Toshiba RD-XS34 DVD Recorder with 160-GB Hard Drive
Very useful for the price...
I have had this machine for nearly a year now, and after some initial difficulties, I love it!     At first, I thought the TV Guide feature was useless, after several attempts, I abandoned the idea of trying to let it scan my cable channels using the blaster. But it was able to get the listings just fine after I connected the cable directly to the back of the machine (without going thru the cable box), while setting up the cable box as a different input --without listings. Setting up recordings manually, without listings was frustrating at he beginning, but I eventually got the hang of it.  Also this machine is rather noisy!    Now for the good -- without the fees associated with TiVo, this machine allows you to \\"pause\\" live TV, and watch the beginning of a show while the end of it is still recording - thereby allowing you to avoid commercials completely. It will also allow you to watch one recorded show while recording another.   For the sports fans, you can use this machine to create your own highlights DVD. And finally, the 160GB hard drive is big enough to allow you to take your time deciding which recordings you'd like to burn to DVD.    In summary, from the viewpoint of a person (and sports fan) who does not like to spend a great deal of time in front of the TV, but wants to get the most out of it - I would highly recommend this device.