Toshiba has an impressive new lineup of DVD recorders fresh from Japan, and the first to wash up on UK shores - for an exclusive review in our megatest - is the RD97DT. It sports multiformat DVD recording, analogue and digital tuners, and - like all of it...

A full set of features, DVB and analogue tuners, Sat link control

Unituitive remote, No RGB Scart input, Unexciting picture quality

Toshiba has made one compromise too many in its quest for an attractive bottom line

You could almost hear the cheering when Sony introduced the first ever Freeview-equipped DVD recorder to the UK, banishing fuzzy analogue images and hailing a new era of easy EPG recording.

Impressive feature set, Friendly user interface, Picture quality from DVD and recordings in HQ+ mode

Relatively small HDD, Poor panel display

A good all-rounder, but we'd like to see a larger hard drive

Samsung learned an important business formula from the staggering success of its LCD TV range. Keen technology + stylish design = vast increase in market share. Hence the artistically sculpted and fashionably black DVD recorder displayed here

Sleek design, Wide format compatibility, Friendly OSD and remote, Ease of use, Sleek design, Wide format compatibility, Friendly OSD and remote, Ease of use, Sleek design, Wide format compatibility, Friendly OSD and remote, Ease of use

No digital TV tuner or EPG

Everything it does right, and there is quite a lot, is negated by its insane lack of a digital tuner

For a long time, Panasonic has packed more features, bigger hard drives and wider format compatibility into its DVD recorders than anyone else, but the playing field has recently levelled with other brands matching them spec-for-spec

Format compatibility, Picture quality, Good EPG, Loads of features

No DVD Audio compatibility

A great performer across the board, and well worth the reasonably high asking price

The most striking aspect of this DVD recorder is its price - Comet is currently selling it for just £130, which is very reasonable for a deck with a built-in Freeview tuner. But inevitably, the low price has impacted on the deck's design

Good recordings, Brilliant price, Well-designed user interface

Loud fan noise, Limited -RW capability, Retro chassis design

Rough around the edges and lacking key features, but recordings look great and that low price tag could be a deciding factor

If this exciting new HDD/ DVD combi deck is anything to go by, Sony's latest range could finally oust Panasonic from the top spot. It boasts a comprehensive feature set and a realistic price tag. But does it have the performance?

Recording quality, Ease of use, 1080p upscaling, Edit controls

Guide Plus+

A staggering array of features and blinding performance make this a superb combi recorder at a surprisingly reasonable price

If you haven't yet made the leap from analogue to digital TV, this Freeview PVR could encourage you to do it in style. For a start, it features two DVB-T tuners, so you can watch and record two different TV programmes at the same time

Twin DVB tuners, Slim design, Easy user interface

Only one RGB-enabled Scart, No Top-Up-TV slot

A serious contender for your cash despite some minor niggles

Despite the advantages of DVD/HDD combis, disc-only recorders still have an important role to play. Users upgrading from VHS may be more comfortable with the idea of using removable media as opposed to an integrated hard disk drive

Snazzy looks, HDMI output, Solid DVD playback

Analogue tuner, Poor LP/EP modes, Lack of multiformat support

An unspectacular DVD recorder that lacks multiformat support and a digital tuner, but is easy to use with decent DVD playback

The latest in LG's largely anonymous series of DVD recorder/hard drive combis, the RH188S is less a revolution, more an evolution, compared to previous models such as the RH199HS. That model featured a 250GB HDD and an HDMI output, and costs £450

Easy to set up and use, Smart appearance, Good performance

No digital tuner or upscaling capability

A good, but certainly not a great, combi player