Panasonic DMRE85HS Progressive-Scan DVD Player/Recorder with 120 GB Hard Drive Recording
works very well
I read all the reviews and checked out local stores for a hard drive video recorder.  I bought this one from amazon because it was a much better deal than any of the local stores after I decided that this one was the best fit for me.  I had a concern because I had a Panasonic 5 disk DVD/CD player which was a pain to use.  Nevertheless, this machine worked great.  It took about a week for the TV guide to fill out but after an overnight hookup I could program the next day's programs.  My cable is just the expanded basic so I didn't have to worry about a cable box.  My only complaint is that the TV guide listing is slow.  I went through and deleted all the cable channels that I don't ever plan to record from (Fox Right-Wing News, Cartoon Channel etc) so that the listing is shorter and easier to get through and it helps somewhat.  My wife likes it because it is easier to view DVDs than on our older DVD/CD player.  The remote is fairly intuitive so I haven't had to spend much time with the instruction manual.  Overall, it replaces our old VCR very well and I don't have to listen to commercials anymore.