Good looking Panasonic TU-CTH100 PVR. Worked fairly well for 3 years with several freeze up (disconect from mains for2 minutes)

Seems like a great idea being able to watch and record two separate channels at the same time, but in practice the software lets it down. I find it hard to believe that Panasonic released this machine - especially with so many bugs in the software.

Many times it says there are new channels available... and yet doing a scan reveals none.... an hour later the same thing happens....

Very Very Frustrating when you get to the climax of some programme you have recorded and it stops because the clock doesn't sync properly.

One Final point - has anyone managed to find the machine on www.panasonic.co.uk ? I looked so I could ask and they don't list PVR's on their contact us page

All the above problems persisted despite software updates. The Panasonic TUCTH100 was replaced three times by the dealer under warranty and once by Panasonic directly but the problems remained. Eventually I exercised my rights under the Sale of Goods Act and returned the machine to the supplying dealer as not being of satisfactory quality and asked for a full refund which they gave without quibble.
I have several other Panasonic products which have given excellent service and up to now I have had utmost faith in Panasonic. Judging by mine and other users experiences, their reputation has been somewhat tarnished by the TUCTH 100.
The value for money rating would be true if the machine worked properly!

On paper the Panasonic TUCTH100 freeview box looks good. However, it was clearly designed by people who have no concept of usability! It is slow and difficult to use. The hard disk is constantly crashing, and you have to wait for the whole thing to "boot up".

I also have a Panasonic Freeview/DVD recorder which is slightly better. Of course they use entirely different menu systems, so just one more thing to get to grips with.

Panasonic used to produce well-designed equipment, but now I'm not so sure.

If you want a good, easy to use Freeview PVR get a Humax!!

On first using the Panasonic TUCTH100 Freeview Box I though it was great, recording two programs and watching a recorded program at the same time. The 7 day TV Guide seemed user friendly with the addition of being able to select a program for recording was very useful.

After a few weeks though I realised I shouldn't have purchased it and can't believe a company like Panasonic would release a product that had so many bugs. The TV Guide isn't so useful for selecting programs to record because about 50% of the time it stops recording before the program has finished, extremely annoying. Changing channels seems to be slowing down or is it my patience drawing thin with the damn thing and finally it crashes when I choose quick record at which point I have to pull the plug which will probably cause damage to the hard disk.

I bought the Panasonic TCCTH100 freeview box today, and I am disappointed.

I do expect some clicking noise with any hard-drive, but this unit also has a high-pitched tone as well, which grates on the ears after a while.

It takes around 3 to 4 seconds to change channel (making a quick flick-through impossible).

The volume control on the remote does not work.

I shall be taking it back to the dealer tomorrow!

Channel changing on the Panasonic TUCTH100 Freeview box is very slow.
When switching on the unit I always get a message stating new channels available when they are not.
When recording, at least 50% of the channels have unlistenable sound.
On the whole a very niggly unit, and it is totally inconceivable that Panasonic has produced it!

I wish I hadn'tbought a Panasonic TUCTH100 to be honest... very slow in operation despite the latest software upgrades and the sofware is very flakey - you would not want to rely on this box for key recordings. However that is not the worst of it! I've had mine about three months and in that time I have had to pull the plug on it (to re-set it) on average 3 times a week! |I feel this is unacceptabe for a top brand like Panasonic and I will be taking this back to my dealer (as it has now crashed totally and won't boot at all).
So what's good about it? well it's a doddle to setup - press the button and away it goes, you can then pick and choose your own profile of channels for easy access. You toggle between the chanels and listings useing the EPG button and further information on the selected listing can be displayed with the 'i' button - neat. The picture quality is excellent and recorded programmes (when they record) playback with reasonable quality.
Conclusion - an expensive PVR from a company that has, until now, produced quality products that you would be very happy to own - Panasonic have done themselves no favours with the Panasonic TUCTH100, and will most certainly damage their profile within the home cinema market.

Having seen some of the reviews, I was a little concerned about having just purchased the Panasonic TUCTH100 Freeview box, but the software seems stable, and the channel changing time is OK (but could be quicker).

I think this is a good piece of equipment!

The Panasonic TUCTH100 has great spec, and good picture quality, but major problems with the software. Needs an overhaul already, should not have been released with these problems.

The Panasonic TUCTH100 takes a massive step back from previous Panasonic freeview products. Its software is appalling. A stunning machine in theory but in practice it is so annoying that it's almost worth buying to have the satisfaction of smashing to bits with a large sledgehammer.

I have found the Panasonic TUCTH100 to be more reliable than previous two Pace units. Good design features and informative front panel information. High quality picture. Manual needs to be read several times to get to grips with some of the features & procedures; could do with a rewrite. Most annoying problems are complete lock-ups requiring disconnection from mains to reset unit, refusal to stop recordings ahead of scheduled time and long (several seconds in some cases) delays between programme changes. Only rare pixel break-up on live transmission.

When the Panasonic TUCTH100 finally gets over its teething problems, it should be as good as it promised. But perhaps you should hold off until the new software is ready.