The Sony RDR-HX750B is an all singing, all dancing DVD and hard drive recorder at an amazing price.

The 160 GB hard drive offers up to a massive 455 hours of recording time and DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW discs can all be recorded on and high-speed dubbing means you can quickly record from the hard drive straight to DVD.

It almost goes without saying as this is a Sony product but the recording and playback quality are utterly top notch. In addition, it has an HDMI output with 1080p upscaling which is just stunning and really gets the most out of your DVD collection. Who needs Blu-ray when you can make the most of your HD flat screen with such a great upscaler?

It also includes Sony's Bravia Theatre Sync, a USB port so that you can get photos quickly to the hard drive and the ability to connect up not just a USB key but also a digital camera. You can even hitch it up to a PictBridge printer and get your photos printed without the need for a computer.

What else would you like it to do? Well, it can also record to DVD+ RW and DVD-R DUAL LAYER discs, it has the GUIDE Plus+ System (set top box controller) and is Divx compatible. You can also 'chase play' - pause live TV (useful if the phone rings) and it is really responsive - quick to switch on and to start the recording process - just with a single button.

It is incredibly easy to use, the remote is well laid out, the menus are clear and user friendly and the storage is massive. Is it silly to say that it looks good? OK, well, it looks good! Installation is a piece of proverbial - it really is plug and play.

So, what is the downside? There has to be a downside...

Well, there is. Kinda! But let me describe my set-up first. We have Virgin cable (which requires a decoder box), a satellite box and a Wii. What we do not have it Freeview (because we have cable).

So, the downside is that this box only has an analogue tuner! For some, that's going to be a big downside. But, if you already have a Freeview box or use cable or satellite, the lack of a digital tuner is not an issue - because you already have a tuner for your service in a different box. Now for the good news - that lack of tuner makes this box available at under £100! Incredible! The equivalent Sony recorder with a Freeview box weighs in on the wrong side of £200!

Also, the ability to set the timer and the great set top infra-red controller device (that sits in front of other boxes) allows you to control other boxes via the Sony unit - it can switch them on or over as you need. Genius!

What a cracking piece of kit this is! A Sony branded, DVD recorder with a 160gb hard drive. And for those of you who might want to get a dvd and hard drive recorder but are put off by the price - I picked one of these up at Richer Sounds for under £100 so they are also amazingly cheap.