I would reccomend the sony Hxd 710 dvd recorder with freeview and a 160 gb hard disc as the number one contender for best dvd recorder,it is easy to use,is pure quality,and the picture quality with recorded pictures is second to none,it also has freeview built in which makes it very easy to record programmes from tv,it just takes a press of a button,and the programme is set to record,i used to have a panasonic dvd recorder with hard disc,and the sony just blows it away with the picture quality and ease of use,check out the reviews of the sony and you will see why it has won many awards,it may not be the cheapest,but it will outlast most other recorders with ease, this is just my opinion but it is a lot of other peoples as well as it is one of the best selling dvd/hard disc/freeview recorders on the market currently 
