feature on that recorder: Do do not know how it works, but after completing a recording the recorder placed automatically markers, which are most of the time where ads start and end, thus, watching a movie has been made possible...!

Sometimes the marker, however, are all over the place, e.g. when Big Bang Theory is being broadcast.

7flix sets no markers at all. That's bad.

Btw.: my old recorder does not set markers automatically at all...

I could find only one negative on the new recorder:

An important function, which was in the old recorder, does not exit at the new one:

After burning a DVD, one can choose a thumbnail picture for the index-page of the DVD with the old recorder, but not with the new one.

My solution: Burn w/o finalization at the new one, then place in old one, choose thumbnail and finalize.

Oh, and one important maintenance-advise:

Like always, CD-players, DVD-player, DVD recorders could after some years make the impression that they are broken, because the DVD is rattling and shaking and neither playing nor recording...: This is the time when you have to pull the plug, open the device, take a few cotton-tips with a few drops of alcohol or white spirit and clean the rubber-pad, which is meant to adhere to the DVD, because there will be dust - and with that dust there are simply no longer sufficient adhesive forces at work to hold on the the fast rotation DVD. While you are at it, also clean carefully the laser-lens. I had to clean the older DVD-recorder already at least twice.

Also a great plus: Key-word programming. however, when you see the blue markings in the EPG where the recorder spotted a keyword-broadcasting, make sure to extend the time-span it records for, as TV-Channel hardly ever finish a movie at the give given in the EPG. Same with manual programming: Always program recordings longer, especially, if the is a movie after some people "played with a ball" ;), as the movie may start up to 2 hours later!

Coming to terms with losing Tivo – I read reviews of a number of PVR's that I initially found from Choice magazine. This Panasonic did seem to have some difficulties for some reviewers here on productreview.com.au, but overall did seem to be the best. I'm happy to say it has worked flawlessly for us in the 3 or so weeks we have had it now. It was easy to set up and has not… Read more

been hard to learn how to control and run from the remote.

So far the only criticism I can make is that the volume control on the remote does not work on our Samsung TV. We have to use the Samsung remote to change the volume.

Our Tivo was hard to beat. Even though this Panasonic is not a perfect replacement in terms of exact function for function, the 3 tuners instead of the 2 on the Tivo is a great improvement. The extra storage so we can opt to record HD programmes is good too.

Great when it works – I love this recorder when it works. With 3 HD tuners I never miss a show and can watch all my catch up without adds. I don't know if it's just my one but every few months I've had to reset it as it's stopped recording. As I said I love it but could work better.  Show details

Panasonic fantastic recorder – This Panasonic DMR-BWT955 GL Blu-Ray Recorder is just great,it has 3 tuners which allows for more recording options, the editing feature is so good and easy to use, the up-scaling to 4K is also great, it produces a great 4K like picture. You can also set serial recording and so easy to setup from the TV guide feature.

This machine is almost perfect – Fantastic quality recordings, huge amount of recording space (2GB), plays Blu-Rays and region free DVDs. Recording through the Guide is so easy even Mon-Fri recordings. Can record three programmes at once. Be sure to update the firmware immediately on purchase, this solves a few problems recording through the Guide. Haven't tried 4K as my TV is not capable.  Show details

If only it worked the way it should – The recorder does not always record the TV program from the TV guide. Selecting a TV program to record every week the unit will not record the TV programme if it does not obtain the information from the TV guide, which is often. The recorder has a problem obtaining (reading) current TV guide from the various TV channels. Also beware the recorder only up-scales to 4k which means it will not play 4k dvd's  Show details

Excellent unit and has not missed a beat so far – I recently purchased this unit as a newly acquired last gen Samsung Plasma had horrible problems with recording via the freeview EPG. I am really impressed as usual with the quality and user friendliness of Panasonic devices. The reliability so far with timing recordings has been superb and the triple tuner is great-Amazing how often the best… Read more

programs of the day are scheduled at the same time.

Setup was extremely intuitive and fast-probably took me 15 minutes to connect the unit to the TV and tune in the channels and connect to the network.

The remote has the usual Panasonic format and is also easy to use.

The recording quality in DR mode is superb.

Also the unit looks pretty smooth as well, I like the mirror finish and it really feels substantial as well, another Panasonic sign of quality.

The Blu-Ray recorder player works really well playing discs and the 3D stuff I own looks great.

Overall I give it 5 stars and recommend it highly, thanks again Panasonic.

Unable to do basic things – NOT a TIVO alternative. Can not pause live tv unless you are recording it. Can not pause a recording and watch another channel. Very bad control. To many basic hic ups to list. I believe that all the great reviews are submitted by Panasonic staff. Third Panasonic purchase. Tv is ok. Home theatre product the worst I have ever bought.  Show details

BEWARE - DOES NOT PLAY 4K DVD/VIDEOS - Despite 4K Badge! – Bought this unit and 4K OLED TV to watch 4K Videos as the clear BOLD 4K badging on the unit and tech data showed that it was 4K ...but it will not actually play 4K Videos as expected.....".cannot read this..." I feel quite unimpressed by this deception and feel mislead by the Panasonic presentation and marketing information. Accordingly I cannot recommend it as a 4K device.  Show details

Can't live without it – Love the slick style and protection of the DVD player opening mechanism. Recording quality great with lots of options. Very reliable unit and it has NETFLIX  Show details

Value for money, easy to use, 4K upscale – Wow this one exceeds my old Panasonic by far (DMR-BW880). Triple HD Tuner, 2TB hard drive which I can record 1000+ hours, 4K upscale, blu-ray recorder and media player. Record up to 3 channels and watch a disc at same time. Programming is easy with preview box in EPG. A must have for an all one one device.

It's early days but so far excellent – We bought this a week ago so it's early days. Just some issues and maybe another reviewer can help me out. When we set a program to record, even if we don't choose the "Keyword" option, it records every repeat and every showing on every channel eg, ABC1, ABC2, etc. so you end up with 10 recordings. Also, maybe someone can tell me how to add time… Read more

to the recording because a movie just squeaked in the other day and we got no credits. But apart from that I find it easy to navigate and a huge improvement on the last box we had which was a Topfield. When I've learned to drive it properly I'll report back. :)

Bells & whistles – Looks pretty, does what it does within it's capabilities. Has an on/off switch. Records programmes. Tells the time & connects to the Internet. I like the dvd tray, it goes in and out at command. You can watch stuff anytime you like.

The 955 panasonic will not allow copying of AVCHD recordings off built in hard drive to external hard drive . Show 2 replies