Panasonic DMR-HS2 Progressive-Scan DVD Recorder/PVR with 40 GB Hard Drive (Silver)
not as slick as you might think
First of all, read the other reviews for the DMR-HS2 - They are pretty informative, and there is no point in listing redundant details.<BR>However, you might also be interested to know why I returned the unit I bought after playing with it for about two weeks.  My reason was basically that it will only record onto DVD-R and DVD-RAM discs. If you don't know the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R, I suggest you find out before you plop down the hefty bucks for this machine. From what I have been able to gather, there is no logical reason for it other than to frusrtate and financially milk the consumer. The electronics companies are making the - and + formats to placate the entertainment industry.  The - and + discs are not interchangable on most dvd players. If you just want to record VHS and TV onto DVD-R or DVD-RAM discs and ONLY play them on this very particular machine, you might enjoy the HDD feature and be pretty happy with it.  If, however, you want to burn DVDs on your computer and play them on the DMR-HS2, you probably won't have much luck - most pc dvd burners use DVD+R.  If you want to record tv programs or VHS, and then give copies to friends or play them on a different dvd player, BEWARE - there is a good chance they won't work.<br />The only way around this problem is to have two DVD players hooked up to your TV (one - and one +).  I, for one, think that it is a pretty lousy thing to ask consumers to do.  Plus, it still won't help your friends out with only one player.<br />I can't help but think there is a conspiracy going on between the electronics and entertainment industries.  I was so thrilled to buy the DMR-HS2 since it is the first of it's genre to hit the market, but I urge you to do plenty of research, avoid buying on-line, and put off purchasing something like this until someone offers a more integrated, universal system.