Sorry. a bit (a lot!) OT but I'd value the group's opinions on this...

My VCR is definitely on its last legs, and needs replacing very soon.
We already have a DVD playback machine; the need here is for something
to enable us to time-shift TV (ie record programmes and watch them at a
convenient time, then delete them). Not interested in preserving for
posterity here.

So the choice is between (a) a hard-disk-type recorder; (b) a DVD-R or
-RW machine; or (c) another VCR.

I really like the idea of a hard disk - no more hunting round for a
blank tape with enough free space left; no more hunting round for that
tape with the final episode of '24', which I know is there somewhere -
but have some concerns...

For example, all these machines give widely varying hour capacities,
depending on the recording speed. How realistic are these - how good is
the quality likely to be at lowest resolution? How many Gb should I
rely on for an hours-worth of viewing?

What about all these downloadable programming guides etc? Are you
always locked in to have to pay a monthly sub, plus daily phone calls,
on top of the initial purchase price?

Finally, I wonder whether it's too early to be buying an HD machine, are
they likely to improve massively in price and quality over the next 1-2
years, as we've seen with DVDs? Therefore maybe a cheapo stopgap VCR
would be best? Or a DVD-R (but you've still got the DVDs to find and lose!)

I look forward to your views!

David