I'd been looking for an affordable DVR for some time, but it's so hard to find one with a good sized hard drive that doesn't require Tivo. This one fit the bill. Video quality is great even at LP mode, so you get about 100 hours of recording on the hard drive. (I haven't tried other speeds as I've been happy with the LP). Operation is pretty straight-forward, though I sometimes forget how to do certain things...user manual is clear, though. I haven't yet tried recording to DVD, but am very happy with the hard disk recording. Once you've recorded shows there and are ready to view them, you can see a list of what you recorded as little thumbnail videos that actually start playing in their little thumbnail screen when selected. Basically, it's a live preview - very cool! Also, you can very quickly fast-forward through commercials by skipping over time increments (yea!) and can pause live tv, etc.My gripes are pretty small - the LCD is on the smallish side, so hard to read from across the room. There doesn't seem to be a way to speed up the changing of time when setting recordings...ie, if you hold the up/down button long enough, time should go by 10-sec. intervals instead of 1-sec. Unlike my previous VCR, if you set the recording for a time and that time hits before you finish setting, it won't start recording. But, I think most recorders are like that.One word of caution - if you've got an older TV with just a cable input, you'll need either another VCR or Cable box or some type of unit with other video/audio hook-ups. You can't just plug your cable into the DVR and from the DVR into the TV and have a go at it. Luckily, we still have our old VCR on hand, so plugged the cable into that and from there into the TV and used composite video/audio from the VCR to the DVR. With the right settings, it's a go. (One of these days I will get a digital TV with HDMI!).Overall, I'm happy with the purchase - pretty user-friendly, good quality recordings, good price and worked right out of the box.

This excellent unit is truly powerful and capable. It's a real bargain. It combines 3 different functions in one slim package, any one of which alone would have cost more than its $300 price not so long ago: a 160 GB hard disk recorder, an ATSC digital tuner (and an analog NTSC tuner too), and a DVD recorder. Additionally, it breaks the DVD + / - format war by its ability to record on both.This unit is one of the surprisingly few hard disk-plus-DVD recorder devices available today that has a digital tuner. It eliminates the high cost of monthly charges for a TIVO. No monthly charges at all!(Note added in May 2008: there is now an updated version, model DVDR3576H, which say it has a tuner that receives HDTV, but doesn't appear to be able to record as HD, so is otherwise like this model. A slight improvement.)It can do two things at once, allowing playback from either DVD or HDD programs while recording to HDD. It has a fan but it's quiet, and turns off about a minute after turning the unit off.Recording TV programsI use a roof antenna, and receive both analog (VHF and UHF) and digital (they are on UHF) TV signals. Programming to record TV shows is very similar to programming a VCR manually (there is no automatic programming system, but it's really not that hard to do manually). It records HD signals as SD (standard definition). Of course, to record in HD will require much bigger hard drives. Indeed, it can't even show them as HD when you watch live. You will have to switch to your TV's digital tuner for that. So you can't use this unit to watch HD on an "HD-ready" TV that lacks its own digital tuner. The digital tuner does not pick up the same set of channels as my Sony TV--it gets some that the TV missed, but misses some that the TV can get. Strange.The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.PlaybackI use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. It's the way to go if your TV can accept HDMI.Playback from HD is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with a skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats?). It's also a little slow to change from analog to digital channels (but so is my new Sony TV).Aspect RatioFiddling with aspect ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9) is a hassle that we will be dealing with for years. This unit, unfortunately, records digital programs as 4:3, even when they are transmitted as 16:9. Translation: when displayed on a 16:9 widescreen TV, you get black borders at top and bottom AND at the sides. This is satisfactorily fixed by zooming the picture on playback. You can do this either from this unit (with multiple button presses on the remote) or from your widescreen TV. I find it much easier to do it from my Sony TV. You have to cancel the zoom the next time you watch a 4:3 program, however. It's a nuisance.User-friendlinessMost functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are very badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.EditingFor copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter). The name "Scenes" is used for HDD, "chapters" for DVD--the same result, but different methods. Confusing.You can set up chapters on your DVD's to highlight scenes, songs, etc. after you have recorded it (you also may wish to delete the auto-recorded chapters which are put in every 10 minutes). These work just fine when played back on this unit. But all those carefully-inserted new chapters were completely ignored when I played back in another DVD player. Very annoying.DownsidesIt can't record HD programs.It's slow to load a DVD.The remote buttons are poorly laid out.Widescreen format shows must be zoomed on playback to fill a 16:9 TV screen.Titling tracks is tedious.Edits of chapters may be ignored in other DVD players.SummaryThis is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a bargain price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's. I'll keep it for a good while.The next step will be when this device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. It will take some time till then, and it will cost a lot more when it comes.(Now that the newer DVDR3576H model has come out, that's the best choice).

I sent this as a wedding gift to a friend. I have a DVR/HDD that I love. For some reason, while popular about 2 years ago, there are fewer and fewer on the American market. i dont know why. Tivo, maybe? Anyway after researching this seemed to be the best of the affordable breed. Here is the email I got from my friend. I dont know if others have similar problems, but my friend is fairly tech-savvy. So be warned (note this is just a report from the friend; I haven't tried it)Spoke with Philips, then Sony (they make my TV) then TimeWarnerBottom line is Philips says this particular model has a flaw where itonly displays one channel (in other words I can not record anythingbut the channel on the cable box which means there is no way to setit record anything except for the channel on the cable box)TimeWarner says it might not be possible at all to have the device beable to scroll through channelsPhilips wants me to send the unit back, the customer support womansays the model you bought is known to not work correctly and they aretrying to get them off the shelves and replace themso after about 8 to 10 hours of really really trying, I don't think Iwill be able to use your gift the way it is meant to be used - itsjust not technologically compatible with the cable box.)