Panasonic PV-HS2000 ShowStopper 30-Hour Digital Video Recorder
It's great when it works...
I love what this machine can theoretically do.  To use an oft-used phrase, it has changed the way I watch TV.  However, it crashes A LOT.  At least once a week, I have to reset it to get it to dial in correctly (which they don't tell you how to do in the manual).  In the four months that I've owned it, I've had to perform two hard resets (which they also don't tell you how to do in the manual) wiping out all stored data, including recorded shows and settings.  Their customer support line closes daily at 9, which is kind of a pain.  It's kind of noisy too, making a high pitched whirring sound whenever it's in use.  <br />It cannot record while you're watching another show on live TV, which most VCRs can do but you can watch a recorded show while taping another. Pausing live TV is great, as is instant replay, and programming it to record shows is pretty easy.  While I am not exactly a novice with gadgets, I had a hard time installing it, and had to get a techie friend to do it.