Panasonic DMR-ES20K DVD Recorder
Great low to mid range
Overall a very nice recorder. The panasonic is worth the extra $$ if you are looking for a low to mid range.  Others like the Lite-On get rave reviews online, though I cannot figure out why with their cheap mono-tuners, and poor picture quality.  (I went through 2 before giving up and getting this panasonic)  Looked at the samsung, but liked these features better.  It's a bit complicated for novices, but if you read the screen and the little button display you'll be fine. <br /> <br /> <br />Likes: <br />-Dubbing off of VCR looks beautiful, better than the original, even poor quality and copy protected tapes work fine.  Recording TV looks like it's live.  What you see on the screen is exactly what records.  Nice dynamic range with colors and black levels.  <br />-Chase feature... being able to watch something else on same disc while recording. <br />-Menus with video preview <br />-SVideo In and Out, optical audio out <br />-Whisper quiet... no fan noise like some have complained about. <br /> <br /> <br />Disklikes: <br />-You have to hit the status button to get any sort of feedback on the screen as to what it is doing (but the display on the front will tell you) <br />-Remote is wonky and the range is bad  <br />-Initial setup takes way too long, still can't set time automatically even though pbs station comes in fine. <br /> <br />Overall, a decent buy.  Dvd recorders are definitely not ready for prime time, but this is a solid machine for a decent price.