Compare Prices : Samsung DVD-HR735 -

As a happy owner of a Samsung LCD screen, I thought it made sense to pair it with a Samsung DVD recorder. Both would look good together, the recorder's features were attractive (a 160 GB hard drive, option of multi-region compatibility, HDMI, etc.). I was also appealed by the fact I could watch the beginning of a programme before the recording ended.

Setting up the recorder was quite straightforward. Connecting it with a Freeview box is possible but, so far, I haven't managed to get the DVD recorder to select a Freeview channel to record by itself.

Sound quality seems fine, so does the picture. My main criticism is that the recorder is not very user-friendly. The remote control looks good and takes over most of my Samsung LCD TV remote's features but there are simply too many buttons: two ON/OFFs, two "TV" and two "DVD", it's just too confusing. Maybe because Samsung have tried too hard to combine all most functions of both the TV and the recorder on one remote and because the recorder is a player/recorder hybrid? Also, it should have included an easier to use TV recording interface, listing all the TV programmes on the main channels (like on Sony and Pionneer DVD recorders). So you have to enter all the data manually, including the title of the programme.

But, for that price, the recorder still boasts good features and nice design.