The DMR-EX79 is one of the better Freeview personal video recorders out there. We wish it were cheaper and sported a second Freeview tuner, but it's a sturdy machine that offers plenty of recording flexibility thanks to its 250GB hard drive and DVD ...

Decent styling ; good picture and sound quality ; DVD writer adds virtually unlimited storage capability

Expensive ; lack of second Freeview tuner

The Panasonic DMR-EX79 is a good, sturdy machine that's a pleasure to use. It is, however, let down by its relatively high price and the fact that it offers only a single Freeview tuner. Due to its good performance, though, we're more than happy to ...

The Panasonic DMR-EX88 comes with a high-end price tag, but its features are certainly up to scratch. A Freeview recorder PVR with a massive 400GB hard drive and a DVD recorder built in, it will also play Xvid and DivX files and upscale your DVDs. ...

Picture and sound quality ; huge number of useful features ; fairly easy to use

Only one tuner ; slightly too expensive ; LP and EP picture modes are pretty grim quality

A sturdy performer that will do virtually everything you could ever want a DVD player, recorder and PVR to do. The DivX and XviD playback from disc or USB is a really nice addition that improves the machine over previous iterations

Media streamer for high-definition content up to and including 1080p

Picture quality ; sound quality ; connection options ; flexibility ; user interface ; price ; ability to play 1080p

It's not that easy to get in the UK ; no Wi-Fi

This is the best media streamer we've reviewed. Videos in 1080p look crisp and detailed. It's flexible and supports virtually every codec commonly found online. You don't need a computer science degree to operate it and it won't break the bank

The Philips DVDR5520H's main attraction is its built-in Freeview PVR. DVD and support for downloaded Internet material is also available. It looks sleek and attractive and has excellent connectivity, and a very well laid out electronic programme guide ...

Picture and sound quality ; design

Menus are quite slow at times and rather annoying

Not a bad all-rounder. We like the picture and sound quality and there are enough features to justify the asking price, but we were annoyed by how the menu system operated at times

The Grundig freesat receiver (GUFSAT01) is an excellent option for the 27 per cent of UK who do not get a Freeview signal to switch over from analogue to digital. The box itself is pretty fast at responding to the remote commands and is a good size, ...

Good number of outputs including Ethernet for future use ; relatively quick ; Freeview-level picture quality

Should be £20 cheaper ; small installation and interactive niggles

If you're stuck on analogue, the Grundig freesat receiver is a good way to go digital, especially if you already have a satellite dish on your wall

There are a lot of ugly, chunky DVD recorders on the market, but the Philips DVDR5500 certainly isn't one of them. A slick black and mirrored chrome finish this slim-line unit, and it provides a straightforward way to record TV with the added bonus of ...

Impressive recording quality ; excellent range of ports ; good DivX support

Playback quality is good, but not perfect

The Philips DVDR5500 produces great quality recordings, looks stylish and is easy to use. Its DVD playback quality may only be so-so, but at this price it still represents good value for money

There's nothing better than kicking back and watching your favourite shows when you have time. As a DVD player, Freeview receiver and recorder, the Samsung DVD-SH855M offers you just this luxury. With excellent price and picture quality, you'll be in ...

Decent amount of features ; lots of storage space ; option to backup to DVD is handy if you're a hoarder

Menus ; sluggish controls ; only one tuner

The Samsung DVD-SH855M offers a lot, but just misses the mark on usability. It does, however, make up some ground with better than average picture quality

Humax has replaced its popular 9200T PVR with the 9200TB and 9200TS. These new, improved models now come in two colours and qualify as 'Freeview Playback' PVRs, meaning they include certain features such as dual tuners and the ability to pause live TV

Slick design ; easy to use ; powerful functionality ; can record two channels at once

Hideous remote control ; very slow to transfer video to a PC

Whether you buy the black Humax 9200TB and or the silver 9200TS, you'll get a superb Freeview PVR with plenty of useful features and an unusually flexible recording system that allows you to do far more than other competing products

Stuck the VHS in the loft? Need to record something while you're at a barbecue? Panasonic's latest solution is the DMR-EX77, a 160GB hard-disk Freeview PVR with a DVD burner built in. This means you can archive old programmes and keep those classic ...

Ability to record to both DVD and hard disk ; picture quality

Menu system ; only one Freeview tuner ; no HDMI cable included

A simple but very useful DVD and Freeview PVR that offers great upscaling performance for DVDs and has plenty of space to record TV programmes from Freeview

If you're in the market for a dedicated DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR-EZ27EB might well have your name on it -- as well as looking half decent, it has a built-in Freeview receiver, so you can burn even more telly to DVD

Styling ; quality of recordings ; HDMI connection

Layout of front panel controls ; lack of hard drive ; difficult menu system

If you want to record TV shows to DVD, Panasonic's DMR-EZ27EB is ideal for your needs -- it looks good and recordings are of a decent quality. If you're looking to upscale DVDs, however, you might want to look at some other offerings, and possibly ...