Easy to set up.
Useful editing features on the hard drive.
Easy to program, good on-screen menu layout.
Good control over recording options, such as density.
Burning DVDs is easy to do.

Poorly designed remote control.
Limited functionality available through the USB ports.
Minimal options available for menu formats during finalisation.

First of all I should note that the product model year is actually 2008, but the website doesn't allow entry of a year > 2006.

This review is for the Australian model. It differs somewhat from the UK model in that it has two USB ports on the front panel, which the UK model lacks. On the other hand, the UK model possesses an additional card slot on the front panel, possibly for pay TV (not sure about that) which the Australian model doesn't have. In all other respects they appear to be identical. I have not compared it with the equivalent US model.

This model possesses a 160Gb internal hard disk drive and a DVD player/recorder. On the back are RCA sockets for audio video in/out (composite, s-video, stereo) as well as component out. In addition there are two SCART sockets for input/output. There are the essential RF aerial connection points, and coax digital out. There is no optical out. There is also an HDMI output. On the front there are also AV inputs (composite, s-video, stereo) in addition to the USB ports mentioned above. There is a standard definition digital TV tuner, as well as an analog tuner.

The first impression I had when I lifted it out of the box was that it appeared to be a fairly solid, well constructed unit. That impression was disspelled somewhat, though, when I made a connection to the front panel. The socket mountings seem to be rather flimsy, and the whole front panel bends slightly when you connect a cable. The DVD tray, however, opens and closes with a very positive and smooth action. The rear sockets are placed rather close together, but I had no problems connecting it up.

My main complaint, though, is with the remote control. This would have to be one of the most poorly designed remotes I've seen in a long while. The main buttons are laid out in the upper part of the remote, while the remainder of the buttons are hidden under a flimsy slide down cover. The problem is that some of the commonly used functions are actually located under this cover, so you find that you are constantly sliding the cover down. It's probably only a matter of time before the cover breaks off, which might actually not be such a bad thing. There is no 'open/close' button on the remote, and no zoom function for video (only for jpg files).

Setting up was a breeze. After making all the connections and switching on, the machine goes through an initial setup procedure. It tuned into all the available digital channels very quickly and without fuss. The on screen menu layout is quite intuitive, with all the functions being grouped logically. Programming is quite straightforward, and can be done using the electronic program guide. Of course programs can be modified after being stored. In addition, a keyboard can be connected to one of the front USB ports to make it easier to modify program names.

Once a program has been recorded on the hard drive, a number of editing functions are available. Chapters can be merged or split, sections of video can be deleted, and titles can be split.

Burning a copy of a recorded program to a DVD was quite easy, and is achieved by setting up a copy list where you can specify which titles and chapters are to be copied. The finalisation process allows one of a limited number of menu styles to be selected for recording on the DVD, but does not allow for menus at the chapter level. Copying was fairly quick in fast copy mode, taking a few minutes for a two hour program, but will take a lot longer if the recording density is changed for the copy.

Jpg and mp3 files can be copied to the recorder, or played directly from storage devices that you connect to the USB port. A printer can also be connected to the other USB port. Apart from this, the functionality of the USB ports appear to be somewhat limited. It is not possible to copy video files between this recorder and a USB connected computer, for example.

In summary, I would say that this machine does its primary functions of recording video on its hard drive and copying to DVD quite well indeed, although its let down somewhat by a poorly designed remote control. Some more functionality through the USB ports would be welcome, as would the ability to play other video file formats, such as avi.

(NB: The purchase price is in Australian dollars.)