Philips HDRW720 DVD Recorder with 120 GB Hard Drive
Lousy user interface but still my favorite gadget
I sympathize with the other people who can't get it to work.  By all accounts the early releases had real problems.  But I got mine in late 2004 and it seems that by that time all the major problems had been licked.   <br /> <br />I have had minimal problem making timed recordings, pause/rewind/record live TV, editing recorded shows and burning them on a variety of DVD+R blanks.  I've also done a number of VHS to DVD transfers with this device.  In terms of the device working and reliablity, I am very happy with it.  There had been a few times the machine hangs and I have to unplug it to get it unhung, but that's rather rare.  Amazingly more often than not, none the recordings are lost from such an episode.  But considering I must have made well over 1000 recordings (2 shows a day absolute minimum for over a year) and over 500 DVD burning sessions (about 100 discs), a few hangings is excusable.  Incredibly I have not yet made a coaster, every recordings on every DVD I made with this device is watchable on every DVD player or PC I tried.   <br /> <br />But I am not recommending it to everyone.  The software user interface is barely usable, I have learned to be rather proficient at making the device do my biddings, but it really ought to be a lot, A LOT, better.  If you are not good at technical things you won't figure out how to work it.  I have a PhD and it took me a couple days to learn the basics and well over a week to work out the correct process for each of the tasks I desire.   <br /> <br />But in the end, I am very happy with the setup.  Even with the stupid interface, it's my #1 favorite gadget in the house.  I am IN CONTROL of my TV, I time-shift shows from early morning or daytime to evenings, I capture all the shows I want during long vacations.  I can watch them or put them on DVD, always after editing out the commercials.  And I can share them with friends and family.  Even my wife likes the features so much that she learned to work the complicated control.  That's saying a lot. <br />