Pioneer DVR-520HS DVD Recorder + 80GB Digital Video Recorder
I really like this product.
For many years, I have VCR taped all of our favorite television programs for later viewing.  As juggling the different tapes is cumbersome and viewing quality ranges from acceptable to poor, I have been closely watching the DVD/HD recorders for some time as a replacement for VCR taping and to put all our family VHS tapes onto long-lasting DVD. <br /> <br />I liked the features and generally good reviews of the Panasonic  models, but was hesitant to buy into the DVD-RAM technology as it seems very limited and likely to become more so as the DVD standards continue to evolve.   <br /> <br />I chose the Pioneer DVR-520 because I liked the unit's features and have had great success with Pioneer products in the past. <br /> <br />While only using it for about two weeks... I really like it.  Very easy to set up and simple to tape from TV to either the HD or DVD-R/DVD-RW.  I have done all my recording on SP which allows approximately 40 hrs of HD programming and 2 hrs per DVD. <br /> <br />Picture quality has been terrific and the \\"easy record\\" feature makes it a snap to record television programs. <br /> <br />The manual is a bit tedious, so I generally just review the section headings in the table of contents and then dive into the onscreen menus.  These are easy to navigate and each feature that is highlighted includes a thorough descrition of what it does. <br /> <br />Overall, I find the Pioneer DVR 520-H, quiet, simple to operate, produces excellent recorded picture quality, and so far, does everything it claims to - and quite well at that!