What is a Hard Disc Drive video recorder going to do for me?

A Hard Disc Drive (HDD) Video recorder will allow you to record TV directly to the drive for instant playback whenever you require it. Think of it as a VCR, but without tapes. Each program you record is easily available via a simple menu, similar to that which you find on a DVD disc.

Another feature of HDD is that you can “time slip” a TV show. This means that you can effectively pause live TV and resume when convenient. Say the phone rings during your favourite TV show, you can pause the action and continue watching after your call. Cool huh?!

Hard disc drives are being included in a wide range of products these days, from TVs to mini hi-fi systems and video cameras. The beauty of hard drive technology is that it provides random access to files stored on it. This means you can play videos or audio almost instantly, regardless of when and in which order it was recorded.

Some units like the Panasonic DMR-EX85 also include a digital TV tuner, as well as a DVD recorder, onto which you can burn video from the HDD to share or archive.

These units are even able to record devices connected to the AV inputs, such as your video camera, pay TV, games machines and your VCR.