Group test: DVD/HDD recorders £300-£500

Video recorders have come a long way since the days of toploading tape decks. The modern breed of DVD/hard-disk recorder can do so much more than simply record TV programmes - these days they can also store your entire music collection, display photos, play CDs and DVDs and even boost TV pictures to hi-def resolution.

Buying a combined DVD/HDD unit has other advantages too - you can copy programmes or camcorder footage onto DVD quickly and easily, and copy content from discs or USB devices onto the hard drive, none of which you can do on PVRs like Sky+.

But this is just a taste of what these multi-talented machines can do. To investigate their talents a little further, we took a look at four of the latest DVD/HDD recorders to find out which one is most deserving of your money.

Overview Price comparison: Panasonic DMR-EX88 Price: £500 More info: Panasonic Hard-disk capacity: 400GB DVD recording: DVD-RAM, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-R(DL), DVD+R(DL) HDMI upscaling: 720p, 1080i, 1080p Connections: Rear: HDMI 1.3 output; component video output; 2 x Scarts (1 RGB/S-video/composite out, 1 RGB/S-video/composite in); S-video output; composite video output; optical digital audio output; stereo audio output; RF in & out Front: USB 2.0; i.Link DV input; SD card slot; composite video input; stereo audio input Panasonic DMR-EX88 The beauty of Panasonic's combi recorders is that they boast a wealth of innovative features but remain easy to use, making them suitable for beginners and experts alike. The DMR-EX88 is aiming to continue this trend, but this time round its ease-of-use factor is boosted by the introduction of Freeview+, which offers helpful digital TV features like series recording and pause live TV. The 400GB hard-disk holds up to 712 hours of TV but if you want to record onto DVD (or copy programmes from the hard-disk) then the unit accepts any format you throw at it, including dual-layer DVD-R and DVD+R discs. Elsewhere the built-in CD ripping feature with Gracenote (the track identification service used by iTunes and others) is a nice touch, allowing you to build up a music library on the hard-disk without going near a PC, and support for DivX, MP3 and JPEG from disc or USB memory devices is always welcome. There's even an SD card slot that accepts JPEGs and SD video. The operating system is first class. All of the menus, including the intuitive Guide Plus EPG, are logically laid out, while the excellent remote design and slick software makes navigation a breeze. In action the DMR-EX88 is a magnificent machine - Freeview recordings in the top-quality XP mode look sharp, clean and colourful but even in the lower bitrate LP mode the pictures retail more detail than we expected. DVD pictures, which can be upscaled to 1080p via HDMI, also look impressive.

Verdict Plus points Loads of features, ease of use, recording quality Minus points No WMA playback, can't transfer DivX to HDD

Overview Price comparison: Philips DVDR5570H Price: £330 More info: Philips Hard-disk capacity: 250GB DVD recording: DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R(DL), DVD-R(DL) HDMI upscaling: 720p, 1080i, 1080p Connections: Rear: HDMI 1.1 output; component video output; 2 x Scart (1 RGB/composite out; 1 RGB/composite in); S-video output; composite video output; coaxial digital audio input and output; stereo audio output; RF in & out; DVB-T in & out; G-Link port Front: USB 2.0; iLink DV input; S-video input; composite video input; stereo audio input

The other feature guaranteed to bring a smile to your face is Commercial Block, which automatically puts chapter markers at the start and end of adverts so you can skip right past them at the touch of a button.

There are loads of other features, including 1080p upscaling, 5.1-channel sound recording and a jukebox feature, which lets you play MP3, WMA, JPEG and DivX files directly from the hard-disk.

The unit is easier to use than previous Philips combis thanks to a new control wheel on the remote that makes it easy to scroll through the well-designed menus.

However the Philips falls short of its rivals in a few areas. There's no series or split recording, the aging Guide Plus EPG is a pain and the non-linear editing is basic - you can't assemble playlists of scenes and the process of 'hiding' chapters is cumbersome.

But there are no complaints about its recorded picture quality, with the HQ mode effortlessly capturing all the rich colours and fine details of the source broadcast. The low quality EP, SLP and SEP modes are virtually unwatchable, but with such a large hard-disk you probably won't need to use them anyway.